"Congratulations and thank you for your interest in having the Ceremonies Department of the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture assist you in your wedding or commitment ceremony. The Society is a democratic fellowship and spiritual home for those who seek a compassionate philosophy of life without regard to belief or non-belief in a Supreme Being. In return for our involvement in your ceremony, we ask each couple to assist the Brooklyn Ethical Culture Society in the following ways:

We ask that you read an introductory brochure from the ethical movement and come to at least one of the Brooklyn Society’s mid-September to June Sunday morning programs. Please visit us at www.bsec.org where you will find schedules of these program and coffeehouse events as well as a copy of the most recent newsletter. There is a monthly orientation workshop for couples and interested newcomers which will be noted in our newsletter. We want to ensure that you have your own unique experience of our community and can authentically answer questions your family and friends might have about “ethical culture.”

Additionally, you will meet with an officiant for at least one and usually two sessions in order to establish a connection and to plan the ceremony. We offer workshops and couples discussions on about a quarterly basis so please keep us up-to-date with your contact information if you have an interest in meeting other thoughtful couples we have helped with ceremonies!

There are 2 fees that we require:

1. For the Officiant’s Service, the fee is available to you on a sliding scale & ranges from $350 - $650.

This includes as many meetings as you wish, ceremony preparation, local transportation and officiating time itself. Proposals for “bartering” or installment payments are acceptable as partial payment for your fee. Fees for weddings officiated by the clergy leader Lisel Burns, are paid to her directly. Those ceremonies officiated by a BSEC volunteer officiant , are donations to the BSEC, and the check should be made out to the BSEC.

While we do not want to be a burden on limited budgets, we appreciate a willingness to pay over time or donate services or items worth at least the value of the fee that we ask for. After the ceremony, this can continue if you wish a collaborative relationship with the BSEC. Couples’ occasional donation of their skills or time or duplicate wedding gifts has added an exciting resource in our fundraising for BSEC and larger community projects in solidarity with grassroots self-help groups in both lower income Brooklyn and developing countries (e.g., Haiti, Eastern Europe and Kenya where BESC members have commitments to village development projects).

2. A $150 Administration Fee (contribution to the BSEC) is requested to cover out of pocket expenses of officiants, training and related ceremony expenses, as well as ceremony administration labor including application processing, maintaining the email list and workshop series for couples. it is payable by check or money order and entitles you to member discounts on many BSEC programs. Couples also receive Ethical Culture literature which includes a book, Marriage From the Heart, written by EC Leader Lois Kellerman, and The Lost Art of Happiness, by EC Leader Arthur Dobrin. If you like the books, we would appreciate your telling friends and family about them and passing on their availability in any way you can, as we think they offer valuable insights and ethical considerations for individuals and families couples at any stage of their relationships.

Finally, there are two forms for you to fill out, for our files. They should be returned to the Leader for BSEC records. If you are willing, please include a recent photo of yourselves. Again, congratulations on this commitment you make. We look forward to helping any way we can."

-Lisel Burns, Rita Wilson, Diane Kirschner and Linda Stallard,the BSEC Ceremonies Team

www.justmatrimony.org

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