“What kind, or style, of wedding ceremony do we want?”
That’s probably been a question you’ve considered. Resources abound promising to assist you to have the “wedding of your dreams.” From newspaper ads to Wedding Fairs to websites, a barrage of information assails you. There is, as you have probably already discovered, a huge industry built up around weddings. And the amount of material related to preparing your wedding ceremony can create a dizzying deluge of dumbfounding distraction.
In addition, those websites can give the impression that a couple needs to have all the elements they advertise to make their wedding be "up to par." They are in business to provide their advertisers with a market. And while Uniquely Yours recognizes that's what they must do. Yes, couple may find inspirational texts provided on these sites. And the resources offered by UY may complement those. But UY in no way identifies with this commercial approach to marriage and wedding celebration.
So, hopefully, to alleviate some of the dumbfounding effect that couples may experience while reviewing those websites for ceremony ideas, the resources Uniquely Yours provides only a small selection of the many possibilities--intended to complement rather than compete with all those sources you may already have researched. When we meet I offer couples a Uniquely Yours Resources with a listing of ceremony suggestions many couples have found useful. However, that material and what's presented here is meant to serve only as a springboard to choosing the content you want for your own personal and individualized wedding ceremony. After all, a couple already knows within themselves what is most important to them and what they want their wedding ceremony to say. Because there are a myriad of websites offering ideas for your wedding service, there's always that temptation to just go "surfing the net" in search of ideas. Without reflecting on their individual preferences beforehand, that surfing can lead a couple to a sense of overwhelming frustration.
Your Ceremony is Uniquely Yours ~ The Reflection Process Leading to Discovering a Theme
Because each wedding is unique, just as each of the two individuals planning to marry are unique, couples want to make their wedding a personal expression of who they are. Because their marriage is a life-long commitment, how a couple takes part in planning their wedding presents a special opportunity to plan what they want their wedding to say to their family and guests.
A. “What do we want to convey to those who gather to celebrate our commitment in love?”
Beginning with that question, many couples have found this process useful:
B. “What readings say best what we are about?”
Another method is to seek texts for the reading(s) you want to use in your ceremony. Once you have the message contained in the readings, you may want the remainder of your ceremony to relate to that reading.
Many find it useful to begin with the scripture readings used in weddings:
READINGS FROM THE HEBREW AND CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES
http://catholicweddinghelp.com/wedding-planning/06-choose-readings.htm
READINGS FROM THE HOLY QUR'AN can be found at
http://www.ezsoftech.com/omm/marriage.asp
Begin by using Step 1 above. Then, read slowly through the texts.
And sometimes seeking a more contemporary and inclusive translation can give the Bible passage a freshness.
If you chose to celebrate your marriage in a context of faith--as a covenant relationship rather than just a legal arrangement—God's Word may speak to you about what you want included in your ceremony. These scriptures have a lot to say about love. After all, “God is Love” (I John 4, 16). It may surprise you that these texts relate an important point: your love for one another is the model chosen to convey the nature of God's love for us--deep and passionate. God inspired the authors of much of the scriptures to use their imaginations to find the image of lover and beloved to describe how God sees this relationship.
One of the best known of this kind of text is the love poem called Song of Songs. The text suggested for weddings is Song of Songs 2, 8-16a, however, the whole poem is full of appropriately colorful and intimate proclamations of love.
Alternative Texts
You may also want to consider other non-scriptural texts. You'll find a large selection of these at various on-line sties like http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-ceremony.aspx?MsdVisit=1
A particular text may suggest to you a theme that strikes you as personally applicable. Or again, these texts may remind you of some other passages; use your browser to surf the internet to find it. There is no limit to what you can do. And if the text doesn't say exactly what you want, edit it [with proper credit to the author, of course]. I like to think that most authors smile when lovers find their words and say “this is it!”
ENJOY!