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I think I'm calling mine the "Prayer to the Virgin Mary" I have a similar situation, about 80% will not be Catholic and thats the best I could come up with.
I'm *hopefully* doing this, I have to make sure the church is okay with it! I commented on a thread similar to this. I'll have to find it and post it. The suggestions for wording was helpful!
The presentation of a special bouquet of flowers at the foot of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an established Catholic tradition. The flowers are presented to the statue as an offering of love for the Mother of God.
A shortened version of the Ave Maria is often played or sung at this time. During the presentation, the bride and groom ask Mary in prayer to pray for their marriage, and that their children lead holy and happy lives, as well as any other special intentions.
I tried looking it up but I can't find it, it may haven been deleted. However, what I do remember from that post is explaining that we look at our Blessed Mother Mary, Joseph, and Christ as the perfect family and that we want to honor them with leaving flowers for her. I think Mrs. Spring was the one who wrote a really nice blurb for what we can put in our programs. I wish I could find it, sorry I wasn't of much more assistance!
Our flowers for Mary will be placed before our ceremony (not during the ceremony).
We have a section titled "In Remembrance". Below that section title, we wrote "Flowers have been placed at the shine of the Blessed Virgin Mary in memory of:" and then we listed our decesed relatives.
Does that make sense?
We're doing it, after the vows and Eucharist, and have it just as "Presentation of Flowers to Mary" in our program. We have a primarily Catholic guest list, though, so I'm less concerned about their theological confusion!
My parents gave flowers to both Mary and Joseph. I like that they did that because it's not so much only about the woman. The flowers to Mary used to be symbolic of the bride offering up her virginity. Not so feminist, really.
FI and I are skipping it because he's not Catholic and has no connection to Mary. It's ok with me except for how beautiful the song "Ave Maria" is and my memory of my grandmother's devotion to Mary. But I think I'll be carrying the rosary she gave me as my something blue, so that's ok.
I am catholic and doing this myself. It's usually titled "Presentation of Flowers to the Virgin Mary". The Ave Maria is a beautiful song played during this time. Your husband stands by your side with a hand on your shoulder while you kneel and pray.
It doesn't HAVE to be "Ave Maria" that is played, and typically husband AND wife kneel and pray. The main thing is making sure you include your guests in it with a song they can join in singing. (Which, usually when I see Ave Maria it's more of a "show" than an inclusive hymn).
Some do just to Mary some to St. Joseph as well. The "reasoning" behind this is that Mary is the ultimate spouse and mother. Her purity and ultimate love is something we should strive for as is the model of the Holy Family. This is a time to pray and ask for her/their intercession to aid you in serving Christ through your marriage.
In our church, the Statue of St. Joseph is right next to the statue of mary. I.e. we'll honor both, pray to both. We'll be doing the hymn "As I kneel."
As I kneel before you,
As I bow my head in prayer,
Take this day, make it yours
and fill me with your love.
Refrain:
Ave Maria,
Gratia plena,
Dominus tecum,
Benedicta tu.
All I have I give you,
Every dream and wish are yours,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of mine, present them to my Lord.
(Repeat Refrain)
As I kneel before you,
And I see your smiling face,
Ev'ry thought, ev'ry word
Is lost in your embrace.
I wrote 'The flowerd place under the blessed mother are in honor of" in the program... and I am just going to have them placed there before the ceremony- the church is big and I don't want to trip walking around infront of everyone!
@Julies1949- I love that wording! that is totally going in my Wedding Folder on my computer for my programs... thank you!
@ original poster-- You could simply say "we ask the blessed Virgin Mary to ask her son for his blessing" or "we as the Virgin Mary to pray for us" so that non-catholics will know you aren't praying TO her, but asking for her to pray for you?
I will be doing this as well, but I may be playing a verse or two from "Immaculate Mary" the Lourdes Hymn instead because She holds a special place for me. It is a little more upbeat if and if you include the lyrics from this verse: "Oh Bless us dear Lady, with blessings from Heaven, And to our petition let answers be given" it kind of explains a Marian Devotion if you want to check out that song as an option? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcs6WPjZi0k
I would write this in the program:
"As Catholics, [you] and [your FI] look to Mary as the perfect example of a wife and a mother, and to the Holy Family as model they hope to emulate in their life together. For this reason, [you] will present a bouquet of flowers to the Blessed Virgin as she prays that Mary's example will guide their family on God's path for them."
The song is usually AVE MARIA. The description of the act is called "Presentation Of Flowers To Mary".
This is a very special time for the bride and groom to be able to approach Mary and ask her to pray for the marriage and to continue to serve as an example in our lives. During this time, the cantor/pianist/organist sings. This is actually not a time for the entire Church to join in on the singing.
GOD BLESS...
@marjojo: I absolutely love that you will be carrying her rosary. What a beautiful way to honor her and your faith.
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I'm trying to figure out how to explain offering flowers to the statue of Our Lady in my wedding program. I will have a lot of Protestant/Non-Catholic guests at my wedding and I want to make sure there is no misunderstanding regarding our respect for the blessed mother. Did anyone else include an explanation in their program? Or even if not, are you better with words than me? :) Any help is appreciated ~ :)