Royal wedding 2018: Order of service

19 May 2018

Flowers adorn the front of the organ loft inside St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle — Image caption,
A chapel fit for a prince: St George's at Windsor

The order of service for the wedding of Prince Henry of Wales and Ms Meghan Markle.

11:25 BST: Members of the Royal Family will arrive at St George's Chapel. The congregation stand as the royals are taken to their seats

11:40: Prince Harry and Prince William arrive at the west door of St George's Chapel

11:45: Ms Markle's mother Doria Ragland arrives at the chapel

11:52: The Queen arrives at the chapel

At the entrance of the bride, all stand.

A fanfare will sound at the bride's arrival.

Introit

Eternal source of light divine,

With double warmth thy beams display,

And with distinguished glory shine,

To add a lustre to this day.

Congregation remain standing.

Dean of Windsor greets congregation

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you: and also with you.

God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.

1 John 4.16

All sit. The Dean of Windsor reads:

In the presence of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we have come together to witness the marriage of Henry Charles Albert David and Rachel Meghan, to pray for God's blessing on them, to share their joy and to celebrate their love.

Marriage is a gift of God in creation through which husband and wife may know the grace of God. It is given that as man and woman grow together in love and trust, they shall be united with one another in heart, body and mind, as Christ is united with his bride, the Church.

The gift of marriage brings husband and wife together in the delight and tenderness of sexual union and joyful commitment to the end of their lives. It is given as the foundation of family life in which children are born and nurtured and in which each member of the family, in good times and in bad, may find strength, companionship and comfort, and grow to maturity in love.

Marriage is a way of life made holy by God, and blessed by the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ with those celebrating a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Marriage is a sign of unity and loyalty which all should uphold and honour. It enriches society and strengthens community.

No one should enter into it lightly or selfishly but reverently and responsibly in the sight of almighty God. Harry and Meghan are now to enter this way of life. They will each give their consent to the other and make solemn vows, and in token of this they will each give and receive a ring. We pray with them that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen them, that they may fulfil God's purposes for the whole of their earthly life together.

All stand.

Hymn

Lord of All Hopefulness

All remain standing as the Archbishop leads:

The declarations

First, I am required to ask anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now.

The Archbishop says to the Couple:

The vows you are about to take are to be made in the presence of God, who is judge of all and knows all the secrets of our hearts; therefore if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it now.

The Archbishop says to the bridegroom:

Harry, will you take Meghan to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and protect her, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

He answers:

I will.

The Archbishop says to the bride:

Meghan, will you take Harry to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and protect him, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

She answers:

I will.

The Archbishop says to the congregation:

Will you, the families and friends of Harry and Meghan, support and uphold them in their marriage now and in the years to come?

All answer:

We will.

The Archbishop invites the people to pray, silence is kept and he says:

The collect

God our Father, from the beginning you have blessed creation with abundant life. Pour out your blessings upon Harry and Meghan, that they may be joined in mutual love and companionship, in holiness and commitment to each other.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

All sit.

Reading

From the Song of Solomon: read by The Lady Jane Fellowes from the Nave

My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.

Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.

If one offered for love all the wealth of one's house, it would be utterly scorned.

All remain seated while the Choir of St George's Chapel sing the Motet.

All remain seated

The address

by The Most Reverend Michael Curry

All remain seated.

Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir will sing 'Stand By Me' from the West End of The Chapel.

The vows

Harry and Meghan, I now invite you to join hands and make your vows, in the presence of God and his people.

The bride and bridegroom face each other and join hands. The bridegroom says:

I Harry, take you, Meghan, to be my wife, to have and to hold from, this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow.

The Bride says:

I Meghan, take you, Harry, to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow.

They loose hands.

The giving of the rings

Heavenly Father, by your blessing let these rings be to Harry and Meghan a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, to remind them of the vow and covenant which they have made this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The bridegroom places the ring on the fourth finger of the bride's left hand and, holding it there, says:

Meghan, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

They loose hands and the bride places a ring on the fourth finger of the bridegroom's left hand and, holding it there, says:

Harry, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

All remain seated.

The proclamation

The Archbishop addresses the people:

In the presence of God, and before this congregation, Harry and Meghan have given their consent and made their marriage vows to each other. They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife.

The Archbishop joins their right hands together and says:

Those whom God has joined together let no-one put asunder.

All remain seated while the Choir of St George's Chapel sing:

The anthem

All remain seated.

The blessing of the marriage

The Archbishop says

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, for you have created joy and gladness, pleasure and delight, love, peace and fellowship. Pour out the abundance of your blessing upon Harry and Meghan in their new life together.

Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts and a crown upon their heads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; awake and asleep, in joy and in sorrow, in life and in death.

Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that banquet where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home. We ask this through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve and keep you; the Lord mercifully grant you the riches of his grace, that you may please him both in body and soul, and, living together in faith and love, may receive the blessings of eternal life. Amen.

All sit or kneel.

The prayers - led by Archbishop Angaelos and The Reverend Prebendary Rose Hudson-Wilkin from the Nave.

Faithful God, holy and eternal, source of life and spring of love, we thank and praise you for bringing Harry and Meghan to this day, and we pray for them.