by Thomas Moore

Believe me, if all those endearing young charms,
Which I gaze on so fondly to-day,
Were to change by to-morrow, and fleet in my arms,
Live fairy-gifts fading away,
Thou wouldst still be adored, as this moment thou art,
Let thy loveliness fade as it will,
And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart
Would entwine itself verdantly still.

It is not while beauty and youth are thine own,
And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear,
That the fervor and faith of a soul may be known,
To which time will but make thee more dear!
No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets,
But as truly loves on to the close,
As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets
The same look which she turned when he rose!

Hindu Marriage Poem

You have become mine forever.
Yes, we have become partners.
I have become yours.
Hereafter, I cannot live without you.
Do not live without me.
Let us share the joys.
We are word and meaning, unite.
You are thought and I am sound.

May the nights be honey-sweet for us.
May the mornings be honey-sweet for us.
May the plants be honey-sweet for us.
May the earth be honey-sweet for us.

 by James Dillet Freeman

May your marriage bring you all the exquisite
excitement marriage should bring,
and may life grant you also patience,
tolerance, and understanding.

May you always need one another -
not so much to fill your emptiness
as to help you to know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete;
the valley does not make
the mountain less, but more;
and the valley is more a valley because
it has a mountain towering over it.

May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another,
and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!"
and take no notice of small faults.

If you have quarrels that push you apart,
may both of you hope to have
good sense enough to take the first step back.

May you enter into the mystery which is
the awareness of one another's
presence - no more physical than spiritual,
warm and near when you are
side by side, and warm and near when
you are in separate rooms
or even distant cities.

May you have happiness,
and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.

Cherokee Wedding

God in heaven above
please protect the ones we love.
We honor all you created as we pledge
our hearts and lives together.

We honor mother-earth
 and ask for our marriage to be abundant
and grow stronger through the seasons;

We honor fire
and ask that our union be warm
and glowing with love in our hearts;

We honor wind
and ask we sail though life
safe and calm as in our father's arms;

We honor water
to clean and soothe our relationship
 that it may never thirsts for love;

With all the forces of the universe you created,
we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together.

Amen.

Vows:

The officiant says to the groom: __________ will you look into __________'s eyes, and into her heart, and repeat after me?
Groom: I commit my life to our partnership in marriage. I promise to comfort you, to encourage you in all walks of life. I promise to express my thoughts and emotions to you and to listen to you in times of joy and in times of sorrow. __________, I love you, and you are my closest friend. Will you let me share my life and all that I am with you?
Bride: I will.

The officiant says to the bride: __________ will you look into __________'s eyes, and into his heart, and repeat after me?
Bride: I commit my life to our partnership in marriage. I promise to comfort you, to encourage you in all walks of life. I promise to express my thoughts and emotions to you, and to listen to you in times of joy and in times of sorrow. __________, I love you, and you are my closest friend. Will you let me share my life and all that I am with you?
Groom: I will.
_______________________________

Groom: I promise you __________, that I will be your loving and loyal husband from now on and I will share with you all of life's joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, until death parts us.


Bride: I promise you __________, that I will be your loving and loyal wife from now on and I will share with you all of life's joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, until death parts us.
_______________________________

The Man, facing the woman and taking her right hand in his, says
In the Name of God, I __________ take you, __________ to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
Then they loose their hands, and the Woman, still facing the man, takes his right hand in hers, and says
In the Name of God, I __________ take you, __________ to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
_______________________________

Groom: Spouse's name, you have been my friend since my heart began to beat.
I have loved you since you entered into my conscious thought. I promise to carefor you and protect you forever and forever. I wish to be your guiding light and benear you this day until I draw my last breath. I promise to cherish you daily andwalk through the trials of life by your side. I am taking your hand to testify my love to you and others here, that we may be united in truth and honesty.


Bride: Spouse's name, my heart skipped a beat the first moment I saw you. Ihave come to know you and respect you. I wish to care for you and enjoy life with you. I will be you shelter in your time of sorrow and pain. I will be your friend and guide in time of worry. I will be yours and yours only through the good and bad. I am taking your hand to testify my love to you and others here, that we may be united in truth and honesty.