Here is an earth friendly wedding practice I'd like to encourage and spread to others. I think it is definitely an idea that should be promoted.

I recently officiated a wedding (I also was a guest) where the couple was environmentally conscious. As the centerpiece on all the reception tables amongst the ribbons, flowers, and baubles were glass containers with tiny evergreen trees. There was a tree for each guest that sat at the table. The centerpieces were gorgeous, befitting the beauty of the wedding itself.

There was a card at each place at the table."Thank you for being part of our wedding. We will remember this special day as long as we live, and we would like you to be able to remember our day too.  Please accept as our wedding gift to you one of the trees in the glass containers which are part of your table centerpiece. 

Please take it home and plant it in an appropriate spot, give it water as it settles in, then watch it grow. Five, ten, fifty years from now you can look at the giant tree it has become and remember that you got it at our wedding. 

We hope you will enjoy our gift to you. We know the earth will benefit from the planting."

There were Yugo Pines, cypress, white pines, fir trees, junipers and more, a very nice selection. Each guest could select which tree they wanted to take home and plant.    

If the tree type you wanted had already been selected you could trade with others or pick one that was left on another table.

What a nice wedding guest gift. Ten, fifteen and twenty years from that special day guests who took home a tree and planted it will still remember where it came from.

I checked on line (Googled live tree wedding favors) and came up with some sources.

Prices start at $1.25 and go up.

Sources of Trees:

http://www.greenworldproject.net/wedding.php

http://www.arborday.org/Shopping/GiftTrees/weddings.cfm

http://www.themagnoliacompany.com/seeds/wedding/weddings-products.html

http://www.naturesgiftsandmore.com/tree-seedling-wedding-favors.html

How to Fight Fair . Courtesy, Compromise and  Common Sense in Conflict
It's so logical....why is it so hard to do

Because nobody taught you how. Not just you....really, who do you know that has taken conflict training. Almost nobody has. That compounds the problem. Not only has nobody taught you....guess what? Your spouse hasn't been trained either.

This topic that has been written about many times and will many times more. The trick is to disagree (argue, fight) to resolve the quarrel without damaging the relationship. This week's blog is a compilation of principles taken from a seminar I did with Dr. Harry Bradley, psychologist and new material I have pulled from articles found in my additional research.

When you don't fight fair you add to the baggage that you carry around with you about your partner and how you feel about the relationship. And as I am fond of saying....eventually there is too much baggage to be made into matched luggage. When you don't end up with matched luggage it leads to separation and divorce.

The reason. The minister had cancelled. I was horrified, so I attempted to find out what had happened. In most instances the couple had gotten a friend or family member (most ordained on the net) to do the wedding to save money, or because they volunteered.  Then at the last minute they cancelled. They had to work at their real job, had to travel for their real job. Or, there mother was sick in another city or (enter any number of excuses here.)

I'm going to give you a  personal opinion here. 

First, the cost of the officiate is one of the smallest costs of most weddings. During the wedding all eyes will be on three people....the bride....the groom....and the officiate.  Why anyone would put an amateur in this important position to save a little money is beyond me.

A wedding is an event that marks one of the most significant moments in the life of a couple, Why would you give the job of creating a performing that ceremony to someone not experienced at planning and officiating weddings? 

Some one told me that theirs wasn't a money issue,  they chose a friend because they wanted to be able to do the ceremony "their way."  There are many professional wedding officiates that will let you plan your wedding just the way you want it. And, if they are experienced they have the knowledge to avoid the pitfalls that others have when planning their wedding with someone who doesn't know what works and what doesn't.

Another issue to consider with an amateur. In the last several years a Pennsylvania couple got married using a friend who got ordained on the net so he could be their wedding officiate. Sadly the marriage didn't work and in the divorce one party argued that the marriage was not valid at all, as the friend officiate "wasn't really a minister.." 

A few of the cancelling ministers were from wedding companies. I started to write professional wedding companies, but obviously these folks were not very professional .

A professional will give you a contract. And that means they will show up for your wedding. And if they become ill or have some other issue, the professional will always have a backup plan.

Since 1993 we have never cancelled or missed a wedding date. And we have four available ministers, so if one of us is ill, we have backup.  

Doesn't that all sound like a better idea that asking an amateur or a less professional wedding ministers?

Love is our topic of the week because Love has been on my mind a lot this week.  This blog isn't as clearly defined because it is a very complex subject.

First Corinthians 13; 4-13 is a very popular Bible reading at weddings because it's central theme is about love. The language changes depending on which version of the Bible you read from. There are over 50 versions of the Bible in English alone to pick from. The version below is a popular one.