Wedding blessings are a long-standing tradition for nuptials across countless different cultures and religions. These blessings may be given from guests to the bride and groom or by a religious leader. Whether the blessings call for good luck, health, happiness, or success within the marriage, they are often an integral part of many ceremonies. Additionally, blessings also make great additions to wedding gifts, or even personalized wall crosses. So if you’re looking for the perfect wedding blessings, we’re here to help. Check out our list below to find a sentiment just right for your bride and groom.
Jump to:
- Bible Verses For Wedding Blessings
- Wedding Prayer Examples
- Wedding Blessing Quotes
- Non Religious Wedding Blessings
- Cultural and Religious Marriage Blessings
Bible Verses For Wedding Blessings
Bible verses are a common addition for many wedding blessings to a bride and groom. Pick your favorite verse from the list below or visit our resource on wedding Bible verses for additional choices.
- “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
- “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13
- “Do everything in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:14
Wedding Prayer Examples
The following examples of wedding prayers and blessings are perfect for church weddings or couples who would appreciate the religious sentiment on their big day.
Wedding Prayer Sample 1:
Dear God, thank you for this joyous day.
Thank you for Your Light that has entered (name) and (name)’s life.
Thank you for all the miracles and blessings.
Please bless this union.
Help (name) and (name) find the perfect place in this world for their love to flourish.
Let the radiant light of their love shine on all those around them.
May all their future creations be blessed.
God, bless them with the inner gifts of trust, compassion, forgiveness and truth that they may live and grow together in love and peace.
Amen.
Wedding Prayer Sample 2:
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
Wedding Blessing Quotes
The following wedding blessing quotes make excellent additions to wedding gift ideas, cards, or even a toast. And for additional ideas, make sure to visit our resource on wedding quotes.
- “When a marriage works, nothing on earth can take its place.” – Helen Gahagan Douglas
- “Weddings are important because they celebrate life and possibility.” – Anne Jacqueline Hathaway
- “The real act of marriage is a choice you make not just on your wedding day, but over and over again. And that choice is reflected in the way you treat your spouse.” – Barbara De Angelis
- “A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.” – Andre Maurois
- “Love is a partnership of two unique people who bring out the very best in each other, and who know that even though they are wonderful as individuals, they are even better together.” – Barbara Cage
- You meet thousands of people and none of them really touch you, and then you meet one person and your life is changed forever.” – Love and Other Drugs
- “There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.” – Martin Luther
Non Religious Wedding Blessings
The following set of blessings are perfect for couples with nonreligious or spiritual wedding ceremonies and receptions. Pick your favorite from those below or use them to inspire a blessing all your own.
Non-Religious Blessing Example #1
“May you always have a special sense of your mission in life together, and may you never tire of the endless possibilities of exploring your shared existence.”
Non-Religious Blessing Example #2
“May you have strength, patience, good humor, peace, love, and joy in your life together.”
Wedding Ring Blessing: The Giving of Rings Verse
“I take you my heart
At the rising of the moon
And the setting of the stars.
To love and to honor
Through all that may come.
Through all our lives together
In all our lives,
May we be reborn
That we may meet and know
And love again,
And remember.”
Wedding Blessing Poem: This Marriage by Rumi
“May these vows and this marriage be blessed.
May it be sweet milk,
this marriage, like wine and halvah.
May this marriage offer fruit and shade
like the date palm.
May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day a day in paradise.
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,
a seal of happiness here and hereafter.
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
an omen as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky.
I am out of words to describe
how spirit mingles in this marriage.”
Cultural and Religious Marriage Blessings
The following wedding blessings represent different cultural and religious traditions. It’s also important to note that common wedding blessings for various cultures are represented, but the wording and rituals may differ for specific people and communities.
Buddhist Wedding Blessing
The Buddha’s Sermon at Rajagaha, a universal Buddhist wedding blessing, is read as follows:
“Do not deceive, do not despise each other anywhere. Do not be angry nor bear secret resentments; for as a mother will risk her life and watches over her child, so boundless be your love to all, so tender, kind and mild.
Cherish goodwill right and left, early and late, and without hindrance, without stint, be free of hate and envy, while standing and walking and sitting down, whatever you have in mind, the rule of life that is always best is to be loving-kind.”
Hindu Wedding Blessing: The Seven Steps
Saptapadi, or “The Seven Steps,” is the most important rite of a Hindu marriage ceremony. Within this blessing, the couple takes seven steps around a holy fire, after which they legally become married. Each step is paired with a specific promise or blessing to each other, which mean the following:
Step 1: Let us provide for our household, stay in good health and carry out our duties and responsibilities to each other, our families and our tradition.
Step 2: Let us continue to develop our mental and spiritual powers.
Step 3: Let us build our wealth and comfort with the right means.
Step 4: Let us acquire knowledge, happiness, and harmony by mutual love, respect, and trust.
Step 5: Let us be blessed with a family of strong and virtuous children.
Step 6: Let us be blessed with long lives.
Step 7: Let us remain true companions, committed only to each other.
Jewish Wedding Blessings: The Seven Blessings
Sheva Brachot or, “the seven blessings,” also known as birkot nissuin or, “the wedding blessings” in Jewish law are blessings given to a bride and groom. The translated meaning of these blessings is as follows:
Blessing #1: “Blessed are You, LORD, our God, sovereign of the universe, Creator of the vine-fruit.”
Blessing #2: “Blessed are You, LORD, our God, sovereign of the universe, who created everything for His Glory.”
Blessing #3: “Blessed are You, LORD, our God, sovereign of the universe, Creator of the Man.”
