One of the things we often overlook in wedding ceremonies is the importance of expressing appreciation and gratitude.
You’re getting married to an unbelievable person. If that doesn’t deserve a moment of awestruck wonder and gratitude, what does? It’s an important part of a wedding ceremony.
But equally important is taking the time to thank the people who taught you, to the best of their abilities, to say I love you and to show love. To be love. However mixed up your family, and many are, the fact is, what they wanted most was to love you and see you flourish. For some of those people we have to admit, they only manage that on their best days and they may not have a lot of them.
But most people really do the best they can. Appreciate that. I find two things happen when sincere thanks are expressed:
- Parents’ and families’ hearts are warmed by your gratitude. Warm hearts have room for more love!
- People who are thanked somehow see you as ready to move on to the next phase of your life, in this case your new family. It softens the inevitable transitions of relationship.
Tip: Thank the peope who brought you this far and who will be there for you in the future. (Because if you hadn’t wanted them to be there, you wouldn’t have invited them.) And you have to hope if the relationships are difficult that your thanking them will ease the relationship. So you not only express your gratitude, you also may better those ties. Not a bad thing at all.
