WEDDING CEREMONY: BY Eleanor Fong

Hawaiian Welcoming Chant

Oli Aloha

Onaona i ka hala me ka lehua

He hale lehua no ia na ka noe

O ka`u no ia e `ano`i nei

E lia`a nei ho`i o ka hiki mai

A hiki mai no `olua

Hiki pu no me ke aloha.

Aloha e, aloha e, aloha e

Fragrant with the breath of hala and lehua.

This is the sight I long to see.

Of this, my present desire of your coming fills me with eagerness.

Now that you two have come

Love comes with you.

Minister:

We are gathered here today to take part in the most time-honored celebration of the human family, uniting a woman and a man in marriage. ____________ and

____________ have come to witness before us, telling of their love for each other. We remember, theirs is a love whose source is the affection of those who

loved them into being.

We remind them that they are performing an act of complete faith, each in the other; that the heart of their marriage will be the relationship they create. In a

world where faith often falls short of expectation, it is a tribute to these two who now join hands and hearts in perfect faith.

Exchange of Leis

In the culture and tradition of Hawaii the exchange of flower lie is a deep symbol of love, respect and affection. To place a lei on a loved one is to bestow them in

the highest esteem. The beautiful crafted lei with its colorful hand picked flowers and sweet fragrance represents a Polynesian tradition of two live that have

intertwined and bonded together is the most profound meaning of aloha. The lei is a refection of your love and aloha that you share for one another. As you

exchange these leis it is symbolic of a new beginning.

Minister to Groom:

____________, will you receive ____________ as your wife? Will you pledge to her your love, faith and tenderness, cherishing her with a husband's loyalty and

devotion?

Groom:

I will.

Minister to Bride:

____________, will you receive ____________ as your husband? Will you pledge to him your love, faith and tenderness, cherishing him with a wife’s loyalty and

devotion?

Bride:

I will.

Minister:

_____________ and _____________, please repeat after me, by saying now, each to the other, words which will tell of your love.

Groom:

I, ____________, take you, ____________ to be no other than yourself, in all the ways life may find us, tending you in sickness and rejoicing with you in health,

as long as we both shall live to love.

Bride:

I, ____________, take you, ____________ to be no other than yourself, in all the ways life may find us, tending you in sickness and rejoicing with you in health,

as long as we both shall live to love.

Minister:

Will you now give and receive a ring?

Bride and Groom:

We will.

Minister:

This circlet of precious metal is justly regarded as a fitting emblem of the purity and perpetuity of the Marriage State. The ancients were reminded by the circle

of eternity, as it is so fashioned as to have neither beginning nor end; while gold is so incorruptible that it cannot be tarnished by use or time. So may the union,

at this time solemnized, be incorruptible in its purity and more lasting than time itself.

Minister hands the ring to the Groom, who places it on the Bride’s finger:

Wear this ring forever, ____________, as a symbol of love and peace and of all that is unending.

Minister hands the ring to the Bride, who places it on the Groom’s finger:

Wear this ring forever, ____________, as a symbol of love and peace and of all that is unending.

Minister:

We speak to ____________ and ____________ of love, in which the trust and freedom of the other person becomes as significant as the trust and freedom of

one's self. We speak to them of generosity, which gathers the beauty of earth for riches, and the kindness which turns away the wrath of foolish men and

women. We speak of each of our hopes for their continued growth through patience, one for the other. We speak of our confidence that new levels of

understanding, discovered by them in experiences of sorrow and tribulation, shall bring ever new surprises of strength and fortitude they do not now know.

In the years which shall bring ____________ and ____________ into greater age and wisdom, we pray that their love shall be ever young; that they shall be able

always to recover from moments of despair, the lithesome ways of buoyant youth. In this hope may they keep the vows made on this day, in freedom, teaching

each other who they are, what they yet shall be, enabling them to know that in the fullness of being, they are more than themselves and more than each other;

that they are all of us, and that together we share joyously the fruits of life.

And now ____________ and ____________, seeking the fulfillment of love and marriage, find again that the poet Gibran speaks for them:

"Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks to another day of loving.

To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;

To return home eventide with gratitude, and then sleep with a prayer

For the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips."

We have been witnesses to this special day. Therefore, I and those of us here with you recognize that you have become husband and wife/life partners, and we

and all of your family and friends shall honor you as the same from this day forward. Our best wishes to you both for many happy years together, with all the

rewards of a sacred and sanctified married life.

Now therefore by the authority given unto me by the laws of the State of Hawai‘i, I now pronounce that you united in marriage/civil union, as man and wife/life

partners.

Therefore, you may kiss your Bride/each other! E honi ka waha!

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be sanctuary to the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there is no

isolation for you. Now there is no more loneliness. Now you are two, but there is only one life in front of you. Go forth and start this new life today as man and

wife!

Family and friends, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. ___________. "