A Wedding with Spirit: A Guide to Making Your Wedding (and Marriage) More Meaningful

by Gertrud Mueller Nelson and Christopher Witt

Book Overview

A WEDDING WITH SPIRIT has been written for the bride and groom who are searching for something more for their wedding--not more as in bigger, grander, or more lavish, but more as in more meaningful, gracious, and sacred. Ritual and liturgy experts Gertrud Mueller Nelson and Christopher Witt have helped hundreds of couples plan their ceremonies and in these pages they have distilled their years of experience into some basic principles. Instead of trying...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385517890
• ISBN13: 9780385517898
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Harmony/Rodale/Convergent
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Perfect for people who want to escape the wedding "industry"

The entire book is wonderful for planning your own creative and spritual wedding. Book details the reasons behind a lot of wedding "traditions" and explains ways to make the wedding YOURS. Great read for brides and grooms alike!

A completely different perspective on weddings!

The authors bring the meaning back into the wedding planning process. After you read a few wedding books, you think that all weddings are A, B or C and "everyone" has X, Y, or Z. You and everyone else in the country are all doing the same thing because you're getting the same advice! And that advice has nothing to do with why you're getting married and who you are and everything to do with one day, which just has to be the biggest, the best, the most elegant, according to every bridal planner. Out of all the many wedding books out there, very few are actually useful and almost none deal with the reality of planning a wedding. This one is and does. I read it, my fiance read it, our mothers read it- our moms had to have their own copies because they kept referring to it! It goes way beyond the typical advice on sit-down versus buffet receptions and picking a photographer. The authors explain different ceremonies, vows and traditions. They discuss children at and in the wedding, how your reception should be viewed as what it truly is, a party for your guests, not an overblown affair to impress people, and they give examples of real weddings they've been to. Also, this book is for both the bride and groom and their families. It helped us pick our readings and vows, and gave us some great ideas. But most of, it was a book I could relate to. The authors make it clear that no matter how religious or non religious, how formal or informal, your wedding can be a reflection of your relationship and personalities without sacrificing tradition or having to adhere strictly to customs that are meaningless to you. They show how a wedding can be the wonderful celebration it should be. I highly recommend this book to all engaged couples, and I am giving it to all my engaged friends!

Detailing the positive, spiritual encounter of marriage

We received this book as a shower/engagement gift about ten months before the wedding. The book takes the wedding novice through the ceremony, and describes the various traditions behind the different aspects of the ceremony. It blends multiple religions, and offers an excellent selection of readings from the New Jerusalem translation. We relied heavily on this book when planning the wedding ceremony, and picking our readings. It's truly a beautiful book, designed to help incorporate the spiritual aspect of a wedding --- without too much reference to any specific God or diety. An excellent gift for any newly engaged couple!

Excellent fresh new perspectives on preparing for a wedding

This book was an increadible relief to read before diving head first into the chaos of planning a wedding. It had many excellent perspectives on how to personalize your wedding and ceremony so that your wedding day really has meaning for you and your future spouse without having to spend a lot of money. Also, there are several sections that descrbe the origins of some of todays typical wedding customs, which was helpful for my spouse and I to decide wich traditions to include. It is a clear and wonderfully written book. I highly recommend reading it to anyone who is planning a wedding.

A unique approach to planning a wedding

After having looked at dozens of books, this one has become one of my best finds. It's been borrowed by my mother and the bride's mother, and it's been asked-for by numerous friends and relatives. The book covers the wedding from the spiritual-side, focusing on the ceremony more than the reception. It's a welcome change from the rest of the "buying guides" and "how-tos" that are more concerned with the party and not the actual wedding. I highly recommend it.