Comments on: How do you have a wedding ceremony without a Bible? http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:16:56 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Rebecca http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-51629 Rebecca Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:53:20 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-51629 I'd love to share my secular wedding. Today is my 1 year anniversary. Happy Fall Equinox! <a href="http://www.mywedding.com/TomAndRebecca" target="_blank">www.mywedding.com/TomAndRebecca</a> We posted our entire ceremony script that we wrote ourselves using little bits we found around and a whole lot from our hearts. I'd love to share my secular wedding. Today is my 1 year anniversary. Happy Fall Equinox!

http://www.mywedding.com/TomAndRebecca

We posted our entire ceremony script that we wrote ourselves using little bits we found around and a whole lot from our hearts.

]]> By: Bonnie http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-51292 Bonnie Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:02:08 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-51292 Just to follow up on my previous question - I've just read a news article saying that in Australia last year, 65% of wedding ceremonies were performed by civil celebrants (i.e. they weren't religious ceremonies). That's actually a fair bit lower than I would have estimated, but I guess you can put that down to me not hanging out with many religious folk. Just to follow up on my previous question – I've just read a news article saying that in Australia last year, 65% of wedding ceremonies were performed by civil celebrants (i.e. they weren't religious ceremonies). That's actually a fair bit lower than I would have estimated, but I guess you can put that down to me not hanging out with many religious folk.

]]> By: Erin http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-51037 Erin Mon, 31 Aug 2009 03:17:14 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-51037 We found this book really helpful, too. It has an outline of the typical protestant ceremony, with explanations of what each section is. We took that outline and built our own secular ceremony around it. We found this book really helpful, too. It has an outline of the typical protestant ceremony, with explanations of what each section is. We took that outline and built our own secular ceremony around it.

]]> By: LowKeyBride http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-51035 LowKeyBride Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:15:01 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-51035 Lots of good things to think about here. Neither FI nor I are religious but our families are. Lots of good things to think about here. Neither FI nor I are religious but our families are.

]]> By: Nelle http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-51020 Nelle Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:59:19 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-51020 My family is also super religious, and my mother was very upset about my brother getting married on the beach in Mexico by an internet ordained friend. Luckily, in the end they were able to appease her by asking her to do a reading for the wedding that meant something to her. Of course, she read something from the Bible, but it was sweet and she was happy and therefore...so was everyone else. My family is also super religious, and my mother was very upset about my brother getting married on the beach in Mexico by an internet ordained friend. Luckily, in the end they were able to appease her by asking her to do a reading for the wedding that meant something to her. Of course, she read something from the Bible, but it was sweet and she was happy and therefore…so was everyone else.

]]> By: lzrdgrl http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-50940 lzrdgrl Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:09:39 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-50940 Great ideas - thank you Kate!! Great ideas – thank you Kate!!

]]> By: Kate http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-50871 Kate Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:51:24 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-50871 I had great luck googling "unitarian wedding ceremonies" and "secular wedding ceremonies" as others above have states. We also wanted a traditional format so I looked at several Christian formats but worked with the secular example to find appropriate replacements. (Ex. Instead of a priest leading a prayer, the officiant is offering a moment in silence for contemplation.) Our friend is officiating and just had to apply for a one-day license from the state governor's office (Massachusetts allows this, not all states do). He's crafting the welcome/intro around the Mass Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage. In the early stages, I collected any and all passages and readings that spoke to me and then created a broad outline of the main components of the ceremony where I cut and paste them in, made edits, rewrote things, etc. It took some time to do the initial research, but actually putting it all together happened pretty quickly as by that time we had a good sense of what we really wanted to convey. I had great luck googling "unitarian wedding ceremonies" and "secular wedding ceremonies" as others above have states. We also wanted a traditional format so I looked at several Christian formats but worked with the secular example to find appropriate replacements. (Ex. Instead of a priest leading a prayer, the officiant is offering a moment in silence for contemplation.)

Our friend is officiating and just had to apply for a one-day license from the state governor's office (Massachusetts allows this, not all states do). He's crafting the welcome/intro around the Mass Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage.

In the early stages, I collected any and all passages and readings that spoke to me and then created a broad outline of the main components of the ceremony where I cut and paste them in, made edits, rewrote things, etc. It took some time to do the initial research, but actually putting it all together happened pretty quickly as by that time we had a good sense of what we really wanted to convey.

]]> By: lzrdgrl http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-50869 lzrdgrl Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:07:10 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-50869 Ineed some advice. My fiance and my families are SUPER religious - his is devout Catholic and my family is so religious that there are four generations of ministers in front of me. That being said, neither of us are religious and feel like we would be hypocrites to stand up there and go along with someone else's beliefs. I actually am ordained online so i could officiate my best friend's wedding. When i had done this, my Episcopalian minister father almost literally had kittens about my decision and he is still quite miffed. So... how does one have a non-religious wedding to appease the religious in the family? My family would not be ok with us asking a friend to get ordained as they wouldn't see it as us taking it seriously. We are trying to work in customs from both sides of our heritage (inlcuding an Irish blessing) to make them happy but who do i ask to preside over the ceremony? Do i hire a lawyer or something? Any ideas would be fabulous!! Thank you!! Ineed some advice. My fiance and my families are SUPER religious – his is devout Catholic and my family is so religious that there are four generations of ministers in front of me. That being said, neither of us are religious and feel like we would be hypocrites to stand up there and go along with someone else's beliefs.
I actually am ordained online so i could officiate my best friend's wedding. When i had done this, my Episcopalian minister father almost literally had kittens about my decision and he is still quite miffed.
So… how does one have a non-religious wedding to appease the religious in the family? My family would not be ok with us asking a friend to get ordained as they wouldn't see it as us taking it seriously.
We are trying to work in customs from both sides of our heritage (inlcuding an Irish blessing) to make them happy but who do i ask to preside over the ceremony? Do i hire a lawyer or something?
Any ideas would be fabulous!! Thank you!!

]]> By: Nicole http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-50865 Nicole Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:17:11 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-50865 Thank you SOOO much for this post! I am a non-practicing Catholic and my Fiance is Athiest. Interesting yes indeed!! I have been wondering how we were going to do this. I am having one of our closest friends to marry us as she knows us and our views. I will share more after halloween (our wedding date) on how it goes! Thank you SOOO much for this post! I am a non-practicing Catholic and my Fiance is Athiest. Interesting yes indeed!! I have been wondering how we were going to do this. I am having one of our closest friends to marry us as she knows us and our views. I will share more after halloween (our wedding date) on how it goes!

]]> By: KnotsLandingOIB http://offbeatbride.com/2009/08/secular-wedding-ceremonies/comment-page-1#comment-50862 KnotsLandingOIB Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:01:14 +0000 http://offbeatbride.com/?p=2836#comment-50862 We asked our town's mayor to conduct our ceremony. We gave him a few things to say about us and then my wife and I recited our vows. The wedding was short and simple and our guests got to enjoy and extended party. We asked our town's mayor to conduct our ceremony. We gave him a few things to say about us and then my wife and I recited our vows. The wedding was short and simple and our guests got to enjoy and extended party.

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