Botanical Gardens Real Wedding, Alan and Susan

When Alan and Susan decided to tie the knot, they chose a magnificent location. The Botanical Garden in Largo. Their ceremony was held in the small garden area, and their floral, colorful outfits fit in just perfectly with the environment! Susan and Alan stayed calm and cool even tho the sun and weather was hot, hot, hot!!! They shared their beautiful vows and exchange of rings in front of their family and friends in a short, sweet, ceremony. Congratulations Alan and Susan!!!

Buddhist and Christian Interfaith Ceremony

Gillian and Tham shared a beautiful ceremony created to honor their own beliefs and traditions. The ceremony took place at the Vinoy in St. Petersburg in the courtyard. The ceremony began with the traditional ringing of the bells to center us, and begin the meditation. The couple honored their deceased relatives with the lighting of a candle and burning of incense, and shared a moment of silence to ask for their blessings upon their union.

The vows Gillian and Tham spoke were beautiful and heartfelt and there was not a dry eye in the area. The rose petals were strewn at their feet and their hands were blessed with the scented holy oils.

Congratulations and thank you for allowing me the honor of officiating your wedding!

Blending Beliefs - Your Interfaith Wedding Ceremony...

 

You met the man or woman of your dreams, you fell in love, and never once did it occur to you that your individual religious beliefs may be an issue with your wedding.  I imagine that you talked about so many other things during the courting, that the differences in your religious beliefs would need to be considered, that is, until you decided to get married.  Only then did you realize that you may have more decisions to make than other couples.  Do you have a religious ritual, and which one should you choose?  How do you blend the two?  Should you try to have two different ceremonies? Or, do you just go a different route and have a non-religious ceremony so that no one will feel slighted?

So many questions, but questions that I am honored to answer.  Interfaith weddings should not be a source of stress.  As an interfaith couple, working with me, you can create a ceremony that will honor both your beliefs as individuals and also you as a couple.

When we meet, I tell you about the various options available to you.  The first would be to consider if you would like a religious ceremony, and if so, which one will predominate. When Matthew and Lori got married, they did quite a bit of research about interfaith weddings and decided to go with a ceremony that honored both the Jewish and Catholic faiths.  Their ceremony involved a passing of the peace, and a unity candle and a reading from the New Testament about the definition of love, for the Catholic elements, and the breaking of the glass “Mazeltov” for the Jewish elements. Wording was used in the opening that indicated that even tho they were ware that there would are differences in their beliefs, the love for each other and wanting to share their lives together for ever were stronger than their differences.  They chose a neutral site at a beautiful hotel, had a chuppah created and utilized fabric from the groom’s family that represented his Celtic roots. 

Moira and Bill was a couple who wanted to incorporate her Greek Orthodox heritage into their ceremony.  The couple had a beautiful crowning ritual, and circling of the altar to represent Moira’s heritage and a bagpiper played music to honor Bill’s heritage. They were married in a non-denominational church in a religious ceremony.

Having two ceremonies is an option for couples as well.  Recently I officiated the American ceremony for Halina and Ali. After the traditional religious ceremony, the couple proceeded to go into the reception where the Imam conducted the Persian Ceremony. Halina and Ali had printed out programs for the Persian ceremony explaining all the elements of the rituals involved in that ceremony. 

I thoroughly enjoy working with all of our couples to create a beautiful, customized ceremony that honors all traditions and faiths.  I take a great deal of pride in my work, and I know that it sets me apart from many other officiants. Having studied at the All Faiths Seminary, upon graduation, I had a pretty thorough knowledge of all the world faiths and the meanings of the rituals 

Here is my advice for any interfaith couple.  Planning in advance is critical, make sure that you find an officiant that is willing to perform an interfaith wedding, and keep all the lines of communication open.  It is up to the both of you to really get the ceremony that both of you want.  Once you have both agreed, keep your vision in mind, even when faced with family pressure.  It is YOUR wedding, have it YOUR way. Call me at 727-532-616 to allow me to assist you.  Feel free to look at http://lovingunity.blogspot.com as well for further information.