On readings, rings, and rituals
Somehow, somewhere, surely there is a website that has a database of Dark Tower quotes searchable by subject. Surely, right?
I emailed two possible officiants for the wedding a few days ago and now that they've both replied, I think Kent and I have a clear favorite. Now we have to put together the actual ceremony. I have a million and one ideas, quotes, poems, and readings that would be nice to incorporate, but obviously we have to choose just a few. We've been struggling all along to find readings for the ceremony. I keep coming back to "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog" and asking Victoria, the oldest of my younger sisters, to read it at the wedding. But then there's still the matter of the second reading.
While searching for more reading options, I started thinking that surely there's an amazing passage about love, commitment, relationships, or something along those lines in the Dark Tower series. And I think it would be pretty damn appropriate given Kent's absolute love for the series and that I also love it to bits and would have discovered the series had he not introduced me to it. I was always excited when I finished a book because it meant that the next time I came home to see him, I could exchange my current book for the next in the series from his bookshelf.
But I don't know that there's any way I'm going to have time to reread the series before the wedding. And googling "Dark Tower quotes" didn't net me very much, even when I added "love" to the search. Surely what I want is out there, but I'll be damned if I can find it.
In my searchings today, I stumbled across something that I really like the idea of. Ultimately, the entire point of this wedding is that it involves our community of friends and loved ones. I've been trying to come up with ways to include our guests from Day One. This will likely involve some sort of response from our guests (reminiscent of the "all respond" aspects of a Catholic mass) as part of the blessings/well wishes, etc. that happen, but I keep coming back to also wanting to include some physical act. And now my brain is tickling with a possible answer. I've been reading about ring warming ceremonies. Basically, it just involves the wedding rings being passed through the families or even the entirety of those present and everyone is invited to hold them for a moment, say a prayer, make a wish for the couple, or otherwise impart some positive energy and support.
Kent's nervous at the idea of our rings being dropped or otherwise lost. I told him I wouldn't let our rings travel all by themselves. They'd be tied to a book or pillow or put into a pouch or a box or something else to help keep them safe. And we'd post one of our ushers to keep an eye on things and keep the rings moving back and forth between the aisles. I think it would be an appropriate blessing for our rings. It's not some deity that validates our marriage--it's our mutual commitment and the recognition, love, and support of those closest to us.
I emailed two possible officiants for the wedding a few days ago and now that they've both replied, I think Kent and I have a clear favorite. Now we have to put together the actual ceremony. I have a million and one ideas, quotes, poems, and readings that would be nice to incorporate, but obviously we have to choose just a few. We've been struggling all along to find readings for the ceremony. I keep coming back to "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog" and asking Victoria, the oldest of my younger sisters, to read it at the wedding. But then there's still the matter of the second reading.
While searching for more reading options, I started thinking that surely there's an amazing passage about love, commitment, relationships, or something along those lines in the Dark Tower series. And I think it would be pretty damn appropriate given Kent's absolute love for the series and that I also love it to bits and would have discovered the series had he not introduced me to it. I was always excited when I finished a book because it meant that the next time I came home to see him, I could exchange my current book for the next in the series from his bookshelf.
But I don't know that there's any way I'm going to have time to reread the series before the wedding. And googling "Dark Tower quotes" didn't net me very much, even when I added "love" to the search. Surely what I want is out there, but I'll be damned if I can find it.
In my searchings today, I stumbled across something that I really like the idea of. Ultimately, the entire point of this wedding is that it involves our community of friends and loved ones. I've been trying to come up with ways to include our guests from Day One. This will likely involve some sort of response from our guests (reminiscent of the "all respond" aspects of a Catholic mass) as part of the blessings/well wishes, etc. that happen, but I keep coming back to also wanting to include some physical act. And now my brain is tickling with a possible answer. I've been reading about ring warming ceremonies. Basically, it just involves the wedding rings being passed through the families or even the entirety of those present and everyone is invited to hold them for a moment, say a prayer, make a wish for the couple, or otherwise impart some positive energy and support.
Kent's nervous at the idea of our rings being dropped or otherwise lost. I told him I wouldn't let our rings travel all by themselves. They'd be tied to a book or pillow or put into a pouch or a box or something else to help keep them safe. And we'd post one of our ushers to keep an eye on things and keep the rings moving back and forth between the aisles. I think it would be an appropriate blessing for our rings. It's not some deity that validates our marriage--it's our mutual commitment and the recognition, love, and support of those closest to us.