“Welcome! Mabuhay! Namasté! We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments and give recognition to the worth and beauty of love. Today we celebrate the joining of two hearts in marriage. And, evidently we are not alone for according to the Braham Sutra ‘When the one man loves the one woman and the one woman loves the one man, the very angels desert heaven and sit in that hour and sing for joy.’ So, again I wel-come you, friends, family… and angels.”
And, thus began the intercultural / interfaith wedding ceremony of Cristina and Abhishek – she being a Filipina and a Christian, he being Indian and a Hindu.
Initially Great Officiants recommended me to Cristina's and Abhishek's wedding planner as she was clear in communicating that what she understood the couple wanted was a ceremony that included traditional Filipino elements. However, when I read the groom’s name on the referral, it was evident to me that he hailed from a culture that was itself rich in tradition and offered much with which to celebrate in the context of a wedding.
And, thus began the intercultural / interfaith wedding ceremony of Cristina and Abhishek – she being a Filipina and a Christian, he being Indian and a Hindu.
Initially Great Officiants recommended me to Cristina's and Abhishek's wedding planner as she was clear in communicating that what she understood the couple wanted was a ceremony that included traditional Filipino elements. However, when I read the groom’s name on the referral, it was evident to me that he hailed from a culture that was itself rich in tradition and offered much with which to celebrate in the context of a wedding.
What resulted was a blending, in equal measure, of Cristina’s and Abhishek’s cultures. Ceremony highlights included my initial suggestions including a read-ing from one of the Upanishads that paired nicely with a reading from one of St. Paul’s letters, and the exchange of flower garlands (or jaimala) which in the Hindu wedding is symbolic of the bride and groom mutually accepting each other as their wedded partner.
Some Hindu elements we were not able to incorporate into the wedding itself because of time restraints or other limitations, I was able to at least reference. For example during the Filipino ritual of the pinning of veil, I related that “the symbolism of the veil is similar to the Mandap, a canopy under which Indian brides and grooms traditionally marry, as it is also a representation of a home filled with a love that has its source in the Divine.”
Some Hindu elements we were not able to incorporate into the wedding itself because of time restraints or other limitations, I was able to at least reference. For example during the Filipino ritual of the pinning of veil, I related that “the symbolism of the veil is similar to the Mandap, a canopy under which Indian brides and grooms traditionally marry, as it is also a representation of a home filled with a love that has its source in the Divine.”
As enjoyable for me as it was creating this unique celebration of two individuals, true satisfaction came in waves during the wed-ding ceremony as I often found Abhishek’s parents nodding in agreement to the words I used to describe traditions with which they were very familiar. Afterwards, both his father, Tilak Raj, and mother, Tiran, thanked me enthusiastically for the way I honored their culture and religion. Indeed, I felt the same angels that abandoned heaven to sing because of Cristina and Abhishek finding love also came to my aid to help celebrate that same love.
This was just another example of a www.GreatOfficiants.com ceremony!
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