For an engaged couple in which one person belongs to a religious congregation, the choice of wedding venue is relatively simple. But a couple with no connection to an organized religion that wants something more than a simple civil ceremony, the choice can be quite difficult.
The potential answer to this problem is the website celebratingyourwedding.com, the creation of Bill Wilson, an ordained non-denominational minister in the Unity Church. Born in Ohio and a graduate of Ohio University, Wilson attended the Unity School of Ministry and was ordained in 1981. He is currently senior minister at Gavilan Hills Unity Church in Gilroy and is licensed to officiate at marriage ceremonies in California.
The Aptos resident has been married for 38 years to his wife, Shakti, and they have two adult sons. The strong bond of his own marriage and the joy he has shared from performing wedding ceremonies has inspired Wilson to offer his services beyond the confines of his own congregation.
Wilson’s goal is to “offer the most creative, personalized, meaningful and unforgettable” wedding, one that celebrates the “uniqueness of two individuals becoming one married couple.”
Completely nonjudgmental, his goal is to support the couple and help through the insights he has gained in performing more than 1,000 weddings. He sees three general types of weddings.
• Religious: The couple shares an organized belief system based on God.
• Spiritual: The couple has less structured beliefs while acknowledging a “higher power.”
• Love-focused: The couple’s focus is on their mutual love.
Within these three types, there are many optional “elements” that the couple may choose from to design the ceremony, such as ring vows, declaration of intent, ring blessing, pronouncement and other rituals. For each of these elements, the bride and groom can choose from a variety of optional “scripts.” The elements and scripts are combined to form a truly original ceremony. Drawing from his many years of experience, Wilson assists the couple in this creative process until both are satisfied with the final wording of the ceremony.
During his more than 30 years of ministry, Wilson has discovered what he calls the key to successful marriages.
“(A successful marriage is) a mutual commitment to ‘show up’ with and for each other day after day, year after year,” he said. “How each couple uniquely shows up to both work through challenges and to celebrate their lives together is also integrated into the wedding ceremony in a very personal and meaningful way.”
For a couple that seeks help planning a traditional or nontraditional ceremony, Wilson aspires to allow brides and grooms to express their unique mutual commitment of love. He offers multi-religious, multi-cultural and same-sex weddings.
For more information, call (831) 345-1718.
Chuck Flagg is a retired teacher with a passion for religion. Reach him at [email protected].
