Friday, February 27, 2009

Favorite Old Testament Verse Read At Weddings




Although Ruth 1:16–17 is the favorite Old Testament verse chosen by most brides I have married there are many others that reflect on a wedding or couple getting married. Below is a list of a few others.

The Favorite:

Ruth 1:16-17 reads "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried beside you. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."


Genesis 1:26-28

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.



Genesis 2:15-24



The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.



Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12



Two are better than one: they get a good wage for their labor. If the one falls, the other will lift up his companion. Woe to the solitary man, for if he should fall, he has no one to lift him up! So also, if two sleep together, they keep each other warm. How can one alone keep warm? Where a lone man may be overcome, two together can resist. A three-ply cord is not easily broken.



Proverbs 31:10-3



A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.



Song of Songs 2:10-13



My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."



The Song of Solomon 3: 9-11



You have captured my heart, my own, my bride, you have captured my heart with one glance of you eyes, with one coil of your necklace. How sweet is your love, my own, my bride! How much more delightful your love than wine, your ointments more fragrant than any spice! Sweetness drops from your lips, O bride; honey and milk are under your tongue; and the scent of your robes is like the scent of Lebanon.



Song of Solomon 8:6-7



Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned.

Easy Wedding On A Budget




In today's economy, brides and grooms can save money by having a simple wedding on off times. May places discount rooms during off months and weekdays. Weekday weddings have increased since October 2008 as couples try to save money. Asking when is the best time to save money on a wedding is a good question to ask before you sign any agreements. Better still think elopement. Asking a wedding officiant to help you save money and recommend the cheapest wedding package is also a good question to begin with when planning a simple wedding on a budget. Most professional wedding officiants do a lot of weddings and know where it is cheapest to do a simple elopement. Some photographers also work with an officiant to do simple wedding packages at a lower cost than the bigger wedding books.
The American Association of Wedding Officiants helps brides and grooms find professional wedding officiants with knowledge on how to plan a simple elopement. New Orleans is a good place for a nice elopement in a historic setting. The French Quarter and several parks have spots where the couple 2 witnesses and the officiant can do a simple wedding for no rental fee. It is possible on a week day for a couple to get a marriage license in New Orleans then get married the same day then spend the night in a historic hotel all for under $500.00. You can have flowers delivered by FTD to your hotel room, eat out at a famous restaurant, take a carriage ride through the French Quarter or get married where the pirates did in a secret alley in the old section of the Vieux Carre.

To help plan a marriage on a budget here are some links:

1. How To Save Money On A Wedding- http://www.figstreet.com/guesthouse/weddingtips.html

2. Elope To Pirates Alley, New Orleans-
http://www.figstreet.com/guesthouse/piratesalleyweddings.html

3. American Association of Wedding Officiants-
http://www.figstreet.com/aawo/index.html

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Keeping An Accurate Calendar



An essential element of planning a wedding is having an accurate calendar. Several web based services like Yahoo and Google provide a calendar that is easy to use and can be downloaded into a computer program and printed out for hard copy. Know where to be, with whom, and what information is not only a smart thing to know but makes the meeting go smoother. Enter all events, time, names, and contact information. In case of a problem, put cell phone numbers in the date and time just for those unexpected break downs.
Whether it be the Bride and Groom meeting with the Minister, Event Planner, Caterer, and scheduling rehearsals or a Minister, who has a hectic schedule of weddings a good accurate calendar is a must.

Here are some helpful links;

http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/calendar/

http://www.google.com/support/calendar/

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/it/calendar/tips.html

The American Association of Wedding Officiants is a professional organization that helps couples find qualified wedding officiants in the USA and Canada.