The first comprehensive wedding guide specifically for the Jewish/Christian couple who wants to honor both religious traditions in their service, vows, and readings. Saying "I do" is one of the happiest moments in a couple's life together--but planning that trip to the altar can be a stressful ordeal. The minute an engagement is announced two full clans want to celebrate the union their way! When one of those families is Jewish (50 percent of whom now marry outside their faith) and the other is Christian, the religious details can increase the pressure on the bride- and groom-to-be. Celebrating Interfaith Marriages provides all of the expert advice on how to combine elements of the two faiths so everyone can rejoice with the bride and groom on their wedding day. Devon Lerner draws from her twenty years of officiating interfaith weddings as she discusses the significance of vows and traditions unique to both faiths and suggests how to incorporate them into a service that is balanced and beautiful. She provides Christian and Jewish services readers can mix and match, as well as custom-bled ceremonies contributed by couples who have worked with her over the years. There's a chapter on how to avoid crashes on issues like location, when the ceremony takes place, and whether the bride and groom should see each other before meeting at the altar. A full section of readings, both biblical and secular, are here too, as well as anecdotes that will reassure and amuse. No interfaith couple will want to be without this essential handbook when they plan their special day.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Lots of good information!:
This book has given my fiance and I alot of information about how we can set up our wedding ceremony. We are using it as a guide, not as gospel. Good resource!
A great resource:
This book was great at providing structure and helping us understand our options when we wrote our own wedding ceremony (a Jew marrying a Catholic, with sensitivity to the pagans and atheists/agnostics attending). We lent our copy to two couples we know who got married after us (a nonpracticing Jew marrying a nonpracticing Christian; and a Jew marrying a Catholic/Quaker). I know that each of them has passed on the favor to at least one other couple, who also used it in their ceremonies. Anyone writing their... more info
Great book for writing your own ceremony:
My fiancee and I were planning an interfaith ceremony, and rather than find a rabbi or priest willing to marry us, we decided to have our non-denominationally ordained Aunt officiate. However, because she wasn't familiar with jewish traditions, we had to write our own ceremony - no easy task! But, this book simplifies the process by including many examples of interfaith marriage, and then a choice of readings and passages for each section of the wedding. My one concern would be that it only addresses... more info
A terrific resource - made my life so much easier! And a beautiful wedding.:
I was asked to officiate for my brother (who grew up Jewish) and his fiance (who grew up Protestant), as neither of them are religious, but wanted to have a wedding that both families would feel comfortable with. After getting ordained online, I had a huge challenge ahead of me - how to do something beautiful, personal, and would make everyone happy. Well, this book did it for me! It's about 1/3 explanations on wedding ceremonies and things to be aware of that could be sensitive to either side, 1/3 sample... more info
