Tom & Katie's Scientology Wedding Ceremony

Rejoice!
You line of struggling life
From eons gone to now
For here again
your track is sped
And winged into
A future fate
By this
A union of a man
and bride
Whose child shall pace
A further span
Of Destiny
And Life.

Forbear!
For here shall be
No calumny
Or whispered word against
You, man
Or woman thou
For this the union
you contract
Does wipe away
All sorrow
Of the past.
Speak out then now
If any man
Or girl would speak
And say here a
Reason why
These two should not
Be wed.

And silence heard
Does speak out plain
There's none.

So now
My (bride's name),
Stand steady here
And say
Do you today intend
For him beside you there
To be to him a wife?

(Answer)

And do you ken
That (groom's name) here
Shall have you
For his own?
Do you?

(Answer)

And do you understand
as well
That by the customs
of our race
You pledge to him
and only him
Your kiss and your caress?
Do you?

(Answer)

Well then
Know that Life is stark
And often somewhat grim
And tiredness
And fret and pain
And sickness do beget
A state of mind where
spring romance
Is far away and dead
And yet for valor
and for strength
You must abide and
Create still
His health, his purpose
and repose.
Do you?

(Answer)

And do you take
His fortune
At its prime and ebb
And seek
With him best fortune
For us all?
Do you?

(Answer)

Good then, (bride's name),
I'm sure you will
And surer yet you'll fare
Full well and staunchly
As a wife.

Now, (groom's name),
listen well.

The tides of fortune
and of life
Are sometimes fair
or grim
And in this life
the young man seeks
For victory afar
And often scants
the fireside
And turns away from
home's sweet face
And thinks
His loved ones cannot fare
At all
Beside his side.
And thinking thus they go.
You know this.

Then be cautioned so
And take thy own
Even though they sleep
Beneath foul straw
And eat
Thin bread
And walk on pavement
less than kind
And keep thy wife
and they who come
Beside thy side.
Keep them, (groom's name),
by your side
In rain or sleet
Or summer sun
And comfort them
And give them care
And share with them
thy life.

For times are changed
And woman's place
Is not a hearth or home
But striding out to victory
Beside her husband's side.

This (groom's name),
is a modern world
And man
Has changed.

But, (groom's name),
let's think on it well
For if stands aught in you
Of doubt
That you can take and keep
And love her well this wife
Then stay your hand
And we shall say
No more,
For fatal and of
full tight bind
Are these the words
I next will speak.

Shall I go on?

(Answer)

And you, (bride's name),
listen well
And you, (groom's name),
answer swift.
Prepared?

(Answer)

(Groom's name),
do you pledge to take
This woman for your lawful wife?

(Answer)

Do you, (groom's name),
Make promise here
Before us all
To keep her well
or ill?
Do you?

(Answer)

And when she's older
Do you then
Keep her still? Do you?

(Answer)

Now, (groom's name),
girls need clothes
And food and
Tender happiness and frills
A pan, a comb,
perhaps a cat
All caprice if you will
But still
They need them.
Do you then
Provide?
Do you?

(Answer)

Hear well, sweet
(bride's name),
For promise binds
Young men are free
and may forget
Remind him then
That you may have
Necessities and follies, too.

Now, (groom's name)!
Attend!

Do you, best man,
possess a ring?

(Groom's name),
take it please

And, (bride's name),

Your hand will he enclasp.

We have it now.
Repeat!

"I, (bride's name),"

(Answer)

"Do hereby take"

(Answer)

"You, (groom's name),"

(Answer)

"For my husband."

(Answer)

And, (groom's name),
Do now repeat
"I, (groom's name),"

(Answer)

"Do hereby take"

(Answer)

"You, (bride's name),"

(Answer)

"For my lawful wedded
wife."

(Answer)

Put on the ring!
Rejoice all here
For we have wed
Our (groom's name)
and our (bride's name)
And wish them well.

All here repeat!
Are they by witness
Man and wife?

(Answer)

Rejoice and go your many ways
Now, (groom's name), kiss
your bride
And hug her well
And all of you
Come toast and drink
Their health
That it may last
Until that day when death
Itself,
The severer of all ties
Shall end
The thing which
we have done
Today.

