June, 2010 included a memorable wedding on a manicured horse farm in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The ground of the spacious indoor riding stable was covered with carpets; lovely sweeping white drapes created a centerpiece high above. The aroma of a clean country horse stable enhanced the ambiance!
The bride, Ali Grusha , who works in pharmaceutical sales, is an enamored and skilled rider, along with her mother; both are horse specialists. The farm included two Appaloosa and two brown quarter horses to which the bride was tightly attached.
The first view that caught my eye as I arrived at the farm for the wedding was the beautiful bride, Ali, in her wedding dress being photographed while side-saddle on her favorite Appaloosa. Both bride, Ali, and groom, Matt Jenco, were bonded to a miniature Australian Shepherd dog, Colby; they required that the horses and dog should be named in the ceremony, and so they were.
Colby, the couple’s Shepherd dog lay quietly and observantly at the feet of the bride’s mother during the ceremony until he was called to present
the rings after the vows were spoken. Colby presented and returned as directed to his designated place.
The ceremony praised the diverse interests of the couple. For example, Matt, an engineer has an interest in farm equipment, has also gone scuba diving for ship wrecks in the Atlantic Ocean.
The ceremony gave dignified expression to the couple’s commitment in the open and playful ambiance of the farm. I, as officiant, prepared and
presented a short reflection based on the couple’s love story, tracing the earliest meeting of the couple in a university public speaking class to the
bonding moment in the rolling hills of a Berks County farm.
Journeys of the Heart Officiant Irene Fulton happily merged two traditions into a grand and newsworthy event, featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer
Lauren Rocca & Chester Villanueva
June 4, 2010, in Philadelphia
By Kellie Patrick Gates
Inquirer Love Columnist
Hello there
Lauren had dated her high school boyfriend all the way through college, but they split in 2005. She was ready to try again, but there was a problem: "I didn't know how to meet people or go on a date," she said.
Inspiration came from her mother, who met her boyfriend online several years before. "I thought if she can do it, and she's technophobic, I can do it," Lauren said.
Lauren posted on Yahoo! Personals, and Yahoo quickly sent her profile to Chester as a potential match.
The pharmaceutical market research company Chester worked for then had transferred him to Philadelphia from Chicago. Chester liked his job in Philadelphia, but after two years here, he was on the brink of leaving to move back home. The group of coworkers he was transferred with had all left by then and Chester was struggling to make a new group of friends here. He felt isolated.
Still, he sent Lauren an electronic wink – a little message in the Yahoo! Personals world that let her know he was interested.
Lauren had not even been on Yahoo! for a day when she received it. His picture was cute, and his profile said he was hoping to explore Philadelphia and meet new people. "I've lived here my whole life, and I really like to show people around the city. I thought that would be really fun," she said. Still, the "online thing" felt a little weird to her. She didn't answer, but she also couldn't stop thinking about him. "I know it sounds cheesy, but I was wondering, 'What if he's The One?' " Lauren said.
The e-mail she eventually sent led to many more, and then to instant messaging and long, late-night phone calls.
About three weeks after the wink, Chester and Lauren decided to meet in person. Lauren was nervous, in part because she had let her mom, a customer service professional, cut her hair. "I literally had a mullet," Lauren said.
At 7 p.m. on a Saturday, she went to the corner of Third and Chestnut in Old City to wait for Chester. She waited, and she waited. And then it started to rain.
Chester was nervous, too. He wanted everything to be perfect, so he also got a haircut – by a professional – and gassed his car, then decided he should clean his apartment before meeting Lauren, just in case they ended up there after their date. With all the rushing, he lost track of time. He pulled up to their meeting spot 45 minutes late.
Lateness is one of Lauren's pet peeves. "I was ticked off, and standoffish," she said. But she agreed to dinner at the Continental and soon found herself having a good time. He was a fun guy, and the conversation was good, so Lauren decided to let go of any bad feelings caused by the 45-minute delay.
Dinner was so fun that Lauren and Chester went to coffee afterward. Four hours after their date started, they decided to call it a night. Confident that they had clicked, Chester asked, "Can we do this again?"
Within a week, Lauren canceled her Yahoo! membership. "They sent me my money back," she said. "I got him for free!"
How does forever sound?
Chester, now 33, stayed in Philly and is an analyst for Independence Blue Cross. Lauren, 27, is the director of alumni relations at Drexel University, a position that was making her crazy busy in April and early May of 2009.
"The whole month of April I had been working nights and weekends. Then on May 1 – the first day of alumni weekend – I had laryngitis."
May 1 was a Friday. She was up and out of the couple's Roxborough apartment at 4:30 a.m., and she wouldn't be home until late. That gave Chester plenty of time to put on a suit and pay visits to Lauren's three closest family members. He gave her mother, Rose, a box of her favorite chocolates. He presented Aunt Theresa with flowers. And Lauren's brother, Michael, got a can of the protein powder he uses. For all three, Chester had a question: Did he have their blessing to marry Lauren? Yes, yes, and yes. And from mom, a little advice: Propose when she'll least expect it.
