Carolyn Burke STL Blog

With the number of mixed interfaith marriages taking place, many couples today are opting to have a secular ceremony instead of a religious ceremony for their wedding.  This allows them to include special readings, vows, symbols or wedding themes (whether religious or not) that they may not be able to include in a religious ceremony or location. A secular ceremony contains no religious elements (except for what the couple may add) and can be performed in a venue of your choice, depending on the area in which you wish to get married in.  It is a good idea to interview at least two different officiants; to compare their style and make sure you are comfortable with the ceremony structure.  It is important that you feel comfortable with the officiant who is performing the ceremony and that you feel that he/she is interested in you as a couple. Keep in mind to budget for the various fees, such as the officiant's fee (for the ceremony), the ceremony site fe...

Can you create a beautiful wedding moment that represents two faiths?  With a bit of patience and creativity, I think you can have a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception that celebrates both faiths. For a wedding is indeed a family affair. Family meetings with the couple's parents is a great opportunity to find out what is everyone's desires and objectives to the wedding ceremony and reception. It is very unlikely you can accommodate every wish and desire, but I think it is better to find out early on in planning what is offensive to the other family as well as your own family. Put Your Vision on Paper What do you want out of your day? There are many ways to go about an interfaith wedding. You can create one ceremony and reception celebration by blending the two faiths into one. If this is not going to work for you, you can create a three-day wedding by having the bride/groom's faith ceremony the first day, and the groom/bride's faith the second day, and then...