MATRIMONIAL CEREMONY

I. Prelude

It isn’t God’s purpose for man to be alone for long, because loneliness would
be detrimental to his well-being. God, then, solemnized the first union for
life, so the marriage covenant be called the covenant of God, He having
originated that sacred institution.

True marriage then, begins well before the wedding day, and the efforts of
marriage continue well beyond the ceremony’s end. A brief moment in time
and the stroke of the pen are all that is required to create the legal bond of
marriage, but it takes a lifetime of love, commitment, and compromise to
make marriage durable and everlasting.

True marriage is more than simply joining two persons together through the
bonds of matrimony. It is also the union of two hearts and the blending of
two families. It thrives on the joy of each new day – to confide in each
other, to laugh with each other, and to share moments of quiet and peace
together. But above all, it lives on the LOVE given to one’s partner. Marriage
then, is and should be an expression of LOVE.

Proof to this is on how marriage ceremony has become an important feature

across nearly every culture, religion, generation and society. We have
moments that happen throughout our lives, but this one is regarded as one
so critical. We acknowledge its special status by sharing it with others. But
why this moment?

Because despite all of our differences, love is what we all share. It’s the
great unifier- our one universal truth that no matter who we are, where
we’ve come from, what we believe, we know this one thing: love is what
we’re doing right. We have all loved in our lifetimes, and in this moment,
we’re reminded that the ability to love is the best part of our humanity.

The scripture proves in the words of Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, “ If
I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only
a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and
can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can
move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess
to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not
have love, I gain nothing.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these
is LOVE.

II. Processional

Love is genuine, honest and open, compassionate and kind, passionate and
blind, love doesn’t know space or time, nor look through jealous eyes, and in
the modified words of Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, “Love bears all
things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.”

Today, we are gathered to witness and celebrate the union of two souls in a
lifelong covenant, to behold the original spark of human existence as a result
of the immense love and grace of the creator and to support Juma and
Sheeny as they begin each new day together and as they share their lives
forever. Brethren, friends, ladies and gentlemen, the PROCESSIONAL.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To officiate this afternoon’s matrimony, we have Pastor Lelord Arranguez.

And now, the woman of this hour, brethren, friends, ladies and gentlemen,
shall we all rise and behold the bride.

XIII. Picture Taking

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Juma Tabanao. Now, for the capturing of
moments,
XIV. Recessional

Today, has truly been lovely. Thus, I would like to leave a thought to the
newly-wed and to everyone present here today who believe in “happily ever
after.” Ellen G. White once quoted, “ To gain a proper understanding of the
marriage relation is the work of a lifetime. Those who marry enter a school
from which they are never in this life to be graduated. No matter how careful
and wise marriage may have been entered into, only few couples are
completely united when the marriage ceremony is performed. The real union
of the two in wedlock is the work of the afteryears.”

Therefore, may we always remember that God himself established marriage,

and only with His help can couples stay together for a full and rewarding
lifetime.

Brethren, friends, ladies and gentlemen, the recessional.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wedding reception will follow at Dian’s Cuisine and Catering Services,
Sta. Cruz, Balamban.
 WEDDING RECEPTION

I. Preparation/ Call to Order

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We are about to begin our dinner
reception so please locate your respective seats and make yourself
comfortable.

(I would like to request the participants for the entourage to please line up
outside for the program will commence in a little while.)

II. Welcome

A lovely evening to everyone and welcome to Juma and Sheeny’s Wedding

Reception. We are done with the solemn part of the celebration and on
behalf of the couple and their families; I thank those people who were with
us earlier at Balamban Seventh-Day Adventist Church for the wedding
ceremony. And for those who have just joined in, welcome to the reception
for our newlyweds in celebration of the beginning of their new life together.
So sit down, relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.

At this point, let us all witness the parade of the wedding entourage.

Starting off with our officiating minister, the handsome, Pastor Lelord
Arranguez.

Next, the people who serve as witnesses to our couple’s vows, let us all
welcome our sponsors.

For the principal sponsors, we have…

Pastor Joel Requillo and Mrs. Editha Requillo

(refer to the program)

Now, next in line, we have our secondary sponsors, starting off with the pair
who lighted our couple’s path, Mr. Jay Joseph Dee and Mrs. Delilah Dee.

Next we have our bible bearer, Anthony James Recodo

And for the convenant and pen bearer, we have James Andrei Tabanao.
Now, with great delight, let us welcome the kids who made this wedding
very blissful, our cute and adorable flower girls – Dane Princess Carmelotes,
Marj Lyra Kaye Dee and Eujee Jhade Tadena.

Now, we have the pair who assisted our couple’s needs, the good looking
best man, Mr. Jencent Tabanao and the stunning maid of honor, Ms. Iris
Murialle Gonzales.

