Suggestions for readings/poems/texts for a spiritual commitment/engagement ceremony

[la mamita]

I'm Catholic, DP is spiritual and christian but not religious. We're holding a ceremony in January--it was initially going to be a marriage, but for some legal/immigration reasons, we're holding off on the marriage. Instead we're holding a ceremony to celebrate our commitment to each other, an engagement ceremony if you will. We'll be moving to my country before getting married, so this is our big 'coming together' moment for his side of the family. A fairly liberal evangelical pastor will be leading the service outdoors.

I'm looking for suggestions for readings, poems, quotes, Bible passages, etc that we can use at the service. As mentioned before, we're on different paths spiritually, and we're open to suggestions from all faith traditions. I've found a few online so far, but nothing really moves me. We are holding the service in Spanish, but I can easily translate anything in English to Spanish, so no language limitations in that realm.

THANKS!

[Magelet]

the song of songs is just beautiful and so much of it might be suitable. (It also talks more about love than g-d, so if your ideas of g-d are different....)  It's from the hebrew bible (which is pretty much the same as the old testement I think)

[raelize]

have you read Khalil Gibran's "the prophet"? i believe their is a section on love or marriage.  i only remember the children section now and it is beautiful and moving and i would think appropriate to a mixed religious/spiritual ceremony

[indigosky]

I loved some passages from this book: http://www.amazon.com/Handfasting-Wedding-Rituals-Welcoming-Blessing/dp/0738704709/

that are very nature-based. Some parts of the book are explicitly Pagan, but others to me are lovely passages about human connections and our place in the universe.

We also had a commitment ceremony but didn't get legally married (by our choice and preference). There are tons of books of "wedding readings" -- I got a stack out of the library and read through them to find passages that spoke to me (and then he read the ones I liked until we found ones we agreed on.)

I believe that near the end we also injected some humor by having my brother and sister-in-law read an excerpt of Dr. Seuss's Oh the Places You'll Go.

[Tradd]

You might do the "Love is patient, love is kind" reading from the New Testament - 1 Corinthians 13. Begin/end wherever you like. And God is not mentioned, if that is of concern to you.

[la mamita]

Originally Posted by Magelet 

the song of songs is just beautiful and so much of it might be suitable. (It also talks more about love than g-d, so if your ideas of g-d are different....)  It's from the hebrew bible (which is pretty much the same as the old testement I think)

thanks! it is really beautiful, but i think it's too, um, erotic or flowery for my tastes. haha...i'm kind of modest.

Originally Posted by raelize 

have you read Khalil Gibran's "the prophet"? i believe their is a section on love or marriage.  i only remember the children section now and it is beautiful and moving and i would think appropriate to a mixed religious/spiritual ceremony

yes, that's one of the few i've already found and liked. my uncle just used the exact same passage at his wedding a few months ago, so i'm trying to find something a little more unique, but i might end up using it anyways.

Originally Posted by indigosky 

I loved some passages from this book: http://www.amazon.com/Handfasting-Wedding-Rituals-Welcoming-Blessing/dp/0738704709/

that are very nature-based. Some parts of the book are explicitly Pagan, but others to me are lovely passages about human connections and our place in the universe.

We also had a commitment ceremony but didn't get legally married (by our choice and preference). There are tons of books of "wedding readings" -- I got a stack out of the library and read through them to find passages that spoke to me (and then he read the ones I liked until we found ones we agreed on.)

I believe that near the end we also injected some humor by having my brother and sister-in-law read an excerpt of Dr. Seuss's Oh the Places You'll Go.

thanks! i looked at the preview for the book on amazon but it didn't let me see any of the poetry/ceremony! i am in peru, so i don't have access to a library, sadly.

Originally Posted by Tradd 

You might do the "Love is patient, love is kind" reading from the New Testament - 1 Corinthians 13. Begin/end wherever you like. And God is not mentioned, if that is of concern to you.

that is perfect! exactly what i was looking for.

[Tradd]

Here's a portion from the Song of Songs that is not erotic - Song 8:6-8

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
      As a seal upon your arm;
      For love is as strong as death,
      Jealousy as cruel as the grave;^[a]
      Its flames are flames of fire,
      A most vehement flame.^{[b]
       7} Many waters cannot quench love,
      Nor can the floods drown it.
      If a man would give for love
      All the wealth of his house,
      It would be utterly despised.