Into The Garden: A Wedding Anthology

If I ever hear "Love is patient, love is kind" or "Let me not to a marriage of true minds admit impediments" read at a wedding again, it'll be far too soon. The sentiments are nice, but those texts are so incredibly cliche for weddings! Luckily, this book exists to save you from tired & trite wedding readings. "Into the Garden" has tons of non-religious poetry & prose on the subject of marriage & love, & even 1 or 2 unique biblical passages. This is the single best wedding-related book I've bought -- it really helped make our ceremony unique & meaningful to us ( & not like those cookie-cutter ceremonies put together by bored ministers)!

This was the perfect book for me. We borrowed parts of the sample ceremonies to create our own wedding ceremony. The sample ceremonies we used include a Zen Buddhist and a Zen/Unitarian/Humanist wedding which I could not find anywhere else. The Buddhist influence was apparent throughout the book.Many of the readings were quite wonderful and spiritual. I say spiritual and not religious, since many of the writings appeared to be appropriate for any faith.

I came across this book when my husband and I were composing our service. I found this collection lovely and a real inspiration. Particularly enjoyable were the sample services in the back. We borrowed liberally from several of those services and the celebrant we used liked the language so much that he asked us if he might "borrow" the passages in future celebrations. Agreat book for marrieds-to-be as well as anyone wishing to peruse a thoughtfully compiled collection of poetry and prose.

This is a fantastic collection of both sacred and secular poems: old (Shakespeare, Donne, Herbert), new (Frost, Larkin, Plath and Stevens) and contemporary (Olds, Milosz, Atwood, Bly). I bought it looking for an intelligently selected group of works, and I certainly found that. What I didn't expect to get in the bargain was an interesting introductory essay on the form and function of marriage in history, and a broad selection of ceremonies, tucked away at the back. In addition to Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and even Zen ceremonies, there was the aptly if somewhat puzzlingly titled, "Non-Theistic Judeo/Christian" ceremony. My fiancee and I had been wondering how to have a ceremony that was formal and traditional, without being either clinical (a civil ceremony) or inappropriate for two agnostics (a religious one). The "Non-theistic" ceremony is adapted from The Book of Common Prayer, but does not refer directly to God or the Church: it's just perfect for us. In summary, a thoughtfully-selected group of poems and ceremonies we'll be glad to have on our shelf, even after all the cake is eaten.

Lots of wonderful readings for anyone planning a wedding, particularly nonsecular readings. During my own wedding planning, I have not found another source for readings so comprehensive with so many beautiful pieces. Shakespeare, the Bible, and modern poets of many different nationalities are all represented, among many others. If you're looking for passages about love, commitment, and/or marriage, this book has something for everyone's taste. It also contains sample ceremonies for different styles of weddings, some of which are more creative than you will find in any "wedding planning" book. If you are planning a wedding ceremony that is very personalized to you both, or you aren't interested in having a "traditional" ceremony and want to write your own, check out this book for inspiration. You will fall in love with some of the passages.