Catholic wedding vows
The most important part of a Catholic wedding is what is commonly known as the exchange of vows. These words are the heart—the essential element—of the sacrament of marriage; they form the covenant that establish the couple’s marriage. The Church calls the exchange of vows consent—that is, the act of will by which a man and a woman give themselves to each other, and accept the gift of the other. The marriage can’t happen without the declaration of consent (Catechism #1625 - 1631).
Catholic wedding vows are usually preceded by three questions from the priest (The Order of Celebrating Matrimony #60):
"(Name) and (name), have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?"
"Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?"
"Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and to bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"
The Order for Celebrating Matrimony (#61-63) offers four options for Catholic wedding vows. The standard version goes like this:
Priest (or deacon): Since it is your intention to enter into the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church.
Groom: I, (name), take you, (name), to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.
Bride: I, (name), take you, (name), to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life.
It's ideal if you memorize the words of consent; doing so emphasizes that your consent to be married is truly heartfelt. Memorizing the words of consent in the weeks and months leading up to the wedding is also a good spiritual practice that will help you to focus on the deeper meaning of your marriage.
If you're worried about forgetting the words, or being too emotional to say them clearly, many priests and deacons will have you repeat the words of consent after them, phrase by phrase. The Order for Celebrating Matrimony doesn't actually suggest this, though; instead, it offers this simple alternative:
Priest: (Name), do you take (name) to be your wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and to honor her all the days of your life?
Groom: I do.
Priest: (Name), do you take (name) to be your husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and to honor him all the days of your life?
Bride: I do.
In the United States, Catholic wedding vows may also take the following form:
Groom: I, (name), take you, (name), for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
Bride: I, (name), take you, (name), for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day
forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
Again, you can also simply respond to the priest’s question:
Priest: (Name), do you take (name) for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?
Groom: I do.
Priest: (Name), do you take (name) for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?
Bride: I do.
The priest acknowledges that the couple have declared their consent to be married, prays for God's blessing on the couple, and declares, "What God joins together, let no one put asunder" (The Order of Celebrating Matrimony #64). This is the point at which, sacramentally, the bride and groom become wife and husband.
The Blessing and Exchange of Rings follows the declaration of consent. Again, it is ideal for the bride and groom to memorize these prayers. The priest says a blessing over the wedding rings (The Order of Celebrating Matrimony #66) and then the couple exchange wedding rings (#67A):
Groom (placing the wedding ring on his wife's ring finger): (Name), receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Bride (placing the wedding ring on her husband's ring finger): (Name), receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
The Order of Celebrating Matrimony #67B includes an optional Blessing and Giving of Arras (coins) if this is part of local custom. Talk with your presider if you are interested in this additional pledge of God's blessing and sign of the good gifts you will share in your marriage
The Universal Prayer (sometimes called Prayers of the Faithful or General Intercessions) follow, and then, if sacrament of marriage is being celebrated within Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
You may be wondering whether you can write your own Catholic wedding vows. Because The Order of Celebrating Matrimony does not provide an option for couples to write their own vows, it is unlikely that the priest or deacon who assists at your wedding will allow you to do so. Find out why by reading "Can we write our own Catholic wedding vows?" One option for couples who want to publicly express their love in their own words would be to include a personal statement in the printed wedding program. Another possibility: exchange a profession of love during the reception.
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Romantic quotes on love and marriage are great for your wedding day – they can fit in anywhere, from the wedding speeches and readings, to the signage, decor, invitations, place names or table numbers…
Even if you don't want to use the romantic quotes directly in your wedding speech, they can at least inspire you and your husband-to-be to have a think about how much you love each other and what marriage means to the pair of you. Be inspired by these famous love quotes to use on your wedding day…
The Most Romantic Quotes for Your Wedding Day
Whether you’re writing a wedding speech or looking for famous love quotes for wedding signs to display around your venue, romantic quotes can provide a huge source of inspiration.
