We typically involve your guests by welcoming them and acknowledging their encouragement towards you. Readers, musicians and soloists, sponsors, and others can also be included in your ceremony. Options for doing this will be offered upon request.
This page addresses family matters – it is intended for couples who want to include children in their vows, and for brides and grooms who want to honor their parents as part of the wedding ceremony.
Your wedding preparation began long ago. Fathers and mothers raise daughters with tenderness – preparing them to be married into the hands of a worthy man. Mothers and fathers raise sons with integrity – preparing them to hold the respect of a discerning woman in marriage. And each of you have been refining your ideals throughout life. It is these preparations that brought you to this moment – a ceremony that consists of your mutual consent, sincerely and freely given.
Likewise, if you are bringing children into this marriage, they are accepting this family as their own. Together you are pledging one another the relationship you’ve always desired. You are each entrusting yourselves to one another and, all together, are promising a lifetime of love and care.
We have a variety of options for honoring parents and/or including children in your ceremony. These are sketched out in our exclusive wedding planning materials. However, because family circumstances vary considerably, we offer free consultation in order to achieve the best fit. We’re confident that we’ll be able to create a ceremony that will be treasured.
Similarly, because children vary in age and circumstance, we offer free consultation that can make your desires and their participation wonderfully memorable. Particularly regarding children, your wedding ceremony will influence your home and be an example for their future.
Joyful discovery led you to this moment. Discovery will continue for as long as you live. However, and more powerfully: “It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, marriage that sustains your love.” (quote from Dietrich Bongoeffer)
