Wedding blessings are heartfelt, often religious or spiritual, wishes and prayers for a newly married couple. These blessings are typically given during the wedding ceremony or reception and are meant to convey good wishes, love, and support for the couple's future together. Blessings often incorporate biblical verses, teachings, and sentiments in Christian weddings. Here are some examples of traditional wedding blessings and quotes:
Wedding Blessings
Traditional Christian Blessing: "May God grant you both the wisdom to live a harmonious and joyful life together, the strength to navigate life's challenges, and love that overflows to bless all who know you."
1 Corinthians 13:4-7: "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."
Matthew 19:5-6: "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate."
Proverbs 3:3-4: "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."
Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."
Romans 15:5-6: "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Genesis 2:24: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."
Colossians 3:14: "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
These blessings and verses are often used to convey the idea that a Christian marriage should be built on love, faith, and the teachings of the Bible. They emphasize the importance of unity, respect, and mutual support in the journey of marriage.
Bible Verses for Blessing a Marriage
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." - Colossians 3:12-14
"Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other." - Psalm 85:10
"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." - Proverbs 18:22
"House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord." - Proverbs 19:14
"Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." - 1 Peter 3:7
"But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” - Mark 10:6-9
"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him--a threefold cord is not quickly broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-13
"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised." - Song of Solomon 8:6-7
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." - Romans 12:9-18
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever." - Psalm 23
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations." - Isaiah 61:10-11
"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us" - 1 John 3:18-23
Read more: Top Scripture Quotes About Love and Marriage
Wedding Blessings: 5 Prayers
A Wedding Day Prayer
Dear Lord, As this couple begins their lives together on their wedding day, I pray that their hearts will unite as one with You in their desire to make You the center. May this day be the start of something beautiful, a celebration unlike any other.
May they visualize their marriage as more than just a bonding of two lives, but as two on mission for You, Lord—a lighthouse of refuge, a welcome place for encouragement, and a testimony to Your power and grace. Help them to cherish their wedding day as a sacred memorial, and their union as a treasure to protect at all costs. Make it a reminder of hope that keeps on going and faith that keeps on growing. Help them to believe that all things are possible through Christ, the One who began the good work in them.
Lord, on their wedding day, may every word spoken and every precious token remind them of the One who holds all things together and who makes all things good. Together as this couple stands side by side, and hand in hand, hold them tightly and never let them go. Fill their hearts with unceasing gratitude. Be their vision, their strength, and their constant companion. In Jesus’s name, Amen
A Marriage Blessing Prayer
O eternal God, creator and preserver of all mankind, giver of all spiritual grace, author of everlasting life, send your blessing on this man and this woman whom we bless in your name.
Help and empower them to live faithfully together, and to keep the promises made to each other and to you.
Keep them in your love and peace together, and guide them with your holy Word; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for a Blessed Marriage
O God, you established and blessed marriage, and you use it as a picture of the spiritual marriage and unity between Christ and his Church.
Look mercifully on this man and woman that they may love, honor, and cherish each other, and live together in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that their home may be a haven of blessing and of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Bless a Marriage and Family
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank you for instituting holy matrimony to keep us from unchastity and other offenses. Send your blessing on every husband and wife, that they may not provoke each other to anger and strife, but live peaceably together in love and godliness, receive your gracious help in all temptations and raise their children according to your will. Move us all to walk before you in purity and holiness, to put all our trust in you, and lead holy lives on earth and in the world to come enjoy eternal life; through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
A Wedding Dinner Prayer
O dearest Lord Jesus Christ,
Because of your promise
that where two or three gather in your name,
we know you have also joined us today
for the wedding of [names of Bride and Groom].
We pray, in your grace and mercy,
bless them also with your very best.
Reveal your glory to them in Word, Sacrament,
and in the many blessings you give them all their lives.
Always bring them closer to you,
and closer to one another
in the bonds of your love.
Your heavenly Father
is the giver of every good and perfect gift,
and in your name, we give Him thanks
for the food we are about to receive;
for you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
Read more: How Can I Pray for My Marriage or Others?
Wedding Blessings: 10 Christian Quotes
“As God by creation made two of one, so again by marriage He made one of two.” - Thomas Adams
“Many conflicts in a marriage result from living to please self instead of living to please the Lord. These conflicts can be resolved and are actually opportunities for spiritual growth when dealt with in a biblical manner.” - John C. Broger
“Many marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood that they are on the same side.” - Zig Ziglar
“The man who sanctifies his wife understands that this is his divinely ordained responsibility… Is my wife more like Christ because she is married to me? Or is she like Christ in spite of me? Has she shrunk from His likeness because of me? Do I sanctify her or hold her back? Is she a better woman because she is married to me?” - R. Kent Hughes
“In God there is no hunger that needs to be filled, only plenteousness that desires to give.” - C.S. Lewis
“When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.” - C.S. Lewis
“The happiness of married life depends upon making small sacrifices with readiness and cheerfulness.” - John Selden
“In sharp contrast with our culture, the Bible teaches that the essence of marriage is a sacrificial commitment to the good of the other. That means that love is more fundamentally action than emotion.” - Tim Keller
“We are here to love. Not much else matters.” - Francis Chan
“God created marriage. No government subcommittee envisioned it. No social organization developed it. Marriage was conceived and born in the mind of God.” - Max Lucado
Read more: 25 Inspiring C. S. Lewis Quotes That Shaped My Faith
40 Powerful Blessings to Pray over Your Marriage
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