Politics, money, and religion: the three things you should never bring up in mixed company according to my WASP-y family members. I?m not going to touch on politics here besides saying that everyone should register to vote. I?ve already talked about money and wedding budgeting. And I think it?s nearly impossible to talk about how we planned our ceremony without talking about our religious beliefs.

Here?s a picture of my dog in a scarf to make this discussion a little less intense. // Personal photo
Growing up, I was raised in both the Presbyterian church (mom?s side) and Quaker meeting (dad?s side). Quakerism had been a compromise for my dad?s parents, who were raised Jewish and Catholic.

Like a lot of folks, my religious background is mixed, and my personal beliefs are admittedly?fuzzy. I attended Quaker meeting on and off while I was in graduate school and once while we lived in L.A., but I haven?t had the time to really dig into what I believe spiritually as an adult, free of any beliefs I was taught as a child. Mr. Feather, on the other hand, was raised 100% Catholic. And not just church-on-holidays Catholic, but serious, every week/multiple times a week Catholic.
Thinking about our wedding in terms of our very light religious beliefs and the much stronger beliefs of some close family members was tricky. In most religions, marriage a commitment to God and that particular religion as much as it is to each other. Getting married in a house of worship indicates that you?...