Christian Groom Advice

Christian Wedding Toast Audiobook

2020-02-23T16:45:00.002-05:00

How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast is now available as an audiobook through Audible (aff link) and Apple Audiobooks. The whole book is one hour and 33 minutes. Read by the author. Please enjoy and give it a 5-star review when you're done. Happy toasting!

How to Write & Give a Christian Wedding Toast

2019-12-11T20:29:00.002-05:00

Do you want to write and give a wedding toast that encourages the Bride and Groom with an interesting introduction, some fun personal stories, and most of all the good news of Jesus Christ? Check out my book, How to Give a Christian Wedding Toast. You can find it as a Kindle, paperback, Amazon audiobook, Audible, and Apple Books (all but Apple's are affiliate links).

How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast ebook

2014-02-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

I’m pleased to announce I have just recently self-published my first ebook entitled How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast by Jonathan M. Romig (aff links). This resource is meant for anyone who would like to give a Biblical wedding toast, but has no idea of where to begin. If you're the best man, maid of honor, father of the bride, friend of the happy couple, or just curious about what goes into a gospel-filled wedding speech, than give this book a try. It is meant to encourage you and help your creativity as you craft and deliver your own unique message.

Through this book you will learn how to give a fun, creative, and Christ-centered wedding toast as you grow in your relationship with the Lord. In four easy steps you will learn the “Christian Toast Idea” method of wedding speeches. Your toast will stand out as you give glory to God and share the good news about Jesus Christ with the bride, groom, and wedding guests. I've also made available a list of resources and a brief article on this topic.

5 Honeymoon Travel Lessons for Guys

2012-11-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

You and your upcoming wife are passing through one of the most stressful times of your life, getting married, and are super excited to go on your honeymoon and spend quality time together. This is one of the most exciting and anticipated trips of your life. So make it fantastic. Here are a few travel tips to take along with you as you and your new bride vacation for the first time.

1. Take time to rest: You and especially your bride have been running, running, and running some more since you got engaged. Now since you’re away from friends and family at a resort or hotel, it’s time to sleep in! It may seem like you just want to go and do things, but take a break. You’ll have plenty of time. And if you don’t take a break, you may stress your wife out or get sick, neither of which are any fun on a honeymoon.

2. Travel can be fun but stressful: Going anywhere new or foreign can be difficult. As you prepare for your honeymoon, keep travel destinations in mind that are fun but also relaxing. If you’re going someplace exotic, make sure to pick one of Rick Steve’s (aff link) guide to the local destinations. If the people speak a foreign language, make sure you have maps, apps, and other helpful tools on hand that you can read and speak.

3. See the sites, but not too many: Take time to see one or two sites a day. Spend a good stretch at the destination “moseying around.” Maybe even take a day or two where you do nothing but lay around in the sun, or if you’re in a winter destination, lounge around watching movies and hitting the hot tub. If you rush around from spot to spot, you’ll forget what you saw and add stress to the trip. Take time to savor the experience.

4. Spend time with her: Now this might sound like a “duh” moment, but be intentional about spending time with your new wife. Maybe you need an hour or two to workout, go for a run, or spend with the Lord, but as much as possible make sure you are spending time together enjoying each other. The purpose of the honeymoon is not just to get away, but to get your lives started as one.

5. Take cash: If you’re traveling for any longer than a week, chances are you might have to hit up the ATM. In fact, this is probably safer than carrying lots of cash around in your wallet. If you are traveling internationally, don’t take cash to the airport and get it exchanged to the foreign currency by airport services. They’ll rip you off. Instead, take your debit card and when you arrive in the international airport, withdraw from the ATM. You’ll get a better rate this way with lower fees.

Bonus Tip: Remember to make a budget for the trip. It may be tempting to think $500 will cover your week, but actually sitting down and talking through what you need will open your eyes. The longer you're gone the more money you'll need to take with you. If you're at a resort, you'll need less. But if you're staying at hotels, there's 2-3 meals a day you may have to cover for two people. So plan accordingly for food, travel (taxis, buses, metros), tourism, and souvenirs.

Obidos Portugal by Jonathan

12 Ways the Groom Can Help Plan the Wedding

2012-06-29T14:30:00.000-04:00

Guys, it's time to admit our natural inclination when it comes to helping plan a wedding. We're naturally lazy and don't want anything to do with the process. Why is that? This is the first day of our marriages and our wives are the ones leading the way! Now, there's nothing wrong with letting her have the freedom to plan the wedding of her dreams, but if that becomes our excuse to not do anything to help out, are we really loving our bride with a servant's heart? I don't think so. So here are a few simple ways we can become involved with the wedding.

#1 Strengths & Weaknesses. Before you do anything, sit down with your bride and talk about each other's strengths and weaknesses and how you can both help each other through this process. The ideas in this list are starting points, but you should really try and utilize what you're good at to help her out. For example, if you have a talent for calling people and making appointments, help her set a session with the florist, the photographer, the reception site, and more. If she has a knack for travel, let her plan the honeymoon.

#2 Emotional Support. Remind her that you're they're for her. Talk about both of your fears, anxieties and what you're excited for on the big day. If your bride knows you're supporting her through this stressful time it will relieve some of her tension and help you get to know her that much more. This is a great way to build communication before the wedding as well as learning how to work as a team as you help her plan the wedding.

#3 Registries. Help your bride with the registries. This is one job that will take longer than you or her think. Many wedding websites offer checklists of things you should consider as you visit the various stores that have registries. Set aside about two weekends in a row to check out registries. The first weekend visit some of the stores with no pressure to register for anything. It'll give you a good idea of what's out there. The next weekend get out the clicker gun and visit the store or stores you're interested in. If you're looking for gadgets and fun stuff, I'm a personal fan of Amazon.com's wedding registry (aff link).

#4 Wedding Website. Set up the wedding website. This is an easy and fun way to help. The Knot offers a great free and easy wedding website. Upload the time of the ceremony and reception, make a digital album, and connect your registries to the website. Write up bios for your groomsmen and get her to write them for the bridesmaids. Make sure it has a map to all the events and possible hotels your guests can stay at.

#5 Honeymoon. Plan out the honeymoon and wedding night hotel. Groupon.com (aff link) offers a wide variety of travel discounts under their "Getaways" tab. If you can manage it, try to not fly out to your honeymoon destination early the next morning. Take your time. Sleep in. Relax. Also, try and make your first married night really nice. Order something special like flowers, wine, or a candle for the room just to reminder her how much you love her.

#6 Invitations. If your bride is doing her own invitations, help her address all of them. Don't just throw her a list of names and expect her to figure them out. This process can be very draining, especially if she doesn't know many of the people you want to invite. Printing off return labels for the RSVPs is also very helpful that way you don't have to write them all out.

#7 Food. Talk about the food and what you would like. Believe it or not you can help her choose! Maybe she's already made up her mind but chances are she won't want to choose something your family won't want to eat. Sit down and talk about how much or little you think would be good. Are you thinking about having a buffet or various stations. Will the servers bring the food to the tables or will you get up to get your food. These are important aspects of the dinner to discuss.

#8 Finances. Create a wedding budget using an excel spreadsheet to keep track of expected and actual expenditures. Some websites actually offer wedding budget tools that can be very helpful. Making a budget involves you both clarifying who exactly is paying for the wedding and how much money you plan to spend. Do this one sooner rather than later so you can better plan for your purchases.

#9 Ceremony. Take an interest in the ceremony. Sit down with your bride and work through the ceremony, figuring out what you would and would not like in it. Do you want music, if so how much? Would you like scriptures on love or blessing or a passage that has meant a lot to the both of you? We have a basic Wedding Ceremony Outline that you may find helpful. Pay close attention the the vows! These are important words that will bind you two together for the rest of your life.

#10 Volunteers. Help get volunteers for the various activities. Make sure people are where they need to be. Do you need babysitters, greeters, ushers, people to pick up the flowers after the ceremony, someone to arrange the church stage, someone to put the drum set back afterwards, someone to move the sound system? Ask your bride what volunteers she thinks you guys will need, come up with a list of potential candidates, then take responsibility and go out and get them!

#11 Rehearsal Email. Know the date and time of your wedding rehearsal? Great! Type up the info so you and your bride can email it out to your wedding parties and anyone else who is involved with your ceremony. Make sure you have the after-dinner location picked out and call the restaurant if you need to reserve a bigger room for your party. Don't forget about inviting extended family if you want them to come as well.

#12 Tuxedos. This one may seem obvious but is one of the easter activities. You get to pick out the tuxedos or suits for you and your groomsmen! Arrange for you and your bride and maybe even the best man to go and choose them. Men's Warehouse and Al's Formal Wear are popular widespread choices for these sorts of rentals. Follow up with your groomsmen to make sure they get fitted for their tuxes sooner rather than later. Also, arrange for your best man or one of the groomsmen to take care of your tux after the wedding.

Want to be even more helpful? Get your bride The Wedding Book (aff link) and look through it together to figure out more ways you can help.

