Officiate:
______, do you support ______'s and ______'s desire to merge their lives through this act of marriage?

Witness Two:
[Person can share thoughts about the couple, read a poem, sing a song, etc.].

Officiate:
______, with family and friends as witnesses, do you hereby declare that you take this woman as your loving mate and life partner? Do you pledge to cherish, nurture, and support her?

Woman One:
I do.

Officiate:
______, with family and friends as witnesses, do you hereby declare that you take this woman as your loving mate and life partner? Do you pledge to cherish, nurture, and support her?

Partner Two:
I do.

Partner One:
______ please accept this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to this marriage.

Partner Two:
______ please accept this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to this marriage.

Officiate:
As a spokesperson for the people who know and love you both, we hereby bless and celebrate this union of your deepest selves and pronounce you a legally married couple.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This ceremony is but one example of a gay wedding ceremony. It is based on a wedding ceremony of a lesbian couple I know, and as such it reflects their views and style. It certainly cannot speak to the needs of all gay couples. Gay couples looking for ideas for weddings will probably find the book Ceremonies From the Heart; Celebrating Lesbian Unions, edited by Becky Butler (Seal Press, 1990), helpful. This excellent book contains interviews with lesbian couples and their wedding vows and rites. There are many beautiful ceremonies, and each wedding is quite unique. In designing their wedding ceremonies, the women have drawn from a fascinating variety of sources: ancient Goddess-centered religions, paganism, witchcraft, Native American spirituality, etc. Some of the couples reclaimed their Ethnic heritage by simply altering additional ceremonies to meet their needs. The ceremonies are quite diverse. Some are radical feminist in nature, others fairly mainstream; some are spiritual, many are secular. Another good resource book about gay weddings ceremonies is: Lesbian and Gay marriage; Private Commitments, Public Ceremonies edited by Suzanne Sherman (Temple University Press, 1992).