Building our ceremony
The arrangement and content of our wedding ceremony was completely up to me. Why? Mac isn’t overly religious, and this was for our religious ceremony. What did we want?
My cousin Kristin’s pastor opened with this gem.
Seriously. It was hilarious and yet heartwarming. We left our invocation and homily up to our pastor.
Readings are another major part of the ceremony. Since the vows and ring exchange might take five minutes, you need some touching words to make people feel like they went to a wedding. Non-religious readings are all the rage and include “The Union” and Apache blessings. Or we can go the traditional Christian route. “Love is patient. Love is kind.” Almost all the Christian weddings I’ve attended feature this reading from 1 Corinthians. Or a subtle nod to Mac’s Jewish heritage. “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” I’ve learned everything I know about Jewish weddings from Say Yes to the Dress. I decided to be different, so I searched Christian ceremony readings on the Interwebs.
From our invocation, we move to our first reading from Song of Solomon 2:10-14, 16a.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me: ‘Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;
11 for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
16 My beloved is mine and I am his; he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Then we exchange traditional vows. Our second reading is Song of Solomon 8:6-7
6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of one’s house, it would be utterly scorned.
Here, we exchange rings with the traditional wording. Our final reading is from the Book of Ruth 1:16-17
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you B)”> and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people D)”> 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely,
