Wednesday, 21 December 2011

Wedding Welcomes

The welcome is an important part of a wedding ceremony.  It sets the tone/theme  and a good welcome makes all those present feel part of the ceremony. After chatting to the groom I then, at the designated time, gather the guests, introduce myself (usually using a bit of humour) and then go to meet the bride. One thing I usually say to the bride that leads to a bit of laughter is “oh by the way , the groom’s here.” I then return to tell the groom the good news of his bride’s arrival.
These questions that I ask the couple help me to organise an appropriate welcome:
-          What tone would you like for your wedding? I asked this of a couple, Christine and Claude, yesterday and they said “cruisey” – they are being married on the Dawn Princess in January.
-          What values are important to you as a couple?
-          Anything significant you like me to say in the welcome?
Some things that I may speak about in the welcome include:
-          Mention of those who have come a long way
-          Remembering those unable to b e attend
-          Honoring the parents
-          Community approval
-          Introduction of a ring warming
-          Some thoughts on the nature of marriage/love
-          The couples’ values and the importance of those in a relationship/marriage
-          A short reading

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