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The
Officiator or Justice of the Peace will be the key selections contributing to
the success of your wedding day.
He or she may be a cleric from a specific church or a Justice of the
Peace.
In
Massachusetts, a Justice of the Peace is appointed by the governor and given
authorization to perform ceremonies only within the Commonwealth.
Your
JP or Officiate should be selected on the basis on you feeling comfortable
with him or her and that your conversations are mutually satisfactory.
Your Cleric or JP should provide you with a feeling of confidence, both
toward him or her, personally, as well as instilling the feeling that he or
she will make a good Wedding Guide and Leader.
Your
Justice of the Peace or Cleric should determine the flow of your ceremony and
should attend your rehearsal.
Any special music or readings, as well as the roles of the members of
your wedding party, should be discussed with him or her. You should discuss
with your JP or Officiates fees and weather he or she will require a deposit.
It is your
wedding day and the JP or Officiates responsibility is to provide you with a
ceremony in keeping with your wishes: the ceremony should be tailored to fit
the two of you as a couple.
Everything that is recommended should be in keeping with providing you
with something very special on your “Special Day.”
Choosing Your Wedding Vows
Thinking about writing your own wedding
vows? If so, you’re not alone. Millions of couples are bypassing traditional
ceremonies in favor of something that’s more personal – and that’s great!
But problems arise when couples aren’t clear with each other about the style
of vows they want. What mood do you want to convey? Light-hearted and cute?
Short and sweet? Witty? Sentimental? There are almost as many styles of vows
as there are vows themselves. Here’s a quick guide to a few of the more
popular styles to help you choose the one that best suits you and your
spouse-to-be.
Traditional
Yes, you can still be “traditional” even
if you aren’t sticking to the prepared wedding vow script. If you are aiming
to be very traditional, all you need to do to prepare is to look up a
traditional wedding vow, such as those that begin with phrases such as, “In
the name of God,” or “From this moment, I (name) promise to take you (name),
to be my wife/husband…” and so on and so forth. Once you find a traditional
vow you like, rewrite it to fit your own personal feelings towards your
partner.
Sentimental
If you wish to write a romantic wedding
vow, and you are not endowed with the gift of poetry, you can look into
reading some famous love poetry – for example, sonnets by Shakespeare -- and
see if you can use one of their ideas as a way to express your feelings
about your partner. You may even wish to quote the poet directly, by
referring to lines in their poem. You can also think about the love songs
that you will be using during your special day, and see if the lyrics of
these songs can help you to express the way you feel.
Lighthearted and cute
If being lighthearted and cute sounds
fitting, you can go about implementing this style in your wedding vows by
first thinking of all the fond memories you shared with your partner that
really made you smile and brought you closer together. Write down each one
of these memories and choose the one that you believe to be the most suited
and tasteful for your wedding. This style is an excellent way of expressing
how much you loved your partner before, and how much more you love them now.
Witty
If you have a sharp sense of wit, it
could be one of the many characteristics that your partner loves about you
so much. Use your sense of wit to your advantage by using tasteful humor to
spice up a wedding vow by making it romantically playful. However, as a
strong word of caution, if you’ve noticed no one seems to laugh at your
jokes, or you can never seem to get the punch-line of a joke, you may want
to fess up to your lack of wit and choose another style for your wedding
vows. You may also want to take into account that your sense of wit may be
something your partner tolerates with good humor, while others may not be so
kind.
Simple
Sometimes having a simple style is the
best way to go. A simple wedding vow is composed of a few words that come
straight from your heart. You don’t need to serenade your partner with a
self-composed sonnet. A simple “I love you” and “I’m glad to be sharing my
life with you,” along with a few extra heart-felt words can be perfect.
Short and Sweet
Short and sweet vows are very much like
the simple wedding vow, except that a short and sweet vow is limited in
words, and the words used are often much more concise and straight to the
point. Poetry may help you to get an idea of how to express your vows in
this manner. However, be mindful of vows that are too short and sweet. You
may also discover that although your vow is short, it might be lacking in
the sweet department. The last thing you want to do is prepare a short vow
that sounds emotionless. Once you have completed these seven steps, you will
be ready to start writing your vows. Remember, you don’t have to be
Shakespeare to write a vow that will touch the heart of your partner. A
wedding vow comes from the heart. Regardless of how long you decide to make
it, it is a personal expression and promise that accentuates the
love you have for your spouse-to-be. |