Wedding Planning - Commitment Ceremony

Heartstrings Bridal can help you plan your commitment ceremony. We can help you with all of the details so all you have to do is relax and have fun on your day!

We have several packages to choose from as well as hourly and custom services. We can help you plan as little or as much of your commitment ceremony as you wish.

What is a Commitment Ceremony?
Provided courtesy of:
Rev. Tomkin Coleman, Minneapolis, MN
http://www.geocities.com/mnweddings

Everyone's definitions differ, but a commitment ceremony (or wedding) can be seen a contract with up to five facets. A couple's union, whether with a same-sex ceremony or heterosexual one, is a personal, religious, familial, and social contract. It’s only the fifth facet of the union, the legal one, that differentiates a same-sex commitment ceremony or wedding from a heterosexual ceremony. While we should continue to fight for the legal rights of all our citizens, that doesn't mean that everyone can't have ceremonies and unions that are special, beautiful, and meaningful. Is a commitment ceremony legally recognized by the state? For the most part, no. The vast majority of states and provinces do not recognize the union of same-sex couples. With the passage in 1997 of the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" in Minnesota’s Legislature, for instance, the state wiped out any previous attempts at recognizing such marriages. Even Vermont’s newly created Civil Union only applies to couples when they are in that state, and not when they leave to go to any other state. Therefore, any legal benefits of your union must be made on your own, through such legal means as powers of financial and medical attorney, wills, and "pre-nuptials". If a commitment ceremony is not legally recognized, then why have one? Marriage is not just a legal institution, it can also be a personal, religious, familial, and social one. Even if the state does not recognize the union, all the parties involved do, and all the other facets are binding. Why make the commitment ceremony a public one? A wedding or commitment ceremony is the public witnessing of vows. The guests at a commitment ceremony play an active and essential part of the ceremony, as all in attendance witness the vows. Who should we invite to our commitment ceremony? For a commitment ceremony, a couple may invite the people most important to them, the ones they want to publicly witness their vows. As witnesses, the guests are an active and essential part of the ceremony. Vows are a personal contract, and by having them witnessed, the contract becomes public, as well. Involving a minister can also make it a religious contract, although not all couples choose this option.