Saturday, July 29, 2006
3:00 PM
First Chinese Baptist Church
1 Waverly Place
San Francisco, California 94108
The Wedding Ceremony
Lighting the Candelabras
Prelude Joy Shih Ng
Seating of the Family
Seating of Groom’s Grandfather Richard Chen by Lawton Lum
Seating of Groom’s Parents George and Nancy Chen (Right side facing front)
Seating of Bride’s Stepmother Gwenn Wysling
Seating of Bride’s Mother Jean Wysling (Left side facing front)
by Trevor Wysling
Lighting of the Individual Candles Mothers Nancy Chen &
(from votive) Jean Wysling
Entrance of the Nieces and Nephews: Melanie, Caitlin, Haley, Brice, Curtis, Brandon, Ryan, Troy, and Drew
Entrance of the Pastor, Groom and Groom’s Men
Pastor Don Ng, Groom Gordon Chen, Best Man Lawton Lum, Groom’s Men Arlen Ung, Tony Ng, Guy Takahashi, and Daniel Smith.
Processional
Bridesmaids:
Kristine Smith
Kimberly Takahashi
Celina Ng
Eva Ung
Maid of Honor Roseanne Wolf
Ring Bearer Nicholas Chen
Flower Girl Ashley Chen
(Congregation stands)
Bride Carla Wysling and Father Carlos Wysling (Left Side)
Welcome and Greeting
Welcome to this special summer day! Please be seated. For the dignity of the service, we ask that all cell phones and pagers be silent at this time. Thank you.
Friends and family, we are here to celebrate with Carla Wysling and Gordon Chen, this public declaration of their love and commitment. They stand here before us not with any giddy notion that confines love to a feeling, nor with the delusion that a wedding ceremony and a marriage are one in the same. Rather, they come before you with a wisdom born out of life’s experiences and a love that has matured in the years of caring relationships. This is a day of new beginnings. Gordon and Carla have traveled roads separately, but today they join hands and hearts to travel a new road together. One of the truths in life is that the journey is just as important as the destination. May the timeless treasures to be discovered along the way and the wisdom that you have gained enrich and bless you today and for the rest of your lives.
Gordon and Carla stand before you as people of faith, deeply committed to Christ and his church. They recognize that unless God is the architect of their ever-growing relationship, their work at building a home is a challenge. They acknowledge that more important than the expectations each has for the other, are the expectations God has for both of them. They affirm that it is God’s intention that the commitments made here today to be held and cherished for as long as God graces them with life.
We welcome you, their families and friends. This is truly a family wedding with the many siblings, in-laws, and nieces and nephews present. Each of you has given something of yourself to their lives. Carla and Gordon want you to know that your love, guidance and encouragement will be forever appreciated. They know very well that the health of their relationship is going to be dependent upon your love, your concern and your enduring support. For all of your love for them, Gordon and Carla are most grateful.
It is with these understandings and affirmations that Gordon and Carla now pledge their faithfulness to each other through the vows and commitments they will make today.
Opening Prayer
O God of love and life, we know your wonderful ways have brought us to this place. Today, we acknowledge your presence in our lives. At the start of this celebration, we share that there are times when that direction did not seem clear. And yet, we are here to enjoy how our separate paths now have crossed. We share with all who can hear from this day forward, your continuing blessings will move with us together on a path that is constantly unfolding with beauty and grace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Presentation Question
Gordon and Carla deeply appreciate the rich and warm heritage of their families and especially the love and nurture that they have received from their parents. Acknowledging that God has brought them together, who has the honor of presenting them to be married today?
(Parents stand up)
Parents: “We do.”
(Father of the Bride Carlos Wysling embraces and kisses Bride Carla Wysling and sits down.)
Honoring Parents
As a sign of their love and respect for their parents, Gordon and Carla will present gifts to their mothers and fathers thanking them for the years of guidance, wisdom and protection in life. Each of them came with one set of parents; each will leave with two.
(Gordon and Carla will present leis to parents.)
Welcoming into the Household
One of life’s pleasantries is to welcome someone into your home. We make available our resources to share with the newcomer and we often receive surprises and gifts in return. Carla, you are being welcomed into a family household that includes Gordon, Nicholas and Ashley. As they welcome you with their love and resources, I know that you bring gifts of acceptance and care for them creating a new household that is strong and filled with joy.
(Carla will present gifts to Nicholas and Ashley.)
Step Up
Declaration of Intent
Gordon and Carla, in the presence of God and your family and friends, I ask you to declare your intention to enter into covenant with each other through the grace of Jesus Christ.
Gordon, will you have Carla to be your wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
Gordon: “I will.”
Carla, will you have Gordon to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
Carla: “I will.”
Words to the Couple—Building a House
One of the most familiar stories in the Bible is the wise man and the foolish man building their houses. Jesus said a wise man who built his house on the rock will still have his house standing firm after the rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But the foolish man built his house on the sand and when the storm came and beat against that house, it fell with a great bang!
The image of the house in this passage is a metaphor for our relationship with God. The message is simple. If a relationship is built on surface elements—appearances, romance alone, seeking for security—then the ground may not be very solid and danger may present itself. But if a relationship is built on faith, on the love of God, then there is a strong foundation, through the thick and thin, through rain and storms and floods beating against the foundation. This relationship will not fall apart but will remain standing.
It is a well-known fact that in the life of this church, the Chen family is a household built on a solid foundation with Christ as its head. Gordon has known this from the very beginning of life but now Carla is welcomed into this family where weekly family dinners are events no one wants to miss; when traveling to Disneyland together is magical leaving you singing “it’s a small world after all”; where everyone is truly an auntie or an uncle taking responsibility to raise each other’s children like they were their very own and today is no exception, when the entire family comes out in force to participate in blessing the two of you to be happy in marriage for the rest of your lives. This family has a strong foundation because it is built on the love of Christ.
