Promises to Keep : Crafting Your Wedding Ceremony

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful--a must for anyone getting married!!!!
Review: I must have purchased at least three books before I found Ann's and none of them came even close to helping us create a very personal wedding. I would recommend this to anyone who, like me, wants a unique and special wedding. After reading this book (which is eloquently written but also very easy to read) we realized how important it was to have a ceremony that reflected exactly how we feel. And now that we have done just that, we also realize that we created a solid foundation of words that represent our commitment--we will always have those words to look back on.
Also, working through her worksheet in the back was a kind of positive and reaffirming endeavor that made us reflect on why and how we got to the point of marriage.
Thanks Ann!!

Rating:
Summary: We LOVED this book!
Review: I was disappointed in this book, as I did not understand from the reviews that this book had such a New Age kind of slant. It talks of inviting "Spirit", not The Holy Spirit or God or Father or even The Spirit. It spends a lot of time on relationships that "other's might not approve of" - lesbian/gay relationships or previous spouses or children. This would be helpful to those who need it, but it's another part of the book (very slim) to skim if not. It does have a few pages of slightly interesting stuff for what you want your minister/officient to say; and it does ask a few pages of somewhat interesting questions to help write your vows. But none of it is very original or different, other than it's PC correct point of view, and the book itself wasn't but a few chapters long. If you like Kahlil Gibran, and want your wedding ceremony and vows to reflect this kind of view - you will probably like this book. If you want something that has a more Judeo/Christian base - you will want to look elsewhere. Out of all the wedding books to choose from - and the limited amount of money to spend - I felt this book to be very slim physically and substantively.

Rating:
Summary: New Age Spiritualist Point of View
Review: I was disappointed in this book, as I did not understand from the reviews that this book had such a New Age kind of slant. It talks of inviting "Spirit", not The Holy Spirit or God or Father or even The Spirit. It spends a lot of time on relationships that "other's might not approve of" - lesbian/gay relationships or previous spouses or children. This would be helpful to those who need it, but it's another part of the book (very slim) to skim if not. It does have a few pages of slightly interesting stuff for what you want your minister/officient to say; and it does ask a few pages of somewhat interesting questions to help write your vows. But none of it is very original or different, other than it's PC correct point of view, and the book itself wasn't but a few chapters long. If you like Kahlil Gibran, and want your wedding ceremony and vows to reflect this kind of view - you will probably like this book. If you want something that has a more Judeo/Christian base - you will want to look elsewhere. Out of all the wedding books to choose from - and the limited amount of money to spend - I felt this book to be very slim physically and substantively.

Rating:
Summary: After reading this book I married my son...!
Review: Last fall, my son and my now daughter-in-law asked me to marry them. Ann Evans' book provided the three of us with all that we needed to plan and conduct the ceremony. It was a wonderfully meaningful event for the entire family. Since I am neither a minister nor the captain of a ship, I needed to be licensed by the County to conduct the ceremony. With guidance from this book, we designed the day, including writing the ceremony. It was quite an adventure! Thanks, Ann Evans!

Rating:
Summary: We LOVED this book!
Review: My fiance and I practically wore this book out in the weeks before the ceremony! We were determined to make the ceremony itself the center of the day and this book really helped us clarify our thoughts on what we wanted to promise each other. I looked at a lot of books, but this one was the only one that gave us the help we needed. Can't recommend it highly enough!

Rating:
Summary: Must be read by anyone getting married!
Review: My mother recommended this book for my fiance and me, and it was the best thing she could have done for us. So many people (including us, until we read this book) get lost in all of the trivialized rituals and plans of the upcoming wedding, and unfortunately lose focus on what is really key - the vows you will be exchanging to each other, the words you say to the public to pledge your undying love for another, the true meaning of sharing a life with someone you love forever. Ann Evans brings you back to the reality of the fundamentals, and she addresses such important issues that are often overlooked in a wedding ceremony because of rote ritual....You MUST read this book if you're getting married, or even considering getting married!

Rating:
Summary: How to create a truly memorable wedding ceremony and event
Review: Promises To Keep: Crafting Your Wedding Ceremony is an indispensable, thoroughly "user friendly" guide to creating a truly memorable wedding ceremony and event. Beginning with sorting out why you want to marry, Promises To Keep goes on to advice on writing personal vows that say what you mean; how to enlist community support for the marriage; and the use of heart-felt rituals to reveal and document commitment. Rather than just another survey focusing on flowers, dresses, and reception menus, Promises To Keep is dedicated to the reason for the ceremony itself! If you are planning and preparing for your own wedding day -- or that of a loved one -- then begin with a careful reading of Ann Keller Evans' Promises To Keep!

Rating:
Summary: The best money I spent in planning my wedding!
Review: We have all been to weddings, heard the words and seen the images.... The big white dress, flowers, an expectant groom and strains of music floating through the air. However the reality is that so often the actual words and meaning of the ceremony is distilled, in memory, to he did, she did, they did.

Ann Evans should bill herself, in addition to minister, as an architect. Her book is a blueprint for crafting the structure, and building the foundation for a permanent place for love to grow and develop.

"Promises to Keep" will help couples looking to sculpt and craft their individual ceremonies. Evans lays out the basic structure of the wedding ceremony, from greeting to invocation to ring exchange and blessing. If she has an opinion, or an anecdote to help convey her meaning - she thoughtfully includes it. Then the two of you are encouraged to flesh it out and make it personal.

The best thing I can say about "Promises to Keep" is this: My husband-to-be and I liked the book and the direction that it gave us so much we asked Ann Evans to marry us!