Church of Ancient Ways Blog

Would anyone like to earn some extra cash for their wedding?

I am working on a new section for my website that has readings in foreign languages. Unfortunately I an only fluent in English so this is a bit of a challenge.

The section is not live yet but here's the back door in.

http://www.churchofancientways.org/translatedpoetry.html

What I am looking for is material for this section. Readings and Poetry must be wedding appropriate. (Seriously, no giving me Mr. Magoo's Holiday Vacation and telling me it's Shakespeare)

Send me 10 readings in English and 1 other language and I will send you a check for $50.00.

Did I hear someone say barter? Sure! You may even find enough to get your ceremony for free!

Comments (0)

As promised all cool stuff will be reported back to you all in a timely manner! So here's a reading I found today.

Once there was a damsel in distress.
She had become a bit of a dragon and it was consuming her.
A knight in shining armour confronted the damsel,
And seeing her reflection in his shiny breastplate,
she realised what a dragon she had become, and she didn't like it.
In earnest she set about getting the dragon where it belonged and making sense of it.
"You have saved me", she cried, "Take off your armour that I may kiss you in gratitude".
"The removal of armour requires assistance", responded the knight.
So, together they removed the heavy armour and the damsel embraced him warmly.
The knight had never been so warmly touched.
He felt immense relief He felt lighter; less weary; more free.
"That's how I feel too!" cried the damsel joyfully,
and after some healthy, passionate kisses they had some healthy, passionate children.
They kept the dragon and the armour , which were useful from time to time;
and generally speaking, in their own funny way, they lived quite happily ever after.

Comments (0)

It is with great appreciation to you girls and to the LIW family that I type this.

Thank you all so much for all the posts that made this award possible.

Thank you for letting me in to your hearts and your thoughts and letting me play such an important and intimate role in your wedding day.

Thanks to those of you who I am not marrying but who have FMed, and asked questions, and still found me to be helpful.

For those of us who eat, sleep, and breathe what we do, the appreciation of our brides is worth it's weight in gold.

Thank you all.

L&L, April

Comments (0)

Great question! The marriage license is good for 60 days and it takes 24 hours to mature. Somewhere in the middle of that time frame is best.

Some like to get everything done as soon as they can, but just in case...

Yes, I am the Queen of "Just in Case" it's my kingdom and I know every inch of it!

Just in case the license gets misplaced, or forgotten, on the wedding day and you have to come over to sign it the next day, we don't want to have to worry about it expiring.

By the same token you don't want to go so close to the wedding date that if Town Hall doesn't like your paperwork you have no time to look for the originals.

Just some things to think about but as always what ever works for you is the order of the day!

Comments (0)

This is a very popular question. Many will tell you to let the best man hold them and others will tell you to just tie them down tight and it will be fine. Both of these answers work, but let me ask you 2 more questions...

Is your ring-bearer old enough to know that he isn't being trusted with the real rings?

If not, then fake ones are IMO the way to go.

If he is, then I believe he's old enough to be trusted with them. It's just for a short walk, and if you know that his feelings could be hurt by not giving him the real rings, then you also know there would be a sense of pride in being be trusted to carry them.

Next question:

Are you ok with a child holding the rings? Many bride's don't even trust the fully grown bestman 100%. Walking down the aisle in the church is a lot different that out to the end of a dock.

Where is your ceremony?

My advice is never include anything that may make you nuts, and only you know what that it.

I would never tell anyone what to do, but what to think about when making their decisions is the best thing that LIW does for it's girls.

Happy Planning!

Comments (0)

I have had a few questions this past week about convalidation. So I called a former RC Priest and his wife and they have agreed to write me an article for my website!

So till that arrives here is what I have been told.

What is convalidation?

Convalidation is when a couple is married outside the Roman Catholic Church then, at a later date, they approach the church to sacramentalize the marriage.

"More often than not the priest will not require all the premarital instruction as usually required since the priest/church often want them to be married asap to regularize the marriage in the eyes of the church. In other words, get them out of the state of sin that they are living in."

"The church's primary interest is in maintaining the sanctity of the sacramental act of marriage." If they know that a couple has had a previous intention to have the marriage convalidated, the previous intent makes them ineligible.

