So I'm planning another wedding--mine! With years of experience I know a bit about what would make just a good ceremony versus what would make a great ceremony for us.
We would like our ceremony to be small enough so that even our guests can participate. This means we are only inviting family members and close friends. It was a challenge to choose which friends are "close" friends, so we decided it meant those we see at least once a month or those who have been in our lives for many years and have become like family.
We’ve also decided not to hire a wedding officiant to attend the ceremony. Instead we will conduct the ceremony ourselves and we’ll have an officiant sign our marriage license after the fact.
Our vows will be artistically designed as a beautiful keepsake marriage document, very much like a Ketubah which is used in traditional Jewish ceremonies. The ceremony will proceed as follows:
First, our guests will gather in a circle. I will say a few words and welcome his family and he will welcome mine. We will each talk about our intention for the ceremony and invite each guest to say something if they choose. Next, we will read our vows from our marriage contract:
"On the 16th day of September in the year 2008, in [our city], the sacred covenant of marriage was entered into between [bride] and [groom] in the presence of loving family and friends.
As beloveds and friends we promise to love, honor, cherish and support each other. May we be ever open and honest with one another, slow to anger and quick to forgive, and always sensitive to the other’s feelings and needs. May we seek to understand each other, always treating each other with respect and kindness. May we remain committed to our own and each other’s emotional and spiritual growth. May we always encourage and challenge one another to become the persons we are yet to be.
Together we will create a warm and loving home filled with trust, generosity and reverence for all life; a place of passion and compassion and an abundance of creative expression.
We promise to remain faithful to this covenant in spirit and in action, through harmony and discord, through abundance and scarcity, through health and through illness, and through both joys and sorrows. May we be ever mindful that our days together are a gift and ever grateful for each day we share with one another.
We seal this document with love."
After the reading we will exchange rings, kiss each other, and walk the circle together stopping to hug each guest. Our ceremony will conclude with a wine blessing.
I Do adapts traditions and creates new options to help couples personalize their wedding ceremonies. by Sydney Barbara Metrick Buy The Book www.ChickenSoupCounseling.com
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