Pic By: Faramarz

Christ-Centered Wedding Speech Resources

2012-06-13T02:27:00.002-04:00

Are you looking to give a Christ-centered wedding toast at a wedding? Are the bride and groom having an open microphone and you want to go prepared? Or did the groom ask you to be his best man and you want to do a killer job that honors Jesus? No matter why you want to give a God-honoring marriage toast we want to help you prepare and deliver the speech.

Here are a few helpful resources:

How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast - This is an article I put together to try and help best men and maids of honor give fantastic wedding speeches. It's completely free and a great introduction to the topic. Please leave a comment if you find it's helpful.

How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast ebook (aff link) - In this brief book you will discover how to give a fun, creative, and Christ-centered wedding toast as you grow in your relationship with the Lord. In four easy steps you will learn the “Christian Toast Idea” method of wedding speeches.

Christian Marriage Toast Example - This is the first best man wedding toast I ever gave. It's not as God focused as I would have liked but it gives you an idea of how a speech could flow into something more Christ-centered.

Christian Wedding Toast Example - This is the second best man wedding toast I gave. It uses jokes and a Bible verse to encourage the couple in their relationship with each other and with the Lord.

Scripture Blessings & Benedictions - Here is a useful list of Bible texts that you can use to bless the happy couple at the reception. Send them off into their new married life well!

Wedding Ceremony Bible Verses on Love - Here is another great list of Bible passages on love that can be used in wedding services or in wedding toasts. They come from both the Old and New Testaments.

Best Man E-Book (aff link) - If the above articles aren't enough, and you're looking for a definite walk through to writing your wedding speech, we suggest integrating and applying Scripture to the format this wedding toast e-book offers.

Maid of Honor E-Book(aff link) - This is another non-Christian resource meant to help the Maid of Honor write her wedding speech. Like all non-Christian resources, read it carefully and get from it any good tools you think will help your toast.

Picture By: peasap

Wedding Ceremony Outline

2012-05-23T12:48:00.000-04:00

There comes a time in every engagement when the bride and groom get to sit down and figure out the order and content of their wedding ceremony. Although there are many ceremony structures available today, Christian weddings can include certain elements that non-Christian weddings might not include. Here is a simple worksheet to help you outline the order of your special occasion. Take from it what is useful, ignore what isn't, and glorify God on your day!

REMINDERS

The Christian wedding is a worship celebration
The man and woman commit themselves to God as well as to each other (Rom. 12:1).
Christ saw weddings as occasions of great joy.
Relax and enjoy the time.

WEDDING CEREMONY PLANNING SHEET

PRELUDE

Time prelude begins: _____________

Time candles are to be lit: ____________

SOLO/SPECIAL MUSIC (optional)

Who? _________________________

What? _________________________

SEAT MOTHERS

AISLE RUNNER (optional)

PROCESSIONAL

PRESENTATION OF BRIDE

WELCOME/CALL TO WORSHIP

CHARGE to couple (Also one to friends and family, all the witnesses):

CONGREGATION SEATED

DECLARATION OF INTENT

To Groom, “____, will you take…?”

To Bride, “____, will you take …?”

PRAYER

ASCEND PLATFORM

HYMN or SPECIAL MUSIC (may go before ascending platform)

SCRIPTURES

Message (7–10 minutes)

VOWS

To GROOM, _____________, please repeat after me:….

To BRIDE, _____________, please repeat after me:…

RING

To GROOM/BRIDE, “________, what token do you give of your love?”

“A ring.” “____, with this ring I thee wed, and with all my being I thee endow; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

PRAYER

DECLARATION

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

PRONOUNCEMENT

Forasmuch as ____ and ____ have consented together in holy wedlock….

LIGHTING OF CHRIST OR UNITY CANDLE (optional; alternative—Sand Ceremony)

VOWS OF THE CHRISTIAN HOME (optional): Depending upon God for strength and wisdom, we pledge ourselves to the establishment of a Christian home. Together we will constantly seek God’s will and honor Christ in our marriage.

PRAYER (kneeling)

SOLO OR SPECIAL MUSIC (optional)

KISS

PRESENTATION & RECESSIONAL

INVITATION to RECEPTION or other directions

OTHER POSSIBILITIES:

Communion

Thanks/flowers to parents

Special blessing—2^nd pastor

PowerPoint/video—of man & woman growing up

If you're still looking for resources, check out this Wedding Ceremony Planner (aff link). If you need Scripture ideas for your ceremony, check out Scripture Blessings and Benedictions or Wedding Ceremony Bible Verses on Love. Thank you to the staff at MVBF for providing this outline!

Photo By: Gorriti

7 Wedding Websites Guy's Won't Hate

2012-05-11T10:47:00.000-04:00

Here's our list of blogs and websites about weddings and ceremony planning that we think Christian guys will find informative, entertaining, and helpful. Now, they're not all Christian, nor do we promote all they have to offer, but they each have unique information that can help guys get creative when assisting the bride with whatever she needs. Keep this list in your back pocket for when your special woman needs input, or at least to impress her with all your cool resources.

The Marriage Bed - Sex and Intimacy for Married Christians. Let's start with a Christ-centered website that will peek any groom's curiosity. It's about sex in marriage from a Biblical perspective. The writers there talks about everything from sexual responsibility to 'biology' and 'anatomy' and everything in-between. They link to a whole slew of safe resources and even have a discussions forum where you can ask your questions.

Offbeat Groom - Altar your thinking. This is a website that is so creative your bride will be impressed you found it when you share it with her. Everything is here for both the groom and bride. Offbeat has a long list of pages that include some pretty good information. FYI, this site does not have Christian values but overall it can be a great resource.

The Knot - Wedding Planning, Wedding Ideas, Wedding Dresses. I know the word "dresses" is in this site's subtitle, but pay no attention to that. What you guy's need to know about The Knot is it offers a great wedding website builder tool that is free. If there's one easy way to help your bride out, it's to build the wedding website for her. It's easy, fun, and just another way you can help her de-stress. This site also offers great planning tools and a long list of regional vendors.

Groupon Getaways - (aff link) Find Great Deals on Fun Things to Do. Now I know this isn't exactly a wedding website, but if you still haven't planned your honeymoon, this is a great place to start. They have a whole list of resort hotels sales that you can purchase your trip from at a steep discount. It's also a great way to get an idea of the various resort and vacation spots out there. Make sure you visit the deals for your city or region.

GroomGroove - The Best Online Guide for the Groom and Best Man. This is non-Christian website that has loads of engagement, wedding, and party advice. It's not a raunchy website, but does have a few resources you should avoid. Otherwise, enjoy it and try and get as much advice from it that you can find that we don't yet offer here.

WeddingSpeech4u - (aff link) Best Man Speeches and Toasts. If you've read our article on How to Give a Christian Wedding Toast, but still need more information, this is the website for you. And if you know that the best man struggles with public speaking, send him a link to our resources or this site. They offer a digital e-book on how to write the speech with lots of examples.

ChristianGroomAdvice - Bachelor Party, Engagement, and Weddings Tips for the Groom and Groomsmen. Maybe you just stumbled into this article or your bride-to-be forwarded it your way. Either way, stick around and check out some of the articles we offer on this site. We blog about everything from the engagement ring, to pre-marital counseling, to bachelor party and pranks, all from a Christian perspective.

Image by: JohnHope14

Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus but God gave them Earth

2012-05-05T12:07:00.000-04:00

According to a survey of Christian counselors, the three most common marriage counseling books they ask their clients to read and discuss have little to no Biblical principles. (Johnson, pg 190). In fact, one of these popular self-help books, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (aff link) by Dr. John Gray, is completely secular with no mention of God or Christianity. If we are going to learn from this book and others like it, we need to read them with a Christ-centered perspective.

This integration of secular and Christian should include an explanation of how the world views human relations, how Christians are to see human relations and marriage through a Biblical perspective, and what advice Christians can take from the secular perspective and use for the success of their marriages. With a simple change of perspective we can take books like these, separate the good from the bad, and learn something helpful from them.

Non-Christian society views humanity and its needs and desires through different eyes than those of a believer. Much popular advice begins with putting “self” first. American culture, especially, has a strong sense of entitlement. Something is good only as long as it does not hinder or change what “I deserve” or “what is best for me.” The focus is on the person, and because of this marriage self-help advice tends to promote taking care of our own needs first, instead of focusing on what is best for ours spouses.

Such simple things as “the right to watch TV”(Gray, pg 124) are framed in the context of entitlement, and that an individual can and should get angry or perturbed over not being allowed to fulfill themselves as they wish. However, the purpose of self-fulfillment, in the case of Men are from Mars is sought with the idea of meeting an individual’s personal needs first before attempting to meet the needs of another. “A Man becomes fully receptive to and appreciative of the [love] needed by women [after] his own primary needs are first fulfilled”(Gray, pg 134).

