Dinner prayers for weddings

A month ago, James and Ashley asked if I would offer the grace before the meal at their wedding reception. Of course, I said yes right away. While I’ve officiated at a lot of weddings, I’ve had fewer opportunities to offer a table grace, and I felt honoured by their request. Here is the introduction and prayer I offered, followed by a few helpful tips and other sample prayers in case you ever have the privilege of saying grace for a wedding reception.

The Introduction and Prayer

It’s a joy for me to know James and Ashley as uniquely gifted individuals and as a wonderful couple. They are talented and kind, and you know, they’re so organized that not only did they ask me weeks ago for this prayer, but last night James was Facebooking me, “Just writing to remind you about the grace before dinner tomorrow!”

As if I could forget such a privilege of offering a prayer before the first meal that they share together as husband and wife!

So as we pray for this meal and wedding celebration, let’s also pray for James and Ashley and their future together. I’m excited at what God will do in their lives.

O God, the great Creator of this beautiful setting and all that is,
the Lord of life and love,
we give you thanks for all of your goodness:

~ for the abundance of food this evening

~ the abundance of family and friends,

~ the abundance of laughter and love.

We pray that this meal might be a time to nourish our bodies
and nourish strong relationships.

We pray for James and Ashley that the love they share today would flourish and grow.
May they continue in your joy and strength.
May they bless their families as they have been blessed by them.
And may all of us who participate in this celebration,
carry your joy and love with us as we move forward.
For you are the Source and Ground of all being. Amen.

If you’re ever asked to pray before a wedding meal, here are a few helpful tips on writing your prayer:

Start early. Don’t wait until you’re driving to the wedding, or having to madly scribble down some notes while hiding in the washroom between the ceremony and the reception. Jot down your thoughts a week or two before the wedding so you can be well prepared.

Write it out. Speaking off the cuff is great if you can pull it off, but for a smooth delivery so people can focus on your words and not get distracted by the uhs and ums, write out what you want to say.

Say it out loud. Practice it enough so you know it, but not so much that you squeeze the life out of it.

Give your prayer an introduction. Share briefly how you know the couple or what you appreciate about them. Include a short anecdote. Be funny if you can–but think gentle humour instead of embarrassing story.

Keep your focus on the bride and groom. Remember the occasion isn’t about you or your marriage. You might have the microphone for a few moments, but use it to draw attention to the happy couple, not yourself.

Really pray. The prayer before the wedding meal isn’t for show. It’s a real opportunity to pray for the meal, for the couple, and for all those present. Think sincerely, what do you want to pray for the couple? What do you want to pray for the family and friends who have gathered?

Make it a keepsake. For an added touch, print a copy of your prayer and tuck it into your wedding card for the couple.

More Prayers:

These are a few selected excerpts of prayers before the wedding meal. Click through for the rest of the prayer and more samples.

Lord God, Creator of the universe, Father of us all,
we have gathered here around this dinner table to celebrate the love and commitment
that have united (bride’s name) and (groom’s name), in a wonderful bond of marriage.
Dinner Prayer At Wedding Reception

We thank You for giving Your Holy blessing today upon their marriage, and ask that You continue to bless them with Your love and mercy throughout their lives together. Let this be the first of many loving meals shared together with their family and friends, and blessed by Your amazing grace.
Wedding Meal Prayer by Holly Parmer

We have come from many places, many backgrounds, many beliefs, but and have drawn us together to share this meal together, their first meal as a married couple. We are grateful for love which seeks us and finds us. We are grateful for this meal.
Wedding Prayers for the Meal

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. . . .
The Wedding Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson

Father we thank you for the food that we are about to partake. We ask you to take your place at our tables and be our special guest. As this food nourishes our body and mind, let your Spirit feed our souls.
Scribbles of an Event Planner

May we never forget those who . . .  are in need and may our eyes and our hearts be alert and our hands be open to give from the abundance you have given us. As we break bread together, we remember your sacrifice and know that you are among us.
Prayer Before Dinner

We thank You for providing for us, we ask that You bless this food, and bless those who have worked to prepare it. Thank You for being in our midst, for allowing us to enjoy good fellowship, and for being the perfect example of love. Just as this meal nourishes us and makes us healthy, we ask that You will give this couple a long and healthy life together.
Wedding Prayers and Blessings

Writing/Reflection Prompt: Imagine you’ve been asked to offer a prayer before a wedding dinner, and try writing one of your own. Or if you’ve already written a prayer, consider sharing it in the comments below. I’d love to see what you come up with!

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From the rehearsal dinner, to the reception, finding the right wedding prayers can be stressful. Here is a collection of popular wedding blessings to help you come up with the right words for this special occasion.

There is nothing more beautiful than when two people are joined together in holy matrimony. Youll want to commemorate the occasion with the perfect wedding prayers.

The best blessing will call attention to the new couple and ask for their love and relationship to be protected and grow stronger in the years ahead.

For Healing and Renewal

May your home be filled with laughter
and the warm embrace of a summer day.
May you find peacefulness and beauty,
challenge, and satisfaction, humor and insight,
healing and renewal, love and wisdom, as in a quiet heart.
May you always feel that what you have is enough.

Amen.

The following wedding prayers are from the book The Prophet. They are two of the more beautiful wedding blessings I have ever read. They may suit your needs.

You Were Born Together

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone,
Even as the strings of the lute are alone though they quiver
with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hands of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

Love Has No Other Desire

Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires,
let these be your desires:

To melt and be like a running brook
that sings its melody to the night.

To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate Love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved
in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

Love is Patient, Love is Blind

A popular wedding dinner prayer is Love is Blind. This poem describes in detail what love is, and what love isnt. It ends by saying, And now these three remain: Faith, Love, and Hope. But the greatest of these is Love.

