Weddings from the Heart: Contemporary and Traditional Ceremonies for an Unforgettable Wedding (Paperback)

~ (Author) "MARRIAGE IS THE JOINING OF TWO LIVES, the mystical, physical, and emotional union of two human beings who have separate families and histories, separate tragedies..." (more)
Key Phrases: unforgettable wedding, musical selection, rehearsal dinner, Common Prayer, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

With its combination of contemporary and traditional ceremonies, as well as suggestions for vows, readings and extra special touches, Weddings From the Heart will help any couple understand the meaning behind the wedding ceremony and create the most exquisite ceremony possible. Movingly written in Daphne Kingma's warm and intimate style, Weddings From the Heart offers five complete ceremonies: one that emphasizes the psychological dimensions of love; one for the previously married; one that celebrates the joy of finding soul mate; a ceremony for people in recovery; and a ceremony that focuses on the spiritual commitment of marriage, as well as the texts of traditional Christian and civil ceremonies and hundreds of vows, consecrations, and blessings of the rings from traditions around the world. Weddings From the Heart also contains more than fifty heartwarming, philosophical and poetic readings on love from a wide range of writers and poets, including Pablo Neruda, E. E. Cummings, Rainer Maria Rilke, Shakespeare, Shelley, and Elizabeth Barret Browning. Also included are step-by-step suggestions on how to put together your own ceremony and a multitude of ideas on how to deepen the experience both for the couple and the guests. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Weddings can be traumatic or transporting, depending on many factors, some of which are beyond the control of the bride and bridegroom. But one area which they can control is the ceremony itself. This newly designed bestselling guide offers hundreds of suggested texts, vows, poems, consecrations, readings, and more to help couples create a wedding that is personal and meaningful. It even offers five complete ceremonies, including one for the previously married, one celebrating the joy of finding a soul mate, and one focusing on spiritual commitment. With selections from Pablo Neruda, Shakespeare, e. e. cummings, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Weddings from the Heart offers a reassuring array of possibilities for making that special day truly special.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Conari Press (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573248614
• ISBN-13: 978-1573248617
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must if you are writing your own wedding ceremony!, September 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Weddings from the Heart: Contemporary and Traditional Ceremonies for an Unforgettable Wedding (Paperback)

My fiance and I decided early on in the stages of planning our wedding that we wanted to write our own ceremony. We were getting married in a garden setting and wanted a ceremony that reflected our personalities, feelings and the joy we felt at being together and committed for the rest of our lives.

This book gave us so many great ideas on how first, to structure the ceremony, and then some of the wording we could use. We didn't copy any ceremony exactly, but the ideas that this book provides are great! I can't tell you how many people came up to us afterward and said it was the best wedding ceremony they had ever attended!

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Weddings from the Heart : Contemporary and Traditional Cerem, January 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Weddings from the Heart: Contemporary and Traditional Ceremonies for an Unforgettable Wedding (Audio Cassette)

An excellent book for those planning a nondenominational wedding. With a keen interest in spirituality and creativity, hours of searching at libraries and bookstores lead us to this book. Kingma recognizes that every wedding ceremony is unique and offers the food for thought that many need to formulate a meaningful event. She defines "types" of marriages the first section. As one might expect of any relationship, we found that while none applied exclusively, there was some meaning in each. This exercise helped us engage our officiant in a thought and discovery process about our vision for a ceremony. The descriptions of traditions from various cultures stimulated our creativity; the outline of traditional western wedding components offered structure; and a list of readings included one of our final choice readings (adapted from the Christian Bible in an amazingly polically correct manner).

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, depending on what you want, October 6, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Weddings from the Heart: Contemporary and Traditional Ceremonies for an Unforgettable Wedding (Paperback)

Most of this book was irrelevant for what I wanted. I was looking for a source for religiously-oriented vows, prayers, and blessings which I could use to create an ecumenical wedding service. This book DOES have a section of such things --and I did find it useful for comparison purposes-- but the main emphasis is on contemporary vows, addresses, etc., most of which seemed just too fluffy for me. If you do want very emotionally-laden, "unique to you" and non-traditional wedding, go for this. If you seriously want to compare weddings from different Judeo-Christian traditions, I highly recommend _Weddings: A Complete Guide to All Religious and Interfaith Marriage Services_ instead.