Jewish Wedding Prayer
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe,
who hath created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride,
mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight,
love and brotherhood, peace and friendship.
May there soon be heard in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem,
the voice of joy and gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride,
the jubilant voice of bridegrooms from the wedding canopy,
and of youths from their feasts of song.
Blessed art thou, O Lord,
who gives the Bridegroom joy in his bride.
Christian Marriage Prayer
Lord Jesus,
grant that I and my spouse may have a true
and understanding love for each other.
Grant that we may both
be filled with faith and trust.
Give us the grace to live
with each other in peace and harmony.
May we always bear with one another's weaknesses
and grow from each other's strengths.
help us to forgive one another's failings
and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness
and the spirit of placing the well-being
of one another ahead of self.
May the love that brought us together
grow and mature with each passing year.
Bring us both ever closer to You
through our love for each other.
Let our love grow to perfection.
Amen.
The Shehechyanu
(Jewish Blessing said on special occasions, from holidays and festivals to watching a child take his/her first steps.)
Ba-ruch ata, A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu, me-lech ha-o-lam, she-he-chya-nu ve-ki-ya-ma-nu ve-hi-gi-a-nu laz-man-ha-zeh.
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, king of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.
Nondenominational Marriage Prayer
(Great for Vow Renewals)
Dear God,
We forget sometimes that marriage started in Your mind, that it is indeed a "heavenly" idea. Make our eyes sensitive to all the good You've given in our marriage, and help us to be spouses who bring You glory. We thank You for bringing us together. We do believe, Lord, that we are one!
Amen.
Lord's Prayer / Our Father
Protestant Version
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name; Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord's Prayer / Our Father
Catholic Version
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name; Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Jewish - Seven Wedding Blessings, traditional
The Seven Blessings
1. Praised are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
2. Praised are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who created all things for Your glory.
3. Praised are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of man.
4. Praised are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who created man and woman in Your image, fashioning woman from man as his mate, that together they might perpetuate life. Praised are You, O Lord, Creator of man.
5. May Zion rejoice as her children are restored to her in joy. Praised are You, O Lord, Who causes Zion to rejoice at her children's return.
6. Grant perfect joy to these loving companions, as You did to the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden. Praised are You, O Lord, who grants the joy of bride and groom.
7. Praised are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created joy and gladness, bride and groom, mirth, song, delight and rejoicing, love and harmony, peace and companionship. O Lord our God, may there ever be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem voices of joy and gladness, voices of bride and groom, the jubilant voices of those joined in marriage under the bridal canopy, the voices of young people feasting and singing. Praised are You, O Lord, Who causes the groom to rejoice with his bride.
Jewish Seven Wedding Blessings (Contemporary)
May your marriage enrich your lives.
May you work together to build a relationship of substance and quality.
May the honesty of your communication build a foundation of understanding, connection, and trust.
May you respect each other’s individual personality and philosophy, and give each other room to grow and fulfill each other’s dreams.
May your sense of humor and playful spirit continue to enliven your relationship.
May you understand that neither of you is perfect: you are both subject to human frailties: and may your love strengthen when you fall short of each other’s expectations.
May you be “best friends”, better together than either of you are apart.
Wedding Blessing
by Willaim Shakespeare
God, the best maker of all marriages,
combine your hearts in one,
your realms in one.
-- Shakespeare
Celtic Christian Wedding Blessing
"Blessed be the Light that has guided your souls to the threshold of this new day. Blessed be the Journey you walk as one sharing your love with the world. Blessed be the Stillness that refreshes your souls and awakens God's Dream in your hearts. The Shield of the God of Life be yours. The Compassion of the Loving Christ be yours. The Wisdom of the Living Spirit be yours. Now and evermore."
Prayer of Thanks for Creation
Great and Eternal Mystery of Life, Creator of All Things, I give thanks for the beauty You put in every single one of Your creations.
I am grateful that You did not fail in making every stone, plant, creature, and human being a perfect and whole part of the Sacred Hoop.
I am grateful that You have allowed me to see the strength and beauty of All My Relations.
My humble request is that all of the Children of Earth will learn to see the same perfection in themselves.
May none of Your human children doubt or question Your wisdom, grace, and sense of wholeness in giving all of Creation a right to be living extensions of Your perfect love.
- Author Unknown
Hebrew Blessing
Mi Adir el hakol
Mi Baruch el hakol
Mi Gadol el hakol
Hey’varesh h’atan v’hakallah
Splendor is upon everything
Blessing is upon everything
Who is full of this abundance?
Bless this groom and bride.
Prayer for Marriage
(Book of Common Prayer)
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.
We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name.
By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman.
Defend them from every enemy.
Lead them into all peace.
Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.
Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death.
Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Make Me An Instrument of Your Peace
(Prayer of St. Francis)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.
- St. Francis of Assisi
Catholic Prayer for the Family
All praise to You, Lord Jesus,
Lover of children:
Bless our family,
And help us to lead our children to You.
Give us light and strength,
And courage when our task is difficult.
Let Your Spirit fill us with love and peace,
So that we may help our children to love You.
