SAMPLE TEXTS

These sample texts are free for you to use non-commercially under the terms of the Creative Commons license; you are welcome to revise the texts any way you like in keeping with your beliefs and style.  If you would like to include attribution or a link to us in your text it would be much appreciated, but not required.

We hope you will spread the word about The Gift Already Given and create further texts and graphics of your own.  We would be honored to add your creations to this website if you'd like to make them available for others to use.

We suggest that you choose a text you like, edit it, and print an enclosure card to be mailed with your wedding invitations (or include the text on your wedding website instead of the gift-registry notification page.) We have provided some alternate words and phrases in each selection to help you along.

TEXT ONE
(All-Purpose)

Your Gift Is Already Given!

To our friends and family/Dear Guests:

Many people believe that if they are invited to a wedding, they are required to bring a gift.  Indeed, etiquette books tell us so and we have accepted it as truth, but in fact there is no historical precedent for mandatory gifts.

We would like to hearken back to that less materialistic time and request your company at our nuptials without burdening you with this "requirement."

You have already given us the greatest gift we can imagine: the gift of your time, energy, love, and loyalty/your wisdom, support, and friendship throughout our lives, and we value nothing more than that which we have already received from you.

Please accept this invitation as our gift to you, a way of expressing our thanks/gratitude for all you have done for us.  No other gift is required, but we do ask one favor: please take a photo with us as a memento of your presence/participation in our wedding day.  If you are unable to attend, we'd appreciate it if you could send a photo for our wedding album, and we will keep you in our thoughts as we celebrate our union.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon!

With love,

(Signatures)

Beloved Friends and Family/Dear Friends and Colleagues:

A wedding day is a reflection of the beliefs/culture of a couple and community, and sometimes guests who are not familiar with a particular spiritual practice may be confused or unsure about what to expect during the ceremony and celebration.

We would like to assure you that our wedding will be similar to others you have attended in most ways, but with one important difference: in our tradition/belief system/family, we do not expect or exchange wedding gifts of any kind.  In our spiritual/personal/cultural tradition, a wedding is considered a time to meditate upon the mystery, profundity, and greatness of Love, and to cherish the intangible gifts we receive when we experience/walk/celebrate our life's/soul's journey/road with joined hands and an open heart.

Our wedding is a spiritual/an intimate event and we earnestly hope you will grace us with your presence and good wishes/prayers/the blessing of your company.  We consider your friendship/fellowship and presence in our lives a great honor, and ask no other tribute.

Thank you for the many gifts you have already given us, and safe journey/may you be blessed until we meet again.

Peace/Shalom/Shanti,

(Signatures)

To our esteemed friends, family, and neighbors/intrepid wedding guests:

We are very excited by the prospect of seeing you at our wedding celebration soon!  Since our ceremony will be taking place in an environmentally sensitive area/we are adherents of a zero-carbon-footprint/green lifestyle, we wanted to let you know about a few unique features of our wedding day:

[Mention any environmental measures you are implementing: compostibles/recyclables, carbon offset credits, organic food or flowers, etc.]

[List any preparations or hazards your guests need to consider: uneven terrain, trail/beach appropriate shoes/attire, sunscreen, the possibility of wet/extreme weather, non-smoking/campfire rules, etc.]

One last request we hope you'll appreciate: as you know, preserving the environment/natural resources/our planet/Mother Earth is important to us.  Since most manufacturing processes deplete our resources/create toxic by-products/ and we are dedicated to the principles of voluntary simplicity/we live in a teepee, we humbly and respectfully ask that you consider your conscious and joyous participation in our celebrations a sufficient wedding gift.  We feel that your continued presence in our lives/attendance at our wedding is an elegant and loving expression of your support/good wishes for our future, and we couldn't ask for a better tribute on our wedding day.

Please contact us/consult our website if you have questions, and happy trails!

(Signatures)

 

 

 

The Gift Already Given by Elizabeth Oakes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.