It was 11:30 p.m. when Lauren got home, her throat a bit sore from trying to talk through her laryngitis, her disposition a bit grumpy from being too busy to eat a fabulous-looking dessert at the last event. "I got myself a bowl of ice cream," she said. She ate it, then a second bowl, on the couch. She had to get up early and do it all again the next day. "I just wanted to go to bed," she said.
But Chester walked over and sat on the coffee table. He started talking about how meeting Lauren had changed his life, and how the years with her have been the best he's ever had. Then he got down from the table, and onto one knee.
"I'm trying to yell, but no sound is coming out," Lauren said. She was determined. Before Chester even finished his speech, she croaked out "Yes! Yes!"
It was so them
The couple married in an outdoor ceremony at Glen Foerd on the Delaware. They wanted their 130 guests to feel like they were "in a different time and place," Lauren said, and an old, riverside mansion did the trick.
Lauren wore a strapless, lightly beaded dress of ivory taffeta. Chester and his groomsmen wore the traditional Filipino formal wear called a barong – an elaborately embroidered ivory shirt made of plant fibers.
Lauren was raised Catholic, and in a nod to weddings in that tradition, the couple lit a unity candle.
Minister Irene Fulton of Journeys of the Heart said a blessing. To honor Chester's family heritage, Lauren's Aunt Theresa and Chester's cousin Matt draped a veil of white tulle over the couple to symbolize them joining into one household. Chester's cousin Henry and his wife, Genny, wrapped a white cloth cord around them, in the figure eights of infinity, to symbolize a permanent union.
Also according to Filipino custom, Chester placed several silver coins into Lauren's hands, to show that he is sharing everything he has with her. Lauren then placed the coins into his palms to show that what she has is also his.
Lauren found deep meaning in the Filipino traditions. "I'm a baptized Catholic, but I can't say I practice that faith," she said. "[The Filipino customs] gave the ceremony some kind of weight, spirituality, and grounding in tradition."
The day after the wedding, Lauren and Chester took their guests – many of whom had traveled from the Philippines, Illinois and Iowa – on a trolley tour of Philadelphia, an event reminiscent of the beginning of their relationship, when Lauren showed Chester the city.
This was a surprise
Lauren's father, William, died more than a decade ago. Her brother, Michael, not quite two years younger than she, walked her down the aisle. Michael is about 6 feet tall and muscular and covered with tattoos. "He's a tough guy," Lauren said. "If you ran into him in the street, you might run the other way." But after escorting Lauren to the end of the aisle, Michael hugged his sister. He told her he loved her, and that she looked beautiful. Then he gave Chester a big hug, too. "It was at that point that I really got choked up," Lauren said.
Chester was also escorted up the aisle, by his parents, Bing and Bill.
Awestruck
After the whirlwind of the wedding, Chester and Lauren climbed into a Rolls-Royce that whisked them off to a Center City hotel. They waved to their guests, who had crowded onto the Glen Foerd patio to send them off. "Then we were in the car together, by ourselves for the first time," Lauren said. "All we could do was look at each other and say, 'Oh gosh, we're married!' "
Discretionary spending
A bargain: It really bugged Lauren that the unity candle sets she found were covered with glitter and cheesy poems – for $40. So, she got candles at a dollar store, and ribbons and vases at a craft store, and made her own for $10. She was going to do DIY stationery, too, but discovered doing so would cost her about 5 percent more than online invitations. Then Lauren remembered a small South Philly business, Sealed with a Kiss, that she used to walk past on her way home from high school. The deal they gave her was 20 percent less than the online prices.
The splurge: The food. Providing a tapas station, fillet mignon and salmon added between 10 and 15 percent to the basic package cost.
The getaway
Two weeks in Spain.
Behind the Scenes
Officiant
Irene Fulton, Journeys of the Heart, Jenkintown
Music
Ceremony: Susan Ward, Heartstrings, Doylestown;
Reception: Mike Mandato, Silver Sound Disc Jockeys, Frazer
Dress
L&H Bridal, Philadelphia
Invitations
Sealed with a Kiss, Philadelphia
Do You Have the Date?
Tell us in a short e-mail – at least six weeks before your ceremony – why we should feature your love story. Send it to weddings@phillynews.com. Unfortunately, we can't personally respond to all submissions. If your story is chosen, you will be contacted in the weeks before your wedding.
When I met Tiffany Byer she was minus her finance' Ryan Welch, as he was in Colorado where they both have been living for the past several years.
She told me right from the beginning that she had to wear the color pink every day and everything that she owned had pink in it. She also told me that she loved animals and had (in one small apartment) 2 Saint Bernards, 3 Rabbits, and a few other animals I forgot to write down as I was still trying to digest the small apartment and the large dogs!
Months later when Ryan came to town and the three of us sat down to talk about the final details of the ceremony, it was again clear that this couple wanted things their way! They knew what would please them and had thought through all of the details.
The pink runner would have their names on it and would be tacked down to prevent any tripping or slipping. Their mothers would light tapers signifying the families that they had both come from, but after lighting their unity candle they would each blow out the others' taper, symbolizing the marriage and the new life they were making for themselves. They also included a ceremony called the wine and love letter box complete with pink wine glasses and you guessed it: a leopard cloth around the wine bottle. Read more about the wine and love letter ritual here.
