Wedding Ceremonies
There are so many details that make your wedding memorable, perhaps the most important being the ceremony itself. I am happy to work with you to ensure that you have a ceremony that you and your guests will never forget.
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The Process: We will meet 2-3 times prior to your wedding. In our first meeting, I'll get to know you and your fiancée. We'll chat about how you met, your relationship, your engagement, and what type of ceremony you're dreaming of. Our later meetings will iron out details of the ceremony, ensuring that everything is perfect. From there, I will join you for your rehearsal and, of course, on your big day.
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If you're looking for a non-religious, funny, cute, memorable ceremony with a chance of crowd participation, contact me at wittwering@gmail.com.
Mickey & Alyssa - October 2013
Mickey and Alyssa met while working together at the Franklin Institute Science Museum, so their ceremony was heavy on the science. Here is an excerpt from Alyssa and Mickey's ceremony that gets a little sciencey:
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There is a lot of science standing in front of you today. You might say that science is the reason we are here today. And you’d be right. There is the obvious point that Mickey and Alyssa met while working for the Camp-In overnight program at the Franklin Institute Science Museum. I mean, the word science is right there. But there’s more to it than just the place in which they met.
For example, when asked how she met Mickey, Alyssa said, “The first night I worked with Mickey I knew that I had to ask him out because otherwise he would be snatched up by someone else.” In the primate world, this scientific phenomenon is known as mate-guarding. Mate guarding is the process in which a member of a species attempts to prevent another member of a species of a different sex from mating with rival members. Science.
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Another important aspect of their relationship I was asked to include was their love of music. Here's an excerpt that ties in some of their favorite tunes:
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On the night Mickey and Alyssa first met, Mickey described their first conversation as a discussion on being unable to take the elevator to a certain level of the building. It may not have been “Love in an Elevator” just yet, but for the purposes of this ceremony, it was. Besides, there was no denying that you, you were standing. She was there. Two worlds collided. And they will never tear you apart.
At last, your love has come along. So, here we are now. The final countdown. Going to the chapel, or waterworks, and going to get married. You both look wonderful tonight and it is obvious that you are both amazed by the way you love each other all the time. It is clear to all that you are the sunshine in each other’s lives and god only knows what each of you would be without the other.
I know you’ve waited for this moment, for all your lives, oh lord. And I know you can feel it coming in the air tonight. (PAUSE) I was really expecting a drum solo there. At any rate, just know that as your love continues to grow as it has, helped along by your caring and nourishment, that everything really can feel this real forever, and everything can be this good again.
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Rachel & Kimmy - June 2017
Rachel and Kimmy asked me to include crowd participation, non-religious readings, children's books, and their son Gabe in the ceremony. Here is an excerpt that introduces children's stories to the ceremony while also delivering a message to the more conservative folks in attendance:
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We all love stories. In particular, everyone loves a good children’s story, am I right? Children’s stories are fantastic. They are simple in their presentation though their message often resonates well beyond childhood. Whether it’s “The Monster at the End of this Book” that teaches us that our fears are often not as bad as they seem, or “The Sneetches” that teaches us that no one group of us is better than any other, or “Everybody Poops” which teaches us that everyone in fact does poop.
These are all great stories with great lessons. We learn to face our fears, accept others, and know that no matter how different you may be from the person next to you, we all poop. Children’s stories teach us some of life’s greatest lessons and encourage us to be open, accepting, and loving. Unfortunately, as we grow older, we sometimes forget these stories and thus forget the lessons that they taught.
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Yes, I said the word "poop" in a wedding ceremony. Three times. This next excerpt moves away from poop and shares the story of Rachel meeting Gabe for the first time.
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Because everything was going so well, Kimmy decided to take an important step. It was time for Gabe and Rachel to meet. Kimmy sat with Gabe, telling him that she had met a very cool lady that she wanted him to meet. Gabe was all about it! In fact, he was so excited to meet Rachel that he decided to bring his toy car collection to show her.
Now, having been a five-year-old boy with a car collection, I can attest to the significance of this gesture. It’s a pretty big deal.
Kimmy and Gabe made the trek to Rachel’s small apartment in which Gabe lined up all of his cars, and added a new car to his collection courtesy of Rachel. The three of them then played a game of hide and seek in which Rachel was amazed to discover the amount of hiding places a five-year-old can find in a one bedroom apartment.
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Finally, the crowd participation. I used Kimmy and Rachel's request to use readings and children's books as an opportunity to introduce an audience sing along. Kimmy and Rachel read Dallas Clayton's An Awesome Book of Love to each other, with their guests singing "Love, Love, Love" from "All You Need Is Love" in between. Here's a short clip of that:
WITTWERING:
Verb. 1) Pertaining to the behavior of being a Wittwer. 2) Doing odd things that only Wittwers would do. 3) Catchall phrase for the thoughts and actions of Patrick Wittwer.