Sample Pronouncements

Below are some sample pronouncements that can be included in your ceremony.

The purpose of the pronouncement is to formally announce the union of two people into a single entity. There are many ways to refer to this new entity including, but not limited to:

  • Life Partners
  • Husband and Wife (for opposite sex partners)
  • Husband and Husband or Wife and Wife
  • Married
  • Legally Married
  • Wed
  • Legally Wed
  • Spouses for Life

In the examples below, this part of the pronouncement is referenced by

[preferred term]

, indicating that you should choose the term that best suits you.

The pronouncement is often followed by a kiss which symbolizes a seal on the union. The, like all parts of the ceremony, is optional.

1. Since [Name] and [Name] have grown in knowledge and love of one another, and because they have agreed in their desire to go forward in life together, seeking an even richer, deepening relationship, and because they have pledged to meet sorrow and joy as one family, we rejoice to recognize them as [preferred term].

2. You have publicly promised your commitment to each other for all time. I call upon all gathered here to witness that according to the laws of the state of Idaho, you are now [preferred term].

3. Forasmuch as [Name] and [Name] have thus pledged themselves to each other in the presence of this company, I do now, by the virtue of the authority vested in me by The American Humanist Association and the Humanist Society, pronounce that they are [preferred term].

4. [Name] and [Name] have consented together in marriage, declaring their love for one another, so according to the laws of the state of Idaho, they are now [preferred term].

5. May all that has gone before you and the commitment you have made today, now give you the promise of everlasting love. May you find strength to meet life’s adversities; reverence for that which is beautiful; and respect for all. In the presence of your family and friends, you have joined yourselves in marriage. I declare your marriage is valid and binding and rejoice to recognize you as [preferred term]. You may kiss.

6. [Name] and [Name] have promised each other, publicly, in front of family and friends, that they want to be married. So they are!

7. Now, by your own actions and according to the laws of the state of Idaho, you are [preferred term]. Congratulations to you both. You may kiss each other.

8. Friends and family, it gives me great pleasure to declare [Name] and [Name] Porter to be [preferred term]. You may kiss.

9. As you have both accepted the vows of the other, you may now go forth and fulfill your vows with the same love and devotion which now blossoms between you. In accordance with the laws of the state of Idaho, you are now [preferred term].

10. And so now, according to the laws of the state of Idaho, and with the blessings of those around you, you are now [husband and wife/ married/life partners/legally married/etc].

11. May all that has gone before you and the commitment you have made today, now give you the promise of everlasting love. May you find strength to meet life’s adversities; reverence for that which is beautiful; and respect for all. In the presence of your family and friends, you have joined yourselves in marriage. I declare your marriage is valid and binding under the laws of the state of Idaho, and I rejoice to recognize you as [preferred term].

12. You have united two families and two sets of friends. I ask them now to promise that they will support your marriage with joy, love and optimism.

All those who wish to promise their support say “I do!” (Guests respond “I do!”)

With the blessing of everyone who is present here today and with the authority vested in me by The American Humanist Association and the Humanist Society, I now pronounce you [preferred term]. Congratulations!?

Sample wedding scripts are based, in whole or in part, on a sample ceremonies from the Humanist Society and are used with permission.

17. [Name], I used to be afraid of falling in love, of giving my heart away.How could I trust a wo/man to love me, to give to me all that I wanted to give to him/her? When I met you, I realized how much we could share together.Today I join my life with yours.Our miracle, today, lies in the path we have chosen together. I enter this marriage with you knowing that the true magic of love is not to avoid changes, but to navigate them successfully. Let us commit to the miracle of making each day work together. Respecting each other, we commit to live our lives together for all days to come. I ask you to share this world with me, for good and for ill. Be my partner and I will be yours.

8. [Name], In you I have found a friend, a lover, A companion on life’s path. You have become the single most important person in my life. With you I have experienced more happiness, more love and more freedom than I’ve ever known. To you I give my strength and my weakness My beliefs, courage and my fears To you I give my past and my future, My hopes and my dreams.[Name], I promise to accept you without conditions, To love and cherish you, not only for this hour, but for all that may follow. I love you.As I stand before you now, I pledge that these are my solemn intentions.

2. I, [Name], take you, [Name], to be my [spouse], to love you, to cherish you, to help you and honor you, to give you comfort and understanding in whatever the future may bring, in confidence that together we are responsible for our destiny.

3. Today, I join my life to yours. From this day on, I will be your partner and companion, for you are my dearest love and my best friend. I look forward to the joy we will find in each other’s separate successes, as well as our shared ones, and welcome the challenge of whatever obstacles we encounter, for I know that whatever we face, we face it together. Because your happiness is vital to me, I will help you to grow as an individual. I will also strive to be more fully myself because you deserve no less than the best of me. I pledge that I will listen to you when you speak encourage you in times of doubt, comfort you in times of sorrow, and be a refuge of strength for you in times of uncertainty. I will be faithful to you all of my days, will always be honest with you, and will cherish and adore you every moment of my life. This is my solemn vow.

