A LETTER FROM JOE

Congratulations on your decision to marry! In the words of the German writer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love.”

As you prepare for this great day there are so many components to the marriage that require your attention. Often, the most overlooked of these is the marriage officiant – the woman or man that you choose to solemnize your commitment to each other. Not all marriage officiants are suited to express your unique and individual expression of love. That is why it is important to meet with, and talk to, a number of officiants in order that you are confident and comfortable with your choice.

The day of your marriage commitment is YOUR DAY and YOU should decide WHERE it is celebrated and HOW it is celebrated. Your ceremony can take on many forms, from religious to semi-religious to no religious reference at all. It can involve traditional aspects drawn from your unique cultural or family backgrounds. Above all else, it needs to express the very special love the two of you have for one another.

I invite you to visit my CMC Forum page on this site and, under YOUR Marriage Celebration (Ceremony), review the many sample greetings, readings, vows, ceremonies and blessings that I have assembled.

I look forward to Creative Marriage Celebrations being your choice to assist you on this important day. I pledge to you that we will do everything possible to respect your choices and decisions. It will be our distinct honor and privilege to solemnize the commitment of love you will publicly profess.

THE ART OF MARRIAGE
~ Author Wilfred A. Peterson ~

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created.

The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating
gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.