Dr. Gray gives his advice within the context of fairness. In fact, in Men are from Mars, Dr. John Gray creates a complex point-scoring system for men and women to better understand how to give equal amounts of love (197). Unfortunately, this foundation of self-gratification cannot heal relationships. A popular celebrity recently left her marriage because, “I love myself enough to walk away”(Radar). Although some of the advice found in these books is helpful in understanding how men and women think about relationships, a we must first understand their inherent self-centered approaches that do not reflect a Biblical worldview.

If we want to use popular marriage self-help books, we need to only use them with a clear understanding of how fallen people are. All husbands and wives need to understand how every human relationship, including marriage, is intrinsically broken. Humanity does not just make sinful choices; humanity is sinful in its very essence (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10-18). To say someone is human is to say there are corrupt and fallen and cannot have goodness apart from God’s grace (Romans 3:23, 5:12).

This changes our perspective on such things like rights, fairness, and holding oneself too highly. If the self is broken, then it makes no sense to build a marriage on the self. To have success in our marriages we have to build our foundations on Christ. As the marriage progresses the way a couple approaches their problems should not be to put their own needs first, but to mirror Christ. This means marriage relationships must not have an attitude of selfishness, but one of selflessness.

Christ’s act on the cross was one of pure sacrifice (John 15:13). When God calls Christians to marriage, He calls them to live in light of what God has done on the cross. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her”(NASB95). God also calls wives to “submit to” and “respect” their husbands. This means that spouses are not to live in such a way that they are keeping track of how many “points” their mate have scored before they can return the favor. Christ gave up everything for the good of His bride, the church, before the church ever gave up anything for Him. Spouses are to mirror this attitude by loving their spouses sacrificially.

Couples get to focus on grace instead of fairness because people are not entitled to anything. People do not deserve respect because they are “naturally good” but because God gave them worth when He made them in His image (Genesis 1:27, James 3:8-9) and because God loved people enough to give up His own son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16). This type of respect is the most valuable and long lasting.

Now with a clear understanding of the nature of secular marriage self helps, such as Men are from Mars, and an adequate perspective of how Christians should approach human relationships, we can use these books to supplement our marriage growth. Books like these are not a quick fix, even the Christian ones. Marriage problems often need help that “will require more time and patience than [the couple] is willing to give”(Hudson 58). But marriage also needs creative ideas (Hudson 36), and these popular books offer creative solution.

Men are from Mars’s main idea is that men and women are intrinsically different. They even “speak different languages”(Gray 59). This is an example of a valuable truth, explained by a secular psychologist, which can benefit a Christian marriage. God did not create people “male and male” but “male and female.” We can use any appropriate material that explains this difference to help us interact with our spouses in a more loving and nurturing way. But we also need to understand that the foundation of these self-helps is not going to be based on Christ. Scripture calls us to build our marriages on Christ, and although this is not the easiest or quickest foundation to build upon, it is by far the firmest (2 Timothy 2:19).

Want a good Christian-marriage book that already has its foundation in Christ? Try The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of Godby Timothy Keller or Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happyby Gary Thomas (aff links).

Bibliography

Gray, John. Ph.D. Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships. Ney York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1992. Print.

Hudson, Lofton R. Marital Counseling. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1963. Print.

Johnson, Brad. The Pastor’s Guide to Psychological Disorders and Treatments. New York, NY: Haworth Pastoral Press, 2000. Print.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Eph 5:22–33.

Radar Staff. Jennifer Lopez. RadarOnline.com. Date Published: Aug 2, 2011, Date Accessed: Oct 1, 2011. <http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/08/jennifer-lopez-i- love-myself-enough-walk-away-marriage-now>.

Earth Pic by: WoodleyWonderWorks (Org. Nasa)

10 Clean Bachelor Party Pranks

2012-04-27T10:51:00.003-04:00

This post is for all those guys out there looking to play bachelor party pranks on your friends who are getting married. I can’t guarantee any woman will think any of these is funny (maybe even the opposite), but I’m 100% sure you guys are going to enjoy much of this list. Have fun and enjoy pranking the groom!

1. Work Ambush: Load up on something that you can either throw or shot the groom with. I’m thinking water balloons, super soakers, nerf guns (aff links), or anything else that isn’t too difficult to clean up. Go to his work location and wait for him to come outside to his car. If you want, you can leave a bucket of balloons on the hood or a nerf gun there. He’ll say something to the extent of, “Why is there a nerf gun on my car?” As soon as he sees it, jump out from your hiding places and attack him with everything you got! This one is more appropriate at some worksites than others. If he works at the CIA, wait until he gets home.

2. Book Club: Get your groom amped about a wild night of partying. Tell him you’re going to do something that will blow his mind. Blindfold him and take him to a Barnes and Nobles book club event. Take off the blindfold in the middle of the story. Hopefully the club is reading something awkward that night, like Pride and Prejudice. Stick around at the book club for some story time and then rush him out to the real plan.

3. Classy Tie: Get the groom a flashy “tie” that says “Groom” on it. It’s essentially like making the Bride wear a veiled crown for her party. Make him wear it. He will. Because he has to. A variety of groom ties are available at Zazzle.com (aff link), just make sure you get an appropriate one you can take pictures in.

4. Paintballing: Take your groom paintballing a play a game that will help him “feel” your affection. Everyone else goes out and hides and then the groom has to come find them. Give him 5-10 hits before he gets out. It takes only one shot to get members from the other team out. This is essentially an excuse to paint splatter the groom as much as possible. Be nice because you don’t want him covered in welts.

5. Costume Crash: Dress the groom up in a ridiculous outfit and take him to a fun event. If you dress him up like a rock star, take him to a rock show (as long as he likes the band). Dress him up like a sailor, and take him boating. Dress him up like a basketball player and take him to an NBA game. Dress him up like a gorilla and go to the zoo, or anywhere for that matter. Groupon.com (aff link) offers discounts on these types of activities, just make sure the coupon is looking in your city. The groomsmen can get dressed up to look ridiculous too. I’ve heard of other people getting dressed up like wrestling stars and then going to WWE matches. Hear one guy’s funny store here.

6. Underwear Swap (*wedding day prank): All the groomsmen go out and buy awkward briefs and boxers for the groom. Anything from a bright-yellow Sponge-Bob Square pants pair of boxers to the more revealing male bikinis. The level of awkwardness is up to you. Then find wherever he’s stashed his suitcase and swap out all of his underwear. When he opens up his suitcase on the honeymoon, he’ll discover he only has the awkward pairs of briefs you supplied to wear for the entire trip. “Yes honey, I usually wear Superman tidy-whities.”

7. Bouncer Bust: Say you’ve taken the groom out to get a few drinks. Order up a round and while he’s distracted go talk to the bouncer. Get the bouncer, either through charisma or cash, to go up to the groom and ask to see his ID. Then get the bouncer to confiscate the ID because “it’s a fake” and to take the groom to a holding room. Let him get all nervous that he’s going to get arrested the night before his wedding and then bust in on him proclaiming your victory!

8. Camping Surprise: If you and the guys are taking the groom camping for a night or two, plan to prank him one or multiple times during the trip. If you’re by a body of water, ambush him in the night and toss him in the lake without ruining his sleeping bag or cell phone. Or if you’re only by a stream, wake him up with a refreshing bucket of water. If you want to scare him, download a chainsaw sound effects onto your phone, gather around his tent at about 3am, and start screaming bloody murder with the chain saw blaring. To make up for all this terror pack in a few drinks and marshmallows to toast his upcoming marriage.

9. Midnight Madness: Quietly break into where the groom is sleeping, making sure that you don’t awake him. Then proceed to either take him and his mattress out to the front yard or up onto the roof and leave him there till he awakes. This only works if he is a hard sleeper. Otherwise go buy an air horn for each guy, surround his bed, and let them honk! Make sure you get it on video because he is going to wake up out of his mind!

10. Bike Shower: Myself and a group of guys took my brother out to play Frisbee golf one Friday afternoon. One of them brought his bike and I stashed a super-soaker in the trunk. When we finished the 18^th hole, one of them told my brother that they needed to go look for one of the Frisbees he dropped. So as they walked off all the others guys unloaded the bike and got in the car. Our other friend left my brother and ran to the cars. When my brother got back to the parking lot, he realized he would have to ride the bike home since everyone else was laughing at him from the cars. Make it especially sweet by getting a dorky helmet. As my brother road his bike home we drove by him spraying him with water. We made him go about 3 miles before picking him up. Applaud him and tell him he has earned his woman!

Need party ideas? Checkout our article “10 Clean Bachelor Party Ideas.” Have more prank ideas? Tell us about them in our comments section below!

Image By: Eric Samson

10 Clean Bachelor Party Ideas

2012-04-03T20:44:00.000-04:00

Are you throwing a bachelor party and need some ideas that don’t involve Vegas, strip clubs, or getting wasted? Believe it or not there are lots of ways to enjoy an evening or weekend without regretting it the next day. Read onward because we have some fun but clean ideas for you.

