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Philip Garside Books
Getting Married in New Zealand - Te Mārenatanga ki Aotearoa - Print.
Getting Married in New Zealand - Te Mārenatanga ki Aotearoa - Print.
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Getting Married in New Zealand - Te Mārenatanga ki Aotearoa:
A guide to creating wedding and birth celebrations
By Gregory Hughson & Douglas Pratt
Create a unique, inclusive, and meaningful wedding or birth celebration with this comprehensive guide featuring customisable ceremonies and practical advice for all couples, cultures, and faiths in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This book will help you:
- Plan a wedding ceremony that reflects your unique story and values.
- Access templates for Christian, secular, te reo Māori, same-sex, and interfaith weddings.
- Explore expert advice on creating memorable receptions and avoiding common pitfalls.
- Gain practical tools for celebrating the arrival of children with customizable ceremonies.
- Deepen your understanding of marriage through relationship-building exercises and insights.
- Enhance interfaith and cultural awareness with options for diverse ceremonies.
- Simplify your planning with free downloadable checklists and summaries.
Features
- Over 20 multi-choice text options for creating personalized wedding ceremonies.
- Specific guidance on te reo Māori ceremonies and cultural practices.
- Ceremonies and blessings for same-sex marriages and interfaith weddings.
- Practical advice for wedding receptions, speeches, and toasts.
- Dedicated sections for celebrating the birth of children and building strong relationships.
- Click here to download free wedding and reception checklists and summaries:
https://pgpl.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/GMINZ-Checklists-Summaries-23-Oct-2020-A.pdf
Published: 2 November 2020
Language: English
Words: 40,821
B/W text, 174 pages, 6″ x 9″
Soft cover
ISBN: 9781988572611
[1 in stock 21 Nov 2024]
Description
Getting Married in New Zealand – Te Mārenatanga ki Aotearoa is the ultimate guide for crafting a wedding or birth celebration that is uniquely yours. Whether you're a celebrant, a couple preparing for marriage, or someone seeking deeper insights into the meaning of marriage, this book offers something for everyone.
The authors, with decades of experience, provide multi-choice templates for Christian, secular, te reo Māori, and same-sex weddings, as well as guidance on Buddhist and Muslim ceremonies. You’ll find practical advice for planning receptions, delivering heartfelt speeches, and navigating the legal requirements of marriage in New Zealand.
This inclusive resource celebrates diversity, offering options for couples of all backgrounds and beliefs. It also includes sections on building strong relationships, making it an invaluable companion beyond the wedding day.
Couples welcoming a child can benefit from ready-to-use ceremonies of thanksgiving and blessing, adding another layer of meaning to family life.
With downloadable checklists, relationship exercises, and interfaith insights, this book goes beyond ceremony planning—it helps deepen understanding and enrich relationships. Getting Married in New Zealand is your trusted guide to creating meaningful celebrations of love, partnership, and new life.
Contents
-
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- About the Authors
Part One – Getting Married
1 — Introduction
2 — Practical preliminaries
- Legal requirements
- Age limitation
- People previously married
- Place of marriage
- Time
- Witnesses
- Registry Office wedding option
- Marriage and Civil Union Blessings
- Marriage licence (Certificate of marriage)
- Marriage by proxy
- The banns / Formal announcement
- Objections to a marriage
Four steps to getting married
- Decide who is to perform the ceremony
- Arrange for a place in which to get married
- Confirm that you are eligible to marry
- Obtain a marriage licence
Expectations and duties
- The engagement
- The marriage relationship: preparation and counselling
- The type of wedding ceremony
- Invitations
- The bridal party
- The role of the chief bridesmaid
- The role of the best man
- Gifts for your attendants
- Decorations and apparel
- The photographer
- Social Media
- Wedding gifts
- Who pays – and for what?
- The importance of a wedding ceremony rehearsal
- Some other considerations
3 — The marriage ceremony: structure and plan
- Multi-choice marriage ceremony
- Basic structure and item options
Section I – Setting the scene
Item 1: Introduction
Item 2: Prayer
Item 3: Reading
Section II – The main action
Item 4: Declaration of Intention
Item 5: The Giving and Affirmation
Item 6: The Vows
Item 7. The Exchange of Rings
Item 8: The Pronouncement
Section III – Drawing to a close
Item 9: Readings on love
Item 10: Conclusion
Item 11: The Dismissal
Item 12: The Blessing
4 —The reception: recipe for a wedding meal
- Simplicity
- Degrees of formality
- Reception Outline
- Commencement
- Toast to the marriage partners
- The marriage partner’s speech
- Reply
- The best man’s speech
- Other toasts
- Cutting of the cake
- Messages of congratulation
- The wedding meal
- Advice for all speakers
5 — Celebration and commitment: the honeymoon and beyond
- Seven keys to a healthy relationship
- Communication
- Acceptance
- Sensitivity
- Understanding
- Respect
- Mutual Support
- Forgiveness
Some relationship-building exercises
- Share with each other
- An exercise in touch
- Learning to express feelings and reactions
Part Two – Marriage Records
1 — Planning your wedding: a practical guide
- Preparation checklist
- Marriage ceremony selection list
- The reception: a summary
- Style of wedding reception meal
- Toasts and speeches
- Cutting the cake
- Reading of messages
- Social time and/or dance option
- Reception checklist
2 — Keeping Account: A wedding and anniversary record
- Our Wedding Day
- Our anniversaries
Part Three – Having Children
1 — Welcoming children
2 — Celebrating birth: ceremony formats
Ceremony 1
- Introduction
- A reflective reading or mediation
- An act of promise by the parents
- An act of promise by the Godparents
- An affirmation by family and friends
- An act of blessing
- Prayer of thanksgiving
- The Lord’s Prayer (may be spoken together)
- The Benediction
Ceremony 2
Ceremony 3
Part Four – Same-Sex ceremonies
1 — A new development
2 — Marriage ceremony resources and options
3 —The blessing of same-sex marriage
- Preliminary prayers
- The Blessing of the Couple
Part Five – Alternative language and religion options
1 — A Māori language ceremony – Te ritenga karakia mō te Mārena
- Ngā Whakaritenga Mārena – order of marriage service/ceremony
- Te Whakaeke (the arrival process/ kawa of the Marae)
- Te Minita (Minister / Celebrant)
- He Mihi Whakatau (Welcome to the guests)
- Te Karakia (Prayers)
- Anei ētahi kōrero o ngā Karaipiture e pā ana ki te mārena (Scripture readings)
- Ngā Pātai (main questions to the couple)
- Kia inoi Tātou (prayer)
- Ngā Oati Tapu (Vows/oaths)
- Ngā Rīngi (The giving and receiving of rings)
- Te Whakapai (Prayer of Blessing)
- He Waiata (song or hymn)
- Te Inoi a Te Ariki (The Lord’s Prayer)
- Te Waitohu i te Raihana Mārena (signing the marriage register)
- Te Whakatau (Declaration of Marriage)
2 — A Buddhist (Tibetan) marriage ceremony
- Wedding Format
3 — Muslim marriage
- The Nikah (Muslim marriage contract ceremony)
- Sample of a simple Muslim marriage contract:
- Vows and Blessings
- What Guests Should Wear to a Muslim Wedding
- The Bride’s Wedding Outfit
- Separating Genders
- The Wedding Feast (Walima)
Appendices
1 — Hymn, song and musical options
2 — Website / Internet resources
3 — References
4 — Bibliography of same-sex resources
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