ENTRANCE OF THE WEDDING PARTY
Ron will announce the Ceremony
Mike & Mitch will walk to the front
Wedding Party will come in couples
Danny & Linda
Brian & Alice
Paul & Nancy
Carrie & Father

WELCOME
Mitch & Carrie wish to thank you
We want to thank you for the chance to be here
We are here today for a special time
A Happy time
It's a holy time
It is a time when the two of you declare and begin to live your life together.

Very Fitting to begin by asking for the presence of God to be here.

PRAYER (people to be seated)

Mitch & Carrie
I have done weddings out in pouring rain.
Inside in stifling heat.
In the country with animals moseying through
and very formal gatherings as well. Now I can add this as a Square Dance venue to it.

I tried to spell out the word Square Dance - Way too long
We are not going to take a lot of time.
I want us to think about a SQUARE this evening.
A four sided geometrical object with four equal sides and angles.
Four equally important things for you to remember tonight.

1. MARRIAGE IS A GOD-THING
God thought it up and created it.
Genesis tells us it was His idea.
He created everything and said it is good.
Then He said it was not good for people to be alone.

2. MARRIAGE IS A HORMONY
It is neither a solo nor a one-man or woman band.
It is not a single note or even two.
It is a harmony.
It is the combination of both of your lives into the music of the marriage.
It is the sound of the strings
The brass
The drums
The reeds
Even the delicate triangle.
As all of those sounds come together a harmony is created.
Together you both bring the harmony to the relationship.
Your Strengths and weaknesses create the harmony.
So enjoy them - In fact celebrate them

3. Marriage is a dance
Your relationship together is to be a learning experience.
It is about two people taking the steps together.
Learning from those you've respected.
Choosing the life and challenges over the easy road.
In Garth Brooks' "The Dance," he speaks about one who was glad he could not have passed on the pain because in so doing he would have missed the exhilaration of the dance.
Even when your steps don't match:   You dance
Even if you step on each other's toes:   You dance
Even if you want to sit it out:   You dance
Because that is what marriage is.

4. MARRIAGE IS A MARATHON
In the overall scheme of your relationship, it is a long distance run and not a sprint.
too many have chosen to thinkof marriage as a sprint.
A sprint happens quickly.
A marathon takes time to develop.
While the wedding is short, the marriage is long.
A marathoner knows that there are struggles to making it to the end.
There is the inevitable wall that faces the runner.
Once through the race becomes easier.

Four sides to the one square that will define your marriage.

VOWS

MITCH
I take you Carrie to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and hold from this day forward. In sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, to love and cherish keeping myself only to you 'til death does us part.

CARRIE
I take you Mitch to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and hold from this day forward. In sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, to love and cherish keeping myself only to you 'til death does us part.

MITCH
You have a ring for Carrie. Place this ring on her finger as a sign of your acceptance of her and sealing of your vows. Repeat after me, with this ring I marry you and all my love I give to you.

PRAYER

PRONOUNCEMENT
In as much as you have promised to be faithful to each other and have demonstrated your intent by the promises you have made and the ring you have exchanged, I now pronounce you husband and wife in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. What God has joined together let no one ever separate.

KISS

INTRODUCTION
Mr.& Mrs. Mitch Epperly