1. Go get some drinks, shoot pool, and play retro arcade games (Dave & Busters). This is the classic plan of action for any man’s party. Choose a quality location. Don’t go to a grimy bar. Take him to some place rustic and keep the drinking under control. It’s okay to buy a few drinks, but don’t make it into a contest to get drunk. Buy some pizza or burgers, remember the good times, relax, and enjoy.

2. Take him to a comedy show. Do your research on the place beforehand. Do the comedians or improv actors tend to go raunchy or can they throw a quality performance while keeping it clean?

3. Get pumped with adrenaline by going to a WWE smack-down wrestling tournament or some other extreme sport. Monster truck, motor cross, Nascar, and X-games offer some other alternatives.

4. Watch Groupon.com (aff link) for special deals. They sell coupons for everything from sailing, to Segway tours, skydiving, to a classes at the gun range. They have lots of options for food as well. This is a great way to get a deal and find something creative to do. It’s also helpful if you don’t live in the same location as the groom, because you can customize it to geographic-specific deals in the city where you know you'll have the actual party.

5. Go paint-balling or play laser tag. There’s nothing quite like running around shooting small balls filled with paint at each other. If you prefer to not get all dressed up in camouflage and dirty, go play laser tag to loud music. Beware of the little kids though! They are deadly.

6. Never underestimate a night at the steak house. This is a step up from taking the groom to a bar. Not many men will hate a 10 oz. steak with mashed potatoes and a beer or two.

7. Go to a sporting event. There’s nothing like watching a good game in person with your buddies. Depending on what time of year it is, you may have to get creative or take him to a sporting event he doesn’t usually watch. There are a lot of non-professional hockey leagues that offer a good night of boxing for very little cash. If you can’t afford to go to the actual game, search for a local sports bar.

8. Take him to the great outdoors! If you have enough time, take him camping or canoeing. If you have a day or afternoon, take him hunting, fishing, rock climbing, cliff diving, frisbee golfing, or even to a ropes course. If it’s winter time, rent a cabin for the weekend and take him skiing or snowboarding.

9. Adult speedways offer Go-Kart sized fun for those of us who like a little more speed. Many places have passes you can buy for the whole night. Put some cash down and race around the track. Similar ideas include bowling, going to the golf range to drive some balls, or even a tame round of mini-golf.

10. For those grooms who love playing video games, lock yourselves in an entertainment room with as much pizza, soda, ice-cream, and chips as you want and play all those explosive video games into the wee hours of the morning. This is a great way to get as much of your video-game desires satisfied as possible before getting hitched. As a grand finale, consider blowing up the console with fireworks. Here’s to new grown-up life!

Image By: Thingus995

Christian Marriage Toast Example

2012-03-29T01:27:00.001-04:00

The are many websites dedicated to making you pay money to learn how to give a wedding toast. This site is not one of them. We have an actual guide and several examples for those Christians who want to toast the bride and groom in a God-honoring way. I actually gave the following toast at my brother’s wedding since I was his best man. Take what notes you need from it and use it to brainstorm and form ideas for your own unique and meaningful marriage toast!

Background: Before the wedding, I got to enjoy seeing my brother and his wife’s relationship. They included me in some of the fun things they did and in general enjoyed spending time with me. I also enjoyed spending time with them. So I decided to center my toast around some of the fun and silly things the three of us had done as a group.

Timing: As you read, try and feel out the pauses and the quicker areas. Almost every paragraph had a pause or multiple pauses. Remember, silence at the right moment is essential to a successful wedding toast. You have to give the audience time to laugh and smile. And when you give the toast, it’s okay to smile and break a grin because that helps everyone know it’s okay to chuckle.

Need More? Checkout my article on How to Write a Christian Wedding Toast or my other Christian Wedding Toast Example. I also offer a more in-depth ebook through Kindle called How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast. Several websites offer guides for the Best Man and Maid of Honor speeches (aff links).

Nathanael and Kylie Marriage Toast

I remember the first day Kylie and Nathanael met. Kylie came to karate to watch. At first, she wasn’t sure who was who. She saw that I was better looking and had cooler karate moves, but she liked him because he opened the door for her.

Nathanael and Kylie, remember your first date and coming back to the house for the first time? Remember how dad instructed you two with the eighteen inches rule? How that was as close as you two could get to each other and how very important this rule was?

No, I didn’t think you remembered that.

Remember walking alongside lake Estes before your first dance together, homecoming dance? I remember seeing you two kiss for the first time.

No I don’t.

Kylie, remember that time we flew to Nathanael’s military graduation. Remember how we waited and waited till the ceremony was over and when it was, we ran to him and I got to him first?

Nobody remembers that.

Remember when we went to the YMCA and played catch on the mountain and how Kylie kept on throwing the baseball over my head? I would have to run halfway down the hill to get it. She kept on doing this, over and over.

I remember something strange about that.

One of my favorite memories took place about a year and a half ago. I remember one afternoon, we three were standing in the kitchen, and you two decided to hug each other. I didn’t want to be left out so I decided I would get in on this love hug. Like any good brother, I came over and gave an umbrella hug from behind Nathanael. Kylie, wanted him for herself, so she tried to kick me, forgetting Nathanael was standing right in front of her.

I know Nathanael remembers that.

Remember Disney on Ice. Remember snowboarding, Nathanael’s surprise birthday party, playing Halo, driving to class together, our trips to the amusement parks, watching 24, and the proposal?

What I remember most is you two including others into your relationship. It’s amazing how your love has been one of inclusion, not exclusion. You two have shared your love with more than just each other. You’ve shared it with me as well. Your relationship has been a great example of how love can and should be expressed to everyone around.

Thank you for this lesson about love.

I will always remember that.

The Response: This toast went great! The bride and groom laughed hard, which encouraged me and made them feel great. Notice how I didn’t use scripture or God. If I ever had to redo it, I would point it more directly to Jesus Christ as the foundation and reason for their inclusive love.

If you would still like further resources, please check out this this ebook How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast (aff link). In this brief kindle book you will discover how to give a fun, creative, and Christ-centered wedding toast as you grow in your relationship with the Lord. In four easy steps you will learn the “Christian Toast Idea” method of wedding speeches.

Image By: AndyBullock77

Christian Wedding Toast Example

2012-03-29T01:18:00.002-04:00

Are you writing a God-centered wedding toast and need a real life example to see how someone else worked it out? Well, you’ve come to the right place. The following is a simple toast I gave at my brother Matthew and his wife Heather’s wedding.

Background: My brother and his fiancé, now wife, are both redheaded. Now, when I went about planning this wedding toast, it would be easy to make jokes about the redheaded babies they’re going to have, but that’s the easy laugh. There’s no challenge there and it doesn’t really tell us anything about the couple. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t drop this type of humor entirely, it just can’t be our focus, or we’ll miss the whole point of the toast, which is to honor the bride and groom, and most importantly, Jesus Christ.

Timing: As you read, try and feel out the pauses and the quicker areas. Almost every paragraph had a pause or multiple pauses. Remember, silence at the right moment is essential to a successful wedding toast. You have to give the audience time to laugh and smile. And when you give the toast, it’s okay to smile and break a grin because that helps everyone know it’s okay to chuckle.

Need More? Checkout my article on How to Write a Christian Wedding Toast or my other Christian Wedding Toast Example. I also offer a more in-depth ebook through Kindle called How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast. Several websites offer guides for the Best Man and Maid of Honor speeches (aff links).

Matt and Heather Wedding Toast

As many of you know, Heather moved here after graduating from the same school as Matthew. After she moved, Matthew and Heather began hanging out a bit more together. About a month or two later Matthew came up to my room and sat down on my bed.

He just kind of sat there and stared at me.

“What do you need?” I asked him.

After a moment, he said, “What do you think of Heather?”

Now, Matthew and Heather hadn’t even started dating at this point but every woman in our church knew they were going to get married…

BUT Matthew didn’t know that, so I had to play along—helping him come to this conclusion on his own.

So I said, “I don’t know Matthew. What do you think of Heather?”

But instead of answering me, he asked another question.

“Do you think I should ask her out?”

So I asked him the same question, “I don’t know... Do you think you should ask her out?”

He seemed to like the idea, but he needed help, so I said, “Well, do you think she’s hot?”

“Yeah… she’s real hot. Especially when she sings!”

So what’s the issue then? But then I remembered the issue.

Matthew was a stubborn child.

“Stop hitting your little brother, Matthew.”

“But I don’t want to.”

“Marry a redheaded girl when you grow up, Matthew.”

“But I don’t want to.”

“Wear your sunscreen when you go outside to play, Matthew.”

“But I don’t want to.”

That’s the type of wild lifestyle my brother lived as a child. He was crazy.

So when Matthew grew up, it took him a little while to realize Heather was exactly what he needed.

Matthew, Heather is your sunscreen.

Everyone knew you needed her.

And one day you figured that out too.

That was a good day.

The church women were pretty happy too.

The point of all this is that most often you don’t know what you need, but God does, and He’s surprising you when you least expect it.

I saw that in your relationship. Matthew, you thought you two were just friends, but God saw better, and so did Heater.

