The Wedding Ceremony Planner: The Essential Guide to the Most Important Part of Your Wedding Day (Paperback)

~ (Author) "When couples come to me to be married, they often describe themselves as spiritual, but not religious..." (more)
Key Phrases: human being burns, sample ceremonies, please join hands, Ring Exchange, Gathering Words, Candle Ceremony (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Many couples want a spiritual but not a religious ceremony that truly celebrates their unique set of beliefs, values and life circumstances. They want their ceremony, their way but don’t know where to begin or what questions they need to ask. The Wedding Ceremony Planner is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide. It covers everything you need to know to create a beautiful ceremony text and to anticipate and address all the profound and mundane logistics with ease, grace and fun. It includes hundreds of text excerpts reflecting the many voices with which our hearts speak. There are also ten sample ceremony texts, including those used to address such situations as the inclusion of children, the telling of the couple’s story, the renewal of vows and a commitment ceremony. Checklists and worksheets are included to manage all the details. The Wedding Ceremony Planner is also an invaluable resource for clergy of all faiths, wedding planners and location coordinators. Sprinkled with anecdotes about lessons learned by couples creating their weddings, this book is filled with the wisdom of experience.

From the Author

As an Ecumenical Minister, I honor all religions and spiritual traditions and each person's right to find his or her own way in these matters. Performing weddings is one of my favorite ways to minister, for it keeps me constantly in touch with the remarkable power of love in our lives.

I have performed hundreds of wedding ceremonies and have run into just about every eventuality, from a flower girl who was afraid of hurting the flowers by pulling off their petals, to a bilingual ceremony with sign language. Whether you have children from a previous marriage to include in the ceremony, sensitive parental attitudes, or some other concern, it can be addressed in your ceremony with grace and sensitivity. The decision of two people to live in a committed relationship is one of the most beautiful things that can happen in life, and I find their choice to be united in marriage a sacred and joyous cause for celebration. It is a public declaration of love, hope, devotion and the couple’s intention to nurture themselves, each other, the relationship, and any children brought into the family by their union. My heart looks past any differences in race, creed, color, situation, or circumstance and I wildly applaud people for caring so deeply for each other. As you step across this threshold together, may you tenderly love one another and yourselves, and be blessed with a safe and happy marriage journey.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402203438
• ISBN-13: 978-1402203435
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,360 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Guide for Planning Your Ceremony, May 17, 2006

By	A. McClenahan "Vis Major" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used this book to customize every aspect of my recent wedding (one month ago today), from the opening prayer & gathering words to the final blessing & pronouncement. There are several passages of each "section" of the ceremony for you to choose from, as well as suggestions on personalizing each section. The sample ceremonies will give you a great place to start if you know you want to personalize your ceremony but aren't sure where to start.

The book isn't just geared towards those looking for religious ceremonies: there's a perfect balance of ceremony passages for those looking for religious words as well as passages for non-traditional unions (ex: same-sex ceremonies, second marriages, marriages with children from previous relationships, etc). The helpful hints, practical advice, and checklists throughout the book made this an indispensable resource.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Our wedding ceremony was so beautiful and personal that every guest told me afterwards how much they'd enjoyed it & that our wedding was the best they'd attended; even our ecumenical minister was impressed and teared up while performing the ceremony. In summary, this is a wonderful book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most helpful book, September 3, 2006

By	Kathy Schwerin (Carson City, Nevada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just performed my first wedding ceremony and found this to be the most helpful book of all I consulted. In addition to all that the other reviewers have noted, I found the section on doing the rehearsal invaluable. It had many tips that I never would have thought of (and I'm a very organized person who has put together all kinds of events); as a result the rehearsal went very smoothly, which in turn led to a ceremony in which all the participants were clear and able to be emotionally present. Thank you Judith!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Erased any jitters I had and replaced them with the perfect plan, October 11, 2007

By	Julie Jordan Scott "Writer, Life Coach - Owne... (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I was a first time officiant about to perform the wedding of two dear friends. I was nervous. Who did I think I was to perform a wedding? I knew I had the credentials, but did I have what it takes?

Under the tutelage of this phenomenal guidebook, I found that I did.

Part One didn't have anything to do with my part of the wedding, but the information is invaluable. It sets the context for the ceremony. Who is involved, where the wedding is, what intention do the bride and groom have for there special day, what is the tone they want to create... that sort of thing.

Part Two was all about the ceremony, in other words - my stuff. In these pages, Judith Johnson laid it all out succinctly while at the same time gave me many ideas. I got a blueprint and a variety of ways to bring that blueprint to life. Reading this section really boosted my confidence.

Part Three included the nitty gritty of weaving all of this together. It gave samples and suggestions, fleshing out some of Part Two and offering the expertise of Johnson's many years of experience.

I know this is a reference book I will refer to over and over and over again. I will recommend it to both officiants and couples alike.