Posts Tagged ‘non-traditional wedding ceremony’

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Suprising Readings You May Not Have Considered

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

Your ceremony should be special and unique to you and your groom, and what better way to personalize your ceremony than by incorporating a different reading.  The “standards” that you are probably used to hearing are “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” or “Love is patient, love is kind,” but there are others.  These new options chosen by the editors at Brides Magazine might prevent your guests from a quick snooze and keep their attention.

1. Children’s book: All the World

by Liz Garton Scanlon

Excerpt: “Everything you hear, smell, see. All the world is everything…Hope and peace and love and trust, All the world, is all of us.”

 

2. Etiquette guide: Miss Manners’ Guide to the Turn-of-the-Millennium

by Judith Martin

Excerpt: “Anyone who tries to compete with the rest of the world, demanding to be someone’s sole source of…attention, is asking to be classified as a bore. ‘Why don’t you ever want to talk to me?’ will…never start a satisfactory marital conversation. ‘Guess what?’ will…never fail.”

3. Lyrics: “Wedding Song”

by Bob Dylan

Excerpt: “Oh, cant you see that you were born to stand by my side

And I was born to be with you, you were born to be my bride

You’re the other half of what I am, you’re the missing piece

And I love you more than ever with that love that doesn’t cease.”

4. Poem: “I Wrote a Good Omelet”

by Nikki Giovanni

Excerpt: “I wrote a good omelet…and ate a hot poem…after loving you

Buttoned my car…and drove my coat home…in the rain…after loving you.”

5. Prose: “The The Ent and the Entwife” (from The Two Towers)

by J.R.R. Tolkien

Excerpt: “Together we will take the road that leads into the West,

And far away will find a land where both our hearts may rest.”

 

So now feel free to let the waterworks flow freely.  We highly encourage you to research all the full versions of the readings above.  And in your pursuit of trying to set your ceremony apart from others, if you find any amazing reads that others should know about (and you’re willing to share), don’t forget to comment back to us and let us know of your off-beat literary finds.  As you can see from our short list of suggestions, you never know where you can find meaningful words to express specific sentiments.  So go forth and start reading everything a little bit differently.  Leave no bumper sticker, kitchen magnet, or school yard song unexamined.  Happy reading.

 

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To Preach or Not to Preach

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

Although not a terribly new trend, getting a friend to preside over your wedding ceremony has recently come under some scrutiny.  The reason being that the main concerns stem from how legal it actually is from state to state and whether or not the couple or newly ordained officiant has to jump through extra hoops by filing additional paperwork even before the ceremony can even take place.

And where would one go to get ordained for just such an event, you ask?  Well, the majority of people do it online (big shock), mainly through the Universal Life Church or the ULC.  And we found a laundry list of celebrities who have jumped on the band wagon to become temporary “celebs of the cloth.”  This list includes Sir Paul McCartney, Carson Kressley, Kris Jenner, Courtney Love, Goldie Hawn  and even Conan O’Brien has recently got ordained to perform a ceremony on an upcoming show.

Surprisingly, the ULC does provide a fairly thorough website to address all sorts of issues related to the validity of its certification, appropriate sermons, and continued training options.  There is even a handy gauge to give you an idea how difficult it could be to marry someone from other states and in other states.

As with everything, it’s always best to do your homework on issues like these if this is something you are contemplating.  Here are some pros and cons to consider when making your final decision:

Pros:

  • It’s a way of making the ceremony ultra personal.
  • Your friend will be able to draw on your relationship to share heartfelt thoughts during the ceremony.
  • Since they know you well, they are likely to have a great rapport with the audience.
  • You won’t have to pay them a fee (though a thank-you gift is certainly appropriate).

Cons:

  • Depending on your state, you may be faced with bureaucratic hassles, like filing extra paperwork.
  • If your friend happens to be religious, they may object to getting a ULC certification.
  • Unlike a pro, your friend may have no experience dealing wit wedding day problems like a cranky child or a broken microphone.
  • Since they have never organized a ceremony, you and your groom will need to do so yourselves.

 

Supplemented from the November 2011 issue of Brides Magazine

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Posted in Advice, Articles, Ceremony, Details, Ettiquette, Planning | No Comments »

Your Wedding Ceremony

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

During the course of planning your perfect wedding, you will make many decisions based on what tradition dictates. One area of your wedding that is easily personalized is the ceremony.

No longer do brides in formal white gowns have to walk down an aisle. Today marriages are conducted virtually anywhere, from parks and backyards to amusement park rides. Couples often choose a marriage location that represents how they met or mutual interests. Recently two senior citizens elected to marry at the department store where they met while employed.

Periodically the news will carry stories of couples marrying while skydiving or underwater.

You don’t have to go to that extreme to have a personalized ceremony. Many couples find meaningful ways to make the actual ceremony personalized. Some will choose a song that has special meaning (but be sure to check with your church for permission).

One of the easiest ways to make your wedding ceremony uniquely yours is to write your own vows. These can be included in the regular ceremony after the traditional vows or in place of the vows.

Many couples shy away from writing their own vows fearing it will be too difficult. You do not necessarily have to compose the vows. You may find a poem or a passage from a book that strikes a cord in your heart. You may want to write a letter to your partner outlining all the things he makes you feel, why you fell in love in the first place and what you see in your future. Once you have the feelings on paper you will be surprised to find writing your own vows is surprisingly easy.

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Posted in Advice, Celebration, Ettiquette, First Steps, Wedding Traditions | No Comments »
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