We wanted his kids to very much be a part of the begining of our new family. We gave each one a ring to symbolize that. Our officiant also asked the kids for thier blessing.
A Family Ketubah
We liked the idea of the Jewish Ketubah so well, we stole the idea and adapted it to our situation. Rather then a pre-nup between the bride and groom, we make a family covenant between the bride, groom, and his two kids which we all signed during the ceremony. It hangs in our wall of f(sh)ame in our hallway, as an everyday reminder of our commitment to one another and to this family.
OUR KETUBAH:
On the 1 day of the week, the 6 day of Tishrei, in the year 5769, which corresponds to the 4th day of October, in the year two-thousand and eight, in Seattle, Washington, the groom, Jason Paul Chandler, and the bride, Marianne Petitt, together with the groom’s children Vantashia Teena Justine and Ayden Kristopher, recognize this marriage is the establishment of a new family, one that deserves the creation of a new covenant, entered into with love and compassion. And all declare: We, as beloveds, family and friends, will cherish each other's uniqueness; comfort and challenge each other through life's sorrow and joy; and above all do everything within our power to permit each of us to become the persons we are yet to be. As we will journey through life together we will always love, respect, and support for each other and the family; promise each other to strive throughout our lives together to achieve an openness which will enable us to share our thoughts, our feelings, and our experiences. We shall support each other in achieving spiritual, intellectual and emotional fulfillment and try always to bring out in ourselves and in each other qualities of forgiveness, compassion, and integrity.. Together may we create a home that is rich with wisdom and caring, built with love, a home filled with love, learning, and generosity. May we celebrate the flow of the seasons and the passages of life with joy and reverence. From this day forward we are as one. Accordingly, we enter into this covenant of love, family, peace and friendship. This commitment to each other, binds us together and seals this document.
Bride ____________ Groom ____________
Groom Daughter ____________ Grooms Son ____________
Salt Covenant
The mixing of salt represents the mixing together of the couples lives. I brought salt back from the Dead Sea last spring, which we used. The Salt Covenant is a loyalty pact. In biblical times men carried a pioch of salt on their belts. When two men wanted to make a covenant of loyalty, each would take some salt from his pouch and sprinkle it in the other man's pouch. Then they stated their terms of their agreement and shook their salt pouches, mingling the grains of salt.
Shaking the salt pouches reminded them that the covenant could not be broken, because it was no longer possible to go into the other man's pouch and retreive the original grains that each had deposited. Therefore, the pact is binding and eternal as which signifies your union-- binding and forever. Salt is considered a pure substance. It is believed by many to be a symbol of good luck and is considered to be a the purest of all earthly
Materials.
Shaking the salt pouches reminded them that the covenant could not be broken, because it was no longer possible to go into the other man's pouch and retreive the original grains that each had deposited. Therefore, the pact is binding and eternal as which signifies your union-- binding and forever. Salt is considered a pure substance. It is believed by many to be a symbol of good luck and is considered to be a the purest of all earthly
Materials.
We also added another element to this. We had our guests write a blessing on rocks we'd gathered at the beach and we poured our salt over that in a large apothecary jar which now and forever will reside in our house.
SALT CEREMONY
Celebrant: During Ancient times, agreements and promised were sealed by salt covenants – salt being a symbol of good luck and considered to be the purest of all earthly materials. Each person would take a pinch of salt from their pouch and place it in the pouch of the other. Their agreement could not be broken unless they could each retrieve their own grains of salt.
A Marriage Salt Covenant does the same thing by asking the bride and groom to combine their grains of salt. This commitment to each other can not be broken unless one person can each retrieve their own grains of salt. Since this is not possible it is a symbol of an unbreakable covenant and promise of love.
Jason and Marianne you have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings. You have committed here today to share the rest of your lives with each other.
And relationship is now symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of salt one representing you, Jason, and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other representing you, Marianne, and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be.
As these two containers of salt are poured into the third container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of salt can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be.
(Jason and Marianne combine their containers of salt.)
