Wedding Daze (Including a Serious Aside)

The third Hallmark Channel is the place to go for older films (not that old; I'm talking pre-2010), including "Hallmark Hall of Fame" performances. Hallmark Hall of Fame films were the ones you could find on CBS before we had all these Hallmark films, and were higher standard fare.

Wedding Daze is somewhat standard Hallmark fare concerning a dad (John Larroquette, yes, Dan Fielding) dealing with the wedding of his three daughters. Another familiar face, Karen Valentine, plays his wife. French Stewart is the uptight but efficient wedding planner.  

It was a pleasant time-waster with good performances without any tiresome "special complications." The film also had a few good lessons that were not applied in a heavy-handed fashion. 

I'm not sure about the likelihood of success of a firm that names things, but perhaps that might work. What do I know? Plus, their house seemed suitably middle class, not as over the top as many of those films.  

A late complication was that the minister originally scheduled for the wedding had a late medical emergency. So, who would preside? Joey on Friends might have suggested an Internet ministry.* 

But maybe they lived in a state that did not recognize that?* Seriously, they went another way.

A rabbi accidentally showed up for another event. He performed the wedding. That's open-ended for everyone, including the perhaps somewhat traditional Italian family of one of the future husbands. Maybe I'm being a bit stereotypical, but overall, some might not like this. 

(The rabbi insisted they include the glass-breaking ceremony. For those interested, check out the tradition here.) 

The issue wasn't really addressed, but apparently, the family overall was not deeply religious. Many people think certain religious officiants are necessary to properly legitimize the wedding. Others are not as particular. A religious officiant generally sanctifies. Why not use a rabbi?

I recently read a discussion of the usage of Old Testament readings in Christian services. Often, so said the discussion, the passage is not given much attention. At best, the Old Testament is a prelude to the main event, so to speak.

Others find this problematic. If we take Christianity seriously, we should take the whole Bible seriously. Jewish sources would provide a helpful bit of context. Amy-Jill Levine, who also talks about the New Testament through Jewish eyes, would be a useful example. 

A helpful approach would welcome helping hands to fully understand things. For instance, a discussion about the anti-abortion movement could include input from members. 

We might disagree with their position. Nonetheless, people like Mary Ziegler, who talk about them, helpfully cite their views directly. The same idea can be used to discuss religion, politics, history (a Mexican view of the Mexican War), and other subjects. 

A religious ceremony can have guest lectors from other religions when appropriate. A CCD class can have guest speakers to provide helpful context. And, why not use clergy from other faiths when possible for ceremonies?

(At the very least, some dual religious couples have clergy from multiple faiths involved in their ceremonies.) 

One more reference -- the rabbi presiding reminds me of official chaplains. Yes, there often are multiple chaplains for different faiths. Nonetheless, we can also have one overall top chaplain who can serve the needs of various faiths. 

Anyhow, I think a rabbi standing in for the wedding ceremony was a nice touch. Hey, it worked in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, right? 

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* The law in New York is somewhat convoluted, with a lower court covering 3/5 of New York City (but not Bronx or Manhattan, so Joey was safe), some time back, questioning if an Internet minister qualified. 

A more recent state law allows a run-of-the-mill non-religious officiant to apply to have a one-off right to preside. I personally registered years back as a Universal Life Church minister in New York City. 

This blog used to have a semi-regular "Rev. Joe" feature that reflected my ministry. I never had an opportunity to use  my "authority."