This is the page for Wedding Stories. We'd like to hear from YOU
about your experiences. Since many of us became ministers to be able to legally perform weddings, I'm sure we've all had some interesting experiences.
Tell us your best wedding story. Maybe it was interesting because it was your first and you forgot to tell the guests to sit down. Or maybe it was unusual because there were animals as part of the bridal party. Have you done a wedding in the middle of nowhere? I had to hike a third of a mile through the woods to get to a clearing where the wedding took place. It was next to a river and after the ceremony, the bride and groom jumped in. I had another where the wedding coordinator thought it was appropriate to tell ME (the minister and expert in the field) how to perform the ring ceremony. Just tell us your story.
Any story you'd like to share. Submitting a story to us at stories@ulcseminary.org and we will not only get your name in print, but we will also serve
to validate your press pass, if you own one. Your story doesn't have to be long and don't worry if you don't feel like you know how to write. Just tell us your story and let others learn from your valuable experiences.
Wedding StoryUniversal Life ChurchThis weekend I married my friends. I thought it would be really cool to do the entire service using my iPad. I thought that I would be an innovator, an early adopter—it was the geekiest part of my soul that made me want to do this. In some ways, I was more excited about marrying people using an iPad than the marriage itself. My wife, an early adopter by marriage, was disgusted at me and warned me, ominously, that if something went wrong I would be screwed. I scoffed at the comment knowing that my faith in Jobs would win the day.The service started well enough as you can see in the picture. Everything was happy until midway through the service when the temperature warning went off and the iPad said, "the iPad is overheating and will need to cool down. Oh, and you're totally screwed."Suddenly I was panicked. As a new reverend of the Universal Life Church I had never dealt with a technical challenge during a service. I was nervous enough
Thursday, August 05, 2010
I went to a wedding once where a flower girl was taking her job very, very seriously. Someone must have coached her to drop a petal at every step because she would carefully take one step, then reach into her basket, take out one flower petal, and place it carefully on the floor in front of herself. It was a hoot watching her! Then when she got to the altar, she realized she still had petals in her basket, so she turned it upside down and shook out the petals! LOL! The best part was the terribly grave expression of concentration on her little face.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
My cousin Craig was the groom and was about to make his speech at the reception. This traditionally starts with the words "On behalf of my wife and I..." and everyone cheers. But Craig (who was a little tipsy) forgot the traditional opening and just launched into the speech.His wife Diane began tugging at his jacket, hissing "Say "my wife and I!"". Craig ignored her and continued with the speech, batting at her hand like he was shooing a fly. Diane continued with the hissing and tugging until Craig turned to her in obvious exasperation and said "Shut up, woman!"There was a hideous, eternal second of horrified silence before Diane burst out laughing.After 15 years of happy marriage and 4 kids, she still thinks it's hilarious and Craig still hasn't lived it down.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
When I got married last year the officiant called Mr. Sweede by the wrong name. His actual legal name is an American nickname, but he was born in another country and his parents liked the nickname better than the traditional name, so they picked the nickname. On the legal paperwork for our marriage it says his actual name (nickname) and I only used his actual name in all correspondence with the officiant. But the officiant must have assumed that Mr. Sweede was actually called the traditional name. So he used it during the entire ceremony. Mr. Sweede was a little put off and some people in the audience giggled the first time the officiant said the wrong name (cause they all knew better). But when it was time to say the vows and Mr. Sweede had to repeat after the officiant, he actually corrected the officiant in the middle of our ceremony. People were laughing out loud as we said our vows. Since that night people who were at the wedding have been calling Mr. Sweede by wron
Saturday, July 31, 2010
My parents decided to memorize their traditional vows (I Bride, take you Groom, blah blah.). Well, my mom practiced for weeks. Everywhere they went, she'd be reciting them to herself, "I, Mary, take you, Michael..."Dad never practiced. She would bug him: "Don't you need to practice?" and he'd say, "I've got them down, no problem."The Big Day arrives. They're standing before the priest. My father opens his mouth and says, "I, Mary, take you, Michael...."33 years later, he still hasn't lived that one down.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Mum , dad and brother are making their way up to the hotel to get ready 2 hours before kickoff , when all of a sudden smoke starts pouring into the interior of the car . Dad has respiratory probs anyway , and he's starting to panic , so they screech to a halt on the hard shoulder of the A120 , with Mother screeching ' GET OUT OF THE CAR !! GET OUT OF THE CAR !! ' and brother trying to put out the fire by throwing the dregs of a small bottle of Evian over the center console, but to no avail . Call the Fire Brigade, and at this point Mother remembers the ludicrously expensive Jacques Vert mother of the bride outfit about to smolder to nothing in the boot . So, she wallops brother over the head , screeches 'GET BACK TO THE CAR ! GET BACK TO THE CAR !! ' and gets him to retrieve said outfit . Fire Brigade duly turn up and do the honors , and shut the road to be on the safe side . I in the meantime am at the hotel , when I get a raging phone call from hubby to be because he's
Monday, July 26, 2010
To do easily what is difficult for other is the mark of talent. To do what is impossible for talent is the mark of genius. -- Frederic Amiel (1856) [More Inspirational Quotes
"If the power to do hard work is not a skill, it's the best possible substitute for it." - James A. Garfield (1831-1881) 20th US President.
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