Where exactly in the Bible is the marriage ceremony located that we've often heard at real weddings and also on television? My friends and I have often seen pastors turn to the pages and recite but we can't seem to locate it ourselves. Thank you.
Answer
You won't find any words for a marriage ceremony in the Bible. As I indicated in my answer to whether a ceremony was necessary there is no set ceremony other than two people telling others that they are marrying and committing to live together for life.
If you saw a preacher open a book and read a ceremony from it then that preacher was probably from one of the groups that publishes its own ceremonies for their preachers. I have a cousin who is a Methodist minister, and he has such a book. I know that other groups (Episcopals, Presbyterians, etc.) do, too. Such ceremonies, while often meaningful and always perfectly valid, are not required by the Bible. Many preachers in the congregations I have attended have a sermon or two that they use for weddings, but some write a different sermon for each wedding. Many allow the couple to plan their own ceremony. Some don't even consider a wedding to be a religious service, and some conservative congregations don't allow weddings to be held in their church buildings because of that.
Another reader supplied the following information:
The book that you refer to is called the "Book of Common Prayer" which is not to be confused with the Bible. But if the person who asked you really wants to know, it covers several of the rites, ceremonies, etc. that the Bible refers to. If the Bible is like a book of instructions and guidelines, the Book of Common Prayer is like a handbook of protocol for ministers.