So, of course, the wedding colors were pink and leopard. It made perfect sense. She even wore the palest pink gown with a huge leopard sash. And, guess what, it worked!
It was a hot, sunny, spectacularly beautiful day today for the wedding of Dana Levatino and Andrew Slipyan. Holly Hedge in New Hope is a gorgeous setting and with the weather cooperating, it was a joyous celebration.
Dana and Andrew have an especially interesting story. They actually had another wedding date set in the summer of 2009. However, they recognized that they had some unresolved issues to address so they took the unusually courageous step of postponing their wedding so that they could do more work on their relationship.
They recognized that working on their relationship helped them to grow up and strengthend their bond. That made today's wedding even more of a celebration.
Dana's gown was very beautiful: strapless and sophisticated. The bridesmaids wore lovely gowns the color of which I called "eggplant" but I think they said that David's Bridal called the color "lapis."
They honored their parents and families who loved and supported them through the rough times. Andrew wore the pocket watch that belonged to his late father, Phillip.
Both bride and groom were beaming as they looked into each other's eyes and took their vows before friends and family.
In honor of their Jewish heritage, the ceremony ended with the traditional breaking of the glass.
Andrew and Dana will honeymoon in Hawaii. Aloha! Have a wonderful life. I hope I have the privilege of watching it unfold.
Photos courtesy of Journeys of the Heart officiant Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer. Gabrielle is the author of The Creative Jewish Wedding Book.
The Little Meeting House in Abington Township has been restored to its former, understated Quaker splendor. The congregation of Quakers who once met here in the 1600’s were a splinter sect of Abington Quaker Meeting (still in existence just down the road). For years this little meeting house was referred to as “The Lost Meeting.”
Many years of work and much money have gone into this restoration. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, through Representative Josh Shapiro, has been instrumental in grant money. There have also been many workers, volunteer and hired.
The Little Meeting House became a project of the Abington Art Center which oversaw every aspect of the restoration. Journeys of the Heart is a business member of the Abington Art Center, whose grounds also include Alverthorpe Manor.
The Little Meeting House will be an exquisite place for small weddings in daylight hours. It will also be perfect for baby blessings, funerals and memorial services.
Some of these pictures were taken at the official housewarming on Thursday, May 20. Others were taken when Diane Smith-Hoban, Journeys of the Heart administrator/officiant and I were given the privilege of a tour several weeks prior.
The Abington Art Center folks are very much looking forward to Journeys of the Heart celebrating all sorts of life occasions in this beautiful old setting.
Sunday May 2, 2010 was a very special day in the life of all who know and love Corina Marie Gutgesell. That was the day of her baby blessing and naming ceremony.
Corina's mom and dad, Greg and Tara were married by Marguerite Sexton and they waited some years before the birth of their beloved Corina Marie. As Tara and Greg told the story at her blessing ceremony, Greg was ready for parenthood before Tara was and it took the birth of Corina's cousin for Tara to realize it was time for them to have a child of their own.
Friends and family gathered at Corina's home in Mount Airy on a beautiful, hot Sunday. The home can easily be identified as Cornia's now, because we all know who it is that runs everything from the moment of birth. So it is with the Gutgesell household. It is happily at the whim of Corina who, by all accounts, is a wonderful and delightful baby. Another part of a baby blessing ceremonies is the telling of the story of the baby's birth and her name. Corina's name was inspired by the song Corina by Taj Mahal.
Corina's Godmother was her Aunt Erin and her Godfather was her Uncle Jeff. Both read wonderful passages about their hopes for Corina.
Everyone present placed a flower petal in a bowl of water and silently offered a thought, prayer, hope or wish for Corina.
The highlight of a baby blessing ceremony is telling the child her name.
Corina was told her name by her Uncle Colin who sang the song Corina to her. As he sang, Corina, all of four months old, watched in delight and danced in her father's arms as she listened to her song. She enchanted everyone present.
As Corina was hearing the song of her name, I carried the bowl of flower water around the room and sprinkled everyone with it, as it contained all the love, hope and prayers of everyone there.
Corina was anointed with oil by her parents, godparents, aunt and uncle and grandparents, through the touching of her eyes, heart, ears, hands and feet.
Here is the passage that was read to remind everyone that Corina will have both roots and wings as she grows:
There are many paths, and each must find their own; therefore, we do not seek to bind Corina to any one path while she is still too young to choose; rather do we ask that Corina be blessed and protected and prepared through the years of childhood so that when at last she is truly grown, she may know without doubt or fear which path is hers and shall tread it gladly.
This new child has come into the world. She is a gift of hope and of promise not only to those of us here today, but also to all of those whose lives she will touch in the future. We rejoice for Corina, her parents, her grandparents, godparents, and for all of us who will assuredly be enriched by her presence among us.
Welcome to the world Corina Marie. My prayer would be that every child would be surrounded by the wonderful, conscious, loving and funny parents that you have. They have been so blessed by your birth, but you were sure smart to choose them!
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.
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!
Ali Grusha and Matt Jenco wed on a farm in Berks County