Gordon gives to you, Carla this wonderful and wholesome family that is full of love and generosity, warmth and security, connections and stability. Carla gives to you, Gordon an open heart to care for you, as your best friend to understand and sympathize with you. Carla also gives her sincere love and support to help you raise Nicholas and Ashley to become good and responsible people.
As a family already, God continues to bless you as you help each other do homework, cheer for the Giants, get cozy in front of the TV with popcorn dripping with butter, going shopping together, having dinner together especially when Nicholas and Ashley are home and most importantly, believing that this relationship is for real when it’s firmly built on the love of God.
My prayer for you is that this relationship that you have in each other is built on the rock of the love of God. Each of you and both of you are the founding persons for this relationship and bear the love of it and the responsibility for it. Claim love as your basis for this relationship! Not just love for each other, but the love of God and Christ as the cornerstone—and you will be building on a solid foundation.
Know that God wants this marriage to be the best it can be. Know that we who are surrounding you as witnesses want the same. We will support you in every way we can to keep the love of God surrounding you also—through our prayers and our friendships. Keep building on your solid foundation, keep building on the faith you have, keep building on your dream of one day owning a home where your children can run around and ride their bikes, keep building on the presence of God. We wish you the best in your new life together.
Exchange of Vows
Gordon: I, Gordon, take you, Carla,
to be my wedded wife,
to have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
in joy and in sorrow,
through laughter and tears.
Promising to faithfully love,
honor, and cherish you,
from this day forward,
as long as we both shall live.
Carla: I, Carla, take you, Gordon,
to be my wedded husband,
to have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
in joy and in sorrow,
through laughter and tears.
Promising to faithfully love,
honor, and cherish you,
from this day forward,
as long as we both shall live.
Exchange of Rings
For many centuries, a wedding ring has been a symbol of a pledge that those who give a ring intend to live up to the vows and promises made at the time of marriage. A ring is a visible sign of an inward grace which signifies the givers and receivers becoming one in holy marriage through the church of Jesus Christ.
As one who sells engagement and wedding rings to couples in love, today Gordon and Carla have brought real gold rings to give to one another. What a wonderful thought to receive these special tokens of your love today.
These rings are fulfilling an earlier pledge that Gordon made to Carla when he bought her a Mickey Mouse toy ring in 2005 to propose to her. He asked her to share a happy life with him and the kids. Today, Carla is fulfilling that promise to Gordon by saying, “Yes.”
Let us pray. O Lord, enable Gordon and Carla to be aware of this sacred moment when they receive evidence of their pledge of love and loyalty to one another. May we know your presence and your favor as they begin their new life together, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gordon: As a sign of my sincere love for you, Carla,
I give you this ring.
Wear it in the knowledge that I cherish you
with all of my heart and will.
With God’s help,
I will live up to my promises,
I make to you today.
Carla: As a sign of my sincere love for you, Gordon,
I give you this ring.
Wear it in the knowledge that I cherish you
with all of my heart and will.
With God’s help,
I will live up to my promises,
I make to you today.
Lighting of the Unity Candle
Gordon and Carla’s mothers lit individual candles to symbolize the precious gift of life that they were given when their children were born. Spanning across the years, they along with their fathers supported Gordon and Carla to this day and will no doubt continue supporting and guiding them in the future!
Now Gordon and Carla’s individual lives are joined in marriage symbolized by the Unity Candle. They declare that their life together will shine in the world with warmth and brightness for many. The Unity Candle, a keepsake for them to relight on their anniversaries now burns, signifying their new, shared married life.
Special Music Love Will Be Our Home Eva, Kimmie, &
Kris
Wedding Prayer
O God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus our Lord, you teach us that you change the world through families in covenant with you. Gordon and Carla represent before us more than just a couple creating a life. They represent families coming together to unite. Pour out your grace on them and everyone they represent. Give them all the gifts of perspective, of generosity, of forgiveness, of tender mercy, of laughter and of affection. Go before them, lighting the way for this marriage built on a solid foundation in the midst of this loving family. Clear the path, that they may travel well and safely, arriving to your destination and celebrating that arrival. In the name of your Son who gave his life to us so that we may have life abundantly we pray. Amen.
Announcements
Gordon and Carla have requested that all family members return to the sanctuary for wedding pictures. They invite you to proceed to Dominick’s on 425 Marina Boulevard in South San Francisco for the Wedding Reception Dinner at 6:00 PM.
Pronouncement
Gordon and Carla, you both came to this ceremony today because of the love that you share. With sincerity you have made sacred promises to each other in the presence of your family, your friends and your God. Live your life together with the hope and dreams that you will continue to grow together ever since you first met for dessert arranged by your sister and your best friend. May God continue to be the center of your marriage and that God will hold you together with many blessings in the years to come.
Because Gordon and Carla have publicly made their vows to each other today, have given and received rings as an outward sign of an inward grace, and have lit their Unity Candle to signify the oneness thay have together in Christ, I as a Minister of the Christian Gospel now declare them to be husband and wife. Joined as one, Gordon and Carla, you will continue to be blessed by the love you share, the love you have for God and the love God has for each of you.
You have waited for a long time to finally be able to say to the whole world that you are married. It is my sincere joy and honor to introduce to you for the very first time, “Mr. and Mrs. Gordon and Carla Chen!”
(Permission to kiss; Congregation stands.)
Recessional
Postlude
Wedding Coordinator: Juana Lum (Wana)
Organist: Joy Shih Ng
Photographer: Don Fong
Videographer: Ali Webb
Officiant: Rev. Don Ng