A Wedding with Spirit A Guide to Making Your Wedding (and Marriage) More Meaningful

by Nelson, Gertrud Mueller; Witt, Christopher

• ISBN13: 9780385517898
• ISBN10: 0385517890
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-17
• Publisher: Harmony

Summary

A WEDDING WITH SPIRIThas been written for the bride and groom who are searching for somethingmorefor their weddingnotmoreas in bigger, grander, or more lavish, butmoreas in more meaningful, gracious, and sacred. Ritual and liturgy experts Gertrud Mueller Nelson and Christopher Witt have helped hundreds of couples plan their ceremonies and in these pages they have distilled their years of experience into some basic principles. Instead of trying to orchestrate "the happiest day of your life" and suffering through catering nightmares, Nelson and Witt help the couple see the wedding as a moment in the larger context of their love. To create such a wedding,A WEDDING WITH SPIRIToffers advice in general principles such as location, participants, symbols, prayers, format, readings, blessings, and music. Sections include: * A look at the history and meaning behind familiar wedding traditions * A walk through the ceremony (including the rites of gathering, the readings, and the exchanging of vows and rings) and the reception * Practical advice for the invitations, the rehearsal, and the programs * Pre-marriage guidance (including pertinent meditations and prayers) to enable the bride and groom to begin their union with a firm footing *Three model weddings incorporating all the principles ofA WEDDING WITH SPIRIT A WEDDING WITH SPIRITensures that one's wedding day will be about the sacredness of a committed love between two people, about love's ability to create and nurture life, and about the faithfulness and hope that such a love gives witness to.

Author Biography

Gertrud Mueller Nelson is known internationally as an illustrator, author, and speaker. Her books include A Wedding with Spirit, To Dance with God, and Here All Dwell Free. She lives in San Diego.

Christopher Witt is a speech consultant and coach with almost three decades of professional speaking experience. As president of San Diego–based Witt Communications, he has shown CEOs how to gain board approval and companywide support for their initiatives, helped teams of technical experts win multimillion-dollar contracts, and empowered newly promoted managers. He holds a doctorate from Catholic University of America.

Table of Contents

Marriage Is a Threshold
For Now and Always	3	(8)
Crossing the Threshold	11	(15)
Sacred Space	26	(10)
The People	36	(20)
Sacred Symbols	56	(28)
Music	84	(13)
The Ceremony and Reception
The Rites of Gathering	97	(17)
The Readings---an Overview	114	(11)
Readings from Scripture	125	(29)
Readings from Literature	154	(15)
Giving Consent and Exchanging Vows	169	(8)
With This Ring	177	(6)
Prayers, Blessings, and Dismissal	183	(9)
The Celebration Continues---the Reception	192	(31)
Matters of Hospitality
Invitations	223	(6)
The Rehearsal	229	(4)
Notes to a Reader	233	(7)
The Printed Program	240	(13)
Making a Marriage
Marriage Preparation	253	(14)
Those Doubts and Jitters	267	(7)
Marriage in the Bible	274	(9)
Praying Together	283	(10)
Making the Day: Examples
Pam and Javier's Wedding	293	(7)
Jill and Ed's Wedding	300	(7)
Peg and Larry's Wedding	307	(6)
A Blessing	313	(2)
Index	315