Proverbs 30:18-19 says:

There are three things that amaze me—
no, four things that I don’t understand:
how an eagle glides through the sky,
how a snake slithers on a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
how a man loves a woman. (NLT)

I urge you to let God continue to amaze you, not only in each other’s love, but His as well.

God’s done a pretty good job so far.

He knows exactly what you two need—you need each other… and you need sunscreen.

The Response: A lot of people laughed and even more complimented me on my great speaking ability. Little did they know I’d written the final draft a few weeks earlier and had enough time to practice to make it flow and not seem like I was giving a rehearsed speech.

If you would still like further resources, please check out this this ebook How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast (aff link). In this brief kindle book you will discover how to give a fun, creative, and Christ-centered wedding toast as you grow in your relationship with the Lord. In four easy steps you will learn the “Christian Toast Idea” method of wedding speeches.

Photo by: SteveConnors21

Scripture Blessings and Benedictions

2012-03-29T01:04:00.001-04:00

Here’s a list of Bible texts that are usually used as benedictions at the end of church services. Benedictions are actually blessings. Since weddings are worship services, and you want to give your blessing to the bride and groom, or want to receive one for yourselves, it makes sense to include one in your wedding. Whether you use a verse in the actual ceremony, the message, or maybe just the best man or maid of honor speech, you’ve come to the right place.

Numbers 6:24–26

24 “The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”

Joshua 22:5

5 But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

1 Kings 8:56–57

56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. 57 May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us,

1 Kings 8:59–61

59 And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. 61 Let your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”

1 Chronicles 12:18

18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: “We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

1 Chronicles 29:11

11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.

Psalm 4:6

6 There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.

Psalm 29:11

11 The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.

Psalm 67:1–2

1 God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah 2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

Psalm 89:52

52 Blessed be the LORD forevermore! Amen and Amen.

Psalm 121:7–8

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

Romans 12:2

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 15:5–6

5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:13

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 9:8

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 13:11

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:14

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Ephesians 6:24

24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Philippians 1:9–11

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 4:6–8

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Philippians 4:19–20

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 4:23

23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 3:11–13

11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:16–17

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

Hebrews 13:20–21

20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

2 Peter 1:2–3

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

Jude 20–21

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jude 24–25

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Try our list of Wedding Ceremony Bible Verses.

Picture By: JustinLowery

A Christian Guy's Advice on Buying the Perfect Engagement Ring

2012-03-29T00:59:00.002-04:00

Do you have a girl and want to propose with the best engagement ring possible? Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ but aren’t quite sure how to buy an engagement ring in a way that glorifies God? I was in that same spot and have a few tips to pass your way, along with some suggestions about where to buy the engagement ring. Hopefully this how-to guide will bless you and encourage you as you pursue your future wife.

*Know what you're looking for? Skip down to the – Top Engagement Ring Stores

Seek to Honor God

We want to begin this proposal process by honoring God. Throughout Scripture over and over again we read that God is not concerned as much with our list of do’s and don’ts but he is concerned with our hearts (Matthew 22:37-38). You’re about to ask a woman to bond her life to you for the rest of your days. Make sure your heart is in the right place. As Zach Galifianakis says, “You better check yourself before you wreck yourself.”

Despite what popular culture says, marriage is God’s institution. Mark 10:6-9 says, “But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Notice that it’s not the woman who clings to the man but the man who leaves his mom and clings to the woman. That’s saying something. We as men are called to cling to our wives and to never let them go. My advice to you even before she walks up the aisle is to begin well. Does your heart want to honor God and honor the woman you intend to marry? If so, let’s begin with a general step-by-step process to follow.

10 Solid Steps

Pray for wisdom
Read this article
Set budget
Figure out what she likes
Check online sellers (listed below)
Go to stores to see rings in person
Make purchase
Insure ring
Pray your heart out
Ask her to marry you!

Set a Budget

There's an outdated tradition that says a man should spend between 1-3 months of his salary on the ring. I don't think that's the answer. Rather, come up with a reasonable budget and do a great job with the funds you have available. As you are about to very quickly realize, diamonds and ring settings and weddings can cost a small fortune. Just like you will need to budget for the rest of your married life, you need to set a budget for the engagement and wedding ring, and it’s best to set it right now. Once you set it, try your best to stick with it.

Before you tell people how much you are spending remember this is a private decision. If you are a Christian, people may judge how much you spend in comparison to how much you could have donated to missions. If you're really struggling with justifying spending several thousand dollars on your soon-to-be fiancée, sit down with her and talk it over. If it is actually a decision of giving $2,000 to missions and spending $2,000 on her, maybe you should decide together. But please don't let "missions" become an excuse to spend less on a woman who deserves so much more than you can give. Remember, she should always come first in your life and this is a one time special purchase. It symbolizes a lifetime commitment so you don’t want to symbolize it with a mentality of cheap love just like you don’t want to symbolize your marriage with excess and luxury. Pray about it and listen to how the Holy Spirit convicts you.

Bonus Tip: Some ways to answer those people who ask you how much you spent on the diamond – “The perfect amount.” “Over $100 bucks.” “Between $2 and $200,000.” Also be mindful that your fiancée might never want to know how much you spent on the ring.

Ways to Save

There are many different ways to get more diamond for your buck if you’re willing to look. Under the current tax laws, if you buy a ring from a website that is based in a different state it’s 100% tax-free. That’s a big reason to begin looking online right there.

The web is loaded with coupons for some of the major diamond sellers. If someone refers you, they’ll give you a coupon for anywhere from $50 to $100 off. Also, if you sign up for their mailing list but wait a little while, then the sellers will start to send you emails with 5% to 10% discounts.

Consider how you pay for the ring. If you’re going to pay for it with a credit card, make sure you’re getting the points. However, lots of the online diamond retailers offer a 1-3% discount if you pay with cash through a bank wire transfer. So which way is better? Credit or cash?

It depends how many points you’re receiving on your card, the cash percentage discount, and the cost of your bank’s wire fee. The following chart assumes that you probably earn one point for every dollar spent and that 1,000 points is roughly equal to $10 of purchasing points.

Budget	Fee	Discount %	Cash Saved (Budget x Discount - Fee must be greater than “Credits Earned” to do cash)	Points	Credits	Method?
$1000	$20	1.5%	$1000 x 0.015 = $15 savings - $20 fee = -$5 savings	1000	$10	Credit(by $15)
$1500	$30	3%	$1500 x 0.03 = $45 savings - $30 fee = $15 savings	1500	$15	Either is Good
$2500	$25	1%	$2500 x 0.01 = $25 savings - $25 fee = $0 savings	2500	$25	Credit (by $25)
$3000	$20	2%	$3000 x 0.02 = $60 savings - $20 fee = $40 savings	3000	$30	Cash(by $10)
$4000	$25	1.5%	$4000 x 0.015 = $60 savings - $25 fee = $35 savings	4000	$40	Credit(by $5)
$5000	$30	3.0%	5000 x 0.03 = $150 savings - $30 fee = $120 savings	5000	$50	Cash(by $70)
$6000	$25	1%	6000 x 0.01 = $60 savings - $25 fee = $35 savings	6000	$60	Credit (by $25)

*Estimated savings and price comparisons vary by credit card company and bank fees.

Ethical Engagement Rings

If you’ve seen Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie “Blood Diamond” you know that not all diamonds are created equal and some people are willing to murder and enslave for them. Make sure your diamond seller has a “Conflict-Free” diamond policy that uses something like the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.

Bonus Tip: There are ways to support Christian organizations as you do your diamond shopping. Look for ministry websites that have links to diamond-buying sites. Click on the banner and if you end up making a purchase, you'll help support them as well.

Should She Help?

What most guys don’t know is that many girls start to look at engagement and wedding rings before the guy even brings the subject of marriage up. Your girl probably already has an idea of what she does and does not like. However, these tastes could change once she actually goes in and looks at rings. Maybe you want to play it cool and go it alone. That’s fine but there is nothing wrong with asking her if she’d like to be involved with the process and to what extent. The more information you have the easier it is.

True Story: I involved my fiancée in the entire process till the very end. She helped by looking at the the diamond and setting options and finding a few favorites and then I made the final choice. She really helped narrow the choices down and it was a whole lot of fun to work together.

Espionage: If you want to be sneaky about it but still get your girlfriend’s input, pick out some rings you like and send photos to one of her friends (Sarah). Hopefully Sarah knows someone who is getting married soon (Julie). Have Sarah show your girlfriend the pictures of the rings as if Julie’s boyfriend is getting ready to propose soon and asked Sarah to show the pictures to his girlfriend (Julie) as if they were someone else. Have Sarah say that your girlfriend’s tastes and Julie’s tastes are very similar and to give honest input. Let me know if this works!

Quick reminder: Figuring out a girl’s ring size is a pain if she’s not helping you out. Have her roommate, sister, mother, or friend swipe one of her current rings to get the correct sizing.

