Anybody getting married in Connecticut? I'm a Justice of the Peace and am really into home-made ceremonies. We were at an African-American/Danish-American wedding recently and were delighted to find the "stepping over the broom" ritual being used, although they insisted it was a custom dating from slavery times in African-American culture. I didn't argue that it was also a gypsy tradition, since it would have spoiled an absolutely wonderful occasion in which we rejoiced at the happiness of our friends who were getting married.

When I was first elected to be a JP here (twenty-five years ago), I looked at the guide-book provided by the Secretary of State and was happy to discover that there are no rules requiring this or that to make a wedding legal here. Therefore, I wrote my own "secular" service. If someone wants to jump over a broom, I'm all for it, as long as I recognize the authenticity of the couple's commitment to one another. I do take marriage seriously.

Sandy