Indeed. The same qualities that make a happy marriage, are the same qualities that make a healthy relationship with God.

Love is Patient

“Love is Patient
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It is not rude,
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.

And now these three remain:
faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these is love”

This prayer is based off a popular bible verse. Read more Bible Verses about Love.

The Strength of Two

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

A Rhyming Wedding Dinner Prayer

What is a vow,
but an intention
spoken out before the world
so that the world, in hearing,
might take part
in aspirations
of the willing heart?

In our coming here today
to join and bless
the joy of your becoming wed,
may we enter in
the truth of the words you’ve said,

“I do.”

Maureen Tolman Flannery

Scripture For Wedding Readings

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Click here to read more Wedding Bible Verses

Prayer Request: Post Your Own “Wedding Prayers and Blessings”

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If you’d like, you can post your prayer below so the PrayWithMe community can help pray with you.

Rules for Posting: All prayers are posted publicly through to this site. Don’t use full names or any other identifying information that you wouldn’t want out on the web.

Don’t post with ALL CAPS, and try to use proper spelling and grammar.

If you can, help pray for others and post comments of support.

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Melissa King Updated February 16, 2017

Many couples and families consider a wedding to be a religious or spiritual event. The newly married couple, after all, has just made a commitment to one another before God. If your religion is part of your wedding ceremony, it makes sense to include it in your reception, as well. Saying a prayer before eating dinner at your wedding reception is a wonderful way to express gratitude and appreciation for the love shared between the new husband and wife.

Who Says the Prayer?

Several weeks before the wedding day, consider who will be saying the prayer before the reception dinner. Often, couples choose to have the minister or pastor who married them come to the reception and recite a prayer. This is an ideal choice, since the pastor will be comfortable and familiar with praying in front of others. If the pastor is not available to say a prayer at the reception, a family member or friend may do so. Having those close to the couple say the prayer is beneficial because such a prayer will contain personal and heartfelt comments.

Timing of the Prayer

Praying over the meal at a reception typically takes place after all of the wedding’s guests have been seated. If you are the one saying the prayer, you may be notified at the event when it is time to speak; otherwise, discuss this timing with the bride and groom beforehand. The prayer should be short, but eloquent. Although much can be said about the newly married pair, and there is much to be thankful for, guests may not have the patience to sit through a long prayer.

Writing Your Own Prayer

An originally written prayer is very thoughtful and often holds great meaning to the couple. If you are asked to pray before dinner, include a few basics, as well as a few personal comments. For example, it is advisable to first thank God, or the couple’s particular higher power, for the meal about to be shared. Thanks can be expressed for the couple’s love for one another. You may want to ask for a blessing for them as they start their life together. Include a word of thanks for those attending the reception, and ask that they are blessed as well.

Pre-Written Prayers

Praying in front of a large crowd can be difficult, even more so if you have to write the prayer yourself. If you can’t think of what you want to write, consider using a traditional wedding prayer. These prayers are commonly used at weddings and receptions, and are appreciated for their beauty and kind words. Prayers are available for specific faiths, such as Catholic or Jewish. Many of these prayers are poem-like and eloquent. If the married couple is quirky and appreciates humour, some prayers give thanks to a higher power while telling a joke or providing a funny rhyme. These prayers, however, would best be avoided at a very strict religious wedding.

www.ehow.co.uk
Melissa King Updated February 16, 2017

Many couples and families consider a wedding to be a religious or spiritual event. The newly married couple, after all, has just made a commitment to one another before God. If your religion is part of your wedding ceremony, it makes sense to include it in your reception, as well. Saying a prayer before eating dinner at your wedding reception is a wonderful way to express gratitude and appreciation for the love shared between the new husband and wife.

Who Says the Prayer?

Several weeks before the wedding day, consider who will be saying the prayer before the reception dinner. Often, couples choose to have the minister or pastor who married them come to the reception and recite a prayer. This is an ideal choice, since the pastor will be comfortable and familiar with praying in front of others. If the pastor is not available to say a prayer at the reception, a family member or friend may do so. Having those close to the couple say the prayer is beneficial because such a prayer will contain personal and heartfelt comments.

Timing of the Prayer

Praying over the meal at a reception typically takes place after all of the wedding’s guests have been seated. If you are the one saying the prayer, you may be notified at the event when it is time to speak; otherwise, discuss this timing with the bride and groom beforehand. The prayer should be short, but eloquent. Although much can be said about the newly married pair, and there is much to be thankful for, guests may not have the patience to sit through a long prayer.

Writing Your Own Prayer

An originally written prayer is very thoughtful and often holds great meaning to the couple. If you are asked to pray before dinner, include a few basics, as well as a few personal comments. For example, it is advisable to first thank God, or the couple’s particular higher power, for the meal about to be shared. Thanks can be expressed for the couple’s love for one another. You may want to ask for a blessing for them as they start their life together. Include a word of thanks for those attending the reception, and ask that they are blessed as well.

Pre-Written Prayers

Praying in front of a large crowd can be difficult, even more so if you have to write the prayer yourself. If you can’t think of what you want to write, consider using a traditional wedding prayer. These prayers are commonly used at weddings and receptions, and are appreciated for their beauty and kind words. Prayers are available for specific faiths, such as Catholic or Jewish. Many of these prayers are poem-like and eloquent. If the married couple is quirky and appreciates humour, some prayers give thanks to a higher power while telling a joke or providing a funny rhyme. These prayers, however, would best be avoided at a very strict religious wedding.

www.ehow.co.uk