Ring Setting

Picking out the ring setting can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a bit overwhelming because of all the possibilities. As you begin to look at styles you’ll begin to notice what you like. You may even start noticing married women’s rings. Here are the most popular settings:

Classic: Is a plain band with the diamond in the center.

Vintage: These settings have diamond “pave” (lots of little diamonds) set in the band. This is much more glamorous and bling-bling if you know what I mean.

Sidestone: This style has smaller stones on the band but they’re only on the top and they’re bigger than the pave.

Three-Stone: Three stones allow you to have a higher total carat weight with lower cost.

Gemstone: You can mix the side stones or center stone up with other colored gems or diamonds or even birthstones.

Customized: The possibilities are endless. Lots of people like to design their own ring, which can be very special. Just know what you want because there are no returns.

Wedding Sets: You can also get an engagement ring that is designed with a wedding band. Remember. Not all rings can have the wedding band soldered on.

Contemporary, Halo, etc: You can get real fancy from here out with lots of bling and lots of twists and curves in the diamonds.

Other Questions to Ask:

How many prongs does the band have? The more prongs the securer it is. But sometimes you can get a ring that doesn’t have prongs because the diamond is set in the metal.
What types of stone shapes can this setting handle?
How thick is the band? Does your girl only want a skinny band or is she okay with a fat one (aka. 3.0mm and up).
What does the stone look like in the setting? Can I see the underside of the diamonds? Do the diamonds look good?
How high is the diamond mounted? Does she like the skyscraper look?

Engagement Ring Metals

There are a lot of ring metals, each one beautiful in its distinct way. It’s important to notice what type of jewelry your girl wears. Does she wear mostly yellow gold or white gold? Try to get something she can wear with what she already has. It doesn’t hurt to ask her what she’d prefer.

Gold: There’s yellow gold, white gold, and even rose gold. It usually comes in 18k, 14k, or 10k (karats). The more “k” the more gold in the ring as well as the softer the ring. White gold is essentially plated. So as it gets nicked, as all metals do, you will have to re-plate it about once every year to two years. Some people think this wear makes the gold look “warmer” and adds character. Many sellers offer this re-plating service for free. Yellow gold doesn’t run into this problem because yellow is the ring’s natural color.

Platinum: This metal is much harder than gold and you won’t run into any serious scratching or denting problems. If you like white gold, and never plan to buy a bigger wedding ring for an anniversary (hard to know), it’s good to consider this metal because it is long lasting and durable.

Palladium: Related to platinum, this metal is hard and can be used for engagement rings. Its price varies like all other metals but it is more rare than gold. It also has the white gold look but its true metal color is white like platinum so it rarely tarnishes.

Titanium: A jeweler told me that if a doctor needs to take your titanium ring off, but it’s stuck for whatever reason (emergency), the doctor will have to amputate your finger. Upon further research I discovered that this is completely false. Maybe this info is out there because the metal is cheaper. This metal is much lighter than gold but has a darker color than white gold or platinum. These rings are not made for resizing so choose your size carefully. Although it is available for some engagement rings, it’s mostly made for wedding bands.

Bonus Tip: Do you like both white and yellow gold? You can get a two-tone ring. Some rings that are yellow gold have a platinum mount so that the metal doesn’t turn the clear color diamond yellow. If the mount is yellow gold, you don’t need to spend as much on the color of the diamond (“I” should be fine).

Diamond Shape

There are so many different diamond shapes. The most popular is the Round diamond followed by the Princess shape. Check them all out (Round, Princess, Emerald, Asscher, Marquise, Oval, Radiant, Pear, Heart, Cushion). See what she prefers and know that her preference may change if she gets to see the shape in person. Diamond shapes go in and out of style just like the metal color and setting styles.

Bonus Tip: Does your girl use her hands a lot? Diamonds with round edges are less likely to chip just like diamonds with very thin girdles are more likely to chip.

Carat Weight

Carat is actually not size, but weight, which is why the diamond experts call it “Carat Weight.” Of course, more weight usually means more diamond. But watch out. If your diamond has an extremely large girdle, some of that weight might not equal size. Going into the store is the best way to see how carat actually transfers into size (Click here to see a carat-sizing chart).

Try to set a goal for your diamond’s carat weight early in the process. If you want more carats you have to be willing to shell out more cash. But if you shell out more cash for a larger diamond but don’t take the time to make sure it’s high quality, then you will be able to see the imperfections more easily. Try and balance the carat weight of the diamond with the quality of the diamond. Don’t sacrifice quantity for quality.

What’s Important in a Diamond?

There are many important diamond characteristics. As you’re going to see once you start looking you will probably have to choose which categories are the most important to you. It’s almost a bartering process so choose wisely!

Cut: This is probably the most important category. If your diamond is cut poorly it’s not going to sparkle. Some sellers offer “Ideal” and then “Certified Ideal.” Stick to the highest possible rating that isn’t just the retailer selling you extra certification. There is usually no difference between Ideal and Certified Ideal but a few extra tests. Also, not all diamond shapes allow for the ideal cut and instead must be “Very Good”(i.e., Princess Shape). That’s perfectly fine.

Color: Color is rated from Z to D (color to colorless). Shop from I and higher but generally speaking H and better are fantastic. In fact, a diamond expert told me that H is essentially the same color as G and that G and better are not so much about visual differences but about rarity. If your setting is yellow gold the color of the diamond is a little less important unless the prongs holding it are white gold or platinum. A very white diamond can look extra white in yellow gold.

Clarity: Most diamond sellers prefer to stick to SI2 and better. From the most blemishes down to flawless we have the ratings: I3, I2, I1, SI2, SI1, *VS2, VS1, VVS2, VVS1, IF, and FL. You may be able to see visible blemishes in the stone with SI2 and SI1 but they won’t be bad. *I recommend starting at VS2 and better.

Polish: Go for excellent or very good here. Even if you have to get a few less carat percentages try and get a stone with the nicest polish available. The more polish the more sparkle.

Symmetry: If possible get a stone with very good or excellent symmetry as well. Symmetry is how well each side of the stone matches the other. The better the symmetry the closer to mirror image it is.

Fluorescence: There are simply a lot of opinions on diamond fluorescence. It used to be popular and added character to the diamond. But now everybody hates it. I’ve heard it said that a tiny bit of fluorescence brings out the sparkle but none of the experts will confirm that. I would search for diamonds with faint to no fluorescence.

Length to Width Ratio: You want to get this as close to possible as you can to 1.00. It’s the length of the diamond divided by the width and 1.00 is perfectly square. However, you really won’t notice the difference from 1.00 to 1.05.

Girdle: This is the width of the diamond’s edge. Is it a fat diamond or a skinny one? You want to find a diamond that has a medium girdle, but that’s definitely not required. Anything from thin to thick will do and even very thin to very thick is acceptable. Just don’t go to extremely thin or extremely thick!

Culet: This is about the tip on the bottom of the diamond. Is it pointed, and how much, or is there no culet at all? If you’re diamond has a great cut, culet quality should follow.

Depth %: This is just another way of saying, “Is your diamond tall and skinny or short and fat?” The diamond’s proportions depend on the shape of the diamond. If your diamond has a picture, take a look at it to see if it looks proportional. Proportion charts available here.

Table %: This is the top and flat part of the diamond. Like depth % you don’t want it to big or small. Diamond cutters know this and won’t try and mess it up.

Bonus Tip: The most important diamond characteristics are cut, color, clarity, polish, and symmetry. Get the best cut you can find, without paying extra as we discussed. Get H color or better, VS2 clarity or better, and then make sure to have excellent polish and symmetry. But don’t forget to check the other categories to make sure your diamond doesn’t have hidden issues.

Need more info? Visit this diamond-expert website.

Certification (GIA vs. EGL vs. AGSL)

Only purchase certified diamonds. Thankfully, most diamond sellers get their diamonds certified. But if where you’re shopping is selling non-certified diamonds, walk away. They’ve come up with their own quality ratings and will either sell you garbage or overcharge you.

GIA: The Gemological Institute of America is the top diamond certifier. They came up with the “color, clarity, cut, and carat weight” categories. GIA only has one lab so you’re going to have nearly perfect consistency in the ratings. All top quality diamond sellers trust GIA.

EGL: The European Gemological Laboratory certifies diamonds but has multiple labs. This means that you can get different ratings depending upon the lab. You may still get a nice diamond. But don’t try and buy an EGL diamond and send it into GIA expecting to get the same rating. It just won’t happen.

AGSL: There’s not a lot of difference between GIA and the American Gem Society Laboratories. AGSL is responsible for the “ideal” standard, has extra diamond info, and has a somewhat more rigorous grading system. But they’re not as popular or as widely used as GIA.

Return Policies

What’s the diamond seller’s return policy? I know. That sounds horrible to say. I’m not thinking about if she’ll say no, but if she’s going to like the ring you’ve picked out. My suggestion is to figure out the diamond seller’s days to return the ring and to figure out when you’re going to propose. If the diamond seller has a 30-day return policy, buy the ring at about 20 days out, you’ll get it in plenty of time, and have a few days to exchange it if she would like a different style. Chances are that if you’ve already put this much thought into it she will love it.

