Interfaith Weddings

Catholic Jewish Ceremony

I am working on our ceremony programs.  Does the following seem like an appropriate "flow" and merger of the two traditions:Order of ServiceThe Marriage Ceremony The Wedding Party Officiates………………..……Parents of the Bride………..... Parents of the Groom………..Grandparents of the Bride…... Grandparents of the Groom…. Maid of Honor………………..Best Man……………………...Ushers……………….Readers…………….The Ceremony Prelude "SONG" by COMPOSER Seating of the Families Handel's Messiah - Pastoral SymphonyEntrance Rite Processional Entrance of the Bride Concerto For 2 Horns, Strings & Continuo In E Flat Major (Tafelmusik Iii/3), Twv 54:es1: II. Allegro-EntranceOpening Prayer Liturgy of the Word First Reading1 Corinthians 13:1-8a and 13 Inspirational passage by Meghan Williams  Second ReadingTOUCHED BY AN ANGEL By Maya Angelou read byRite of Marriage Exchange of Vows Blessing and Exchange of Rings Lighting of the Unity Candle "Ave Maria" by Schubert Sign of Peace Concluding Rite The Lord's Prayer Final Blessing Recessional Arcangelo Corelli, Concerto Grosso op. VI, n.4 (parte 1)KiddushinThe kiddushin is the betrothal ceremony. It begins with greetings, a blessing over the wine, and a sip taken by the bride and groom. Next come the rings: The groom recites an ancient Aramaic phrase as he places the wedding band on his bride's right index finger -- the finger believed to be directly connected to the heart. In a double-ring ceremony the bride also places a ring on the grooms index finger while repeating a feminine form of the Aramaic phrase, or a biblical verse from Hosea or Song of Songs. Sheva B'rachotThe sheva b'rachot, or seven blessings, consist of praise for God, a prayer for peace in Jerusalem, and good wishes for the couple. Breaking of the GlassDepending on whom you ask, the breaking of the wineglass is, among other things: a symbol of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem; a representation of the fragility of human relationships; and a reminder that marriage changes the lives of individuals forever. Unity Candle The lights, representing the faith, wisdom, and love they have received from their parents, are distinct, each burning alone. NAME  and NAME will light the center candle to symbolize the union of their lives. As this one light burns undivided, so shall their love be one.     May the radiance of this one light be a testimony of their unity. May these candles burn brightly as symbols of their commitment to each other, and as a tribute to their parents' everlasting love for them

Re: Catholic Jewish Ceremony

  • edited December 2011
    It looks good, but you might want to add the Seven Blessings into the lineup of the ceremony.  Without the 7 blessings in there, at first glance, it looks very heavily weighted towards catholicism.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • NeoCreed69NeoCreed69 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I agree it doesn't really seem to have much to the Jewish side of thing.  I'm not sure if you will be having other aspects like the Chuppah but even your reading choices and music sound more Christian than interfaith.  Other than that it sounds like a nice flow.
  • edited December 2011
    One other thing that might be of interest - for the breaking of the glass, our rabbi explains it as representing the fragility of marriage and relationships, and just like it would take a lot of work to put that glass back together, it takes a lot of work and dedication to keep a marriage strong.  I know there are a ton of different interpretations, I just really like the one our rabbi used and wanted to share.  If you want, I'd be happy to share our ceremony with you - we have it complete written out, so it might be a good reference.  If you want it, shoot me an email - Melbelle11@gmail
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • edited December 2011
    Like PP, seems more heavily weighted on the Catholic side to me right now.  Also, I might be reading it wrong, but it seems like you are exchanging/blessing the rings twice and doing the unity candle twice.  Maybe, you could only do the Jewish prayers over the rings, so that it's not like you're splitting the service in half between the religions, but rather incorporating aspects of both throughout the ceremony. 
  • edited December 2011
    ArtistsBride0410--We share the same wedding date! efodenheimer, Best of luck to you with your wedding! I think it sounds like a beautiful ceremony that incorporates both traditions. I envy that you are able to do this. I am Catholic and my fiance is Jewish, however my fiance doesn't belong to a temple, nor does his family. So, instead of an inter-faith ceremony, we will be married by a judge at the club where the reception is. His family thought this was a good compromise that would not offend either side. I came to this compromise with the ceremony because I did not want to start off my marriage without my fiance's family at the wedding.
  • edited December 2011
    As pp have said, this looks like its very heavily geared toward a Catholic ceremony, not a Jewish one. I think breaking it up would help.
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  • edited December 2011
    Does this seem better Order of Service The Marriage Ceremony and Kiddushin for the Consecration of Love Uniting The Ceremony Prelude Seating of the Families Messiah by Handel Entrance Rite Processional Entrance of the Bride Concerto For 2 Horns, Strings & Continuo In E Flat Major by Tafelmusik Opening Prayer Liturgy of the Word First Reading 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a and 13 Read by Cassie Post Meditations Inspirational passage by Meghan Williams Read by Meghan Williams Second Reading Touched By an Angel by Maya Angelou Read by Beth Barnett-Boebel Rite of Marriage Pledging of Troth and Exchange of Vows Sharing of the Cup Lighting of the Unity Candle and 7 Blessings Service of the Exchange of Rings Nuptial Blessings Sign of Peace Concluding Rite The Lord's Prayer Final Blessing Breaking of Glass Recessional Concerto Grosso op. VI, n.4 (parte 1) by Corelli
  • heatherjsmithheatherjsmith member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    www.interfaithfamily.com has a great wedding guide to help with the flow of an interfaith wedding - the link is http://www.interfaithfamily.com/life_cycle/weddings/Sample_Ceremony_Structure.shtml.
  • edited December 2011
    Hi  most  jewish reform Rabbi's or  reform cantor's will marry interfaith couples; it would be so much nicer to have a Rabbi or a cantor(they will sing the jewish portion of the ceremony). just a thought. they are very liberal, and you will be able to do your catholic rituals
  • edited December 2011
    I think with your updated work, you should try to use more Jewish terms to describe the occurrence, just as you have the proper term for the Catholic side. Also, Jewish processionals usually have the grandparents seated before the parents - this would be another way to incorporate more Judaic tradition while also having the wedding look like a blending of both. In addition to interfaithfamily.com, why not also pick up a book about interfaith weddings or see if someone has a program that's willing to share to give you an idea of what to include or write, that would show a nice blending of both Catholicism and Judaism. GL.
  • till304till304 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Help, I need to locate a Rabbi and Priest to conduct our wedding in May 2010, in Chicago, IL. Any contact information would be appreciated!
  • AlispidaliAlispidali member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    How long was your ceremony?
  • edited December 2011
    I am  wedding planner in St Maarten and I am looking for a male Rabbi to perform an interfaith ceremony on April 17th 2011. Can anyone help? 
    My contact number is 718-785-5197 
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