The Ceremony

Hawaiian gay wedding, commitment ceremony and vow renewal ceremonies on Kauai and Oahu reverently performed by wedding celebrant. Traditional and contemporary ceremonies honor all faiths.

The ceremony is the heart of your Hawaii wedding package or vow renewal celebration.  If you have guests at your wedding, it is the time to declare your commitment to one another in the company of your family and friends.  Or, if you are “just we two”, it is your declaration in the company of the Universe.  And what more beautiful place to do that than the gorgeous tropical islands of Hawaii.  

At In Heaven Weddings, our ceremonies seek to honor the traditions dear to each couple.  Through each ceremony our wedding couples express their love and commitment in the way that best expresses their own convictions, wishes, and hearts. As soon as we have a date reserved for you we will send you a sample ceremony, sample readings from many of the world’s sacred traditions, and a vow writing support page in case you would like to write something personal to say to one another.

Creative Ceremonies

The ceremony we most often celebrate would be described as spiritual rather than strictly religious. It is lovely, gracious and reverent.

If you would prefer a ceremony which reflects your own religious tradition, we are happy to offer that. We have ceremonies which honor:

• The Christian tradition
• The Jewish tradition
• The Muslim tradition
• The Hindu tradition
• The Buddhist tradition
• The ancient Hawaiian tradition
• A combination of any of these traditions

We also offer:

• A non-religious ceremony
• A hand-fasting ceremony
• A commitment ceremony

We are happy to work with you to create the ceremony which will best say what you’d like as you declare your love and the intention to live together joyfully in a sacred covenant.

 

From the ceremony, A Time of Thanksgiving:

"I believe we are each as persons more beautiful than we know or see. May you find that beauty each within yourself and each within the other through your life together."

From the ceremony, The Words of Welcome:

"You bring the fullness of your hearts as a treasure to share with one another. You bring the dreams which bind you together. You bring that spirit which is uniquely your own and out of which will grow the reality of your life together."

A Hawaiian Pule (prayer) which is part of our Circle of Blessing:

Hawaiian Blessing:
Ka malamalama o ke Akua e ho’opuni mai oukou.
The light of God surrounds you.

Ka mana o ke Akua e ho’opakele mai oukou
The love of God enfolds you,

Ke alo o ke Akua e malama mai oukou
The power of God protects you,

Mai kahi oukou e hele aku ai he Akua no.
The presence of the God watches over you.
Wherever you are, God is!

Amene
Amen.

The Beauty of Many Traditions

The welcome from our Spiritual Ceremony:

"We have come together to honor and celebrate the sacredness of all life and especially, today, the union of two loving beings. We have gathered to witness and bless the vows which will unite them in marriage. To this moment they bring the fullness of their hearts as a treasure to share with one another. They bring the dreams which bind them together. They bring that spirit which is uniquely their own, and out of which will grow the reality of their life together. All of us here rejoice with you as the outward symbol of an inward union of hearts, a union created by friendship, respect and love."

Final blessing from the traditional Christian Wedding Ceremony:

"Now I bless you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. May the One God bless, preserve and keep you. May the grace of God fill your days with joy, with laughter, with peace and harmony. May the sunlight of the Holy Spirit shine in and through you each and every day. May the peace which passes understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and guide you in holding yourselves and each other in gentle goodwill and abiding devotion. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Our ceremony honoring the Jewish Wedding Tradition will take place at a chuppah, a canopy symbolizing the couple?s new home and their inclusion in the community. The ceremony may include the traditional Betrothal Benedictions over a cup of wine:

"Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who created the fruit of the vine. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His Commandments, and has commanded us concerning marriage . . .

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who sanctifies His people Israel by means of this canopy and the marriage ceremony.

Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Ha?alom; Borei P?ri Ha-gafen."

At the end of the ceremony the tradition of the Breaking of the Glass recognizes that even in the moment of supreme personal happiness we will never forget the sorrows of the house of Israel through the centuries. ?Mazel Tov!?

In the traditional Muslim Wedding, Nikah (which means ?free gift?) includes a marriage sermon (khutrba-tun-nikah)which invites the bride and groom to a life of devotion, mutual love, kindness and social responsibility.

