Archive for April, 2010

Sun, Love and Live Music!

Monday, April 26th, 2010

weddingpicforblog1 300x200 Sun, Love and Live Music!

It just doesn't get much better than that!  A gorgeous, cloudless day, a beautiful bride in an expansive green meadow, and the sounds of live music filling the air.  Saturday, April 24th took me to The Cascade Lodge in a small town named Kinternsville, PA, a short turn off of Route 611, which meanders along the Delaware River. 

Paula Ansari and Michael Shea's ceremony began with a quote.  Not from someone famous, but from a fortune cookie they opened 3 days after meeting one another. "Stop searching forever. Happiness if just next to you."

The ceremony had many personal elements including a dedication to Paula's horse, Whiskers, the inclusion of their mother's for a Native American sand ceremony, and live music. 

stanguitar1 300x200 Sun, Love and Live Music!The reason I am happy to focus on the live music aspect of the ceremony is a bit biased as my husband, Stan Stewart provided the sounds with guitar and voice. Besides that though, I love the addition of live music for outdoor ceremonies as I believe it really enhances the natural setting and adds a dimension and depth that is hard to capture with recorded music.

Stan told me afterwards that he felt tremendously inspired by the couple, their family and friends, as well as the setting.  He was able to capture those feelings as he sang for Paula and Michael during their unity ritual.  There was not a dry eye in the meadow!  I also had a moment when I needed the music to continue beyond the end of the bridesmaids procession, as the walk was much longer than anticipated.  I was easily able to let Stan know that we needed more music and he simply looped around to the chorus again.  Live music can also be a plus when the moments of improvisation are needed in a ceremony.  Which believe it or not, are often! 

I hope our Journeys of the Heart couples will consider live musicians for their wedding day.  We are always happy to assist our couples as they make the important decisions about what to include in their personalized, custom created ceremonies.  We love our work!

It’s OK for the groom to get a little weepy

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

It's no surprise that the bride often steals the show on her wedding day. That's as it should be, some might say.

But I've found there to be another moment in the ceremony that leaves guests just a little breathless or perhaps more teary-eyed.

And that's when the groom sheds a tear or two!

And yes, it's been known to happen to the most stoic of grooms, the ones who swear they're not emotional, the ones who laughingly dismiss their bride's suggestion that they may need a hankie as we begin planning their wedding ceremony during our consultation. Some are so unabashedly in love with their brides and so deeply grateful for the connection they share that I get a glimpse of this emotion during our meeting. So if they become a little choked up during the ceremony, I'm not surprised. I can still remember one groom who actually leaned over to ask me if I had a tissue mid-ceremony because he couldn't keep the tears from streaming down his face.

But I can assure you that whatever awkwardness or discomfort he may have been feeling at such a show of emotion, the guests observing it were even more moved than before, more caught up in the richness of what they were witnessing.

For those guys who tend to "keep it together" or are more private about their feelings, to see them so overcome by the profound depths of what they're experiencing is a beautiful, heartfelt moment.

I'm not saying that every groom will be reduced to quiet, seemingly undignified blubbering on his wedding day (and let's face it, there's nothing undignified about it), but I'm just giving fair warning: Guys, there's something about seeing your minutes-to-be wife in her wedding dress standing before you pledging her entire being to the life you are building together that's staggering — staggeringly moving and beautiful.

So don't be afraid of a little waterworks. She's got the dress, after all, and after hearing all the comments about how gorgeous she looks once the ceremony is over, I can just bet that the second thing everyone else will be talking about is how absolutely touched they were when the groom began to cry.

The mid-week wedding of Chris and Lisa

Thursday, April 15th, 2010
IMG 06043 300x225 The mid week wedding of Chris and Lisa
The Woodbury, NJ home of my sister-in-law, Nancy Cochran, was the venue for the mid-week wedding of Chris Llewellyn and Lisa Thompson as they exchange their vows in a lovely late afternoon ceremony.  Lisa and Chris arrived in separate cars because they did not want to see each other prior to the ceremony.  Chris arrived first, with their 2 1/2 year old son Chris (nicknamed Bubba) asleep on his shoulder.
 
Lisa arrived a short time later, radiant in her beautiful white gown, carrying a bouquet of red and white roses.  They had six guests witness the wedding in which they wrote their own vows and very tenderly read them to each other.  Chris surprised himself by being more emotional while he said his vows than he ever expected to be.
 
Chris promised to be the best husband and father he could be and Lisa promised to love and support Chris for always.  The ceremony included a blessing for the Bubba and the new baby being tenderly nurtured beneath Lisa's heart, words which perhaps foretell a baby blessing in the not-too-distant future!
 
Ms. Cochran, ever the gracious hostess, provided wedding cake which the bride and groom carefully fed one another. (It should be noted that I only have one "rule" and that is that the couple never smash the cake but feed it to one another with care, symbolic of how they will feed and nurture one another throughout their life together.)  Everyone shared a toast of sparkling cider and then assembled on the front lawn for pictures.
 
IMG 06091 300x225 The mid week wedding of Chris and LisaLisa and Chris' guests included Lisa's mom and sister, Jackie, and Chris brother, Josh, who held the rings and presented them blessing during the ceremony.
New Jersey marriage licenses are tricky!  Two witnesses must sign, pressing heavy enough to go through four copies.  Yes, they still use carbon paper!  (Who knew they still made that stuff?)  In addition, there is always a question about where the officiant returns the documents, which usually requires a call.  In this case the call will be to Winslow Township, which was the issuing township.
 
Every blessing to you, Chris, Lisa, Bubba and your new little one.  May life bring you all the happiness you all so clearly deserve.