Ceremony Books

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

Carley Roney, Editors Of The Knot

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial 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

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

Daphne Rose Kingma

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Okay, depending on what you want 3 out of 5 stars.
26 of 29 people found this review helpful.

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.

Editorial Review:

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.

Wedding Blessings: Prayers and Poems Celebrating Love, Marriage and Anniversaries

June Cotner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A beautiful collection of poems, prayers, and toasts for all marriage celebrations.

Finding the right words about love for a wedding or anniversary can be difficult. In Wedding Blessings, June Cotner has collected perfect selections for the bride, groom, members of the wedding party, and other family and friends to share. From verses and vows to prayers and toasts, the sentiments of Wedding Blessings will help make any marriage celebration more memorable. With selections devoted to "anniversaries" and "Reflections", Wedding Blessings also serves as a tribute to and affirmation of marriage.

Filled with inspiration and timeless words by renowned authors such as Robert Browning, Rainer Maria Rilke, the Persian poet Rumi, as well as many contemporary writers, this spiritual, multi-faith anthology offers true gems suitable for all aspects of weddings, anniversaries, and vow-renewal ceremonies. Wedding Blessings is a wonderful gift for the bride-to-be and others celebrating the union of marriage.

Baker's Wedding Handbook: Resources for Pastors

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Wedding services for Christians 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This book contains a variety of services for different Christian denominations: Baptist, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Episcopalian, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist (including The Free Methodist Church of North America and The Wesleyan Church), Presbyterian, and Reformed (Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church in America). There are a few alterate wedding ceremonies, including two versions of a "contemporary" service and a service in recognition of a Civil Marriage. All are Christian.

One of the useful features of the ceremonies is that they are broken down into sections. Here is one example: Prelude, Music, Lighting of Candles, Processional, Welcome, Invocation, Readings, Parting from Parents, Declaration of Intent, Exchange of Vows, Exchange of Rings, Lighting of Unity Candle, Pronouncement of Marriage, Benediction, Introduction of Newlyweds. This makes it easier to create customized ceremonies by adding, skipping, or changing the order of certain sections.

Some alternative vows and wedding prayers are offered, in the event that the bride and groom want to make these sections more personal by choosing their favorite. Suggestions for wedding music are given. A sample checklist is included, to be used by the pastor or minister when working with the bride and groom to plan the wedding. And, an example is given for the proper ettiquette for the positioning of the bride, groom, and attendants during the processional.

Editorial Review:

In this updated, interdenominational wedding manual, pastors will find a comprehensive, creative, and up-to-date resource for conducting traditional and contemporary weddings and special ceremonies such as the renewal of vows and the blessing of a civil ceremony. Crafted in bonded leather with ribbon markers.

Together for Life: A Preparation for Marriage Outside Mass

Joseph M. Champlin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great help for planning a Catholic Wedding 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I have borrowed this book from friends to look at and now have one from my church as I plan my wedding. The one I have I can't keep so I decided to get my own copy! I love the information and readings in it and the "comments for couples" are great to read with your future spouse to discuss things.

Well worth the $3...and then some 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Together for Life really helps you to pull your Catholic wedding ceremony together. It's well laid out and provides easy instructions on how to plan your liturgy and which verses to choose. I wish it would offer a little more information on optional parts of the ceremony (i.e. candle lighting, Mary offering) but that is the only minor issue I could find. Good to get multiple copies - one for bride and one for groom.

Editorial Review:

Designed to help couples plan their ceremony, it contains the complete marriage rite with all variant prayers, blessings, and scripture texts.

Full-page commentaries by Father Champlin on each of the 28 readings make Together For Life ideal for pastors to distribute to couples taking marriage instruction, for pre-Cana, college and high school marriage classes, and newlyweds. Both editions include a 4-page selection sheet for choosing readings, prayers and blessings to be used in the ceremony.

The Everything Wedding Vows Book: Anything and Everything You Could Possibly Say at the Altar - And Then Some (Everything Series)

Janet Anastasio, Michelle Bevilacqua, Leah Furman, Elina Furman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Waste of money 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was expecting A LOT more from this book, especially with the title "anything and everything you could possibly say at the altar - and then some". There were very few examples, even fewer useable ones. Waste of money!!

There is a much better book available called The Wedding Ceremony Planner by Reverend Judith Johnson. It has hundreds of suggestions throughout for the different parts of the ceremony. It was much more helpful!

Nice little resource 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It's great as a quick reference - easy to flip through to find just what you are looking for.

really? someone's making money from this? 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

google people. 3/4 of the book is merely quotes. quotes you can find online FOR FREE. If you really want to look at this book go to the library and glance through it. I promise you won't even bother checking it out. If you do chances are you're going to forget about it behind the chouch and then you'll have to pay late fees for a book that did NOTHING to help you plan your wedding.
save your money for your wedding.

