Our Ceremony
Let's see...you know that we'll have a rabbi and Methodist minister co-officiating our wedding ceremony, but we really haven't talked much about the specifics of the ceremony, have we?
When we met with Rabbi Marc and his wife a few months ago, one of the things he offered to do, as part of his services, was to write a personalized ceremony for us, incorporating the various elements from both traditions that we'd previously discussed. What we ended up with was an inclusive ceremony that we hope will not make anyone uncomfortable, and should be unlike any ceremony that any of our guests have ever seen.
Some of the things we've included in the ceremony are: the 7 Jewish Wedding Blessings, the lighting of a unity candle, a reading from Corinthians 1:13 (I think, that's right), Kiddush, and the smashing of a wine glass at the end. When we sign the marriage license for the state, we will also be signing an interfaith Ketubah. Also, instead of my parents walking me down the aisle, as is customary in a Jewish wedding, my two children will walk me down the aisle.
We feel really good about what we came up with, along with Rabbi Marc, and are eagerly awaiting the big day! If anyone is interested in the ceremony in greater detail, please leave a comment with a way to contact you.
Posted by bryan at May 10, 2007 12:04 PM
Your ceremony sounds very similar to what we came up with for our own. The combination of the traditions felt very natural, and the ceremony felt like one unified tradition. One thing we also did was make sure that each tradition was explained as it was performed, and that it was explained in a way that was open and accessible to everyone. For example, the breaking of the glass has so many interpretations. One you hear a lot is that it symbolizes the destruction of the temple. We thought that was a rather odd explanation, especially for the non-Jewish folks. Our rabbi came up with an explanation that made more sense for everyone: that it is a symbol of commitment, of doing something that cannot undone.