This time, let us put our hands together to our charming groom’s men and
lovely bride’s maids. Coming in pair, we have Mr. Benison Carmelotes and
Miss Ranee Joyce Carmelotes, Mr Dale Jay Carmelotes and Miss Lady
Vanessa Carmelotes, Lastly, we have Mr. Jonald John Dhave Perez and Miss
Jiselle Tabanao.

Now, one of the parents’ dreams is to see the wedding of their children. I am
sure our couple’s parents are equally excited as them. Let us now recognize
these very special people in the hearts of the newly wed.

To start off, let us all welcome Mr. Eli Carmelotes and Mrs. Annabelle
Carmelotes, the parents of the bride.

And of course, we have the groom’s father, Mr. Carlos Tabanao Sr.

At this point, I assume that everyone has settled down and we are all ready
to welcome the newlyweds. Tonight calls for a grand celebration and it is my
distinct pleasure to introduce to you for the very first time Juma and Sheeny
as husband and wife.

So without any further ado, let us all rise and give our warmest welcome to
Mr. and Mrs. Jumalito Tabanao.

Congratulations Juma and Sheeny and best wishes tp both of you. We wish
you to be blessed with a long and a happy life together with your future
children.

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen our new lovely couple. Let us
again give them a big round of applause.

III. Blessings for Grace

Thank you so much. Let us all be seated now. Well I guess the food is now
ready and dinner will commence shortly. May I call on Pastor Ceriaco
Valencia for the prayer.
IV. Dinner/ Banquet

Thank you Pastor Valencia. So there you have it ladies and gentlemen.
Dinner is served.

(You are all hereby invited to partake dinner. You may now get your food at
the buffet table. Please enjoy your meal. And always, “ladies first.”)

(At this point, to maintain order, I’ll be calling your table number and the
people from that table will proceed to the location of the couple for pictorial.
Right after that, they can now proceed and line up at the buffet counter to
get their dinner.)

(As for our principal and secondary sponsors, just wait on your seats for
dinner will be served right on your respective tables.)

On behalf of the couple, I would like to thank the operations manager and
personnel of Dian’s Cuisine and Catering Services for the wonderful
accommodation and service.

IV. AVP “BelleJum Love”

While you are enjoying your food, we have here an audio visual presentation
where we can see the evolution of Juma and Sheeny’s love affair. Enjoy
everyone.

V. The BelleJum Story

Lovely. This time, let us hear from one of the bride’s best friends as she
narrates to us how the BelleJum love team started. Let’s all welcome Miss
Joana Marie Carina Cabunilas.

VI. Wedding Toast

Thank you Miss Joana. This time, let us fill our glasses with any drink that
we could get and join one of the groom’s men, Mr. Dale Jay Carmelotes, for
the symbolic wedding toast.

VII. AVP (Prenup)

Thank you Dale. Truly, this event will be a celebration of love, a feast of two
hearts who vowed to stay forever no matter what. Therefore, brace
yourselves and feel the love as we present to you, the “BelleJum Love”
through this Prenuptial Audio Visual Presentation.
(For now, ladies and gentlemen, our bride has prepared something for her
beloved. We have here an Audio Visual Presentation with greetings from her
husband’s family abroad. They may not be here physically, yet, for sure,
their hearts are one with us here tonight. So Kuya Juma, this is for you.

VIII. Duet “Now that I Have You”

Coming from a family of musician, let’s delight our ears with our bride’s
siblings, Mr. Dale Jay and Ms. Lady Vanessa Carmelotes. A big hand for
them please.

IX. Slicing of Cake

Thank you Vanessa and Dale. At this point, I hope everyone’s attention is in
the couple as they do the cake cutting tradition.

This tradition symbolizes the couple’s unity, their shared future and their life
together as one.

May I now request the couple to do the honor of cutting the wedding cake.

There you have ladies and gentlemen. The cake has been cut. (May I now
request the waiters to please serve the cake to our guests.)

X. Couple’s Toast

XI. Intermission (Ikaw)

At this point, to fill our hearts with the song “Ikaw” of Yeng Constantino,
may I call on Ms. Iris Murialle Gonzales for a lovely serenade.

XII. Words of Wisdom

Thank you Miss Iris. This time, let’s hear from two of the couple’s most
respected individuals as they give their words of wisdom to our newlyweds.
To start off, let us all welcome South Western University’s Dean of the
College of Teachers Education, Dr. Deletah Polinar.
Thank you Dr. Polinar. This time, shall we hear another set of advices for our
new couple. A big hand for Mrs. Editha Requillo.

XIII. Ask Them Who

Thank you Ma’am Requillo. Now, let’s have a little fun and let’s play” Ask
Them Who” with our new couple. This game will test how well they know
each other

So the game goes like this. Whoever among the audience could ask any
question answerable by me, he or she addressed to the couple.

XIV. Money Tree

This time, let me just remind you of the small brown envelope placed inside
each of your invitation cards. Now, as the invite notes “Accepting a wrapped
gift from you is indeed gratifying and to unwrap them is truly amazing but
we find cash gifts more appreciating to start a life that is rewarding.”