Blessing #4: “Blessed are You, LORD, our God, sovereign of the universe, who created man in your image. Blessed are You, LORD, Creator of the Man.”
Blessing #5: “The barrenness will surely exult and be glad in gathering her children to herself joyfully. Blessed are You, LORD, Gladdener of Zion by way of her children.”
Blessing #6: “Loving companions will surely gladden, as you gladdened your creations in the Garden of Eden in the east. Blessed are You, LORD, Gladdener of groom and bride.”
Blessing #7: “Blessed are You, LORD, our God, sovereign of the universe, who created joy and gladness, groom and bride, mirth, song, delight and rejoicing, love and harmony and peace and companionship. Quickly, LORD our God, there should be heard in the cities of Judah and in the courtyards of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of groom and the voice of bride, the jubilant voices of grooms from the bridal canopy, and of young people from the feast of their singing. Blessed are You, LORD, Gladdener of the groom with his bride.”
Catholic Wedding Blessing: The Nuptial Blessing
The following verses are a common Catholic wedding blessing called “The Nuptial Blessing.” It’s recited as follows:
“O God, who by your mighty power
created all things out of nothing,
and, when you had set in place
the beginnings of the universe,
formed man and woman in your own image,
making the woman an inseparable helpmate to the man,
that they might be no longer two, but one flesh,
and taught that what you were pleased to make one
must never be divided;
O God, who consecrated the bond of Marriage
by so great a mystery
that in the wedding covenant you foreshadowed
the Sacrament of Christ and his Church;
O God, by whom woman is joined to man
and the companionship they had in the beginning
is endowed with the one blessing
not forfeited by original sin
nor washed away by the flood.
Look now with favor on these your servants,
joined together in Marriage,
who ask to be strengthened by your blessing.
Send down on them the grace of the Holy Spirit
and pour your love into their hearts,
that they may remain faithful in the Marriage Covenant.
May the grace of love and peace
abide in your daughter (name),
and let her always follow the example of those holy women
whose praises are sung in the Scriptures.
May her husband entrust his heart to her,
so that, acknowledging her as his equal
and his joint heir to the life of grace,
he may show her due honor
and cherish her always
with the love that Christ has for his Church.
And now, Lord, we implore you:
may these your servants
hold fast to the faith and keep your commandments;
made one in the flesh,
may they be blameless in all they do;
and with the strength that comes from the Gospel,
may they bear true witness to Christ before all;
(may they be blessed with children,
and prove themselves virtuous parents,
who live to see their children’s children.)
And grant that,
reaching at last together the fullness of years
for which they hope,
they may come to the life of the blessed
in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.”
Christian Wedding Blessing
An example of a traditional Christian wedding blessing includes the following prayer:
“Hand in hand, we come before you, O Lord.
Hand in hand, we are stepping out in faith.
We, who are gathered here, ask that you would take this couple into your hands. Help them, O Lord, to keep firm in the commitments they have just made.
Guide them, O God, as they become a family, as they each change through the years. May they be flexible as they are faithful.
And Lord, help us all to be your hands if there be need. Strengthen, tenderly all of our commitments, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.”
Irish Wedding Blessing
There are many different famous wedding blessings within the Irish tradition. One verse, the “Irish Vow of Unity,” can be seen here:
“We swear by peace and love to stand,
Heart to heart and hand to hand.
Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
Confirming this our Sacred Vow.”
Blessing Stones Wedding
Blessing Stones are another commonly practiced tradition for Irish wedding blessings. Within this tradition, each guest is invited to make a wish for the couple on a stone, and then toss the stone into the water.
Scottish Wedding Blessing
A traditional Scottish wedding blessing is shown below in both the original language and the English translation:
“Mìle fàilte dhuit le d’bhréid,
Fad do ré gun robh thu slàn.
Móran làithean dhuit is sìth,
Le d’mhaitheas is le d’nì bhi fàs.”
“A thousand welcomes to you with your marriage.
May you be healthy all your days.
May you be blessed with long life and peace,
may you grow old with goodness, and with riches.”
Celtic Wedding Blessing
One additional Celtic Wedding blessing, common for cultural nuptials includes the following:
“May God be with you and bless you.
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness.
From this day forward.”
Italian Wedding Blessing
Along with specific religious blessings, a common saying at Italian weddings is “May your life be like good wine.” This phrase is intended to mean that as wine ages to perfection, so will the marriage.
Polish Wedding Blessing
The most typical wish to the newlywed couple at a Polish wedding is “Życzę Wam wszystkiego najlepszego na nowej drodze życia.” This translates to “I wish you all of the best on your new road through life.”
German Wedding Blessing
Looking for a translated wedding blessing in German? The following blessing works excellently as a wedding toast:
“Erheben wir nun unsere Gläser auf das Wohl des jungen Paares und wünschen wir ihm ein langes Leben voller Liebe. Prosit!”
This translates to: “We raise now our glasses on the well-being of the new pair, and we wish a long life full of love. Cheers!”
Hawaiian Wedding Blessing
For some Hawaiian wedding ceremonies, an officiant will dip a koa wood bowl in water, where a Ti leaf is then dipped. Then water is dripped three times on the wedding rings while reciting “Ei-Ah Eha-No. Ka Malohia Oh-Na-Lani. Mea A-Ku A-Pau,” which means “May peace from above rest upon you and remain with you now and forever.” This tradition and blessing symbolize the ocean and a new beginning to life.
Resources Related to Wedding Blessings
If you liked this resource on wedding blessings and you’re looking for additional wedding related articles, make sure to visit the following resources:
