A Christian/Muslim Wedding

By Lois Heckman | Published: July 6, 2008 | Comments closed



In today’s world with people so divided it was with great pleasure that I officiated this weekend for a Christian/Muslim couple. The bride was from Somalia, and the Groom with roots here in the Poconos. I found many common traditions and rituals which I incorporated into their ceremony, most notably signing the marriage certificate as part of the ceremony followed by ‘sharing the peace,’ as is done in both traditions. A lovely Somali tradition is an exchange of flower garlands and the couple did just before exchanging vows and rings.

The couple emphasized to me that they worship the same God and that they are not very different at all. They share the same values, most importantly the love of family and, for all the seriousness one might expect of the inter-faith aspect of their relationship, mostly they are just a fun-loving normal young couple like any other couple anywhere.

I was surprised and delighted to arrive and find the bridesmaids were wearing traditional Somali Guntiino – a full-length, brightly colored dress resembling a Sari, while the bride wore a traditional white wedding gown. It was a most meaningful and memorable ceremony. Gosh, I love being a Celebrant.

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