So this time let’s do the money tree. While our couple dances as Miss Kjay
Solijon sings, friends and family of the groom will pin the brown envelope
with cash inside (of course) to the any part of the bride’s wedding dress,
while friends and family of the bride will pin the brown envelope to the
groom’s garment. If you left you envelopes you may pin the bills directly on
their garments.

So as the couple start dancing, any of you could come forward and do the
honor.

XV. AVP (The Countless Memories)

Now, may I direct your focus on a little presentation here, prepared by the
bride and the groom, to share with you lovely moments they have shared in
their journey of knowing each other.

XVI. Intermission (Baby, I Do)

At this point, to fill our hearts with the song “Baby, I do” of, may I call on
once again Ms. Kjay Solijon for a lovely serenade.
XVII. Bouquet Throwing

Thank you Kj. Ok now let us all have some fun and it’s time for the
traditional Bouquet Throwing. It is said that whoever will catch the bouquet
will soon be the next bride.

At this point, we would like to request all the single ladies to please come
forward. We would like also to request the bride to come forward.

For now, as requested by our bride, this tradition will be modified. How? Are
you familiar with the childhood game, Sisira ang bulaklak? I guess we all
are. Now, all of you will be forming a circle and do the said game. So you
will be singing, sisira ang bulaklak… then, on the part where.. papasok ang
reyna.. the bride will get inside the circle and blindly point on one of the
girls.

Is everything clear?

May I request the lady who was able to receive the bouquet to please come
forward.

Congratulations. May I have your name.

Ok let’s give a hand to Miss ____. Please have a seat beside the bride and in
a moment we shall find your match in the garter toss.

XVIII. Retrieval of the Garter

But before we go on with the Garter Catching, the groom is to retrieve the
garter from his bride. So may we request Juma and Sheeny to please come
in the center stage and do the garter retrieval ritual.

Ladies and gentlemen, the groom will now retrieve the garter from the bride.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen; the groom was finally able to
retrieve the garter. Let us give him a big hand.

XVIII. Garter Catching

OK. It is now the gentlemen’s turn and we will now do the garter catching.
May I now request all single men to please come forward for the Garter
Catching.
So this is what will happen, your shoes go in pair. Right? This time, leave
one of your shoes in front and face at the back. Now, our groom will hide all
your shoes and on my cue, all of you will look for your own shoe. And the
last gentleman to find his shoe will receive the garter and will be ______’s
pair for tonight. Ready?

May I request the getleman who was able to receive the garter to please
come forward.

Congratulations. May I have your name.

Thank you Mr. _____. Friends, let’s give this gentleman a big hand.

XVIII. Matchmaking Ritual

Now that we have already found a perfect match, it is time for another
ritual. The gentleman who got the garter should put it on the lady who
caught the bouquet.

At this point, we would like to request Ms. ____ to please have a seat while
Mr. ___ will put the garter.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. ______ will now put on the garter on Ms.
_______.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen. Our new lovely pair and if it would
not be too much to ask, we would like the gentlemen to give the lady a
quick kiss.

Thank you _____. Let us give them both a big hand.

Please stay for the picture taking. The newlyweds will now pose with our
lovely new pair.

Again thank you for your participation. You may now return to your seats.

XIX. Intermission (Born for You)

This time, let’s hear another song number. To fill our hearts with the song
“Born for You”, may I call on Mr. Ron Sheridan Guilaran for a lovely
serenade.
XX. Intermission (Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko)

Thank you Ron. For now, let us hear from the newlyweds themselves as they
sing their theme song” Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko.” Ladies and
gentlemen, a big hand to Mr. and Mrs. Jumalito Tabanao.

XXI. Words of Appreciation (Parents)

Thank you lovebirds. Now, to give us his words of appreciation, let us all
welcome, the bride’s father, Dr. Eli Carmelotes.

XXII. Words of Appreciation (Couple)

The night and this reception have almost come to an end but for our
newlyweds it is just a start of their new life together. As we each go home,
may this day be memorable for all of us as it is to them. To personally
convey their heartfelt gratitude, let us now lend our ears to Juma and
Sheeny.

XXIII. Closing/ Benediction

Thank you couple. Today, has truly been lovely. Thus, I would like to leave a
thought to the newly-wed and to everyone present here today who believe
in “happily ever after.” Ellen G. White once quoted, “ To gain a proper
understanding of the marriage relation is the work of a lifetime. Those who
marry enter a school from which they are never in this life to be graduated.
No matter how careful and wise marriage may have been entered into, only
few couples are completely united when the marriage ceremony is
performed. The real union of the two in wedlock is the work of the
afteryears.”

Therefore, may we always remember that God himself established marriage,

and only with His help can couples stay together for a full and rewarding
lifetime.

Now, to close this program with a prayer, let us all welcome Pastor Lelord
Arranguez.

It has been a great day and a wonderful evening with you all. Again,
thank you everyone for your presence. God bless and enjoy the rest
of the evening.