A Marriage of Faiths and Traditions

Weddings are traditionally a time of joy and union. When two Seattle satsang members married each other recently, some 40 to 50 others in the satsang happily celebrated their extraordinarily moving ceremony that combined multiple faiths and communities.

Amma says, “Love creates smiling, laughing faces and compassionate hearts, and is expressed in sweet and pleasant words.” Her words of truth were shining brightly in a Seattle area Lutheran church for this couple’s memorable wedding.

The bride is a Lutheran Minister, and both the bride and groom are Amma devotees. Their wedding was an inter-faith service reflecting the different spiritual paths upon which each is traveling. Their resolve to include love in all forms filled the sanctuary with light and warmth.

While in some ways this was a traditional church wedding, it also included many inter-faith aspects and fresh, unconventional expressions. The printed program included the couple’s appreciation for their multiple faith and support communities, and their shared belief in “the mystery of God dwelling within all of us.”

The ceremony began as Seattle satsang members sang “Om Namah Shivaya” during the wedding processional. The bride’s attendant was a close friend who happens to be a man, and the groom was attended by three “best people,” including a long-time woman friend.

Various friends of the couple recited quotes about love and married life from the Bible and from Amma’s teachings. The congregation sang a joyful hymn describing how “Love is Lord of heaven and earth.”

After the vows were given and rings exchanged, the bride and groom faced the church balcony to enjoy hearing the Seattle satsang sing the bhajan, "Rama Rama Bolo" before the marriage blessing and dismissal.

A lunch reception was held following the ceremony, with everyone mingling and meeting new friends from all backgrounds. The food was overflowing, including a vegetarian section thoughtfully included in the lunch buffet.

Family and friends gathered around the bride and groom to offer toasts for lifelong happiness. Little wide-eyed girls dressed in pastel, Easter-egg colors trailed the bride’s every move, reflecting the innocence and purity of the moment. Many expressions of love – including an ancient Chinese teaching about the lover and the beloved – were so moving that tender tears of appreciation welled in everyone’s eyes.

By the time the toasts ended, all had drunk deeply of the Divine Love in the room. There seemed to be an abundance of true friends and family surrounding and supporting this wonderful couple’s union -- a real marriage of faiths and traditions.