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Personalized
Verse for the Bridal Party
By
Amy Gumley
508-481-3879
thewriter@vzavenue.net
www.poemstogo.tv
Over
the centuries, many romantic situations have
been enhanced when one of the parties to the
affair was able to augment his meager words with
those from one more articulate. During the event
of a wedding, there are numerous opportunities
for the use of custom-written speeches and
toasts. In many instances this can turn an
ordinary event into an extraordinary one!
There
are many historical precedents. For example,
during colonial times, there was the story of
John and Priscilla Alden made famous in
Longfellow's poem, "The Courtship of Miles
Standish." Standish was enamoured with
Priscilla Mullins. Since he considered himself a
man of action not of words, he asked his friend
John Alden to convey his sentiments to Priscilla
hoping to win her affections through John's
articulate words. Unfortunately for Standish, it
was Alden who ultimately won Priscilla's heart.
Whereupon she spoke the famous words,
"Speak for yourself John." In the end,
Alden rather than Standish became Priscilla's
husband.
A
similar fictional story is the famous tale of
Cyrano de Bergerac. To those familiar with it,
it describes a similar
instance of a person hiring someone more
skilled in communication to better express their
sentiments. For many years, people have tried
using a famous love poem or familiar verse at
their wedding. Sometimes they will play a
favorite popular song, or a well-loved hymn or a
line from a movie.
However, in each of these instances, they
are trying to adapt a poetic line or artistic
phrase to their situation with varying results.
How much better would it be to commission a
custom-written poem or speech to more closely
approximate your exact situation? That way, you
can incorporate specific details of your
experiences together and convey the exact flavor
of your unique relationship. This is where a
freelance poet can help.
Jane
Smith came to me via the Internet asking for a
poetic wedding toast for her good friend's
wedding. She could have tried to do this
herself, but gave up after lots of trying. She
located a freelance poet to help her. She told
the poet everything she could about her best
friend and what they had experienced together.
The end result was a meaning-packed speech that
took the wedding party's breath away. It added a
special touch that her own words could not
convey. The modest cost was more than
compensated by the joy it added to the wedding.
The
benefit of having a custom-written poem or
speech may in some instances extend beyond the
wedding itself. This was the case with John from
California. He approached me to write a wedding
poem when he was asked to be Best Man at his
son's wedding. Too busy to prepare a poem
himself, he delegated the work to me. After the
wedding, he said the following, "This
is going to be a great memento as the years go
by for all of us; not to mention the children
who I am sure will result. And you and I will
have left a legacy for generations to come.
Thank you."
Because
every wedding is unique, it needs distinctive
touches to individualize it. A custom-written
poem is an easy way to add that special touch. |