Text of the prayer over the gifts

Following is the text of the prayer over the gifts of bread and wine that is said during a Catholic wedding Mass. To see where the prayer occurs in a Catholic wedding Mass, check the order of a Catholic wedding ceremony during Mass.

Italics indicate the rubrics, the instructions to the presider.

Excerpts from the English translation of Rite of Marriage are copyright © 1969, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Individuals who wish to reproduce text from the Rite of Marriage for their own use (including reproduction in wedding programs) must follow the ICEL copyright permission procedures, which may be found at www.icelweb.org.

Prayer Over the Gifts

Option 1

Lord,
accept our offering
for this newly-married couple, [Name] and [Name].
By your love and providence you have brought them together;
now bless them all the days of their married life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Option 2

Lord,
accept the gifts we offer you
on this happy day.
In your fatherly love
watch over and protect [Name] and [Name]
whom you have united in marriage.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Option 3

Lord,
hear our prayers
and accept the gifts we offer for [Name] and [Name].
Today you have made them one in the sacrament of marriage.
May the mystery of Christ’s unselfish love,
which we celebrate in this eucharist,
increase their love for you and for each other.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Order of a Catholic wedding ceremony during Mass
A step-by-step walk through the complete order of the Catholic wedding Mass.

Order of a Catholic wedding ceremony outside Mass
A step-by-step walk through the complete order of a Catholic wedding outside of Mass.

Order of a wedding between a Catholic and an unbaptized person
A step-by-step walk through the complete order of a wedding between a Catholic and someone who has not been baptized as a Christian.

Choosing the form of your wedding
As you begin planning your wedding, one of the first things you will discuss with the priest or deacon at your parish is which form of the Rite of Marriage you will use during your wedding. Here are the three basic options.