Please see the script below, with the legal words that must be said in bold, and the optional words spoken by the couple in italics:
WELCOME
Good morning/afternoon everybody, and on behalf of (Partner 1’s name) and (Partner 2’s name), I would like to extend a warm welcome to (name of the venue).
My name is (Registrar’s name) and I am a deputy superintendent registrar for Islington and City of London. I will conduct the ceremony, and (Second registrar’s name), the registrar, will complete the schedule, which is the legal record of the marriage.
This ceremony will be in accordance with the civil law of this country. This requires the couple to declare their freedom to marry one another. They will then go on to make their marriage vows in which they promise to take each other as partners for life. These vows are a formal and public pledge of their love and a promise of a lifelong commitment to each other.
Marriage is a desire by two people to share themselves and their experiences with each other and a willingness to accept each other for who they are.
Marriage means making a commitment to developing co-operation, friendship, and mutual respect. It calls for honesty, patience, and of course humour! Marriage is where each partner cares for the other, and supports them in all that they do.
It demands courage, the courage to be open, the courage to grow and change, and the courage to sort out together, the tasks of everyday living.
Marriage requires closeness and distance, closeness for a couple growing together and enough distance to allow each partner to be individual. A good partner in such a marriage will be loving, caring, and above all a best friend.
It is in this spirit that (Partner 1) and (Partner 2) are now before us. In each other’s company they have found happiness, fulfilment and love. They now wish to affirm their relationship with this marriage.
This place in which we are now met, has been duly sanctioned, according to law, for the celebration of marriages, and we are here today to witness the joining in matrimony of this couple and to share in their happiness.
If there is any person here present who knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, then they should declare it now.
1ST READING (OPTIONAL)
Please can I call forward (Reader 1’s name) with their reading.
[READING]
Thank you (Reader 1), you may take your seat.
DECLARATORY WORDS
(Partner 1) and (Partner 2), we celebrate with you today. We are glad to join with you in the solemnization of your marriage, to witness your vows and to support your intentions for your future life together.
Before you are joined in matrimony, it is my duty to remind you of the solemn and binding character of the vows that you are about to make. Marriage in this country means the union of two people, voluntarily entered into for life, to the exclusion of all others.
I am now going to ask each of you in turn to declare that you know of no legal reason you may not be married to each other.
(Partner 1), please repeat after me:
I declare that I know of no legal reason why I (Partner 1’s name), may not be joined in marriage to (Partner 2’s name).
(Partner 2), please repeat after me:
I declare that I know of no legal reason why I (Partner 2’s name), may not be joined in marriage to (Partner 1’s name).
2ND READING (OPTIONAL)
Please can I call forward (Reader 2’s name) with their reading.
[READING]
Thank you (Reader 2), you may take your seat.
CONTRACTING WORDS
Now that you have both declared that you are free to marry, we have come to the part of the ceremony where you make your marriage contract with each other.
I ask you now in the presence of this company:
(Partner 1), do you take (Partner 2) to be your wife/husband, will you love, honour, and cherish him/her, in good times and in bad, and do you promise to stay true to him/her as long as you both shall live?
Partner 1: I do
(Partner 2), do you take (Partner 1) to be your wife/husband, will you love, honour, and cherish him/her, in good times and in bad, and do you promise to stay true to him/her as long as you both shall live?
Partner 2: I do
(Partner 1), please repeat after me:
I, (Partner 1), take you (Partner 2), to be my wedded wife/husband. Today is the beginning of the rest of our lives. I choose to spend today, and all of my tomorrows, with you.
(Partner 2), please repeat after me:
I, (Partner 2) take you (Partner 1), to be my wedded wife/husband. Today is the beginning of the rest of our lives. I choose to spend today, and all of my tomorrows, with you.
PERSONAL VOWS (OPTIONAL)
(Partner 1) and (Partner 2), you have chosen to make personal vows to each other on this special day.
(Partner 1), would you please read your vows to (Partner 2).
[PERSONAL VOW]
(Partner 2), would you please read your vows to (Partner 1).
[PERSONAL VOW]
RINGS (OPTIONAL)
The wedding ring is an unbroken circle, it has no beginning and no end. It symbolises unending and everlasting love and is an outward sign of the lifelong promise you have made to each other.
(Ring bearer’s name), please could you come forward with the rings? Please give the ring for (Partner 2) to (Partner 1).
(Partner 1), please place the ring partway onto (Partner 2)’s finger and repeat after me:
(Partner 2), I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. It symbolises the promises I have made to you, and the choice that I’ve made to share my life with you.
(Ring bearer), please could you give the ring for (Partner 1) to (Partner 2)?
(Partner 2), please place the ring partway onto (Partner 1)’s finger and repeat after me:
(Partner 1), I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. It symbolises the promises I have made to you, and the choice that I’ve made to share my life with you.
3RD READING (OPTIONAL)
Please can I call forward (Reader 3’s name) with their reading.
[READING]
Thank you (Reader 3), you may take your seat.
PRONOUNCEMENT
(Partner 1) and (Partner 2), this day is the start of a new life for you together. We hope that the feelings of love that you have for each other will deepen and grow ever stronger throughout the years to come.
(Partner 1) and (Partner 2), you have now both made the declarations required by law and have made a solemn and binding contract with each other in the presence of your witnesses, guests and the registrar of marriages.
It therefore gives me great pleasure, to pronounce you are now husband/wife and wife/husband.
Congratulations! You may now kiss each other!
SIGNING OF THE SCHEDULE
Please can I ask the couple to come over to the table to sign the marriage schedule, which will be the legal record of their marriage?
[COUPLE SIGN]
Can I ask the two witnesses to please come forward to sign the schedule?
[WITNESSES SIGN]
[REGISTRARS SIGN]
CONCLUSION
And now that you have signed the marriage schedule, on behalf of myself and (Second registrar), we would like to congratulate you both and wish you a long and happy married life together.
Guests, if you would please like to be upstanding, and put your hands together to congratulate (couple’s names as they have asked to be declared on the pre-ceremony organiser)!
[COUPLE EXITS, FOLLOWED BY THE GUESTS]