We’ve rounded up some of the most romantic wedding quotes for your wedding day…
“A great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple' comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.” Dave Meurer
“I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself but for what you are making of me.” Roy Croft
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” Wuthering Heights
“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” David Viscott
“Love me and the world is mine.” David Reed
“You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” Dr. Seuss
“A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.” Andre Maurois
“What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Faith makes all things possible. Love makes all things easy.” Dwight Moody
“A marriage is not a noun; it’s a verb. It isn’t something you get. It’s the way you love your partner every day.” Barbara De Angelis
“Love is like a friendship caught on fire.” Jeremy Taylor
“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” Mignon McLaughlin
“True love stories never have endings.” Richard Bach
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“There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.” Ronald Reagan
“You don’t marry one person; you marry three: the person you think they are, the person they are, and the person they are going to become as a result of being married to you.” Richard Needham
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson
“When I saw you, I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.” Arrigo Boito
"One day, in your search for happiness, you discover a partner by your side, and you realise that your happiness has come to help you search." Robert Brault
“I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.” The Fellowship of the Ring
“In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.” Maya Angelou
"Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry." Tom Mullen
Romantic Quotes From Films to use in Your Wedding
“I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” Notting Hill
“When you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” When Harry Met Sally
“How wonderful life is, now your in the world.” Moulin Rouge
“You have bewitched me, body and soul and I love, love, love you.” Pride and Prejudice
“I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day.” The Notebook
“I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love.” The Vow
“It feels like how love should be. Floating through a dark blue sky.” Notting Hill
“It was a million tiny little things. When you added them all up, it just meant we were supposed to be together.” Sleepless in Seattle
“I look at you and I'm home.” Finding Nemo
“To me, you are perfect.” Love Actually
“I love her and that's the beginning and end of everything.” The Great Gatsby
“You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.” Gone With The Wind
“The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.” Moulin Rouge
Romantic Quotes From Songs to use in Your Wedding
“I would find you in any lifetime.” Kanye West
“…And if you hurt me, that's okay baby, only words bleed. Inside these pages you just hold me, and I won't ever let you go. Wait for me to come home.” Photograph – Ed Sheeran
“All that you are is all that I'll ever need.” Tenerife Sea – Ed Sheeran
“All of me, loves all of you.” All of Me – John legend
“How wonderful life is now you're in the world.” Your Song – Elton John
“When someone else's happiness is your happiness, that is love.” Is This Happiness – Lana Del Ray
“I'm so in love with you and hope you know, darling your love is worth it's weight in gold. We've come so far my dear, look how we've grown. I want to stay with you until we're grey and old.” Say You Won't Let Go – James Arthur
Famous Romantic Quotes to use on Your Wedding Day
“When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.” William Shakespeare
“Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about.” Winston Churchil
“There are all kinds of love in this world, but never the same love twice.” F Scott Fitzgerald
“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” Emily Bronte
“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way – implicitly and unquestionably.” Walt Disney
“What is done in love is done well.” Vincent Van Gogh
“You don't have to see the whole stair case, just take the first step.” Martin Luther King
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Most Popular Romantic Quotes at Weddings
“Never love anyone who treats you like you're ordinary.” Nicholas Sparks
“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” John Green
“…there was a boy who loved a girl and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.” Nicole Krauss
“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” AA Milne
“If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we are apart, I'll always be with you.” A.A Milne
“In a sea of people my eyes will always search for you.” Not Only Not Only Journals
“If I know what love is, it is because of you.” Hermann Hesse
“Love is two people dancing in a kitchen.” EHB
” I swear I couldn't love you more than i do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow.” Leo Christopher
“You are my sun, my moon and all of my stars.” E.E Cummings
“I saw that you were perfect and so I loved you. Then I saw that you were not perfect and i loved you even more.” Angelita Lim
“It has made me better loving you…it has made me wiser, and easier, and brighter.” Henry James
“You deserve someone who loves you with every beat of his heart.” Love Rosie
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.” Robert Browning
“Love meant jumping off a cliff and trusting that a certain person would be there to catch you at the bottom.” Jodi Picoult
“Your love will be the guiding force that charts the course of your tomorrows, holds your world together in difficult times, and will make life itself shine bolder and brighter than we human beings have a right to dream of.” Game of Thrones
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Dialog content endThere’s nothing quite as magical as a Disney love story. We’re sharing some of our favorite romantic Disney quotes that will make you believe in love.
Disney movies have taught us a lot about love. Whether you just want to be reminded of your favorite love stories or you’re looking for ways to include romantic quotes throughout your wedding day – we’ve got some swoon-worthy words to share with you!
"Because when I look at you, I can feel it. And I look at you and I’m home." – Finding Nemo
"Yes, you’ll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more." –Tarzan
"I made a wish upon a star, I turned around and there you were." –Bolt
"Love always finds a way, it’s true. And I love you."–Ray
"Side by side with your loved one, you’ll find enchantment here. The night will weave its magic spell, when the one you love is near." –Lady and the Tramp
"To face the future with another, who means more than any other, is to be loved."–The Rescuers
"Each happy ending’s a brand new beginning." – Enchanted
"You mean more to me than anyone in this whole world." – Peter Pan
"I wouldn’t have nothing if I didn’t have you." – Monsters, Inc.
"For it is plain as anyone can see, we’re simply meant to be." – The Nightmare Before Christmas
"Love goes on and on." – Robin Hood
"You must be true to your heart." – Mulan
"There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, you’ve got a friend in me." – Toy Story
"Any day spent with you is my favorite day." – Winnie the Pooh
"My dream wouldn’t be complete without you in it." – The Princess and the Frog
"You are my greatest adventure." – The Incredibles
"Everything is different now that I see you." – Tangled
"So this is love. So this is what makes life divine." – Cinderella
"One song, my heart keeps singing, of one love only for you." – Snow White
"Can you feel the love tonight?" – The Lion King
"My love for you will always burn." – Pete’s Dragon
"Together there’s no end to what our dream can start." – Pocahontas: Journey to a New World
"I love you … I know." – Star Wars
WEDDING INSPIRATION:
Looking for ways to incorporate Disney quotes as part of your wedding? Here are some creative options to consider:
• Include on your wedding invitations or save the dates
• Include on your wedding website
• Include on wedding day signage
• Include on a custom aisle runner
• Include on a custom dance floor
• Use as table names
• Create a focal backdrop with a quote
Korri