It is recommended to wait at least 6 months to a year before requesting a convalidation. The church wants to hear the couple express regret for the "mistake" of not being married in the Roman Catholic Church, and to show a desire "correct" the wrong that has been done.

Sacrementalization, when given, is extended to that date of the original marriage. This is not normally a formal ceremony, rather the couple and their witnesses.

I will update this with a link when the article arrives!

UPDATE:
http://www.churchofancientways.org/convalidation.html

Happy planning!

Comments (0)

What else do you have to do on a Monday night?

Why not come and meet myself and Rev. Deb Viola?

We have ceremony samples, videos, photo cards, so stop by for a chat and get to know us! Not looking for an officiant yet but you have questions? We would love to be of assistance! Many of my favorite LIW vendors will be there as well so if you are at the very beginning stages of planning come on down!

Where?

Long Island Marriott Bridal Show & Expo
101 James Doolittle Blvd
Uniondale, NY 11553

Comments (0)

Congratulations to Kristen and Mark! They were married last weekend at the Woodbury CC and everything was of course fabulous! They had a reading from one of my favorite authours of down home wisdom, Robert Fulghum. (the man who wrote everything I need to know in life I learned in kindergarden")

I thought it was great, and so might some of you! So here it is!

From "Uh-Oh" by Robert Fulghum

`How will I know when to get married or even if I should get married?'

A question asked of me by a former student who has been living with a man for three years. Their romance began in college and kept right on going through graduate school and into the "real" world of jobs and setting up housekeeping. Marriage was not in their plans because as long as things worked out just living together and taking one day at a time, why should they mess with a good thing? But she's twenty-seven now. "And…well…you know…" she says, shrugging with
eyebrows raised in that gesture people use when words can't get at exactly what's on their minds.

Well, I do know, as a matter of fact. One of the long-term benefits of having taught school is the ongoing relationship with people who come along behind me going through all the stages of growing older. And I've had this conversation before. Quite a few befores, actually.

Here's Fulghum's Formula for Marriage Testing, as passed on to my young friend:

"Heather, give me your first gut reaction to three questions."

She's ready.

"First, if I asked you to take me and introduce me to the person you've known at least five years and would think of as your closest friend in the world, who would it be?"

Her eyes answer. "Him."

"Second, if I asked you to take me to where `home' is for you, where would it be?"

Her eyes answer. "Wherever he is."

"Third, do you ever lie in bed at night with him, cuddled up spoon fashion, your backside to his front-side, and his arms around you thinking how content you are
just being there like that—at home with your closest friend, who just happens to
be the man you love?"

Quiet. She was in tears. "How did you know?"

Well, for one thing, I have a home of my own.
And I told her that if he feels the same way, they're married and just don't know it yet. I pronounced them husband and wife right there. It's only a question of whether or not she wants to have a party to celebrate that."

Comments (0)

Hi Ladies!

One of the things that I always advise my couples to do with the placing of the ring is to avoid multitasking.

I know, I know, we officiants ask you to place the ring and repeat... but not at the same time.

Place the ring half way and then stop. From that point on focus on your beloveds eyes, the honesty and emotion in them and in your own words. When the most important sentence of your life is over, then slide the ring the rest of the way on.

More often than not it sticks a little! If you try to speak and place the ring at the same time, your memory is of the ring finger not the face of your fiancee.

More helpful hints for the memories of a lifetime to come!

Comments (0)

Within the last few years more and more couples have been having their bridal party mix up the traditional gender roles.

And Yes! You most certainly can do this!

Most common these days is when a couple asks their siblings to stand with them. Second most common is when someone of the opposite sex has been your best friend. I call these the "Man of Honor" (no relation to Joseph Bonanno's autobiography of that same name) and the "Best Woman"

How do the walk?

This is a question a couple brought up just this week. the answer that worked for them was everyone enters alone, alternating sides on which they will stand. So one for the Groom, one for the Bride and so on.

How do we dress them?

Why complementing one another of course! Although I have seen a Bridesman in a dress, it isn't the usual.

Happy planning and remember Do what is meaningful to you and makes you happy!

Comments (0)