Non-Traditional/Non-"Sappy" Readings and Ceremony

Tons of help. Thanks.

Thanks for the posts! I appreciate it.

Here is a nice blessing:

Native American reading:

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.

Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling to enter the days of your life together.

And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficult and fear assail your relationship - as they threaten all relationships at one time or another - remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives - remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

This one I love. We are not going to read but we put it on the second page of our programs :

To Keep Your Marriage Brimming

Ogden Nash (1902-1971)

To keep your marriage brimming,

With love in the loving cup,

Whenever you're wrong admit it;

Whenever you're right shut up.

We liked this one but decided agianst it because of the rope. However, it is still very uncommon and it was full of meaning for us :

Our union, by Hafiz

Our union is like this:

You feel cold so I reach for a blanket to cover

our shivering feet.

A hunger comes into your body

so I run to my garden and start digging potatoes.

You asked for a few words of comfort and guidance and

I quickly kneel by your side offering you

a whole book as a

gift.

You ache with loneliness one night so much

you weep, and I say

here is a rope, tie it around me,

Hafiz will be your

companion

for life.

And yet another one form Ogden Nash :

TIN WEDDING WHISTLE

Though you know it anyhow

Listen to me, darling, now,

Proving what I need not prove

How I know I love you, love.

Near and far, near and far,

I am happy where you are;

Likewise I have never larnt

How to be it where you aren't.

Far and wide, far and wide,

I can walk with you beside;

Furthermore, I tell you what,

I sit and sulk where you are not.

Visitors remark my frown

Where you're upstairs and I am down,

Yes, and I'm afraid I pout

When I'm indoors and you are out;

But how contentedly I view

Any room containing you.

In fact I care not where you be,

Just as long as it's with me.

In all your absences I glimpse

Fire and flood and trolls and imps.

Is your train a minute slothful?

I goad the stationmaster wrothful.

When with friends to bridge you drive

I never know if you're alive,

And when you linger late in shops

I long to telephone the cops.

Yet how worth the waiting for,

To see you coming through the door.

Somehow, I can be complacent

Never but with you adjacent.

Near and far, near and far,

I am happy where you are;

Likewise I have never larnt

How to be it where you aren't.

Then grudge me not my fond endeavor,

To hold you in my sight forever;

Let none, not even you, disparage

Such valid reason for a marriage.

(Ogden Nash)

We finally decided! FI's mom will be reading this:

 

Union by Robert Fulghum

 

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks...

 

 

Love it! Not sappy and lovey-dovey, yet still made me a little teary and gave me goosebumps!

Thank you so much for all of the great ideas!

We just got married at Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa on May 1, 2009. Here are the words to our entire ceremony:

PROCESSIONAL

Groom will walk in to no music escorted by his parents.

Flower girls escorted by ring bearers will walk in to music provided by the resort.

Bride will walk in to music provided by resort escorted by her mother Sukenik)

OPENING WORDS OF THE OFFICIANT

OFFICIANT: "On behalf of Katie and Max, it is my honor to welcome you and thank you all for gathering here on this beautiful day to witness their wedding ceremony. The fact that you all have traveled such a great distance to be here today is a testament to the amazing amount of love and support they have. They would like to sincerely thank you all for sharing in this celebration of their commitment to each other. A special and respectful acknowledgement must also be made to those friends and family members who were unable to attend, or have passed on, but whose spirits remain alive and strong in all our hearts."

“I have also been asked by Katie and Max to thank their parents for the wonderful lives they have given them, for the hard work and guidance they have provided, for their everlasting love, support, and encouragement. They would not be who they are today without your involvement in their lives.â€

“Katie, Max…Today you are surrounded by your family and friends, all of whom gather here to witness this love and to share in the joy of this occasion which will be one of the most memorable and happiest days of your life. You each bring to this marriage your own personality and spirit to form a union created by friendship, respect and love.â€

READING

OFFICIANT: “At this time will Sean please come forward.â€

SEAN:

“May you be blessed with all things good.

May your joys, like the stars at night,

Be too numerous to count.

May lack and struggle only serve to make you stronger and may beauty, order and abundance be your constant companions.

May every pathway you choose lead to that which is pure and good and lovely.

May every doubt and fear be replaced by a deep abiding trust as you behold evidence of a higher power all around you.

May you always be aware you are loved beyond measure and may you be willing to love unconditionally in return.

May you remember that love flows best when it flows freely.

May you always have music and laughter and may a rainbow follow every storm.

May gladness wash away every disappointment, may joy dissolve every sorrow and may love ease every pain.

May every wound bring wisdom and every trial bring triumph and with each passing day may you live more abundantly than the day before.â€

VOWS

OFFICIANT: "Today you join yourselves together for life, as friends and lovers, Husband and Wife. The vows you are about to exchange represent your pledge to each other. For it is not the words that bind you together as one, but it is the love and commitment each of you feel deep within your soul."

"Max, Repeat after me."

"I, Max, take you, Katie, to be my partner in life. / I promise to walk by your side forever / and to love, help and encourage you in all you do. / I will take time to talk with you, / to listen to you, / and to care for you. / I will share your laughter and your tears / as your partner, lover and best friend. / Everything I am and everything I have is yours / now and forevermore."

"Katie, Repeat after me."

"I, Katie, give myself to you, Max, / on this our wedding day. / I will cherish our friendship / and love you today, tomorrow and forever. / I will trust you and honor you. / I will love you faithfully / through the best and the worst, / through the difficult and the easy. / What may come, I will be there always. / As I have given you my hand to hold, / so I give you my life to keep."

OFFICIANT: “Marriage is the bringing together of two circles of love to present a new circle of love. The bride's family and friends have supported her during her life, as the groom's family and friends have supported him through his life. Your love and support does not stop now that they will be married. Now that you have heard Katie and Max recite their vows, will all of you, their family and friends, promise, from this day forward to encourage them and love them, and to help guide and support them in being steadfast in the promises they have made?â€

“Please answer, â€We do.â€

RING CEREMONY

OFFICIANT: “The vows which have been exchanged are but words that are fleeting and the sound of them is soon gone.â€

“The wedding rings become an enduring symbol of the promises which have been madeâ€

“Katie and Max please join hands.â€

“These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and as in today, tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children, the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch."

"Max Repeat after me...Katie, as I place this ring on your finger, / may it always remind you of my never-ending love, / and may it always remind me / of the precious treasure I have in you. / Wear this ring with joy, / for your love has made me complete."

"Katie Repeat after me...Max, as I place this ring on your finger, / may it always remind you of my never-ending love, / and may it always remind me / of the precious treasure I have in you. / Wear this ring with joy, / for your love has made me complete."

PRONOUNCEMENT OF MARRIAGE

OFFICIANT: "With confidence and deep affection, we send you forth on life's journey together. May love and peace be with you always. May you have courage and wisdom in your future years together, and may the happiness you share today be with you always. With friends and family, along with the sun, the moon, and the sea, I have the pleasure of announcing you as husband and wife."

"Max, You may kiss your Bride."

"It is my pleasure to be the first to introduce to everyone, Mr. & Mrs."

Katie, I love your vows. I think I just might have to steal them!!!