It was such a joy to officiate two weddings last week; one in Miami, a Hindu-Muslim, and the other was a Muslim-Christian wedding in Estes Park Mountain resort in Colorado. It is 12000′ above sea level, high up in the Mountain.
The couple and the two of us, me and the pastor were standing in the open Gazebo with Bride’s maids on one side, and Groom’s men on the other, with the Bride and Groom in the center. The cold wind was blowing – it was biting cold and made a lot of noise. At least the Pastor and I were wearing long coats and Sherwani, the bride and the bridesmaid were shivering, and my hand was freezing. The 25 minutes seemed like a long time. Everyone wanted it over, so we can go back into the reception hall. I cut the proceeding to 20 minutes.
It was an unbelievable sight – clear blue skies, giant pine trees, and open-air with the floor covered with fluffy snow.
The groom’s father is a pastor and wanted to be part of the officiating team – so I wrote the script, and we took turns. I have co-officiated weddings with Hindu Priests, Christian Pastors, and Jewish Rabbis. The guests enjoyed the short sermon on the essence of Christianity and Islam. Our Christian friends said they learned about Islam first hand, and the Muslim friends said they learned Christianity first hand and walked out with respect for both faiths.
Invariably, the Bride manages almost every detail of the wedding.
Every couple I have officiated the wedding was super caring, they make sure I am taken care of in every detail. It is such a joy. Indeed, in the 200 plus interfaith weddings, I have officiated, our guests walk out of the wedding with a feeling of respect for other religions. The faith traditions I have officiated are; Christians (of many denominations), Hindus, Humanists, Jain, Jewish, Muslims (different denominations), and Sikhs. I am looking forward to officiating Bahai, Buddhists, and Zoroastrian weddings.
Mike GhouseWedding Officiant www.InterfaithMarriages.org
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