Editorial Review:

With over 4 million sold, our Everything "RM" books are just too good to pass up. Each book in the Everything "RM" series is packed with clear, concise information that is written in a fun, engaging style. The large trim-size, bright colors, and great price attract readers, and over 300 pages of unparalled content and two-color illustrations keep them reading!

The Wedding Vows from Conversations with God: with Nancy Fleming-Walsch

Neale Donald Walsch

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wowed our guests 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

I'm a huge fan of the CWG books, so when my wife and I got married recently, I knew I wanted to incorporate a lot of the CWG insights into our wedding. These vows (which we altered a bit to suit us) are amazingly powerful. Throughout our wedding reception the one thing our guests kept commenting on were the vows, about how good they were. People wanted to know where we got them. (These weren't just polite conversational questions, either. Our family and friends were really wanted to know where we got them.) I wish I could have taken credit for writing them, but that credit will have to go to Neale. Use these vows in their entirety, or use them as a starting point. Either way, there's lots of good stuff in there.

Editorial Review:

Honoring the spiritual nature of all beings; this is the essence of the wedding vows from Conversations with God. Thus, these are not simply vows, but something more: an outward manifestation of our deepest inner truth.

These vows were spoken by Neale Donald Walsch and Nancy Flemming-Walsch at their own marriage, and are featured in Book 3 of the Conversations with God series. As Neale writes, "We wanted a ceremony that spoke the truth of our hearts, and that allowed us to make promises that we knew we could keep."

So, here they are, from Neale and Nancy to you, for use in your own ceremony. Included are wonderful commentaries on love and relationships by Gerald Jampolsky and his wife, Diane Cirincione, and by Marianne Williamson. Also included are meaningful insights on union from the Conversations with God series.

May your marriage be blessed.

A Contemporary Handbook for Weddings & Funerals: And Other Occasions

Aubrey Malphurs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Perfect Tool for a Busy Pastor 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The authors have thought of everything. The busy pastor need only flip and find what he's looking for.

It is not a resource to copy, but a resource that helps you think through things that you may not have even thought about. It is a resource for covering all of your bases whether it be for a funeral, a wedding, a dedication, or a special event like an ordination.

Highly recommended!!

good foundational book 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I thought that this was a very good all around start for someone who is just getting into ministry. It is laid out nicely, in a contemporary fashion, even though the content was traditional. I had expected more unique ideas and suggestions. Overall, it was well worth purchasing.

Editorial Review:

This handbook is a compilation of tested ideas and resources from pastors to help new and veteran pastors benefit from fresh ideas. Includes difficult situations like the death of a child and second marriages. (20050420)

Your Catholic Wedding: A Complete Planbook

Rev. Chris Aridas

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The best wedding planning resource I've purchased so far 5 out of 5 stars.
22 of 23 people found this review helpful.

As a new Catholic who just came into the church in the past year and had only seen two Catholic weddings in her life, attempting to plan an entire Catholic wedding mass seemed to be a daunting task. I purchased this book in the hope that it would guide me through the unfamiliar territory of planning and customizing the mass, and I was by no means disappointed. This book was everything I had hoped for and more. The book presents all of the available prayers, blessings, readings, and vows to choose from, discusses ways in which couples can incorporate friends and family into the liturgy, includes worksheets to record the liturgical and musical choices a couple makes, and briefly discusses the meaning and import of the Sacrament of Marriage. Also, in addition to printing the Scriptural passages available for use in the mass liturgy, the author expands upon each passage and describes how the Scripture message pertains to marriage and what the couple should take away from the passage. Although a couple would only use a select few of the available options in their mass, reading the author's discussions of each passage can serve as excellent marriage preparation. Other basic wedding planning tools are included as well, such as a timeline for task completion and space to record important names and phone numbers. This is by far the best wedding planning resource I have purchased thus far, and I highly recommend this book to any Catholic couple preparing to plan their wedding mass (especially new Catholics who are relatively unfamiliar with the mass liturgy!).

Editorial Review:

A handy guide for couples, family members, and priests in the preparation for a Catholic wedding. It includes the entire liturgical rite with options, practical details of church arrangements, an insightful commentary, and valuable checklists.

A World of Ways to Say "I Do" : Unique Vows, Readings, and Poems to Make Your Wedding Day Your Own

Noah benShea, Jordan benShea

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

pithy, unsatisfying 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I like that it was written by authors of different generations and spiritual beliefs, however it left me feeling a bit shortchanged. There just wasn't enough to the book. It was a sweet idea that missed the mark, at least for my taste and need.

Editorial Review:

Tradition is essential to any wedding, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the nuptial vows. While many couples today put their own twist on this time-honored tradition by customizing vows to suit their unique personalities and beliefs, the challenge lies in choosing words that are distinctive but still worthy of the occasion.

To help the happy couple personalize vows they will be proud to share on their special day and remember fondly for years to come, A World of Ways to Say "I Do"offers an assortment of unconventional but inspirational alternatives.