Dismiss

If there be any among you
who know of any reason
why this should not
be done,
let them now speak,
or forever remain silent.

(Pause)

All being in accord, we
shall proceed.

(Groom's name),
is your reality
of the love you have
for (bride's name) such
as you will be
constantly creating
through health and sickness;
through adversity
as well as good fortune?

Can you confront
and grant forgiveness
for shortcomings
as readily as you give praise
for all her many
admirable qualities?

(Answer)

And have you communicated
your love to (bride's name)?

(Answer)

(Bride's name),
have you acknowledged
(groom's) love?

(Answer)

(Bride's name), is your
reality of the love you have
for (groom's name) such as
you will be constantly
creating
through health and
sickness;
through adversity
as well as good fortune?

Can you confront
and grant forgiveness
for shortcomings
as readily as you give praise
for all his many sterling
qualities?

(Answer)

And have you
communicated
your love to
(groom's name)?

(Answer)

(Groom's name),
have you acknowledged
(bride's) love?

(Answer)

Then may I say to you both
that through your love
together
with your agreement
upon its reality,
and by your communication
of these two beautiful
truths,
you have completed the
ARC triangle,
and thereby consummated
the only true marriage,
which is beyond the power
of any individual
or group of individuals
to add to or detract from
in the slightest manner.

However,
the law and custom
of our society
requires that this union
shall be made a matter
of public acclaim
and record.
It is my honor
to have been selected by you
to perform the ceremony.

The acceptance of an honor
carries with it
an obligation
of comparable magnitude,
and I would be remiss
in that responsibility
if I failed to attempt
a contribution,
not to have you have
already created,
which no one can do,
but to the permanency
of its continued creation
on your future time track.

Man has ever
employed symbols
to impress upon the mind,
wise and important truths,
that these symbols
might prove
an ever-present reminder
of the necessity
of ceaseless creation
of our desires.

And I am certain
that your one joint desire
in present time
is that the love
you have created
shall remain a reality
throughout your
future years.

Best man, have you a ring?
(Answer)

May I have it please?
     (Receives the ring.)

Thank you.

(Holding up a ring between the thumb and
forefinger of each hand:)

I want you to look upon
these two emblems
and mock up
the ARC triangle
in the center of each.

Have you done it?
(Answer)

Thank you.

As long as these emblems
remain with you,
I want you to see
that triangle in their center
as a reminder
that the reality
of their symbolism of
permanency
will hold true only so long
as that triangle remains
unbroken.

I should like to see you
make a pact between you
that you will never
close your eyes in sleep
on a broken triangle.
Heal any breach
with the reality of your love
through communication.
If you will do this,
these emblems
of your greatest desire
in present time
will remain a reality
throughout your
future time track.

Let us proceed.

(Groom's name)
will you take this ring
and with these words,
place it upon
(bride's name)'s finger.

"With this symbol
of my love"

(Answer)

"I take thee,
(bride's name),"

(Answer)

"As my true and lawful
wedded wife"

(Answer)

"I pledge thee to keep
this love"

(Answer)

"Ever living, ever real."

(Answer)

(Bride's name),
will you take this ring
and with these words,
place it upon
(groom's name)'s finger.

"With this symbol of my love"

(Answer)

"I take thee,
(groom's name),"

(Answer)

"As my true and lawful
wedded husband"

(Answer)

"I pledge thee to keep
this love"

(Answer)

"Ever living, ever real."

(Answer)

And now,
in the name of the
Church of Scientology
and by virtue of the powers
vested in me by the state,
I declare you
(groom's name),
and you, (bride's name),
to be truly and legally,
husband and wife.

I will ask that you seal this
ceremony with your lips.

     (Wait for the kiss)

And I will ask these
witnesses present
to join me in blessing
this ceremony
with the postulate
that the trust and love of
the present
shall become ever stronger
with each passing year.

     (Pause)

Did you do it?

(Answer)

Thank you.

     (Be the first to congratulate
     them both, and the first to address
     the bride as Mrs.)