All glory and praise are Yours, Lord Jesus,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
THE PRIESTLY BLESSING
Numbers 6:22-27
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace."
Catholic Spouses' Prayer
O Lord, omnipotent and eternal God,
we give you thanks and we bless your holy name.
You created man and woman in your image and blessed their union,
so that each would be for the other a help and support.
Remember us today.
Protect us and grant that our love may be in the image
of the devotion and love of Christ for his Church.
Grant us a long and fruitful life together, in joy and in peace, s
o that, through your Son and in the Holy Spirit,
our hearts may always rise to you
in praise and goods works.
From The Baal Shem Tov
(Jewish Wisdom, appropriate for any faith)
From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven, and when two souls that are designed to be together find each other, their streams of light flow together and a single, brighter light goes forth from their united being.
From St. Thomas Aquinas
(Catholic Wisdom, appropriate for any faith)
Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of
trouble, attempts what is above its
strength, pleads no excuse of
impossibility
It is therefore able to undertake all
things.
An Evening Family Prayer
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded to us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow;
for the health, the work, the food and the bright skies
that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth. Amen.
Teach Us to Love
- Rev. Henry Alford
O God, perfect us in love, that we may conquer all selfishness and hatred of others; fill our hearts with Thy joy, and shed abroad in them Thy peace which passeth understanding; that so those murmurings and disputings to which we are too prone may be overcome. Make us long-suffering and gentle, and thus subdue our hastiness and angry tempers, and grant that we may bring forth the blessed fruits of the Spirit, to Thy praise and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for the Beginning of the Day
- St. Philaret of Moscow
O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace, help me in all things to rely upon your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all. In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray. And you, yourself, pray in me. Amen.
Marriage Prayer
~ Author Unknown
Lord, help us to remember when we first met and the strong love that grew between us.
To work that love into practical things so nothing can divide us.
We ask for words both kind and loving, and for hearts always ready to ask forgiveness as well as to forgive.
Dear Lord, we put our marriage into Your hands.
Amen
A Marriage Blessing
~ Author Unknown
We thank You, O God, for the love You have implanted in our hearts.
May it always inspire us to be kind in our words, considerate of feelings, and concerned for each other's needs and wishes.
Help us to be understanding and forgiving of human weaknesses and failings.
Increase our faith and trust in You and may Your prudence guide our life and love.
Bless our marriage, O God, with peace and happiness, and make our Love fruitful for Your glory and our joy both here and in eternity.
Amen
Old English Blessing
May your joys be as bright as the morning,
your years of happiness
as numerous as the stars in the heavens,
and your troubles but shadows
that fade in the sunlight of love.
Old Welsh Blessing
Wishing you
A house full of sunshine,
Hearts full of cheer,
Love that grows deeper
each day of the year.
Irish Blessing, Version #1
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
Irish Blessing, Version #2
May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow
May the soft winds freshen your spirit
May the sunshine brighten your heart
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you
And may God enfold you in the mantle of His love.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and the rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again my friend
May God hold you in the hollow (palm) of his hand
May God be with you and bless you
May you see your children's children
May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in Blessings
May you know nothing but happiness
from this day forward
But rich or poor, quick or slow,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the joys of today
Be those of tomorrow.
Irish Wedding Blessing, Version #3
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
May the saddest day of your future
Be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May your hands be forever clasped in friendship
And your hearts joined forever in love.
Your lives are very special,
God has touched you in many ways.
May his blessings rest upon you
And fill all your coming days.
Irish Wedding Blessing, #4
May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer .
Traditional Irish Blessing of a bride and groom
I wish healing upon you
The healing of Mary with me,
Mary, Michael and Brighid
Be with me all three.
Fly with the birds of the air
Fly with the wasps of the hill
Swim with the sea-going whale
For they are swiftest
Be upon the clouds of the sky
For they are the rainiest
Be upon the river's current
Cascading to the sea
Hawaiian Wedding Blessing
~ By Reverend RC Eckert, D.D.
E ka Haku,ekokua mai ia maua e ho'omana'o i ka manawa a maua i launa
mua ai,
Lord, help us to remember the time we first met,
a me ke aloha nui i ulu ai ma waena o maua.
And the strong love that grew between us.
E kokua mai ia maua a ho'ohana i kela aloha i na mea mma'amaau i'ole e
ka;awale.
Help us to apply that love in practical things so nothing divides us.
Ke nonoi ha'aha'a nei maua i na hua'olelo 'olu'olu a piha me ke aloha,
We humbly ask for kind words filled with love,
a no na pu'uwai makaukau mau a noi i ka huikala, a e huikala aku.
And for hearts always ready to ask forgiveness, as well as to forgive.
E ka Haku, ke waiho nei maua i ko maua male'ana i loko o ku Lima.
Amene.
Lord, we leave our marriage in your hands. Amen.
Christian Wedding Closing Prayer
May the love of God be above you to overshadow you, beneath you to uphold you, before you to guide you, behind you to protect you, close beside you and within you to make you able for all things, and to reward your faithfulness with the joy and peace which the world cannot give -- neither can it take away. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, to whom be glory now and evermore.
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