Ceremony Reading:

We are gathered here today aboard The Spirit of Newport to witness and to celebrate the coming together of two separate lives. We have come to join this man, Wallace, and this woman, Linda, in marriage. To be with them and rejoice with them in the making of this important commitment. The essence of this commitment is the taking of another person in his or her entirety, as lover, companion and friend. It is, therefore, a decision that is not to be entered into lightly, but rather undertaken with great consideration and respect for both the other person and oneself.

Love is one of the experiences that adds a depth of meaning to our lives. The sensual part of love is one of life's greatest joys, and when that is combined with real friendship, both are infinitely enhanced. The day-to-day companionship. The pleasure of doing things together, or in doing things separately and delighting in the exchange of experiences, is a continuous and central part of what a man and a woman who love each other can share.

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In the art of marriage, the little things are the big things: "It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say "I love you" from the heart. It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all of the years. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives; it is standing together facing the world. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo, or the wife to have the wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other; it is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding, and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, the dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner."

We are here today, then, to celebrate the love that Wallace and Linda have for each other, and to give social recognition to their decision to accept each other totally and permanently. Into this state of marriage, these two persons come to be united.

Do you, Wallace, take Linda to be your wife, to love and to respect, to honor and to comfort, in sorrow or in joy, in hardship or in ease, to have and to hold from this day forth? (I do)

Do you, Linda, take Wallace to be your husband, to love and to respect, to honor and to comfort, in sorrow or in joy, in hardship or in ease, to have and to hold from this day forth? (I do)

May I have the rings? (Best Man presents rings)

Wallace, please repeat after me as you place this ring on Linda's finger: "With this ring, I promise my love and my trust forever."

Linda, please repeat after me as you place this ring on Wallace's finger: "With this ring, I promise my love and my trust forever."

The Benediction of the Apache says:
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more loneliness for you.
Now you are two bodies, but there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place, to enter into your days of togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth."

Inasmuch as you have accepted the vows which bind you together in your love, and by giving and receiving of the rings you have pledged yourselves each to the other in the presence of these family members and friends, I do now declare that you are husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. S _ _ _!

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