Congrats on being asked to do this - big honor. I would personalize it for the bride and groom - keep a laid back, comfortable atmosphere. Keep God as the focus of their union. Blessings
Go fer it !!! Git er done !!!
Your son loves you and has respect for your life and lifestyle..
My screen is misty for you...
:)
How is it that she is daughter in law if they are not married yet?
I wish I could have had my Dad do that. You are lucky.
Keep it personal, you know and love the kids. But remember....you are just a supporting player for the show. Ha ha.
I wouldn't because if they should ever get divorced in the future, they can blame it all on you.........
Go with traditional vows...and not the “make your own” kind....
Hire a professional photographer who uses professional equipment.
Also, hire a young, energetic family member to take lots of photos of everyone before and after the ceremony.
1st Corinthians, 13.
I had the same privilege for my son and DIL to be. It was a second marriage for both, so the ceremony was casual but traditional. I remember I got a little choked up and had to pause a moment...no worries...everyone remarked afterward it was one of the best moments in the ceremony. So I say do it. Keep a little journal for each step of the way up to and including their walk down the aisle as man and wife. I wish I had done so. Oh, and I used my kindle for reciting the ceremony. Compact and foolproof. Have fun, keep it simple, and a moment or two to be a little emotional is OK. I have it on good authority.
1. I love the traditional vows. The bride and groom get a lot of say, but I would keep as much as they permit to the traditional wording. Vows are surprisingly powerful under later stress (speaking from personal experience, where the fact that I had taken a vow gave me extra strength to keep that vow).
2. I do not enjoy hearing a narrative on the officiating person’s journey to holding the certification to conduct a wedding or the officiating person’s marriage(s) - the ceremony should be about the couple and about the institution of marriage, not about you. Your role is like that of a wedding dress; if people notice how beautiful the dress is instead of noticing how beautiful the bride looks, the dress has fallen short of meeting its purpose. If people notice you more than they notice your message, you’ve gone too far.
3. I do like “words of wisdom”, small bits of marital advice that have high value. Remind them that they have done the easy part by finding each other, but making a marriage successful is real work, regardless of how beautiful, handsome, successful, rich, or nice either or both of them may be - that can be worthwhile. All marriages that last will deal with major issues, and planning ahead to work through them makes them easier to handle.
That’s just my thoughts.
We were at a wedding where the officiant sat down in the first seat in the front row. The bride and groom were facing the audience the whole time. The officiant was mostly out of the picture.
I was very impressed.
I performed a couple of wedding ceremonies years and years ago. I don’t even remember what I said, but I suspect the vows and ceremonies were traditional. Only two suggestions that I can think of:
1. Although my daughter’s wedding went perfectly, most weddings have something go wrong. (One wedding that I attended even had one of the grooms faint during the ceremony, and he had to be carried out by four men.) Anticipate that something minor will go wrong. If it’s minor, it’s not necessarily a flaw. It’s a feature to be remembered with good humor in later years. Let everyone relax and thoroughly enjoy the occasion.
2. Hire a decent photographer, preferably one who has a backup photographer there as well. Pictures will be remembered long after you forget what the words were.
Best wishes to you.
I think it’s a blessing. I had both my grandfathers (retired ministers) read verses and it was truly special for me and them.
I do not know if that is true or not, but it does explain why mothers cry at weddings.