“Because they are primeval, because they outlive us, because they are fixed, trees seem to emanate a sense of permanence. And though rooted in earth, they seem to touch the sky. For these reasons it is natural to feel we might learn wisdom from them, to haunt about them with the idea that if we could only read their silent riddle rightly, we should learn some secret vital to our own lives; or even, more specifically, some secret vital to our real, our lasting and spiritual existence.”
– Kim Taplin, Tongues in Trees: Studies in Literature and Ecology
Like many unity ceremonies, a Tree Planting can easily include elements and people dear to a couple’s lives. Use or add soil from a mother’s garden, or water from a favorite stream. A container visually blessing you both with joy. And let’s not forget the tree, an important decision.
A wedding often means making lots of decisions – the ceremony, the cake, what to wear, who to invite … the list is endless. For some the decision is as simple as walking through The Appalachian Wedding Chapel doors and saying, “I do”. The decision to marry, like the choice to plant a tree, is a promise to not let something die. The tree and the marriage are entrusting the couple with their care, and the water poured in ceremony will not sustain the tree or the marriage forever, the roots needing to stretch out in bigger, joyful pots from time to time. Still, it is a promise worth making.
A tree planting ceremony like the marriage itself is full of meaning, asking How do we nurture one another? and will we survive the many seasons and harsh winters to come? It is one of the most poignant ceremonies because the tree is a living being – just, in a sense, like the marriage, and both require a lifetime of care.
A tree planting can also be a wonderful opportunity to include family and dear friends – each adding a small scoop of soil with their blessings to the pot, the couple completing the ritual by watering the tree.
We carry beautifully hand-carved applewood potting scoops at the Appalachian Wedding Chapel Boutique.