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Wedding Ceremony Center
offers to the future brides and grooms resources necessary
in the preparation of their wedding ceremony as well as
information useful in acquiring understanding of various
options that could be adopted during the celebration of
their marriage. Indisputably wedding ceremony, despite its
relative brevity, is the highlight, the most memorable part
and effectively the climax of the entire wedding day.
The word "ceremony" in
association with the wedding event indicates that it is a
"ritual for formal occasion," a formal event to celebrate or
solemnize something of a great importance. It entails
a formal etiquette, namely, the types of behavior that are
expected to be adopted and observed. Symbolic
gestures, the meaning of spoken words, elegant attires,
floral decorations, beautiful music, unique scenery of the
wedding location, and most importantly the presence of
beloved members of the families and friends make the wedding
ceremony one of the most meaningful moments in the lives of
the bride and the groom. It is the time when a man and a
woman by their free choice and burning desire of love become
husband and wife for the rest of their lives. It is a public
declaration of their commitment to each other in the
presence of the weddings guests and before God.
Wedding ceremony offers to
the couple a unique opportunity to express themselves in
terms of their personal depth, values, beliefs, spiritual
dimension, their love for each other, and appreciation for
their families and friends. Consequently, a good and
meaningful wedding ceremony requires careful planning
and preparation. Various wedding texts included on the
pages of this website can be either directly used in a
particular ceremony or clarify ideas of the prospective
brides and grooms as to what readings, vows, prayers,
blessings, and poems they may want to incorporate during
their special day. This preparation needs to take place in
consultation with their wedding officiant who, being as it
is, forms an integral part of the ceremony. Many priests,
ministers, rabbis and other kinds of officiants are open and
willing to aptly adopt couple's preferences for the contents
of the ceremony and the way these contents are expressed. On the
other hand, it is important that the couple consider officiant's opinion regarding the dynamics of the ceremony
since he or she would usually have much of the first hand
experience knowing what works well and what may be not very
desirable for a particular ceremony.
Those who will benefit the
most from the material on this website are couples with a
Christian background whether Catholic, Orthodox or
Protestant as well as members of other religious groups that
use the Bible. Also those who officially don't adhere
to Christianity; Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims or even
atheists will find these wedding ceremony resources quite
handy especially if they happen to be marrying someone with
a Christian background. The resources offered by the
Wedding Ceremony Center will help these non-Christian future
brides and grooms to become familiar with various wedding texts and decide whether to use some
of them, modify or omit altogether.
Presently Wedding Ceremony
Center offers resources in four major areas of wedding
texts, namely, (1) Bible wedding readings (Old
Testament, Responsorial Psalms, New Testament readings
and wedding Gospels, (2) Wedding wows (Catholic wedding
vows, traditional wedding vows, spiritual wedding vows,
etc.), (3) Wedding prayers (traditional wedding prayers,
including Catholic wedding prayers as well as other
Christian wedding prayers, prayers for the bride and the
groom and prayers of the couple, wedding dinner prayers,
wedding blessings, etc.), (4) Wedding poems which might be a
nice, although not necessary, addition to the ceremony.
All of these texts have been prepared in English, Spanish
and Italian. These texts can be used during wedding
ceremonies celebrated in churches and wedding chapels but
also during marriages taking place outdoors whether in a
garden, on a beach, golf course or other appropriate wedding
locations. Yet, the wedding ceremony texts are not the
only advantage that the brides and grooms will reap from logging on
this site. Couples preparing for their wedding day are
also welcome and encouraged to email their questions or ask
for advice related to the wedding ceremony and their
particular personal circumstances.
by Mariano Tomaszewski
Copyright © 2006. All rights reserved.
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