I’ve been enjoying my non-wedding season “down time” by doing lots of my own wedding planning! We’ve accomplished a lot, and were so excited to share and celebrate our engagement with our family and friends at our engagement party in December.
Shannon of Fromage Photography was nice enough to travel up from Philly to take photos, so we have great pictures of the party! Both Dan and I aren’t great at bringing the camera place and remembering to take shots, so it was so great to know we had someone awesome ready to capture it for us!
There were two stars of the party: my friend Ben & Emily’s adorable son Caleb, and the cake!
Caleb being zerberted by Dad while Mom looks on!
There were some wonderful moments captured, too.
The two essential elements to any Blum holiday or celebratory dinner are a giant cheese plate and an immense amount of delicious smoked salmon. Of course, the party included both! Along with other delicious finger foods.
We demolished the cake.
And Shannon captured many great moments throughout the rest of the day, too.
Like me crying as Dan throws the Vulcan symbol after the toasts (ended with “Live long and prosper”).
Laughing at another toast.
Chatting with my grandmother, who was meeting Dan for the first time.
My grandma, and Robin, who was generous enough to open her home and host the party, along with my mom!
Attacking the food!
My mom with Caleb!
It was the first time that our families met each other, and was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Dan and I still dream about that cake!
This year, I’m thankful for a lot of things.
I’m thankful for my kitties, who bring so much love and joy and cuddles into my life every single day.
I’m thankful for my awesome fiance, who listens to me, supports me, and always brings me cold glasses of water when I’m working.
I’m thankful for my family and friends, especially my mom, who is the most giving and generous person I’ve ever met (and it’s her birthday tomorrow, too!), and my best friend Lindsey, who helps me to find my way through the world.
I’m thankful for every couple who emails me, calls me up to chat about their wedding, meets with me, and those with invite me to be a part of their wedding day. Because of you, I get to follow my dreams, which is just about the coolest thing ever. Thanks for choosing me as your wedding officiant!
Enjoy your Thanksgiving (I’m so excited to make the stuffing this year – my favorite!), and take a moment to think of the moments this year that have taken your breathe away – and the reasons you are thankful, too.
Blogging is going to be light through the end of August, but there are big changes going on over here at Eclectic Unions, and one of them is kicking my blogging into gear in September! So please don’t mind the next few weeks light posting!
My wedding is slowly approaching (October 2010!), and while Dan and I were vacationing at the Jersey Shore last weekend, the awesome Sarah Schulte came down to take our engagement photos! As I’ve mentioned, I contacted Sarah to discuss my wedding photography earlier this year… and then she asked me to officiate at her wedding, this past July!
She just posted some teaser photos on her blog, and I love them. Who knew Dan and I were so cute?
(Blumbriel is our made up last name combo – Blum + Gabriel)
I’ve seen this video pop up on the blogs I read, but haven’t had a chance to watch it – and I just did, and it made me cry. If you’re the same way (not that you have to cry, but with the seeing it around but not watching..), please take a minute to go to this website, watch the video, and sign the letter – you only have till March 2.
[vimeo 3089746]
Have you heard that Ken Starr — and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund — filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop 8 and attempting to forcibly divorce 18,000 same-sex couples that were married in California last year? The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, 2009, with a decision expected within the next 90 days.
The Courage Campaign has created a video called “Fidelity” — with the permission of musician Regina Spektor — that puts a face to those 18,000 couples and all loving, committed couples seeking full equality under the law.
Please watch this heartbreaking video now. If you have the same reaction that I did, please help me spread the word by sharing it with your friends ASAP:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/Divorce
Over 1 million people have watched “Fidelity.” The more people who see this video, the more people will understand the pain caused by Prop 8 and Ken Starr’s shameful legal proceeding.
After you watch the video, please join me and over 300,000 people who have signed a letter to the state Supreme Court, asking them to invalidate Prop 8 and reject Starr’s case.
As a Celebrant, I understand how powerful and meaningful symbols can be. So I was delighted when I got this email before my Celebrant graduation in May of last year:
One special event every year is to set aside some time for YOU to talk about who you are and what your path to Celebrancy and your new status as a Celebrant means to you. We do this using the universal language of symbolism, which we study in the course and which deepens and enriches every ceremony we perform.
I spent some time thinking about what I would bring with me, as a symbol of myself and my choice to become a Celebrant. As a knitter, I almost immediately knew I wanted to knit something as this representation. I researched yarn, patterns, and eventually settled on creating a shawl, something I had always wanted to do, but had never attempted (successfully!) before.
Modeling the Shawl, 2008
I think the intricacy of the lace matches up well with the intricacy of relationships, those ties that hold us together. I picked this color in particular because periwinkle has always felt like a magical color to me, that beautiful ethereal color of the sky that I always felt wasn’t quite real.
Of course, there are a few mistakes in there. I had some trouble transitioning between the charts, mostly because I had to follow the chart blindly when I started it off, and wasn’t able to easily read my knitting. I tried to fix them the best that I could, and I don’t think they take away from the overall look. In fact, I was happy that I had some mistakes that I conquered. That was all part of my grand plan for the shawl.
Modeling the Shawl, 2008
As a Celebrant, I will get to know a couple, then create and perform an original ceremony for them. This will involve taking elements from many different places – the couple’s own words and cultures, known traditions, and my own creative knowledge.
The same can be said for this shawl. I followed a general pattern, one that many have followed and done before (just as the wedding ceremony). I made my own choices – I made it larger, changed the yarn, chose the color. I even made some mistakes along the way, but I incorporated them into, and made it a part of the piece. Though I followed the “rules” of the pattern, I created a completely unique shawl. Just like when I write wedding ceremonies – I’ll follow the “rules,” but I’ll end with something completely personalized and unique for the couple.
Modeling the Shawl, 2008
Even if someone liked my shawl so much that they decided to do it exactly the same way, adding extra repeats and the same yarn and same needle size, they would still be different. That’s the beauty of any kind of art, any kind of creativity. By simply writing, simply knitting, you are making something that is completely yours, something that will be memorable, beautiful, and unlike anyone else’s in the world.
Officiating at Tom & Jeannie's Wedding, 2008
What made it even more special – I wore it at the first wedding I officiated, a wonderful backyard wedding over Memorial Day weekend. It was perfect.
