Thank you for your interest in personalized ceremonies! My name is Rev. Rebecca Armstrong and I am a minister in the liberal religious tradition ~ dedicated to the free and conscious search for truth. Bring your own beliefs and values with you and I will weave them into your ceremony. Over the last 19 years I have created more than 700 weddings and look forward to making your wedding perfect for you -- unique, personalized, elegant, memorable, fun!
As the quote above suggests, I understand weddings to be one of the last, great ceremonial rituals that still exists in our society. For that reason, I take it very seriously. If you'd like to learn more about the nature and meaning of the wedding as a transformative ritual, please see my page of essays on love and marriage.
My specialties are in interfaith, humanistic, ethnic, Celtic and "eco" weddings. Many of the ceremonies I do are out in Nature and I love to accommodate the special needs for that kind of ceremony. I also offer special wedding packages if you are eloping, renewing vows, creating a public ceremony after being legally married, looking for a co-officiant, marrying after divorce, wanting to include your children in the ceremony, marrying in an unusual location, coming from abroad to be married in the U.S., and all sorts of other special circumstances.
My deep and abiding interest in the role of STORY and RITUAL in human life has made me keenly aware of how important it is to build upon the specific words and images that inhabit the personal imagination. Simply borrowing other people's ideas about what a wedding is or should be does not give the grounding for a satisfying ceremony. I work with every couple to create, from the depths of your own hearts and minds, the perfect ceremony that expresses your core values and your highest aspirations. Only with this kind of depth preparation will your ceremony truly become the lasting fountain of inspiration that it is meant to be.
My graduate degrees from the University of Chicago Divinity School, the Unitarian seminary and Chicago Theological Seminary have prepared me to work with rigorous intellectual and spiritual honesty to do justice to this profoundly important event in your life. I am especially interested in INTERFAITH CEREMONIES which weave together important aspects from both spouse's traditions. My passion for interfaith dialogue has led me around the world, including a tremendous pilgrimage to India where I had the privilege of meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. (see below)
For many years I have explored the role of ritual, symbol and story in human communities. My long association with mythologist Joseph Campbell (The Power of Myth, Follow Your Bliss, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, etc.- see below and bio) has alerted me to the need for RITUAL ELDERS who understand how to help individuals move through the great stages of life. While it may be possible for anyone to become a mail-order minister, it takes training and experience to recognize the deep lineaments of metaphor and the truths they hold for the soul. In brief, ritual is a container to hold energy as it transitions from one state to another resulting in true transformation. To create rituals that do this is my expertise. This is what you are paying me for when you engage my services.
I have created numerous kinds of weddings and commitment ceremonies: Celtic ~ Humanist ~ Green ~ Interfaith ~ . LOOK UNDER WEDDINGS FOR EXAMPLES OF ALL THESE STYLES!
In all of these ceremonies, the goal is to find just the right words and images to bring YOUR essential truths to the surface and to celebrate the true uniqueness of your relationship. To that end I have honed a special technique which involves listening for the “centering metaphor” of your relationship – that is the images that you use to describe the way you feel and imagine yourself in the relationship. For instance, you may find yourself talking about “building” a “strong foundation” for your love so that your marriage can remain “strong and upright” in the storms of life. Or, you may describe your solo “journey” and how you met at a “crossroads” in life and how wonderful it is to have a companion to “travel” with through the adventures of life. These are obvious examples, but each lends itself to certain types of visual imagery for the ceremony, as well as certain themes in the readings or songs which are chosen for inclusion. During our first long meeting I will help you uncover the centering metaphor that already exists and suggest ways that we can work the ceremony around it – using your reality to create your wedding!
It is my promise to work with you both before and after the wedding to make your marriage the heaven on earth you believe it can be. To that end I can lead you through pre-marital counseling to assist you in clarifying your vision and mission for the marriage partnership. I am a certified practitioner of the Prepare/Enrich Guidance Program which offers an in-depth analysis of your current assumptions and expectations and show you where challenging issues might arise. Couples opting for the Deluxe Package automatically receive a session anytime before or after the wedding.
HOW I WORK
Since your wedding is a very important occasion, I want you to feel completely comfortable with your choice of minister. For that reason I offer every couple a free, 30-minute meeting where you can ask whatever questions you may still have after reading through my website. If you are planning your wedding from afar, just give me a call and we can work by phone. So, call now or send me an email so we can start planning Your Wedding Your Way!
I look forward to working with you in whatever your ceremonial need is!
