Elopement – Planning Ideas & Ceremony
Here’s what your dude ranch elopement wedding or renewal of vows might look like.
To Do:
- Study the Marriage Licenses in Larimer County page on tour website.
- Walk and talk through this guide with each other and plan what you would enjoy most!
- Call us for a reservation (970-224-1222 or 800-357-4930)
- On your way here, stop at the Larimer County Clerk’s Office and get your license.
- Arrive! Meet the horses, Take a stroll in the forest.
- Private supper in your room.
- Explore your welcome basket… or play a game of Battleship… or whatever…
- Private breakfast in your room.
- Private ride with your own wrangler.
- Lunch in the dining room.
- Early afternoon ceremony. The basic ceremony is simply a greeting, the exchange of vows and maybe exchange of rings.
- Greeting by your Wrangler Guide You can write your own or use one of these Wrangler Guide Greetings below.
- Exchange of vows. Write your own or use one of the Traditional Vows below.
- Your own or use one of these Exchange of Rings below.
- You can add one or more of these optional ceremonies:
- Rose ceremony
- Cup Sharing Ceremony
- Hand Tying Ceremony
- Unity Candle Ceremony
- Sand Ceremony
- Optional Family Blending Ceremonies:
- Vows to children
- Family Rose Ceremony
- Family Candle ceremony
- Family Sand Ceremony
- Wrangler Guide’s Closing Blessing or Remarks
- Optional after-ceremony celebration with cake and champagne and keepsake flutes to take home. (This can be in the dining room or privately in your room. (You can bring your own champagne, or purchase from our liquor store here.)
- Private supper in you room (or dining room if you prefer)
- Again, explore your welcome basket, or play a game of Battleship, or whatever…
- Private breakfast in your room (or dining room if you prefer)
- Second morning horseback ride with the group.
- Check-out, OR continue your honeymoon!
The Greeting
There are 6 Greeting Examples to choose from. Your Wrangler Guide will spend a few minutes to set the tone: warm, calm, relaxed, joyfully solemn. He or she will read any of the following (or substitute your own):
Greeting Example #1 Apache Blessing
Wrangler Guide: Love is the reason we are here. In marriage we not only say, “I love you today”, but also, “I promise to love you for all of our tomorrows.”
____ [Groom] ____ and ____[Bride] ___, in your journey of life together,
remind yourselves often of the love that brought you together.
Give the highest priority to your love.
When challenges come, remember to focus on what is right between you.
In this way, you can ride out the storms.
And when clouds hide the sun in your lives – remember,
even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is always there.
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth for the other.
Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two persons, but there are three lives before you;
His life, Her life and Your life together.
Greeting Example #2 (semi-Buddhist) Greeting
Stubbornness is a great Virtue!
Compassion and love, when cultivated over the years,
gives rise to hope, courage, determination, inner strength, and yes, even to enlightenment!
Compassion is not the emotion of sympathy. It’s not an emotion at all.
It is the wish for another to be free from suffering.
Love can be a noun – an emotion marketed by Hallmark and Disney, a fantasy.
But love is also a verb – is the desire for and cultivation of anothers happiness.
How do we cultivate life long compassion and love? There are a number of ways. Here’s just one:
First, we can set aside love as a noun – the Disney and Hallmark card package of hormones. Somewhere we have fallen for the fiction that people “fall” in love and then they “fall out” of love. What nonsense!
Set aside the noun, and look at the verb form of love.
Love is an action, not a feeling.
A dedication to doing things, like listening, even when you are dead tired.
Like being courteous, even when really angry.
Like caring for your spouse before yourself.
Compassion and love are actions that relieve suffering and create happiness in the other;
sometimes with wonderful warm feelings, and sometimes with no feelings at all,
just the dedication of a vow.
It’s very simple, but it isn’t easy to do!
The vows you take today are a life long commitment.
The circumstances of your lives will change, your feelings will change,
most aspects of your lives will change over time.
But your commitment to each other, if you are stubborn,
can carry you into old age together with a of joy that you cannot even imagine now.
Yes, stubbornness is a great virtue!
Greeting Example #3
There is no greater gift than the love that makes two people one.
To see this love blossoming between two hearts is a joy.
