Into The Garden: A Wedding Anthology: Poetry and Prose on Love and Marriage

Into The Garden: A Wedding Anthology: Poetry and Prose on Love and Marriage Review

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I've been asked to officiate a Zen wedding in September, and knowing virtually nothing about Zen, I started looking for some good source material to help me put the ceremony together. I googled Zen wedding and this book came up in the search. I also found some reviews that recommended it for that purpose. INTO THE GARDEN: A WEDDING ANTHOLOGY by Robert Hass and Stephen Mitchell has been, at once, both a disappointment and a pleasant surprise.

My quandary goes something like this; I still don't really know where to start composing a Zen ceremony as this book renders but slight direction in that arena, so my sourcebook search continues. I gleefully did find, however, a book laden with writings and poetry that I am sure to include in ceremonies of a broad scope. This book is one of the finest collections of wedding functional prose I have seen available anywhere. This is followed by a sample script of various types of wedding ceremonies, and yes, there is even a sample Zen wedding ceremony that I am sure I will use some variation of, but the book DOES NOT explain the Zen culture. I guess that's why it shows up on a google search.

If you're planning a wedding, you're sure to find a reading here that fits perfectly with your ceremony. Even if you're not planning a wedding, you will enjoy reading this delightful book.

Pastor Monty Rainey
For brides and grooms who want to give their weddings new depth and meaning, two acclaimed poet-translators have gathered a stunning collection of poems and prose that will add a unique and personal dimension to the ceremony.

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Customer Reviews

beautiful unusual collection of wedding poetry - Remi B. Bosseau - Melbourne, Australia
Into the Garden is an exquisite collection of very good poetry. It avoids the cliche and the "greeting" card versions of sentiment. These are words from skilled poets and graceful writers. I write marriage ceremonies for many couples in my work so I really appreciate the choices this book offers. It is my favorite along with the Australian classic: Ceremonies and Celebrations by Dally Messenger.

Remi

A very sweet book and a great resource for ceremony planning - H. Rhoades - Santa Monica, CA
This a heartfelt book filled with sweet poetry and writing about love and commitment, and it does this without feeling sappy or unrealistic. The authors/editors have interesting insights of their own, and the book maintained a real sense of joy throughout. I used this to select readings for my upcoming wedding, and I think it contains numerous selections for anyone looking for thoughts about marriage that resonate with real people; it successfully represents modern love for me, straddling the line between practicality and magic.


Jun 27, 2010 08:00:05