4. I, [Name], take you, [Name], to be no other than yourself loving what I know of you trusting what I do not yet know with respect for your integrity and faith in your love for me through all our years and in all that life may bring us.

5. I, [Name], take you, [Name], to be my [spouse], 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, till death do us part. With my whole heart and with my earnest and complete devotion I give you my love.

6. I, [Name], do take you, [Name], To be the [spouse] of my days The friend of my life We shall bear together Whatever trouble and sorrow Life may lay upon us. And we shall share together All the good and joyful things Life may bring us With these words, I marry you And bind my life to yours.

7. I, [Name], promise before family and friends, to commit my love to you, [Name], I promise to speak truthfully and lovingly to you, to respect your individuality and encourage your fulfillment, to compassionately support you through good times and bad, and to do all that I can to nurture and strengthen the love between us, through all of life’s changes.

9. I, [Name], take you, [Name], exactly as you are, to be my [spouse] and my best friend. I love what I know of you. I trust what I do not yet know. I respect you and have faith in your love for me through all our years and in all that life may bring us. I offer you this ring as an emblem of my love.

16. From this day forward, I pledge to live each day with your happiness as my guiding thought.I will listen to your words, your actions, and your thoughts as though they were my own because they are as much a part of me as they are you.I pledge my unwavering trust and devotion no matter what the circumstance. I will support and encourage your dreams, because your dreams are my dreams.I will open my heart, mind and soul to you, so that I may be ever worthy of the selfless love you give. From this day forward, my life is yours.

10. Today, [Name], I accept you for who you are: the wo/man I love. For the honor of your hand in marriage, I vow to be your partner in life, to make you smile when you are sad, to lift you when you are down, to rejoice and share in both your trials and successes. Your path will be my path and I promise to walk not behind or in front, but next to you, together, to face whatever is before us. I vow to remain the man that you love. This ring is a promise that I will love you in all times, all places, in all ways, forever.[Name], I take you to be my lawful wedded [spouse] on this day and everyday hereafter. I will stand by your side at every crossroads to be your shoulder to lean on, your ear to talk to and the mirror for your smile when you are doubled-over laughing. I vow to be a part of the endless love that we see for each other. I will be there for every adversary you face and every joy you experience. This ring is a promise that I will love you in all times, all places, in all ways, forever.

11. [Name], today I take you to be no other than who you are, the wo/man I fell in love with, and now you give me the honor of being able to call you my [spouse].For that honor I promise to always be there to love you and make you smile, or to comfort and protect you.And I promise, that no matter what lies in our path it will be our path, and I will stay the man you fell in love with.I give you this ring as a token that I shall love you, in all times, in all places, and in all ways, forever.

12. [Name], today I choose to make a deeper commitment to you.It is my way of telling you that our experiences together have been so good that I want them to continue for the rest of my life.I loved you before the ceremony and I love you more because of it. You are everything I ever hoped to find in a partner.I want to spend the rest of my life with you.I give you this ring as a token that I shall love you, in all times, in all places, and in all ways, forever.

13. Spouse 1: Today, I join my life to yours. From this day on, I will be your partner and companion, for you are my dearest love and my best friend.Spouse 2: I look forward to the joy we will find in each other’s separate successes, as well as our shared ones, and welcome the challenge of whatever obstacles we encounter, for I know that whatever we face, we face it together.Spouse 1: Because your happiness is vital to me, I will help you to grow as an individual. I will also strive to be more fully myself because you deserve no less than the best of me.Spouse 2: I pledge that I will listen to you when you speak, encourage you in times of doubt, comfort you in times of sorrow, and be a refuge of strength for you in times of uncertainty.Spouse 1: I will be faithful to you all of my days, will always be honest with you, and will cherish and adore you every moment of my life.Both: This is my solemn vow.

14. Before our family and friends, without reservation of any kind I say to you, [Name], I love you. I need you. I promise to unfailingly share and support your hopes and dreams and goals. I will be there for you always; when you falter I will catch you; when you are sad I will comfort you; when you laugh I will share your joy. I will grow old with you by my side. You are the joy in my life and the love in my heart. I commit myself to you today and for always. I promise to be faithful and true to you for the rest of my life.

15. Today is a culmination and a beginning. It is the ceremonial confirmation of what my heart already knows: That you are my one true love, my best friend, and the person I was meant to share my life with. Together we have only begun to experience what love truly means. Together we have only begun to live up to the ideal that is a life filled with love. In you I find my smile, my laugh, and my contentment. In you I find a caring heart and compassionate mind. In you I find trust and togetherness. In you I find a daily reminder of all that makes me feel alive. With you by my side, my life unfolds before me in a panorama of happy days and contented nights.

1. I, [Name], promise you, [Name], that I will be your [spouse] from this day forward, to be faithful and honest in every way, to honor the faith and trust you place in me, to love and respect you in your successes and in your failures, to make you laugh and to be there when you cry, to care for you in sickness and in health, to softly kiss you when you are hurting, and to be your companion and your friend, on this journey that we make together.