Commitment Celebrations
One of the outstandingingly happy couples Nancy has met through the years is Dennis and George. George liked to tell their story this way, "After several years of not being invited to Dennis's family gatherings, one Thanksgiving while most of the family was making fun of us or ignoring our absence, one of his sisters spoke up. "There is not one member of this group of married couples who have anywhere near as loving a relationship as Dennis and George." After a prolonged silence, heads started to nod in agreement. Credit is given to the family, for they all agreed, and Dennis and George were not only invited, but fully embraced as another couple.

Celebrating a lifelong commitment is no different than a traditional wedding where there are vows and rings exchanged. While religious and philosophical beliefs can be a part of a ceremony, vows that speak from the heart are the core of a
commitment ceremony.

Here is a sample of some opening statement we have used.

1.  Bob and Joseph, into your lives has entered a deep and nurturing love, and you have asked this body of friends and family, and me as a religious leader, to help you celebrate and affirm that love.
We would call your love partnership a "Holy Union," for wherever there is love, God abides there also. For as long as women and men have walked on the earth, there have been some humans beings who have shared their deepest expressions of love with a person of the same gender.  It is our hope that one day all true love partnerships may be legally recognized and fully affirmed.
Bob and Joseph, you have honored us by inviting us to witness your commitment to each other in holy union. May your love grow sure and strong and true in the days and years of your shared life together.

2.  We are gathered here today in the presence of God to witness the marriage of Susan and Mona.  Susan and Mona have asked me to explain a little about this ceremony before we begin.  Important to their ceremony is the idea that the sanctification of their marriage, or what makes it sacred, holy and official, is not anything that happens from the outside.  No blessing or approval is needed here; no format or magic spell is being used to assure that their wedding is proper or valid.
    What is happening here is simply that Susan and Mona are making a series of promises to each other.  It is the nature of the promises that makes the occasion so special and important.  And what makes the occasion sacred is the acceptance of, and the agreement to, the conditions of the promises.

Recommended Reading:
The Essential Guide to Lesbian and Gay Weddings,
by Tess Ayers and Paul Brown, published by Harper Collins It's funny and useful.

Recognizing Ourselves:
Ceremonies of Lesbian and Gay Commitment
(Between Men--Between Women); Ellen Lewin; Hardcover

Here are some links for news and activism on the subject of same-gender marriage:
Partners Task Force for Gay & Lesbian Couples - TOC
ACLU Leads Coalition Opposing Anti-Gay Marriage Bill
GLAAD: WE DO - SO DO SOMETHING!!!
FTM : The Freedom To Marry Project
Same-sex Marriage Home Page
Celebrating Lesbian Union by Butler

To email  LIGHTWING@aol.com
or call (888) 467-6572
or write to: The Webers, Box 1132, Denville, NJ 07834.

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