Customer Reviews

A Wedding Ceremony To Remember: Perfect Words for the Perfect Wedding

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a gem! I bought this book for my daughter who simply wanted a Justice of the Peace to perform a civil ceremony. That also was my choice 25 years ago and it was the most generic, impersonal blah ceremony I had ever heard. I was heartbroken and didn't want my daughter to make the same mistake. The civil ceremony in this book is eloquent, warm and personable, especially the wedding vows. With this, my daughter still can get her non-religious civil ceremony performed by the J.P., but this way she gets to pick out the words and tell him what to say! Maybe my husband and I will even use the vow renewal ceremony for our 25th anniversary this year. What a great book!

I just purchased this book and I was very surprised at everything it had!!! This is definitely a must have for every engaged couple, and something that should be available at stores with wedding registry¹s. I bought the book because I was looking for specific information on Hispanic wedding traditions and how to incorporate them into a non-hispanic wedding. I never expected step by step directions with full detailed verbiage! Plus, I only found out this weekend that my fiancée wants to write our own vows ­ or take a spin off of traditional ones. Initially I was a bit nervous about writing our own vows, but again, thanks to your book, we will be able to say exactly what we want using the samples you provided as templates. I was also very happy to see the order of events listed for almost everything that occurs in a wedding! I had no clue how I was going to set up the wedding programs before I received this book. Now, I have everything I need to get my programs printed and to give to the pastor performing the ceremony to have the wedding of my dreams! I never dreamed this book would be so detailed and so versatile. I just want to say this excellent book for every type of wedding!!! This is going to be a definite 'engagement gift' I will purchase for all future bridal couples I know!!! I can not express how happy I am that I purchased this book.

In writing my own wedding ceremony, I've borrowed countless books from the library and have done extensive internet research. Whereas many of the available resources focus solely on words used for the vows, readings, and ring exchange, this workbook covers the entire ceremony from start to finish, including the sometimes overlooked parts of the ceremony such as welcome and introduction, declaration of intent/consent, the meaning of the rings, and wedding blessings. The author provides entire ceremony scripts for seven different types of situations: both traditional and contemporary religious ceremonies, a civil ceremony, a "short and sweet" service, and finally, ceremonies for both second marriages and marriages with children involved. If you would prefer to create your own ceremony by mixing and matching, there are chapters on readings, wedding vows, ring exchange vows, and prayers and blessings; another chapter offers descriptions of several wedding traditions as well as other special touches to make your wedding unique.

One note of caution about this book: the author states that he has written this book using "the best of the best" words for weddings, but this means that the selection of choices is somewhat limited. Unlike some other ceremony planning books (such as The Knot Guide to Vows), you will not find page after page of suggestions for readings, vows, etc. In addition, the book does not address the topic of music, and it fails to include explanations of cultural traditions such as breaking the glass and jumping the broom. Despite these cautions, however, this is a useful book, particularly for those just beginning to determine the format for their wedding.

From one stressed out bride to another, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. I spent a lot of time searching various resources for the prefect ceremony before I was given this book. The format and abundance of choices makes this book useful to a wide variety of engaged couples. There are several ceremonies outlined in the book. If one section doesn't suit you, there are pages of choices to pick from. You can mix and match the different sections until you have a ceremony perfect for you, or go with one of the full ceremonies detailed in the book. There are even option for second weddings, bilingual and civil ceremonies. I was able to set up a traditional, elegant ceremony, word for word in less than 30 minutes. I heartily recommend this book to any would be newlyweds.

I had hoped for a book that offered a variety of different, even non-traditional approaches to the wedding ceremony- a compendium, if you will, of writings, both current and historical, that would give the reader a chance to make interesting and unique selections for their personal ceremony. What this book contains, however, is the rather standard boiler plate approach to a wedding without a lick of anything new, creative, or remotely interesting. While there is a claim to variety- services for those previously married, services for those of varying religious affiliations- the approach to each is predictable and repetitive. For those who are looking to replicate their grandmother's wedding, this book will likely satisfy wholly; for those who want a reference tool containing great writings from varied sources to assist them in customizing a service that will speak their hearts- look elsewhere. And for the bright literary entrepeneur: how about a GREAT book that culls the writings of centuries, from Socrates to U2, and offers us REAL choices for this most important occasion?

My wife and I were married three weeks ago, and we found this extremely useful in planning our ceremony. It provides 9 different ceremonies to choose from, and then goes into more detail for readings, vows, and other wedding traditions. It's really a hands on book, that allows you to pick and choose the words that will be spoken at your ceremony, and what could be more important. I would recommend it to anyone planning a wedding ceremony. It's worth every penny and more!

"A Wedding Ceremony to Remember" by Marty Younkin is a "must have" for anyone contemplating a wedding, vow renewal or other ceremony. I highly recommend it to everyone in the wedding industry, not just brides and Wedding Consultants, but everyone involved in the ceremony process. The book offers a great overview of different ceremonies, traditions, readings, and prayers for any age group, background and religion.

Lisa Bauer,
I Deux Weddings & Events
and
2003-2003 President of the Association of Wedding Professionals

Of all the aspects of planning our wedding, this was, by far, the EASIEST. Brides, if you've been feeling 'fleeced' by the wedding industry, take heart. This is one decision you will be very happy with making. If you're looking to find a book to help with planning your ceremony, selecting your vows, and/or traditions, you will want this book. The book is extremely 'USER FRIENDLY' and is full of wonderful choices for how to make your ceremony special. I received this book to plan my own wedding about a week before my best friend's wedding and showed it to her. She loved it and said that she wished she had had the book when planning her own ceremony. I'm sure many brides like myself have found themselves up to their eyeballs making wedding planning decisions, but trust me, this was by far the easiest one to make. You've spent so much time deciding on your attire, the flowers, music, cakes, etc. but have you thought about what your minister and you and the groom will say other than 'Will you?' and 'I do.'? There are a variety of types of ceremonies (traditional, contemporary, civil, 'short and sweet', second-time marriages, interfaith, bi-lingual, etc.). You can even 'mix and match' or 'cut and paste' parts of the ceremony (the welcome, the vows, ring exchange, traditions, blessing, pronouncement, etc.) to suit your needs. If you've been looking endlessly in bookstores or online for some help on planning a very special wedding, you've found your book.

I used this book (and Rev. Younkin) for my daughter's wedding three years ago. Now I'm using it for my own. This is an excellent tool for planning your ceremony. I can't recommend it enough!

I have been a minister for 12 years and have never seen a wedding ceremony book laid out so plain and simple.
I know this book was probably intended for brides and grooms, but in my opinion, it should be a "must" for every minister or wedding officiant. It not only provides me with a "script" for all types of ceremonies, but it also gives me worksheets to help me conduct a smooth rehearsal.
Everyone going into ministry ought to have this little gem in their library. It's worth it's weight in gold!