13. November 2008 by Jessie.

Melanie and Brian were married this past weekend, in Southampton, New Jersey.

They had a small bridal party (an honor attendant each, and a flower girl & ring bearer), and Melanie suggested a great order for the processional - the best man escorted the Mother of the Bride, followed by the groom, escorting his mother. The Maid of Honor entered, followed by the ring bearer, and the flower girl, scattering petals. The Bride and her father entered last. I thought it was a great way to make their mothers part of the processional, and I also am a fan of including the groom and groomsmen in the entrance, instead of having them at the front, with me, at the beginning - I think everyone should get a bit of a grand entrance on their wedding day!

Brian and Melanie were both adamant that they knew, very early, that they were meant for each other, and I really tried to express this love and devotion they have for each other in their ceremony. They chose to write their own vows - Brian promising to love and support Melanie even on Mondays, after a long day of work, and Melanie expressing all of the times she looks to Brian for help - including when the kitty gets stuck in the closet with no key.

As a closing, they lit a unity candle together - their mothers had lit the tapers when they entered, and they burned during the ceremony. A lovely way to close.

It was a touching ceremony, that really reflected the unbelievable love that these two wonderful people have for each other.

Click here for more photos of their ceremony!

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9. November 2008 by Jessie.

Retta & Jack were married at the beautiful Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ.

Their ceremony had a reading from Rainer Maria Rilke, on the nature of marriage, as well as a handfasting.  It was a perfect fall day, and unseasonably warm for October - a wonderful day for a wedding.  They had a harpist perform the music for the ceremony - a beautiful, elegant touch.

The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust. A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development. But once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side-by-side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky.

- Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Retta and Jack, congratulations!

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16. October 2008 by Jessie.

I was lucky enough to officiate at the ceremony of Dyana & Vinnie in August.  They were married at sunset in Hoboken, overlooking the New York City skyline.  It was a small ceremony, with just family and close friends.  Everyone seemed so happy to be there (just like it should be at a wedding!), and there was lots of laughter and love in the air.

One of the best men was Dyana & Vinnie’s son, just a little over a month old (and wearing an ADORABLE little tux t-shirt!).  The couple had a sand ceremony, and had Jayden “pour” the last layer of white sand on top.  They’re planning on having a vow renewal with reception next year, and, I’m hoping, will save some of the sand from the sand ceremony, and create another layer, to represent their first year of married life.

The ceremony had perfect timing - as it began to get dark, the couple had their first dance, immediately after the ceremony, and all gathered blew bubbles.  What an amazing moment!

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1. September 2008 by Jessie.

Mickey & David were married in a beautiful park in Plainsboro, NJ last weekend.

Their ceremony was short and sweet.  Mickey made it very clear to me that they weren’t a fairy tale love story kind of couple.  They really wanted the ceremony to reflect their relationship, have some traditional elements, but still be very sweet and intimate.

The couple wanted to have the traditional “Do you take this man to be your husband?” vows.  I incorporated these into the ceremony in “The Asking,” a portion of the ceremony where the bride and groom face each other, take hands, and declare their intentions to marry.  Mickey and David each chose their own set of vows, and read them to each other.  Their Love Story was short, but sweet, and made everyone laugh AND cry!

David’s daughter was the flower girl, and all she wanted was to be able to throw flower petals in the air during the kiss!  She sat down during the ceremony, but joined Mickey and David at the front, when they were declared husband and wife.  As they kissed, she tossed the flower petals into the air!

I know Mickey and David said they weren’t a fairy tale kind of couple, but there was something so magical about that kiss, in the woods, with the flowers and love in the air.

For more photos, please check out Mickey & David’s Wedding Gallery

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24. August 2008 by Jessie.

Val & Paul were married this past weekend, at Lana Lounge in Hoboken, NJ.

The ceremony was sweet and funny, just like the couple wanted. One of the sweetest moments was when Val walked in, to Etta James’ “At Last,” escorted by her son.

The couple decided to do a unity ceremony, a sand ceremony, and involved Val’s son in it as well. He was so excited about it, too! Each had chosen two colors to pour into the central vessel, and, as music played, each bottle of sand was poured into the central container. The result, a beautiful visual reminder of the new family that was being formed today, stood at the front of the room during the reception.

Before the Ceremony

During the reception, the maid of honor and her boyfriend performed a song from “Flight of the Conchords” - so much fun! Paul joined them to sing Barry Polisar’s “All I Want Is You” (the opening song from “Juno”) to Val.

