God-centered: Simple Wedding Program

With emphasis on today's wedding being about the bride or about the parents, we as believers of the Most High and followers of our Messiah Jesus Christ, need to be mindful of our wedding event, planning and the overall ceremony. We need to make Jesus and our Most High God the center of the day and not each other or one person.

Catholic and Protestant traditions have gone the way of the world with weddings becoming similar to how the world does it, but with a christian twist, being held in a church and by a pastor or minister. The sanctity of marriage which has been utterly destroyed by modernism and the world, with the definition by the world itself being changed in the last several decades.

Our aim, is to look at examples of simple weddings of bygone age, where the celebration and the events signified union of man and woman under God as they enter into a formal covenant.

I have drawn from the early Anabaptist people and history to outline the following program and pray to the Most High Yah that the man and woman are blessed by this occasion, as an eternal covenant they make to each other with God, among their loved ones.

Flow

First Draft of the full flow

• Setup: if we can have even a small table at the front, that will be good, with chairs facing the table, with about few feet of space around the table. Since it will be outside we need to make sure we are on level ground.

• Welcome, order of things and prayer to jump start the events

  • The ushers start seating people as they come, leaving the first set of seats for groom/bride their families, Ana/Stephanie and family and any one else who will lead with singing. Depending on the seating we keep the first 2 rows for this.
  • There is silence/banter thru the seating - no songs or music.
  • Erik walks in with Amanda following, with her Dad by her side
  • Erik will take a corner seat closer to the center.
  • As Amanda would like, she will be veiled and before sitting, her dad lifts her veil and hands her to Erik.
  • At this point, I will go up and make the program outline, order of things and such.

• Following this we do the program as follows with Ana, Stephanie and whoever else wants to lead, lead us in the first two songs.

  • Song1 (suggestion Great is thy faithfulness )
  • Song2 (suggestion Joyful joyful)

• One of the men, that Erik has spoken to, comes up to the table and reads the following scriptures

  • Scripture Readings
    • Genesis 1:26-31
    • Genesis 2:20-24
    • Ruth 1:15-18
    • Ruth 4:7-15
    • Song of Solomon 2:16

• Ana, Stephanie and the gang leads us in the next song

  • Song3 (suggestion Lord, who at Cana's wedding feast)

• The other man, that Erik has spoken to, comes up to the table and reads the following scriptures

  • Scripture Readings
    • Matthew 5:27-32
    • 1 Corinthians 11:8-12
    • Ephesians 5:22-33
    • 1Peter 3:1-7
    • Revelation 19:7-9

• At this point, I will go up to the table and call for Erik and Amanda. They walk up as a couple and stand in front of me, as we face each other, but we will be facing sideways to the congregation, so the entire congregation can see the couple, instead of their behind. Based on if Erik is right or left handed, Amanda will be on the stronger arm side. I will read the vows and we will conduct the Ceremony for Vow Exchange. Following this, they will take their seat back. I will also return to the seat.

• Ana, Stephanie and the gang will lead us with Song4 (Showers of blessings)

• I will walk up to the table and read the prepared Wedding Message. Once delivered, I will take my seat and announce we will sing the final song

• Ana, Stephanie and the gang will lead us with Song 5 (Heaven is my home)

• I will go up to the table, close with prayer and provide reception directions and request each able bodied man take the chair and help others as needed to the barn.

  • Closing prayer and dismissal for reception
  • Ushers will then start orderly having folks leave, starting with Erik+Amanda, their families and working backwards to last seats.
  • Erik and Amanda can choose to be waiting at the end, with their family, and people exiting can congratulate the newly weds.