Saturday, March 19, 2011

Second Naming Ceremony in the Family

Conducted a naming ceremony yesterday. Yes, it rained, as it has most Saturdays recently. But as the ceremony took place at a home, we had shelter on a patio while the family and friends stood inside facing us.

The nice thing for me was the fact that it was a ceremony for a sibling whose ceremony I performed several years ago. So I knew many of the family members by name at least.

The challenge in a second ceremony for the same family is to make sure that it doesn't become a duplicate of the first. In particular, making sure that the certificates that I provide for the Godparents, Grandparents, and siblings, are not the same as the ones I created last time.

I must have learned a few things since conducting the Naming Ceremony for the first child, because there were comments from the participants that they hadn't done that last time.  I consider that a plus.

I do make changes in my ceremonies as I find some things work better than others. Certain elements appeal to some people and are less important, or even not important at all, to others. Most importantly, the people involved in  a ceremony vary from those who really enjoy taking a leading role in the ceremony to those who are more retiring.

The art is in taking into consideration all these things and still create a ceremony that is meaningful and memorable for those present.

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Monday, March 7, 2011

Handfasting Ceremony - the Practical Details

If you're including a Handfasting ceremony in your wedding, here's the practical information you need to make it all happen smoothly and naturally.

For the tying you need
  1. 3 metres of satin ribbon, 5 centimetres wide.
  2. Instead of ribbon you could use a 3 metres of cord - the type used for tying curtains.
  3. Colour of the ribbon is usually red or green. 
  4. If using a number of ribbons the colours to use are white, pink, light blue, red, gold and green. 
  5. If you want to use the six colours, but only one cord, use six thin cords of the desired colours and plait them together.
To carry the ribbons you use a pouch, a jewellery box or some other attractive receptacle which can be carried by an attendant, or left on the register table.

The binding of the hands can be done by
  1. the celebrant
  2. bridal attendants
  3. brothers or sisters of the bride and groom
  4. the parents
  5. If you're using six cords, they can be tied by one person, or each one by a different person
To put your hands together for the actual binding
  1. join right hands in a handshake position, with the left hands joined in a handshake position on top of the right.
  2. Use just two hands in a handshake position (left, or right)
  3. Join hands with wrists on top of each other, right hand to left, and left hand to right, the bottom wrist that of the groom, with the top wrist that of the bride.
  4. Handshake position of both hands so that a cross is formed over the wrists.
A rehearsal of the actions will ensure that the handfasting ceremony is as visully dramatic as it should be.
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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Wedding Vows based on the Wedding Location

Last Saturday I performed a wedding in a council park overlooking the Redcliffe beach. The day began with rain and fierce winds.

Half an hour before the ceremony began, guests started unfurling their umbrellas, while looking anxiously at the marriage register table where the tablecloth was playing tug of war with the wind (and just winning).

I hadn't dared to put my marriage register on the table for fear of getting it wet. Instead, I had all my documents in my briefcase ready to whip them out as I needed them.

This is how things stood when the Bride arrived escorted by her two young sons and her father.

Well, somebody up there must have loved us because the sprinkling of rain ceased and even the wind dropped. (Or was it the great feeling of celebration among the guests that remained so high that we forgot the weather)

The genuine feeling of participation by the guests was great. Even better was the blending of sand ceremony involving the Groom, the Bride and the Bride's two sons. There were three containers of coloured sands, and each person took it in turn to pour in a little bit of sand, creating a pattern of  white, black and pink stripes.

While every guests watched with interest, it was wonderful to see how much enjoyment  the two boys derived from the ceremony.

After this joyful wedding, I don't think I'll ever worry about a wedding on the beach - whatever the weather!

Coming soon to Amazon and Smashwords, 'Wedding Ceremony: Perfect Words', book by Vlady M Peters.  which includes appropriate text for special Wedding Ceremonies. For example consider the Wedding Vows for a seaside location:


Wedding Vows Based on the Location
(Please repeat after me)
________, my love for you is as eternal as the sea, as all-encompassing as the wind, as solid as the earth beneath my feet.

I commit myself to you, blessing the day you came into my life, and promise to recommit myself to you on each of our wedding anniversaries, here beside the ever-flowing sea.

(Please repeat after me)

________, my love for you is as eternal as the sea, as all-encompassing as the wind, as solid as the earth beneath my feet.

I commit myself to you, blessing the day you came into my life, and promise to recommit myself to you on each of our wedding anniversaries, here beside the ever-flowing sea.


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