A contemporary Muslim wedding poem:

What My Destiny Holds

A poem about finding one's true love and spouse by Dr Mohammed Asif Chaudry

"The days to encounter what my destiny holds are approaching! The days to be adorned by my garment are approaching!

The softness spoken by a heart. The beauty perceived by a heart. The days for my heart to encounter its mate are approaching!

From a single soul were we created. By the grace of Allah will we be united. The days for this heart to dwell in tranquility are approaching!

To strive in His way hand in hand. To encounter what may come: together. The days to build a house in jannah are approaching!

Oh Allah! Give me the grace this day, to say: The day to see what my destiny holds is approaching!"

The traditional Hindu Wedding Ceremony takes place outdoors on the earth under a mandap, a canopy, in the center of which is the sacred fire.

From the Wedding Vows: “I take you into my heart as my wife/husband.”

From the blessing before the Exchange of Rings: “A circle is the symbol of the sun and the earth and the universe. It is a symbol of holiness and of perfection and of peace. In these rings it is the symbol of unity, in which your lives are now joined in one unbroken circle, in which, wherever you go, you will always return to one another and to your togetherness.”

The ceremony ends with the Blessing for Everlasting Love.

Buddhist Weddings call upon a rich tradition. They may begin with the couple asking for the Buddha?s blessings and the entire gathering reciting readings. The couple then lights candles and incense and offers flowers to the Buddha. Then the bride and groom recite the vows of the Sigiloydda Sutta:

"In five ways should a wife, as Western quarter, be ministered to by her husband: by respect, by courtesy, by faithfulness, by handing over authority to her, by providing her with ornaments. In these five ways does the wife minister to by her husband as the Western quarter, love him: her duties are well-performed by hospitality to kin of both, by faithfulness, by watching over the goods he brings and by skill and industry in discharging all business."

From the Blessing of Rings in the Heart of Hawaii Wedding Ceremony:

"A little while ago, I dipped this Koa bowl into the Pacific Ocean to perform a Hawaiian blessing over your rings. Koa is the hardest Hawaiian wood and has been used over the centuries to build the outrigger canoes, tools and utensils. It represents integrity and strength which create the foundation of your relationship. Yes, marriage is the beautiful passion and tender emotion of love. It is also an enduring covenant through all of life's changes, based on faith, hope and love."

"Eia iha no ka maluhia o na lani me kakou a pau"

"May blessings from above rest upon you and remain with you now and forever."

A Time of Thanksgiving from our Non-Religious Wedding Ceremony:

"We are grateful for the gift of love, especially the love that brings us together here today. We are grateful for the gift of marriage in which two people become more than they are, because of their relationship to each other. We are grateful for the privilege we have to be here and to witness this beautiful couple?s love for each other and their commitment to each other. May their love, as beautiful as it is, become even more beautiful and deeper in the days and months and years ahead.?"

The Hand-Fasting Ceremony arose in the British Isles with the couple joining hands (making them "fast"), declaring their union and sealing their coming together with a kiss. The hands are joined in an infinity symbol, right to right and left to left, symbolizing the union of all aspects of the couple. With musical accompaniment five guests invoke the elements, air, fire, water, earth and Spirit:

"For behold! We gather here with words of blessing to celebrate the joining of this couple. We sing their happiness to the heavens, to be carried on the winds all over the world. (air)

For behold! We gather here with warm hearts to celebrate their passion for each other. We rejoice in the glow of their love. (fire)

For behold! We gather here with tears of joy in our eyes to celebrate the force that makes two separate people flow onto one path. We shower them with an ocean of our delight. (water)

For behold! We gather here to watch their commitment grow like trees reaching for the sky. We honor their persistence and wish them hope for the future. (earth)

For behold! We gather here to witness the union of two bright and powerful spirits joining their lives together. May you never hunger nor ever thirst.? (spirit)"

From our Commitment Ceremony for couples who wish to celebrate Sacred Union without legal ties, the Declaration and Presentation:

"You have agreed to enter into this partnership. You have given and pledged your love each to the other. You have declared this love by the exchanging of vows, the giving and receiving of rings and the joining of your hands. Through your own declaration I acknowledge you as sacred partners in the journey of life.

I now present to all of you beautiful people gathered here today and to the entire Universe for the very first time as committed sacred partners ____ and ____."