Youll know long before you start the wedding plans if your faiths are different from one anotherso this shouldnt be a shock. And you may have already begun how you want to deal with this. It doesnt have to be a problem; rather, it can be a great way to create a new ceremony for the both of you.
Deciding to convert
Before deciding to convert to one religion or another, you want to take your time to discover why youre doing it. Do you truly want to convert to another religion or do you just want to make your spouses family happy? This is a very honest discussion to have with your self and there arent any good answers, except for the ones that are true.
If you feel that converting is a good decision for you, then by all means, go ahead and take the steps needed. Many times, youll have to take classes and speak with the religious head well in advance of any wedding plans.
The trick is not to feel pressured into converting. And with all of the emotions attached with a wedding, some families may have trouble accepting someone of a different faith. If you believe that you want to remain the faith that you are, you should do so.
And if your spouse is trying to coax you into converting, you may want to hold off on the wedding as well. This is a very personal choice, and it needs to be made by the individual, not everyone else.
A dual faith wedding
Its actually very easy to have a wedding that incorporates two different faiths. Sit down and see what each faith requires at the wedding and then talk about how you can compromise to make sure all is proper.
You may want to have the wedding in a non-denominational setting so that you dont have the home court advantage for one faith or another. You may also decide to have two different ceremonies weaving in and out of one another, combing elements of both faiths. This really shows the commitment to each other and to the separate faiths.
You may also want to have two different ministers or one denominational. Thats up to you, but if youre a part of a temple or a church, you may need to be married by one of the parishs priests or synagogues rabbis. |
