Joe Miles’ Ceremony

Maui Wedding Officiant: Reverend Joe Miles

OPTIONAL:  ~ Hawai’ian Chant

ONA ONA I KA HALA, ME KA LEHUA E HALALEHUA, OIA NA KE NOE

OKA Ô U NO KA HIKI MAI A HIKI MAI NO OKUOU, A HIKI NO ME KE ALOHA

The Oli Aloha is a chant, which offers a word of greeting.  It says, in part, this is the sight for which I have longed.  Now that you are here, love has come with you.

OPTIONAL:  ~ Hawai’ian Blessing

A O KA MEA NONA KA MANA

E HANA MAI AI I NA MEA A PAU

A KAKOU E NOI AKU AI, ÔA E MANAO IHO AI

A NUI LOA AKU HOI

Aloha and welcome to the ceremony that will unite —— and —— in marriage.  We gather here today to celebrate their union, and to honor their commitment, to not just gazing at one another, but to looking outward in the same direction.

Today —— and —— proclaim their love to the world, and we rejoice with and for them.

As we celebrate their love that is so obvious on their faces, let us remember that we experience it in our own hearts as well.

It is a love that is universal which kindles our souls with hope and which is our true home, our true meeting place.

In marriage we give ourselves freely and generously into the hands of the one we love, and in doing so, each of us receives the love and trust of the other as our most precious gift. But even as that gift is shared by two people who are in love, it also touches the friends and family members who in various ways support and contribute to the relationship.

All of you are ——and —— community, and each of you has played some part in bringing them to this moment. This is why gathering as a community is such an important part of a wedding ceremony. Because —— and —— are now taking a new form as a married couple, and in this form, they become part of their community in a new way.

INTRODUCTION TO VOWS

——and ——, you realize that in a greater sense no other person or officiant can truly marry you. Only you can marry yourselves. By your commitment to love each other, to work with all your hearts toward creating an atmosphere of care and respect, and by your willingness to face together the fears and uncertainty that underlie human life; you marry yourselves more surely than any document we will put our signatures on today. Your love for one another and your willingness to accept each others strength and frailties with understanding and consideration will cement the foundation for a life together that will last.

Today you commit yourselves to honoring and protecting one another above your separate selves, and to valuing your union above your own interests. In so doing, you will find a wealth of love and peace not otherwise attainable. But with this joy comes a profound responsibility to protect the bond you share. For it is only with continual care that your love is truly secure in the face of life’s inevitable tests.

You must regard each other with the deepest respect. You must appreciate each other’s talents, foster each other’s dreams, and be ever mindful of the many gifts the other offers you. You must inspire and encourage one another. For by strengthening your partner, you strengthen your marriage. Bring out the very best in each other. Be sparing in criticism and generous in praise for things well done.

In communication, be honest and open. For the heart that communicates truth without hesitation earns trust and builds a secure home. Without truth there is no respect, and without respect there is no love. Accept your marriage as a work-in-progress that will hereafter consume your attention, yet never be completed. Because a lifelong love requires a lifetime of hard work. But it is a joyous labor, whose fruits are the very richest.

A vast, unknown future stretches out before you. That future, with its hopes and disappointments, its joys and its sorrows, is hidden from your eyes. But it is a great tribute to your belief in each other that you are willing to face those uncertainties together. May the pure, simple love with which you join hearts and hands today never fail, but grow deeper and surer with every year you spend together.

Note: If you want to insert something personal, such as a favorite poem or song, a statement made to one anther or to your family, this is the spot for it.

OPTIONAL:

Being assured that your love and your choice of each other as lifelong companions, and that you have your families blessings, I now ask who gives this woman to be married to this man?

(Brides father): Her mother and I do.

—— and —— we are here to remember and rejoice with you and to recount with one another that it is love that guides us on our path; and to celebrate as you begin this journey together. It is in this spirit that you have come here today to to exchange these vows.

VOWS

(Grooms name), repeat after me:

I (GroomÕs name) take you (BrideÕs name) to be my wife/husband.

I promise above all else to live in truth with you, and to communicate fully and fearlessly.

I give you my hand and my heart as a sanctuary of warmth and peace, and pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor as I join my life to yours.

(Bride repeats same regarding Groom)

RING EXCHANGE

For thousands of years lovers have exchanged rings as a token of their vows. These simple gold bands are not of great value in themselves, but are made precious by our wearing of them.

Your rings say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound togher. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a past, a present and a future, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder, and delight.

(GroomÕs name) take (BrideÕs name) ring and put it on her finger and repeat after me:

Just as this circle is without end, my love for you is eternal.

Just as it is made of indestructible substance, my commitment to you will never fail.

With this ring, I take you to be my trusted confidante and partner for life.

(Bride repeats same regarding Groom)

OPTIONAL STATEMENTS:

1. So may this shining hour be an open door through which —— and —— will go forth to build that dearest of all relationships, a happy marriage. May the years deal gently with them; walking together may they find far more in life than either would have found alone; and even more fully, may they come to know this one supreme truth….

That caring is sharing….

That Living is giving….

That Life is eternal….

And that Love is itÕs crown.

2. Apache Wedding Chant

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.

Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth for the other.

Now you are two persons, but there is only one life inside you.

Go now to your dwelling, to enter the days of your life together, and may your days be good and long upon the earth.

PRONOUNCEMENT

—— and —— although I am officiating here today, it is not truly in my power to sanctify, legitimize, or bless your relationship in any way; because the two of you have already done that in your hearts.

So by joining hands right now and looking into each others eyes, let it be known that you are joined, body and soul in this lifetime, and that this bond is sacred and eternal. Now that you have stood before me and have exchanged these rings and these vows, and have agreed to be married, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are husband and wife.

You may kiss the bride!