Readings · Religious
A Family Prayer
Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow,
for the health, the work, the food,
and the bright skies that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Amen
Where it fits in the ceremony
Blessings belong near the end: just before the couple are pronounced married, as the closing words of the ceremony, or at the reception as a grace before the meal or the opening of the toasts.
Pair it with
Two readings that balance this one:
- A Marriage Prayer and Blessing (Book of Common Prayer) — A prayer for faithful love and the service’s closing blessing, from the 1662 Prayer Book.
- 1 John 4:7–12 — “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God.”