I had so much fun with Val and Paul’s ceremony. You could really tell, simply from the way that they were looking at each other during the ceremony, how in love they are. Paul put it best when he told me that Val has this certain look that she gives him - and at that point, Paul says her soul is blown wide open, and he can see the true depth of her love. Both Paul and Val’s souls were wide open today, and everyone was so happy to witness their love and devotion to each other.

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29. July 2008 by Jessie.

Lorrie and Jessica were married in a beautiful, simple ceremony in Lorrie’s parent’s backyard this past weekend.

I immediately clicked with both of them - they had a ton of great ideas for the ceremony, and it really felt like a collaborative effort.

The couple really wanted to exchange a red rose as a symbol of their love for each other - we placed it with the vows, so after saying their vows, they presented the other with a red rose.

Let this rose be a reminder that love has joined you together, that it is love that makes relationships endure, and it is this love that you cherish more than anything in all the world. For love that is nurtured never dies. It blossoms into something glorious to behold - as beautiful as a rose.

We also had a unity candle, with the tapers lit by the brides and their mothers, and it was used to close the ceremony - so once the center flame was (symbolically, as it was windy) lit, they were declared married!

Jessica and Lorrie took their first steps as a married couple to a family friend performing “No One” by Alicia Keys - such a beautiful song, and such a beautiful moment. All in all, it was a perfect ceremony.

At the end of the ceremony, Jessica and Lorrie each gave me huge hugs, and presented me with a yellow rose, to thank me for the work on their ceremony. I couldn’t have been happier, and those two amazing women have truly found their perfect partners.

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7. June 2008 by Jessie.

I had one of the most amazing days of my life officiating at my best friend’s wedding this weekend.

It was a sweltering day (95 degrees outside!), but the bride and groom still looked beautiful and so incredibly happy under their wedding chuppah.

Ben and Lindsey had chosen many different elements to combine into their ceremony. They had both sets of parents escort them down the aisle, were married under a chuppah, were bestowed with the seven blessings, and had a wine ceremony, inspired from Ben’s Jewish heritage. The ring vows they shared were traditionally Lutheran, and they also had a hymn (”Morning Has Broken”) and a “Passing of the Peace” during the ceremony.

Lindsey really wanted a handfasting as well - she and I knit the cord that was used! The words we chose came from a favorite book of hers, the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon:

You are Blood of my Blood,
and Bone of my Bone.
I give you my Body,
that we Two might be One.
I give you my Spirit,
’til our Life shall be Done.

My favorite moment had to be their love story - I know both Ben & Lindsey very well, but I still had them fill out the “Homework” I give to all of my couples - a questionnaire that has tons of questions about their relationship and what they love about each other. It was so incredible to read all of these details! They love story was light-hearted, and touching. The couple’s first conversation was an argument about who had better bagels - Montreal or New York City. When I talked about each bagel location, the family members from those locations cheered to show their bagel support!

I could not have asked for a more beautiful or perfect ceremony. It was beautiful, funny, touching, and sentimental. It was also incredibly emotional - I managed to NOT cry until the very, very end - my voice broke a little as I declared them husband and wife.

What an amazing ceremony. What wonderful friends. Lindsey and Ben are such an incredible people, and are going to have a blast being married. They’re in Hawaii for the next couple of weeks, and I’m sure they will have a beautiful time!

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24. May 2008 by Jessie.

It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home.  - Anonymous

On a warm Memorial Day weekend, in their beautiful luscious backyard, Tom & Jeannie were married.

The ceremony was very small and intimate - just their children (six between them!), family, and close friends. The central theme of their love story is home - when I met with Tom and Jeannie, they told me all about the renovations and changes they’d made to the house they share in the past year, and how it reflected their commitment to each other.  This was such a beautiful notion.

The weather was nearly summer and gorgeous, but it was a little windy!

Jeannie’s daughter was the Maid of Honor, and Tom’s friend was the Best Man.  The had a very small recessional up the steps to the lawn, where Tom and Jeannie exchanged vows and rings.

More of photos of this ceremony can be found on my gallery page.

One of the most beautiful things about weddings is the power of love and memory that is imbued into the objects and places surrounding the ceremony.  Tom and Jeannie will spend time in their backyard, and always have the memory of that first kiss as a married couple whenever they see the green lawn.  It really creates a sacred, special place.

I also love the idea of getting married the weekend of a holiday - it gives that holiday extra meaning for you, AND you can usually get an extra day off of work for a nice anniversary getaway in the future!!

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