Hand Ceremony

Hand Ceremony Version One

In the hand ceremony, the officiant invites the bride and groom to view the hands of the other as a gift. As an expression that your hearts are joined together in love – will you please face each other and hold hands,
so you may feel the gift that you are to one another.   
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you,
that are holding yours on your wedding day as you
promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.
These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years,
and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.
These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.
These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.
And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours,
 still giving you the same unspoken
tenderness with just a touch.

Blessing after:
“Our prayer for you today is that both of you will use these hands to build a marriage where all your dreams come true.” 

Hand Ceremony Version Two

The Hands of the Bride and Groom

Maid of Honor reads:

Bride’s name, please face Groom’s name, and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. (Bride and groom should be facing each other; the groom’s upturned hands resting in the brides’.)

These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.

These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within your womb.

These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.

Best Man reads:

Groom’s name, please hold Bride’s name’s hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you. (Bride should now place her upturned hands in the Groom’s hands.)

These are the hands, smooth, young, and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.

These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurts, supporting and encouraging them along the way, and knowing when it’s time to let go.

These are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and back in the evenings, after you’ve both had a long hard day.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.

They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will hold you in joy and excitement and hope, each time she tells you that you are to have another child; that together you have created a new life.

Perhaps these are the hands that will comfort you when you are told you cannot have a child, and will convince you that together you will create new life in other ways.

These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together, as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.

Clergy reads:

Dear Father, bless the hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their love.

Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted to reaching for your perfection. May Bride’s name and Groom’s name see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter, and guide.

We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you now and forever. Amen.