To witness the vows of lovers as they take to each other,
throughout all of the changes of life, is a delight.
In a world where faith can fall short of our expectations,
it makes us glad to see you joining hand and hearts in your faith in each other.
Greeting Example #4
Love is the reason we are here.
In marriage we not only say, “I love you today”, but also,
“I promise to love you for all of our tomorrows.”
______and ______, in the days ahead of you,
there will be stormy times and good times,
times of conflict and times of joy. I ask you to remember this advice:
Never go to bed angry.
Let your love be stronger than your anger.
Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend than to break.
Believe the best of your beloved rather than the worst.
Confide in your partner and ask for help when you need it.
Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship.
Give your spouse the same courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends.
Say “I love you” every day.
Greeting Example #5
Love is patient and kind; Love is not jealous or boastful;
Love is not arrogant or rude; Love does not insist on its own way;
Love does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices with the right.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Learning to love each other and to live together in harmony
is one of the greatest challenges of marriage.
Marriage is not to be entered into lightly, and we are to hold it in high honor at all times.
______and ______, remember that love, trust, and loyalty
are the foundation of a happy and enduring marriage.
No vows are more sacred than those you are about to make.
If these vows are kept unbroken,
[and as you endeavor to do the will of your Heavenly Father,]
your lives together will be full of joy and love.
Greeting Example #6 ON LOVE by Thomas Kempis
Nothing is sweeter than love,
Nothing stronger,
Nothing higher,
Nothing wider,
Nothing more pleasant,
Nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth; for love is born of God.
Love flies, runs and leaps for joy.
It is free and unrestrained.
Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds…
Love sees nothing as impossible,
for it feels able to achieve all things….
Love is not fickle and sentimental,
nor is it intent on vanities.
Like a living flame and a burning torch,
it surges upward and surely surmounts every obstacle.
Exchange of Vows
There are 8 sets of vows listed here. Use as written, copy and paste, mix and match, or write your own!
Example Vows #1
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
I, ______, take you, ______,
As my friend and love
Beside me and apart from me
In laughter and tears
In conflict and tranquility
Loving you for who you are, as you grow and change over the years
Trusting what I don’t yet know
In all the ways that life might find us.
Example Vows #2
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
I, ______, take you, ______, to be my lawful [wife/husband],
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health, till death do us part.
I, ______, take you now,
in the presence of God and these witnesses,
to be my [wife/husband].
I vow that I shall love you, honor you,
respect you, cherish you
and uphold this promise in good times and in bad
as long as we both shall live.
Example Vows #3
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
______and ______, I remind you that marriage is a precious gift,
a lifelong commitment, and a challenge to love one another more completely each and every day.
Please join hands and look into each others eyes.
__Groom______, with this understanding, do you take __[Bride]______
to be your wedded wife to live together in marriage?
Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better for worse,
for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and to be faithful only to her,
so long as you both shall live?
Groom: “I do.”
____[Bride]____, with this understanding, do you take ____[Groom's]_____
to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage?
Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, for better or worse,
for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and to be faithful only to him,
so long as you both shall live?
Bride “I do.”
Episcopal Example Vow #4
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
“______, wilt thou have this woman/man to be thy wedded wife/husband
to live together after God’s ordinance in the Holy Estate of matrimony?
Wilt thou love her/him? Comfort her/him, honor and keep her/him, in sickness and in health,
and forsaking all other keep thee only unto her/him as long as you both shall live?”
“In the name of God, I, ______, take you, ______, to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and health,
to love and to cherish,
until we are parted by death.
This is my solemn vow.”
Lutheran Example Vow #5
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
“I take you, ______, to be my wife/husband from this day forward,
to join with you
and share all that is to come,
and I promise to be faithful
to you until death parts us.”
“I, ______, take you, ______, to be my wife/husband,
and these things I promise you:
I will be faithful to you and honest with you;
I will respect, trust, help,
and care for you;
I will share my life with you;
I will forgive you as we have been forgiven;
and I will try with you better to understand ourselves,
the world, and God;
through the best and worst of what is to come,
and as long as we live.”
