More and more, people of different faiths are deciding to marry.  They decide that each of them can honor their own practice, while allowing their partner to do the same.  If they are having children, sometimes they decide to raise the kids with one practice, but more and more, families are blending their religious practices.  I personally believe God doesn’t care how you connect, just that you DO connect.  For couples who are spiritual but don’t have a “God” concept in their lives, we invoke whatever images and concepts make that couple feel connected to their highest good.  Marriage is a sacred contract and the wedding ritual needs to reflect those values.

For an Interfaith/Interspiritual couple, honoring their families often takes top priority.  As an Interfaith minister, my job is to investigate what practices have meaning for the couple, the parents, the kids and the extended family.  Then I weave these different rituals into the ceremony.

In the Jewish tradition, couples marry under a chuppah (canopy).  In the Celtic tradition, couples exchange vows with hand fasting.  Many Christian couples light a Unity candle.  I research prayers from different traditions and blend them into the ceremony.

Once the ceremony is written, couples give me feedback, edits, and often insert their own vows and poems.  It’s an inspiring collaborative process resulting in a unique ceremony that is distinctly their own. Once the ceremony begins, the couple can surrender to the moment, confident that their beliefs are being reflected in the ritual.

Gone are the days when people converted for the sake of the family.  Today is a time of authentic spirituality where each person can practice in a way which is uniquely their own.  And to that, I say, “Amen.”