Imagine it's your wedding. You're making the most important promise of your life. But when the presiding official speaks, it's in a language you barely understand, at best. Instead of a confident "I do!" you're thinking, "I'll take your word for it, pal."
Reverend Andrew Murphy of Heart of Sedona Weddings is helping more and more bi-lingual and multicultural couples and families create wedding ceremonies in the comfort of their own language.
The awe-inspiring scenery of Sedona's Red Rock Country draws couples from all over the world, and while the romantic chapels, inspiring vistas and gorgeous photo ops are all there, the opportunity to have your Sedona wedding ceremony truly reflect your heritage through a language other than English has, until recently, been more of a challenge.
The actual words people say and hear during a wedding ceremony are a powerful component of the transformation of two individuals into a couple, and to hear those words in one's own language, or the language that reflects a family's heritage, gives the ceremony that much more emotional and spiritual impact.
Reverend Murphy and his staff at Heart of Sedona craft custom wedding ceremonies incorporating the language preferences of the couple and their families, and not just for international clients.
"Often a couple will both be English-speaking Americans, but have extended and immediate family from abroad," says Murphy. "Using their native language is a beautiful and direct way to allow the families to connect more deeply with the ceremony."
Heart of Sedona offers weddings incorporating native speakers of Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese.
"I perform the framework of a ceremony in English, while the more intimate and heartfelt parts like vows, readings, blessings and personal reflections on the couple's journey, are either directly spoken in the couple's language preference or translated by a native speaker," says Murphy.
