Sacred Threshold: Rituals and Readings for a Wedding with Spirit [Paperback]

Gertrud Mueller Nelson (Author), Christopher Witt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 1998

A Wedding with Spirit has been written for the bride and groom who are searching for something more for their wedding. Not more as in bigger, grander, or more lavish, but more as in more meaningful, gracious, and sacred. Ritual and liturgy experts Nelson and Witt have helped hundreds of couples plan their ceremonies, and in these pages they have distilled their years of experience into some basic principles that will help every couple begin their lives together with more than just catering nightmares. A Wedding with Spirit's five chapters discuss the general principles for creating a wedding with spirit, with guidance on choosing the right place, people, symbols, prayers, format, readings, and music. Sections include:

A look at the meaning and history behind the familiar wedding traditions.A step-by-step walk through the ceremony itself--the gathering rite, readings, the wedding ritual, and the reception.Practical advice for the rehearsal, instructions for the readers, and models for the printed program.A collection of meditations--preparing for marriage, dealing with doubts, exploring dimensions of marriage in the Bible, and prayer--designed for the ceremony and for the bride and groom to use themselves as they prepare for their wedding. Three model weddings incorporating all the principles of A Wedding with Spirit.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Sacred Threshold has been written for the bride and groom who are searching for something more for their wedding. Not more as in bigger, grander, or more lavish, but more as in more meaningful, gracious, and sacred. Ritual and liturgy experts Nelson and Witt have helped hundreds of couples plan their ceremonies, and in these pages they have distilled their years of experience into some basic principles that will help every couple begin their lives together with more than just catering nightmares. Sacred Threshold's five chapters discuss the general principles for creating a wedding with spirit, with guidance on choosing the right place, people, symbols, prayers, format, readings, and music. Sections include:

A look at the meaning and history behind the familiar wedding traditions.A step-by-step walk through the ceremony itself--the gathering rite, readings, the wedding ritual, and the reception.Practical advice for the rehearsal, instructions for the readers, and models for the printed program.A collection of meditations--preparing for marriage, dealing with doubts, exploring dimensions of marriage in the Bible, and prayer--designed for the ceremony and for the bride and groom to use themselves as they prepare for their wedding. Three model weddings incorporating all the principles of Sacred Threshold.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Image; 1st edition (March 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385485395
• ISBN-13: 978-0385485395
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,006,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A completely different perspective on weddings!, June 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sacred Threshold: Rituals and Readings for a Wedding with Spirit (Paperback)

The authors bring the meaning back into the wedding planning process. After you read a few wedding books, you think that all weddings are A, B or C and "everyone" has X, Y, or Z. You and everyone else in the country are all doing the same thing because you're getting the same advice! And that advice has nothing to do with why you're getting married and who you are and everything to do with one day, which just has to be the biggest, the best, the most elegant, according to every bridal planner. Out of all the many wedding books out there, very few are actually useful and almost none deal with the reality of planning a wedding. This one is and does. I read it, my fiance read it, our mothers read it- our moms had to have their own copies because they kept referring to it! It goes way beyond the typical advice on sit-down versus buffet receptions and picking a photographer. The authors explain different ceremonies, vows and traditions. They discuss children at and in the wedding, how your reception should be viewed as what it truly is, a party for your guests, not an overblown affair to impress people, and they give examples of real weddings they've been to. Also, this book is for both the bride and groom and their families. It helped us pick our readings and vows, and gave us some great ideas. But most of, it was a book I could relate to. The authors make it clear that no matter how religious or non religious, how formal or informal, your wedding can be a reflection of your relationship and personalities without sacrificing tradition or having to adhere strictly to customs that are meaningless to you. They show how a wedding can be the wonderful celebration it should be. I highly recommend this book to all engaged couples, and I am giving it to all my engaged friends!

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book, but from a more traditional standpoint, September 16, 1999

By 

Toshi ([e-mail]) (San Francisco, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sacred Threshold: Rituals and Readings for a Wedding with Spirit (Paperback)

This is a book for "weddings with spirit", but more from a traditional Christian rather than Unitarian perspective. I think Into the Garden incorporates more from other faiths.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for people who want to escape the wedding "industry", June 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sacred Threshold: Rituals and Readings for a Wedding with Spirit (Paperback)

The entire book is wonderful for planning your own creative and spritual wedding. Book details the reasons behind a lot of wedding "traditions" and explains ways to make the wedding YOURS. Great read for brides and grooms alike!