Diamond Care

Most jewelry stores offer a pretty good diamond protection plan. Some will actually replace a chipped or lost diamond if you lose it. Although I’m a little skeptical of this because you won’t know exactly what type of diamond you’re getting and their prices may be overpriced to begin with. However, do check if the diamond seller has an annual re-plating and polishing program. This is important for white gold especially since some of the white metal wears off.

In Person or Online?

Both! Go into a whole bunch of diamond engagement ring stores so you can see what you like and what you don’t like. Sometimes you can find really good deals in stores, but generally speaking there is just less of a selection. Lots of stores tend to be overpriced and sometimes the sales clerks are over-zealous. This isn’t always the case but they have to clear merchandise and aren’t always concerned with helping us get what we really need.

Bonus Tip: If you need to make a polite exit, ask for a business card or catalog and leave.

Top Engagement Ring Stores

Whether you’re looking for the top engagement ring stores online or offline we’ve got them listed here. Look around a lot. The more you look the more favorites you’ll find the better the final choice will turn out. *Don’t forget to finish the article after this comprehensive list of diamond engagement ring sellers.

Engagement Rings Online

If you have questions about a ring or diamond, don’t be afraid to call and talk to customer service. Most representatives are very helpful whether you buy from them or not.

James Allen – This jeweler has by far the best viewing gallery and 3D imaging available on the web and offer a 1.5% discount for all wire transfer sales.

Union Diamond – Based in Atlanta Georgia they are one of the best engagement ring jewelers out there and they offer a whopping 3% discount for wiring funds.

Super Jeweler – They offer a wide-variety of complete engagement rings, bridal sets, and wedding bands.

Sun Jewelry – They also offer a “build your own ring” program and even have a 3D visualizer. All wire transfers receive 1.5% off.

Ultra Diamonds – They have a lot of showrooms, usually located near malls.

DesignBands.com – They received the 2011 Bride’s Choice Award from Wedding Wire.

Blue Nile – This provide a plethora of details about their diamonds and all wire transfers receive 1.5% off.

DiamondHarmony.com – They sell to men, women, and even have a children category.

SZUL – They offer a wide selection of loose diamonds and engagement ring settings.

Allurez – I think they’re trying to allure you into a sale.

FineJewelers.com – They offer amethysts, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, opals, and more.

Adiamor – They have an A+ rating form the Better Business Bureau.

25karats.com – You probably don’t want a 25-karat ring but you may want to checkout this site.

Secret Diamond – They have a pretty nice “Wholesale Diamond Search.” They claim to sell you their diamonds for the cost they received them at.

ChristianJeweler.com – They have a lot of chains and crosses and lockets and Jesus fish. They have Catholic jewelry available too.

Samaritan Arts Jewelry – They offer weddings rings with crosses on them as well as Celtic wedding rings.

Furthers.com – They offer lots of custom rings with all sorts of diamonds and crosses.

Engagement Ring Stores

There are many chain and upscale chain stores that offer great ways to check out the diamond engagement ring before you buy. Some online videos are also helpful but there is nothing like seeing the diamond or setting in person.

Shane Co. – Their website isn’t great. But they had a lot of diamond engagement rings and pretty helpful clerks.

Helzberg Diamonds – I really liked their staff. They weren’t pushy and didn’t crowd us. I also thought they had some interesting rings.

Tiffany & Co. – Definite brand name here but much more expensive because of it.

De Beers – Worldwide ring seller.

Jared – They have some nice in store galleries but tend to run a little more expensive.

ZALES – They offered a wide selection of jewelry but we had three sales clerks approach us at once, which was a bit much.

Kay Jewelers – I see them all the time on television. They have some nice catalogs but the store I visited had by far the most aggressive salesclerks.

Christian Bauer – They’re worldwide but I’ve never gotten a chance to visit their stores.

Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to look around at local jewelry stores. They often have hidden gems you won’t find anywhere else.

*We do not endorse any of the jewelers listed in this article.

Should I Buy the Wedding Band Yet?

There’s nothing wrong with purchasing it at the same time or waiting and saving up some money. Just know you don’t get to give it to her till the wedding day. Keep in mind that not all engagement rings are designed to have the wedding band soldered to them. And if you go customized with the engagement ring you’re probably going to need to customize the wedding band to match.

Get Insurance!

Most, if not all, diamond sellers insure your ring until the day you receive it or walk out of the store. You can either sign up with a diamond insurance company that specializes in what they do (Jewelers Mutual) or you may be able to add the ring to your current insurance plan and receive a multi-policy discount. Check the details. Does your insurer cover accidental loss, theft, and damage? Make sure the ring is insured the day you take it home.

Now Go Buy An Engagement Ring

Consider this act of ring buying a step of faith. Marriage is a blessing and it takes a daily trust in the God who loves us and knows our hearts and ways (Psalm 139:23-24, Proverbs 16:9). Look forward to the sanctifying gift that is marriage. God will bless you in many ways throughout your life and your spouse is where many of these blessings begin. Let's close with a prayer and then it's time to go find a fantastic ring and ask a fantastic woman to marry you.

Heavenly Father, please bless all the men that read this article with a great deal of wisdom as they seek to set their budget, find out what their bride-to be desires in a ring, and as they finally make the big purchase. Calm their nerves and steady their hearts and minds as they prepare to take this leap of faith. May we as men approach marriage with a deep sense of fear and respect for what You have designed it to be. May we not take it lightly and may we glorify You in everything we do. Guard our relationships in You Lord as we prepare ourselves for marriage. In Your Son's most holy and precious name, Jesus Christ, Amen.

*Have a Bonus Tip or feedback? Please post a comment or visit my contact page.

Image by: Amy Cate Photography

How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast

2012-03-29T00:07:00.004-04:00

When a groom or bride asks you to toast them at their wedding, they ask you not only to honor them, but also to honor God. That is a big responsibility! Thankfully, I’ve done this a few times so I have a few tips that will help you write your own toast. Now it’s time to set your eyes on Christ and craft that speech!

Take Time to Prepare

Getting up to give your speech and holding up a piece of toast and looking confused sounds more hilarious than it actually is. Be prepared and don’t wing it. Put some thought and effort into preparing a short 2-4 min speech.

As soon as you know you’re going to give a toast, take the time to brainstorm a bunch of memories about the groom and his bride. Write it a notepad or type it up. When you have some more free time revisit what you wrote, add, and look for consistent themes and stories. Try to find funny ones, but don't worry if they don't appear that way at first. With effort and some right phrasing, you can make almost anything funny.

Get started now! This may sound like a lot of work, but I promise it’ll pay off. I always try and write the first drafts of toasts I give several months in advance. It takes time, but you only get to do it once, so make it worthwhile.

But what if I don’t have much time left? Never fear! Take about ten to fifteen minutes to succinctly list all of your best memories of the couple. Now go back through and look for themes. Here are a few questions that might help different memories or stories pop out:

Who introduced you to the bride and groom? Who is involved in your stories?
Where did your memories form? Personalities change? Adventures happen? Life-lessons take place? Did the bride and groom meet?
When did your stories happen? In your childhood? In your teens? Elementary-school? High-school? College? Business trip? Last year?
When did the couple meet? Were you involved with the process? The confirmation of feelings? Did you realize they were serious?
What do you remember the most from spending time with the bride or groom or both of them?
What were they like when nobody was looking? First impressions?
Why do you like them? Love them? Want to be like them? Think they’re crazy? Think they’re lovely? Feel happy around them? Think God will use this marriage for good?
How has the bride or groom influenced your life? Dreams? Aspirations? Life-insurance policy? Humor? Worldview?

Purpose & Point

Ask yourself what you want the couple and audience to hear from this toast. What is its goal or objective? Take all your themes and stories and form them into a concise purpose statement. Your purpose could be something like this: “I want the couple to realize that they should hold onto God the same way they hold onto each other. Tightly!” or “I want them to have an attitude of mutual submission to each other and this funny story really illustrates how deferring to the other made us better friends” or “I want them to realize that God will use their marriage to make them more like Jesus.”

Once you have your purpose, write out a single sentence that summarizes your lesson or point. Make sure it has a subject, very, and direct object (i.e., Jesus loves marriage). One of the ones I used recently was, “God uses all of live, especially marriage, to make us more like Christ.” It could also be something like, “I will always remember how your love was one of inclusion instead of exclusion” or “God always knows what you need even when you don’t, so trust in him.”

Once you have a purpose and point and some stories and themes running through your head, make an outline.

4 Steps to Outline Success

Introduction: Spark their interest and create a desire in them to keep listening!

Funny Story: Here’s your time to shine with some funny historically based tidbits. Although you may just be the best man, try and say something positive about the bride as well. Make it about both of them!

Connect To Christ: This is the part where you turn the funny story into a lesson about God’s work in your life through the individual. Introduce your main point here!

End With Encouragement: Finish with an exhortation to continue honoring God with their new marriage and repeat the main point if it sounds right (repetition will help them remember).

