Ceremonies: From Traditional to Out-of-the-box Unconventional
It isn’t any secret that Northern Michigan is a perfect spot to have a destination wedding.
No matter where it is in the region, a prospective couple will need someone to offer the vows, witness and declare the couple husband and wife, and sign the marriage certificate.
There are several different types of ceremonies available to the bride and groom.
A civil ceremony is performed by a judge or magistrate and there are no religious overtones. A traditional ceremony contains prayers and Bible readings; communion can be included.
A contemporary or spiritual ceremony tends to have little religiosity. An interfaith ceremony is a wedding between couples of two different faiths, such as Catholic and Methodist.
A nondenominational ceremony is for couples who aren’t a member of any specific church and have no religious preferences.
The Rev. Ken Grimes, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, has been officiating weddings for the past 35 years. Together with wife, Judy, an ordained minister in the Unity Church, they have performed weddings all over Northern Michigan.
Ken said, “By far, most of our couples decide on a contemporary or spiritual ceremony, though we are willing to add whatever the couple would prefer such as prayers and the unity candle to any service they decide upon. It really depends on the couple.”
Added Judy, “As soon as they have their date and venue picked out, it is a good time to set up a meeting with us. Because this is a destination wedding area, couples like sunset weddings between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturdays.”
Wendy Wolfsen and Ray Luebke wrap up a Norse-style ceremony with the cutting of a marzipan cake. They were wed at a Medieval reenactment event in Kalkaska, Michigan by a Gothi (or Norse priest).
A destination wedding is set in a certain location, such as a resort, island or on the beach. It is a wedding in which all the parties involved will be traveling to attend the festivities.
There are also theme weddings. These typically have a presentation which includes the couple’s heritage or a favorite time period, such as the 1920s, Arabian nights or a Medieval theme.
Pastor Glad Remaly, a resident of Cheboygan, said, “In 2007, I performed a wedding ceremony for a wonderful couple. She was dressed in her native Polish wedding attire and he wore the appropriate formal attire of her native land. They had worked on their own vows, which were beautiful. He shared his vows in English while she shared her vows in Polish.”
Some favorite locations for a destination wedding in Northern Michigan include the many lakefronts, lighthouses and state parks in the area. For those daring couples, they opt for something quite unusual.
The Rev. Edwin Remaly, husband of Glad Remaly, said, “I performed a wedding at a winter mush race. Temperatures were in the low 20s and the couple’s lead dog was the ring bearer. They were married before their first race with other team racers and friends as witnesses. The conditions certainly made for a memorable wedding.”
Both the Grimes and Remalys will meet with the future bride and groom to determine what type of ceremony they would like for their wedding.
There are several ways a couple can accomplish this task. They can choose one of the ceremonies available, combine the contemporary ceremony with personal prayers or write their own wedding vows.
Glad said, “To have the privilege of sharing in a couple’s wedding dreams is absolutely amazing every single time. To be right there, as the magic envelops you, the optimism, excitement, the hope and love surrounding these two people, it just doesn’t get any better.”
Up North Bride Home » Fall & Winter 2010/2011 Edition » Ceremonies: From Traditional to Out-of-the-box