Today I would like to talk about
conducting family focused marriage ceremonies.
“Marriage is far
more than an exchange of vows it is the foundation of
the family, mankind’s basic unit of society, the hope of
the world and the strength of our country, it is the
relationship between ourselves and the generations to
follow”.
As a civil marriage celebrant
performing rites of passage of ceremonies from birth to
death incorporating naming ceremonies, marriage
ceremonies and funerals I see my profession as evolving
to a point where it has become almost essential for all
celebrant to have a selection of alternatives four
couples who feel it is important to honour others in
their family.
As the nuclear family is the foundation of our
society and the community’s ongoing stability and
development, couples should be encouraged to recognise
the importance of their marriage in the context of the
wider community.
The two areas which affect couples directly are
where there is a death in the family or of a close
friend and the need to include the couple’s children
within the actual ceremony.
Let us look at some ways of
honouring someone who has passed away.
During a ceremony I performed candles were light
on behalf of the mothers and the ceremony paused in
silence.
An adaption at another wedding I
did the bride and groom placed a flower, such as a white
rose or carnation, at the base of each picture at the
start of the ceremony
Another wedding where the
grandfather had unexpectedly passed away the week
before, and was dearly loved, the groom placed a photo
of his grandpa in an appropriate high visible place at
the start of the ceremony and silence was experienced
whilst this was done.
There was no need to mention the great sadness
which was apparent.
The placement of the photo said it all, and
lastly
At another wedding where Peter and
Mary, after walking down the aisle at the ceremony’s
beginning placed a rose on vacant chair and then walked
to their place for the start of the ceremony.
I explained to the guests prior to the brides’
arrival the significance of this gesture so that all
present understood the importance of the empty chair.
These examples show that I, as the
facilitator of the ceremony’s wanted to incorporate this
additional element into the marriage ceremony to ensure
both continuity and the family focused were maintained
within the context of the ceremony.
This
Newsletter's ZIP or ZAP
Give your partner
a framed copy of his/your family tree.
Regards
Annie
