INTRODUCTION

The opening of the heart to love is an experience we all long for.  When you experience the joy of giving and receiving unconditional love and acceptance with that one special person, your thoughts turn to commitment and marriage.  . As you begin to plan the wedding you also begin to search for the words to honor and express the feelings you have for your relationship.  For some the words flow easily, for many there seem to be no words to express their joy.  The information in this book assists couples in expressing, in a variety of ways, their feelings of love and commitment and provides methods of accessing the deeper emotions they wish to express.

When my husband and I began to create our wedding ceremony thirty five years ago, we knew we did not want a traditional wedding but we were not sure what form our ceremony would take. Together, we worked on creating a ceremony that would reflect our authentic selves, our life philosophy and, most importantly, our love for one another. Those weeks of sharing and exploring our hearts together were one of the most meaningful times in our relationship. The deep conversation and phrasing of our vows deepened our relationship and our appreciation for one another.

Working with couples and assisting in the creation of wedding ceremonies for twenty years, I have seen many couple who wish to have a unique ceremony that truly expresses their love, beliefs and the vision they hold for their life together. Couples often want to create personal vows in a light hearted, poetic or deeply personal way.  There are those who easily express their feelings and those who struggle to express their heartfelt emotions.  I have included within this book information, techniques and tips to assist you in creating your personal wedding vows and wedding scripts to inspire your ceremony. Each wedding script serves as a template you can work with to create something that is uniquely yours. You may want to use parts from several scripts.  Read the ceremonies with your fiancé; feel which parts resonate with you and create the wedding that genuinely expresses your bond of love. The “Intention” section of each ceremony can serve as an inspiration for your own personal vows.

Included in the wedding ceremony section is information on the Celtic ritual of Handfasting.  This ancient rite is enjoying a new popularity in the modern weddings of today.  Handfasting is a ritual that can be incorporated within a wedding or used alone. This ancient ceremony is where the term “tying the knot” originated.

A variety of unity rituals are described following the wedding scripts.  From the lighting of a candle together to the gifting of gemstones to the combining of wines, there are rituals which symbolize your union and can include family members and friends.

The wedding ceremonies, vows, blessings and unity rituals within this book serve as guides.  You may choose to add favorite quotes, personal expressions of love and your life philosophy.  Keep in mind, this is your ceremony and the words you speak reflect who you are, your relationship and your intentions for the future.

You will also find information on the wisdom of having an astrological wedding chart created. The wedding chart combines the birth chart of the bride and groom bringing a greater understanding of the cosmology of your relationship and the energies you both bring into the marriage.  The gemstones, colors, flowers and metals that are assigned to each astrological sign are included. This information is a fun and symbolic way to join the energy of the bride and groom together throughout the wedding ceremony and reception.

Today many men and women are entering same sex marriages. At this time, not all states recognize these marriages as legal; however, the ceremony and the loving commitment expressed create a marriage.  With this truth in mind, the ceremonies within this book can easily be modified and used as commitment ceremonies.

Information and practices to assist the bride and groom in the relief of stress and anxiety as they plan their wedding are offered as well as tools for exploring  pathways to self-awareness and heart centered living.  In marriage, the more self-aware you become, the more love and acceptance you can share with your partner.  An emotional response scale provides examples of how to move from anxiety, fear, and frustration into more soothed emotional states.  This is a tool that will be beneficial throughout your life.  Opening to self-knowledge and inner balance allows a more deeply conscious union and the experience of great happiness and soul connection within a lasting marriage. Because this awareness is so important in maintaining, nurturing and expanding your love and connection in relationship, it is vital information for those contemplating marriage.

This book is written with the sincere wish that it be of assistance through the planning of a joyful ceremony, a heart centered wedding and a marriage of loving co-creation, mutual respect and great love.

PRESENTING THE SPIRIT OF LOVE CEREMONY

This wedding ceremony speaks of the awareness that Bride and Groom are joining their physical lives and also joining together as two spiritual beings.  The eternal nature of love and the beauty and joy in the inherent knowledge that we are all one is celebrated in this wedding ceremony.

SPIRIT OF LOVE CEREMONY

CONVOCATON:

Friends and Family we are here today to celebrate love.  Bride and Groom are the reminders to all of us today that love is alive in the world.

INVOCATION:

The spirit of love is here within each of our hearts.  Let us invoke the wisdom inherent in the realization of love.  A sense of joy and wonderment accompanies this realization and also a sense of relief as the awareness that we are all one in love awakens in our hearts. Today is a day of celebrating love!

May the golden threads of love running from heart to heart throughout the world, be strengthened on this day as we celebrate the love of Bride and Groom.

CONSECRATION:

Let us be still for a moment and open ourselves to the highest spirit of love, the divine energy of the universe. We place our trust in the guidance, goodness, healing and unconditional love available to each of us.  Opening ourselves to this divine energy, we step into a higher octave of love.  This higher octave allows us to love and accept ourselves and others unconditionally.  We willing allow our hearts to be

broken open that we may share in deeper and more gratifying ways the love that is our true state of being.  As bride and groom stand within this sacred circle of love, we ask that the divine energy of universal love inform their lives together, filling them with blessings.

And so it is.

Intention

The Vows:  I, Bride, take you, Groom as my husband, seeing you as both man and as the radiant eternal spirit that dwells within you.  I promise to love and honor you as my husband and always recognize and honor your eternal spirit.