Presbyterian Example Vow #6
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
“______, wilt thou have this woman/man to be thy wife/husband,
and wilt thou pledge thy faith to him/her, in all love and honor,
in all duty and service, in all faith and tenderness, to live with her/him,
and cherish her/him, according to the ordinance of God, in the holy bond of marriage?”
“I, ______, take you, ______,
to be my wedded wife/husband,
and I do promise and covenant,
before God and these witnesses,
to be your loving and faithful husband/wife,
in plenty and want,
in joy and in sorrow,
in sickness and in health,
as long as we both shall live.”
Roman Catholic Example Vow #7
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
“I, ______, take you, ______,
to be my wife/husband.
I promise to be true to you
in good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health.
I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”
OR
“I, ______, take you, ______,
for my lawful wife/husband,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and health,
until death do us part.”
Quaker Example Vow #8
Everyone worships silently until the couple feels it’s time to say their vows. They rise, hold hands, and each declare:
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
“In the presence of God and before these our families and friends,
I take thee (bride’s/groom’s name) to be my wife/husband,
promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee
a loving and faithful husband/wife
so long as we both shall live.”
Then they sign the marriage certificate and sit down.
Everyone returns to more silent worship, during which congregants and guests may stand to say a few words or voice support for the couple (think: heartfelt toasts).
The meeting usually ends with a handshake from a committee member.
All those present will also sign the certificate as witnesses.
Exchange of Rings:
There are three examples here, but feel free to edit or write your own!
Exchange of Rings Example #1
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
______, I give you this ring
As a sign of my love and faith
With this ring I marry you
And join my life with yours.
Exchange of Rings Example #2
Wrangler Guide: “The ring is an unbroken, never-ending circle, a symbol of committed, unending love.”
The Wrangler Guide :[Groom], as you place this ring on [Bride]‘s finger, repeat these words after me:
This ring, a gift for you,
symbolizes my desire
that you be my wife
from this day forward.
As this ring has no end
neither shall my love for you.
The Wrangler Guide: [Bride], as you place this ring on [Groom]‘s finger, repeat these words after me:
This ring, a gift for you,
symbolizes my desire
that you be my husband
from this day forward.
As this ring has no end
neither shall my love for you.
Exchange of Rings Example #3
The Wrangler Guide will lead you, one phrase at a time:
“With this ring, you are made holy to me,
for I love you as my soul. You are now my wife.
“With this ring, you are made holy to me,
for I love you as my soul. You are now my husband.”
Rose ceremony
Wrangler Guide: “In the language of flowers, a single rose is an elegant and simple way to say: ‘I love you.’
______and ______, have chosen to give each other a rose, as a symbol of love, and as their first gifts to each other as husband and wife.”
[Bride and Groom now exchange roses.]
Wrangler guide: “______and ______, wherever you make your home, choose a special spot. At those times when words fail, leave your rose at that spot for the other to see. The rose will say “I still love you.” When you see your partner’s rose at this special place, accept it and accept the words that your spouse cannot speak, and remember the love and hope that you committed yourself to today.”
“______and ______, it is simple practices like this that can give your love wings as your journey begins, and simple rituals like this that can become traditions which can help you fly through stormy times years down the road.”
Family Rose Ceremony
The Family Rose ceremony is exactly the same as above, except that the parents will give each child a different colored rose – each child will have a rose of his/her own color.
The Cup Sharing Ceremony
There are many ways to enjoy a Shared Cup of Wine ceremony. Feel free to use any of these examples as they are written, or to cut and paste them together in any way that has meaning for you, or write your own. (You may bring your own wines, or purchase from our retail liquor store.) The first two examples here lend themselves to a shared family cup if you are blending two families, or to including your friends.
Cup Sharing Ceremony Example #1
The Wrangler Guide : Some wine is sweet, some is dry. Life has times of both.
______& ______now blend their two wines, just as they are blending their two separate lives into one.
[Bride adds white wine from her carafe to the “shared cup.” And groom adds red wine from his carafe to the goblet.]
This shared cup now has a blend of sweet, which brings to mind joy, hope, happiness; and dry wine which reminds us that we cannot avoid life’s challenges, disappointments and sorrows. Mixing them together represents your future journey together and all the experiences that you vow to share.