The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions: Readings, Rituals, Music, Dances, and Toasts (Paperback)

~ (Author), Editors Of The Knot (Author) "While it's inevitable that most of the planning goes into the party, a wedding is ultimately about making a public promise..." (more)
Key Phrases: first dance song, mercy endures, thee wed, Frank Sinatra, The Knot Guide, Johann Sebastian Bach (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When planning for the big day, it's very easy to get caught up in beaded white dresses, boutonnieres, and how many platters of mini crab cakes to order, but the most important part of the wedding is the most-often overlooked--the ceremony itself. A wedding ceremony can vary hugely depending on the religious (or not) beliefs of the couple, their cultural backgrounds, and their personal preferences. The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions can help you sort through all the choices and come up with just the right vows and music for you and your intended.

Do you want the traditional "I, so and so, take thee, so and so, to be my lawfully wedding husband/wife before God" or do you want a looser style: "I love you. And I look forward to being your friend and companion, your wife/husband and lover for life"? Carley Roney, author and editor-in-chief of The Knot (www.theknot.com), strongly suggests taking a stab at writing your own vows, but if that's just too much, cull what you like from the many different styles--from Buddhist to Quaker--offered. Readings can be from the Bible or other spiritual writings, from poetry or even song lyrics. A diverse selection of writings and excerpts are included as are a lengthy lists of songs and music for before the ceremony, the processional, the recessional, and the first dance (everything from Bach's "Brandenberg Concerto No. 4" to Martina McBride's "I Love You").

Also included here are chapters on the wedding program, ring exchanges, and speeches and toasts. Interspersed are stories and pictures of real couples and how they arranged their wedding day. Meant as a jolt to your imagination, The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions helps you to put a very personal touch on an age-old ceremony. --Dana Van Nest

From Publishers Weekly

Without letting a lot of fluff get in the way of the facts, wedding expert Carley Roney makes available "readings, rituals, music, dances, speeches and toasts" in The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions. Third in her wedding guide series, and culled from her online experience as founder of theknot.com, this guide is a resource for classy concepts ranging from the conventional to the hip, and drawing on a broad array of cultural traditions. Photos.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (December 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767902483
• ISBN-13: 978-0767902489
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COMPLETE guide to the wedding words and substance, February 22, 2001

By	A. Maxham "Just trying to help..." - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My fiance and I wanted to write our own vows, pick somewhat original music, have some good toasts, get some good quotes, etc. We stood in the bookstore one day PLOWING through book after book on toasts, another stack of books on vows, another stack of books on quotes, yet another stack of books on music recommendations...

And then I ordered this book- Thank goodness, because it is covers the gamut. I had bought several love poetry books in search of the right words, but this is really the best collection for weddings specifically (many of those love books had "lost love" themes like that "Lost Lenore" poem by E.A. Poe- a little depressing for a wedding.) The quotes are fantastic, the toasts are short and sweet and the vows range from religious, to romantic, to personal. And if you don't like anything that's in the book, they tell you how to write your own toasts, construct your own vows, and find your own quotes.

The book has the feel of a workbook that accompanies a text book in college, with places for notes throughout, and a price that wouldn't make you uncomfortable to scrawl in the book or fold some corners to mark pages.

I highly recommend STARTING with this book. If it doesn't completely fill your needs, you may want to get another one, but at least you won't screw up and spend all kinds of money on all kinds of books first. This books will fill many of your needs off the bat.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Guide to Weddings!, December 28, 2000

By	Brenda S. Weeaks "MyShelf.Com" (United States) - See all my reviews

Are you planning a big wedding but don't know what to do or what to expect? Are you aware that there are different vows for different religions or that there is more to a reception than toasting and dancing? Well let me...excuse me... let Carley Roney from Knot.com tell you about the vows, the rings, the readings, giving thanks, unifying rituals, the symbolic rituals, the programming notes with quotes, the music, the dancing, the speeches, and the toasts. It's all in this larger size paperback.

Weddings are a wonderful experience and getting them right is soooo important, because a couple can't go back and do it again. Even if they retake their vows, it will not be the same as the first. Carley Roney tells everyone how to get it right the first time. She also lets us in on the different religions and what is traditional in their weddings. It's beautifully written with a few pictures. I don't think it's a women only book. It's very practical for those who perform or put together weddings as well.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good resource if you don't know where to start., February 24, 2003

By	Beth Cholette "doctor_beth" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Although much of the information contained in this book is available through other sources--The Knot's own web site, for example--it is likely to be useful for someone in the beginning stages of planning their wedding and reception. In particular, there are plenty of examples of vows from various religious backgrounds as well as nice descriptions of various ethnic traditions (eg, the Afrocentric "Jumping the Broom"). There are a lot of ideas for those who wish to take a more non-traditional approach as well, as the book makes suggestions for incorporating songs, poetry, and the like into your celebration. The music section breaks the songs down into categories (eg, "first dance," "parents dances") and then further subdivides the categories based on type of music; the section on speeches and toasts is similarly divided based on who is doing the toast. One note of caution: there is less content in the book than its large size would suggest, as a significant number of pages are taken up by examples (eg, page after page of song titles) as well as a resource and bibliography list, both of which I viewed as unnecessary. However, if what you are looking for is plenty of examples so that you can make preliminary decisions about your wedding day, this book would work well.