1. Attention-Grabbing Introduction

Set the scene, but grab your audience’s attention. Start with something that will get their attention but also won’t be too difficult for you to remember off the top of your head. Something like this could work: “I remember when…” or “The first time I ever saw…” or “I can’t believe…” or “You wouldn’t recognize…” or “Why did he…”

Then give some background information, but just enough for us to understand the story or your relationship to the bride, groom, or couple. The best books jump right into the action and paint us a picture. Show, don’t tell!

Feel free to address the couple directly or to address the audience. However, remember that the wedding is about them and God! So if you address them throughout the speech everyone else will naturally listen in and learn something along the way.

2. Humorous Tales

There are several things you want to keep in mind as you come up with funny stories to tell about the bride, groom, or spouse. Keep it appropriate. Insert punch lines. Keep it light-hearted.

Awkward can be funny or just plain awkward. Try to balance the toast between funny humor and slightly embarrassing humor. Now, you’re going to know the bride or groom better than I will, so it’s very important you don’t overstep your bounds. But we also want to let everyone know that these are just two humans getting married, and what better way to reveal that than showing us the bloopers and deleted scenes you personally experienced with one or both of them. Just don’t talk about the first time you two did something illegal, immoral, or that will make your aunt squirm.

Punch-lines: A punch line is when your audience is thinking you’re taking them one direction and you suddenly show up in a different more ironic location. I wrote a book I wanted to subtitle “Stories about faith, God, and unicorns.” Admittedly, some people don’t think unicorns are funny, but the subtitle illustrates how I was taking you one direction and we ended up in some other place.

Phrasing examples: “I remember the first time Johnny and I ever made something really manly… mud pies” or “I would like to take personal responsibility for helping these two get back up after they fell for each other” or “If I had a dollar for every time Jack and I did something unwise I would only have about five bucks because we were perfect angels” or “I always loved getting coffee with Jessica because of our deeply spiritual conversations about boys.”

Light hearted humor is the best because this is a wedding, and nobody really wants to hear about the time you and Jack broke your arms doing something really stupid. Instead, take the opportunity to tell a fun story that has elements of the ridiculous in it.

Humor Generators: How does the groom describe his love? Did the bride ever say something embarrassing about the groom? How did their love progress? What do you all laugh about the most when talking about the “good times?” What makes both you and them smile?

3. Connect To Christ

Now where is your story leading? Does it point to a specific moment where you realized something about yourself, your friend, or the couple? Reflecting on it further, how does that moment point you back to Christ? How does it point you back to the Scripture? If you don’t have a main point about Christ quite yet, here are some more ideas to help you narrow your lesson.

What part of the story you just told reveals God’s love inside of them? How about a godly character quality? God’s sanctifying work? Could you see a reflection of Jesus in their lives?
How did your friend teach you about God? Did it change your perspective for good?
Does your story remind you of a specific Bible passage? (Scripture Blessings and Benedictions or Wedding Ceremony Bible Verses)

Now what did all your themes hint at? Are they about the couple learning a specific lesson? What was the nature of their love? Was it a surprise or long waiting? Was it inclusive and giving? Did God speak into your life through watching them grow in the relationship? Is there something specific they need to know, a lesson you feel they should hear?

Phrasing Examples: “It was really clear in that moment how God was using Tom to grow my character” or “Just as God used this life experience to transform me I pray that God will use your marriage to make you more like Christ” or “I’ve found that the more I think about your love, the more I realize your love is only complete as it rests in God’s love.”

This is arguably the most important part of the toast. You want to take the audience’s eyes and the couple’s eyes and even your own eyes and lift them to Christ. What better way to do this than through Scripture. Make the lesson count, but be creative. If you want to be funny, try to teach your lesson in the most ridiculous way you can think of just as long as it’s respectful of our Lord.

4. End With Encouragement

Finally, it’s time to end the toast. If your main point fits again, say it again, and then encourage the bride and groom to honor God with their new marriage. Bless them. Ask them to love God, each other, and complete strangers. Stay consistent with the theme and main lesson as you speak your heart. They want your blessing. It’s time to give it to them.

Phrasing Examples: "May God bless you both in your marriage as much as you've blessed me" or if you want to be funny, “I pray that God gives you lots of laughter and love and a spare room so that I can come and visit you often.”

If you haven’t already used a Bible passage, you can use one now as long as it doesn’t bring up a whole new topic. Make sure it’s a passage that you can quote a blessing from. The idea is to send them on their way well. And what better way to do this than with a Scriptural Blessing?

Toast them! And don’t forget to toast them! “Now raise your glasses with me and let’s toast the new bride and groom.”

Need Examples?

Here are two wedding toasts I’ve given. If I could redo the first Christian Marriage Toast, I would make it more about Christ. Although I included Godly principles, I needed to make it more about the good news the Bible has to offer. The other toast I’ve given is more of a Christian Wedding Toast since I refer to God and quote an actual Bible verse. But like the last one, I think I could have used a little more emphasis on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Need more? Try these wedding toast guides for the Best Man and Maid of Honor (aff links).

Speech Tips

If you have time, write out your toast beforehand and don’t use any notes to deliver it. Just try not to memorize it because that will sound fake. Rather, try to own it and really feel it. Practice multiple times on the days leading up to the wedding, but not to much the day of because you want it to be fresh. However, feel free to read and re-read as many times as you need. A toast can be anywhere from 250-600 words long and should take 2-4 minutes to deliver. Don’t speak too fast but also don’t take up too much time. Make sure you pause leading up to and after important points you want the bride and groom to remember. Modulate your voice. It’s ok for you to sound passionate. This is a wedding after all.

What if this is really last minute? Then write down a general outline using complete sentences on a notecard and take it up with you. Just try and make as much eye contact with the bride, groom, and audience as possible.

Now Enjoy!

Wedding toasts are all different and so are the people who give them. Remember that this is not your day or even the bride and groom’s day. This day is God’s day and we should celebrate that in a way that engages people and points them to the Lord. When you give the toast, try to enjoy the moment! It’s not everyday you get to toast one of your best friends and their new marriage. Remember, God’s enjoying this moment with you. He is all about marriage, especially when it’s done right and glorifies him. Help the new couple start our right with their eyes set on God.

If you would still like further resources, please check out this this ebook How To Give A Christian Wedding Toast (aff link). In this brief kindle book you will discover how to give a fun, creative, and Christ-centered wedding toast as you grow in your relationship with the Lord. In four easy steps you will learn the “Christian Toast Idea” method of wedding speeches.

Photo By: Tristanf

Wedding Ceremony Bible Verses on Love

2012-03-28T23:31:00.005-04:00

Need a quick reference to Scripture Verses suitable for a wedding? You've come to the right place. Here is a list of some great Bible passages and stories on love and marriage. We hope you'll use them in your ceremony, wedding toast, or just some reflection on God's design for marriage. Enjoy.

*All passages are quoted from the New King James Version of the Bible.[1]

Adam and Eve – Genesis 2:18–24

And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

And Adam said:

“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Isaac and Rebekah – Genesis 24:62-67a

Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; 65 for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?”

The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself.

And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her.

Old Testament Marriage Law – Deuteronomy 24:5

When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken.

Israel’s Faithfulness to God – Joshua 24:14-15

Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Ruth & Kinsman Redeemer – Ruth 1:1-4:20

*Excerpt of Ruth pleading with Naomi

Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The LORD do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.”

The Priestly Blessing – Numbers 6:24–26

“The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’

The Lord is My Shepherd – Psalm 23:5–6

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

Mercy – Psalm 31:16

Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake.

Lovingkindness – Psalm 63:3

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

Love Covers – Proverbs 10:12

Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.

Friend and Brother – Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

Great Mystery – Proverbs 30:18–19

There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:
The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.

Two Are Better – Ecclesiastes 4:9–12

Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Seal Upon The Heart – Song of Solomon 8:6–7

Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised.

Godly Wisdom – Matthew 7:24–27

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

The Greatest Commandment – Mark 12:28–30

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

God So Loved – John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Keep My Commandments – John 14:21–24

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

Abide In God’s Love – John 15:9–17

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.

The Gospel – Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

More Than Conquerors – Romans 8:37–39

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Debt of Love – Romans 13:8

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

If I Have Not Love… – 1 Corinthians 13:1–13

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Christ’s Love – Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Serve Through Love – Galatians 5:13

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Imitate Christ – Ephesians 5:1–2

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Love Sacrificially – Ephesians 5:22–31

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

Complete in Christ – Colossians 2:6–10

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Put on Love – Colossians 3:12–17

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Love and Submit – Colossians 3:18–19

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

Honor Marriage – Hebrews 13:4–7

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.

Pure Heart – 1 Peter 1:22

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

Love Covers – 1 Peter 4:8

And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

Manner of Love – 1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Love One Another – 1 John 4:7

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

He Loved Us – 1 John 4:9–12

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

The Marriage Lamb – Revelation 19:6–10

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

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[1] The New King James Version. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).