Handfastings Part Duex

Happy Rainy Friday Everyone!!! Yuck.

Tomorrow's wedding is at

The Landis Valley Museum,

please send warm, SUNNY thoughts!

Tomorrow's couple liked the idea of a Handfasting/Blessing but didn't like the "wordiness" of it so, the bride herself reworded a snippet that I will read before the Vows...here it is:

"Bride and Groom as you hold one each others hands on your wedding day – know what a gift they are to you. Bless these hands. May they always be held by one another. Give them strength to hold on during storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their love."

Short and sweet yes? Just another example of how you can incorporate a handfasting/blessing into your ceremony if you choose to do so. Here's another:

(Bride), please face (Groom), and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. (Bride and Groom should be facing each other, his upturned hands resting in hers.)

These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within your womb. These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.  These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.  These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.  These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief rack your mind.  These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his love and desire for you.


(Groom), please hold (Bride)'s hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you.
(Bride should now place her upturned hands in the Groom's hands.)
These are the hands that are smooth, young, and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledge her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.  These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurts, supporting and encouraging them along the way, and knowing when it's time to let go. These are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and back in the evenings, after you've both had a long hard day. These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving.  These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.  These are the hands that will hold you in joy and excitement and hope.
These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together, everything you wish for can be realized.


God, Bless the hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in grace, rich in caring, and devoted to reaching for perfection.

May (Bride) and (Groom) see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter, and guide.

Gotta run to a meeting with a couple about their September wedding. Talk soon!!

Winner! Me and Charlie Sheen.

Hey! I won! This means I'm in the top 5% of Wedding Vendors Nationwide!

Handfasting for All!!

Handfastings!

Be still my partially pagan heart!

(I'm an Interfaith Minister, remember?)

We've gone mainstream!!

It seems that couples are wanting to have Handfastings more and more, and why shouldn't they? There are many, many different ways of making a Handfasting work for you.  A Handfasting ceremony that includes a Statement of Intention and a Pronouncement at the end can be the whole ceremony in itself, or you can insert a Handfasting into your already traditional ceremony.

(I'll post some ideas here but you can find tons more by doing a Handfasting search on the internet.)

The Ribbons (Hand Binding)

Officiant:  The couple will now make promises and vows to one another.  Let these promises hold them fast when life is rough and rocky, and (displaying the 5 colored ribbons) let these ribbons bind their hearts, hands and lives together.

(Guest, parent, maid of honor, etc. ties the ribbons as the officiant reads the prompts)

Officiant: The color green symbolizes earth, representing the physical and material.  As the green ribbon is tied about your wrists, please repeat together after me:

I promise to live with you always,

to share all I have in the material world with you.

We are partners in life and love,

and we will always work together fo the best of our lives together.

Officiant:  The color Yellow symbolizes air, representing all that is intellectual and mental.  As the yellow ribbon is tied about your wrists, please repeat together after me:

I promise to communicate as clearly as I am able,

to share my thoughts with you,

to share my hopes and dreams,

as well as my fears and insecurities.

I promise to be open to hear you

whether the words be good news or bad.

I promise always to look for the good in your words.

Officiant:  The color Red symbolizes fire, representing the power and passion in your relationship.  As the red ribbon is tied about your wrists, please repeat together after me:

I promise always to feed the fire of our passion,

never to take you for granted,

always to remember who you are,

to treat you as my lover,

always to be open to your expressions of love,

and to share myself totally with you.

Officiant: The Blue ribbon symbolizes water, representing love and the emotions.  As the blue ribbon is tied about your wrists, please repeat together after me:

I promise my heart will always be open to you,

to love and respect you,

always to put you first in my life,

always to consider your feelings when making decisions,

and to put our relationship in the first priority before all else.

Officiant:  The White ribbon symbolizes Spirit, representing the spiritual and philosophical in life.  As the white ribbon is tied about your wrists, please repeat together after me:

As everything in life is a circle,

so is our love.

There is no beginning and no end.

We have been here before, and someday we will return.

We are two, and we are the same.

With this White ribbon,

I promise to honor and preserve

this Spiritual connection.

9-10-11

September 10, 2011

Group Wedding Ceremony

After having had to say NO to many, many couples asking me to officiate

their weddings on September 10, 2011 and feeling terrible about it...

I have come up with a solution!!

A Group Wedding Ceremony !!

This Wedding Ceremony will be held on September 9, 2011 (9/10/11) from

11am-12noon at my office in Manheim Township, Lancaster County. I will

marry every couple during a group ceremony with the Charge for the Couple

(I do’s) , Vows and Pronouncement being specific to each individual couple.

Because there is no need for witnesses in Pennsylvania, (and the finite

amount of room in my office) this ceremony will be for the Bride and

Groom only. However, following this ceremony you will be legally married

and so, if you’d like a friend or family member to “re-new” your vows at

your reception, I will give you a complete wedding ceremony script and

rehearsal instructions so you can do just that.

Couples must be registered in advance!

For more information and to register, please email Rev. Irene at info@susquehannaceremonies.com

(depending upon number of couples registered, location may be moved to something nearby)

Included with Ceremony Fee of $200:

  A meeting with Reverend Irene

One in person FREE consultation (at office in Lancaster) prior to booking 9/10/11.    

*This meeting can be done via telephone or email if you are not local to Lancaster.

 Unlimited support via telephone and/or email throughout the

ceremony planning process.

 A small gift for the Bride from Rev. Irene.

 A beautifully designed, decorative Certificate of Marriage,

suitable for framing.

 Decorative copy of your Ceremony suitable for binding.

 Preparation and filing of all legal documents required

by your County to register your marriage.

NOTE: It is the responsibility of the couple to obtain their marriage license from the County Clerk

with appropriate timeing and to have it to Reverend Irene before 9/9/2011.

 Rehearsal Instructions if you choose to “re-new” your vows at your

reception with a friend or family member “officiating”.

More Information

Skip, Skip, Skip to My Lou!!

Hello Brideys! I haven't been able to sit and write much but I do have ideas! I want to get this one down before I forget or become sidetracked so here it is...I did a wedding once and I have wracked my brain trying to remember who the couple was but I can't, isn't that terrible? Anyway, they were very cute, trendy even and what I remember the most is that for the REcessional...the bride skipped.  Skipped!!! They played a snappy song and she skipped while she held her husbands hand and kind of pulled him along. It was ADORABLE!!! That being said, I've been hearing this song by the Plain White T's on the radio, it's called Rhythm of Love and it's perfect for skipping. Just sayin'!  (This one's for you Asha!)  
: )