Personalization beyond the cake topper

Your cake topper isn't the only thing you can personalize...

Personalized Verse: Poems Of Love

by Amy Gumley, Poems To Go, 508-481-3879

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.

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