Your Interfaith Wedding : A Guide to Blending Faiths, Cultures, and Personal Values into One Beautiful Wedding Ceremony

by Brockway, Laurie Sue

• ISBN13: 9780313378010
• ISBN10: 0313378010
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-09-02
• Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group

Summary

"Alternative" wedding ceremonies are quickly becoming the norm in the United States as ethnic cultures merge and people willingly embrace love where they find it. Couples planning an interfaith, interethnic, or interracial marriage often encounter difficulty identifying the right rituals and language for their ceremony or struggle to appease their parents or relatives. This book will help couples learn more about each other's faiths and family mindset, freeing them to create a wedding that truly blesses their married life.Reverend Brockway explains her motivation to write this text: "This book was a very personal mission for me. As an interfaith minister, I deal with so many diverse couples, from so many different backgrounds, but the common denominator with all couples boils down to love. So the book focuses on celebrating the love between the couple as the most important part of the ceremony, and weaves in honoring family, cultures, and traditions in a way that is personally meaningful to the couple."

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction: The Prevalence of Mixed Marriages	p. xv
Quiz: Are You Ready for an Interfaith Marriage?	p. xix
Clearing the Path to the Altar
You Can Express Your Love in a Sacred Ceremony That Includes Everyone	p. 3
Facing Your Fears: Talking It Through Together	p. 11
Winning Over Mom and Dad: Family Issues	p. 19
How to Put Together Your Ceremony
Deciding on the Kind of Ceremony You Want	p. 31
Finding the Right Officiant	p. 37
What Are the Elements of the Wedding Ceremony?	p. 41
Choosing Meaningful Wedding Vows	p. 47
Wedding Blessings, Prayers, and Readings	p. 59
Selecting Rituals and Customs	p. 73
How to Include Family, Friends, and Children in Your Ceremony	p. 87
Celebrating Your Love Story	p. 101
Seal Your Relationship in a Love Contract	p. 119
Resources I: A Multifaith View of Weddings
The Jewish Wedding	p. 129
The Muslim Wedding	p. 131
The Hindu Wedding	p. 133
The Buddhist Wedding	p. 135
The Catholic Wedding	p. 137
The Christian Wedding	p. 139
The Greek Orthodox Wedding	p. 141
The Sikh Wedding	p. 143
The Wiccan Wedding	p. 145
The Unitarian Universalist Wedding	p. 147
Resources II: Ceremonies to Inspire You
More Christian than Jewish: Courtney and Ray	p. 151
More Jewish than Christian: Jodi and Dennis	p. 159
Mystical Catholic, Multicultural, Costa Rican: Annie and Arturo	p. 167
Catholic, Mormon: Suzanne and Jake	p. 177
Buddhist, Sri Lankan, Christian: Rachel and Sanith	p. 185
Celtic/Scottish: Elle and Eddie	p. 193
Nondenominational Filipino: Robert and Michelle	p. 201
Hindu, Jewish: Shari and Sanjai	p. 207
Nondenominational Chinese: Betty and David	p. 215
Japanese, Christian: Kiko and Yoshi	p. 221
Pagan, Nondenominational: Amy and Joe	p. 227
Nondenominational Vow Renewal: Zak and Terry	p. 237
Highly Personalized: Claudine and Michael	p. 243
Parting Words	p. 255
Notes	p. 261
Bibliography	p. 273
Index	p. 277
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