They are both such exuberant, passionate, and interesting people, and I tried to capture a little bit of that in their ceremony.  To honor Monika’s Polish heritage, we did a special ritual at the very end, after the kiss.  The bride and groom were offered salt and bread, to show how they will sustain and support each other throughout their lives, by their moms – and then had a vodka toast, smashing the glass for good luck!

Their personal vows had everyone laughing and crying, and there seriously was not a dry eye in the house!  Monika and Marko also incorporated a few readings into their ceremony, including some of my favorites (Taylor Mali’s “Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog” and a selection from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin) as well as some I hadn’t even thought to use as wedding readings before (Robert Fulghum’s “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” – it works surprisingly well!)

Plus I just loved their polka dot theme.  If anyone wants me to wear polka dots to their wedding – just let me know!

And their ceremony did include the story of one of the greatest pick-up lines ever:

Monika and Marko’s lives first crossed paths at a bar, when Marko overheard Monika discussing cheese, and offered this choice tidbit of trivia to her: “Did you know you can eat most things that grow on cheese and they won’t hurt you?” It turned out they had a mutual friend, so our couple was introduced – and Marko with a K met Monika with a K officially for the first time.

And included this wonderful line in the Love Story, too, which I just loved!

If Marko had to choose just one person he’d want in the Batmobile of life as his co-pilot, it would have to be Monika.

Congrats and much love to both of you!

The couple was married at the incredible Grounds for Sculpture, in Hamilton, NJ – a unique wedding location that is the perfect compliment to a unique Celebrant ceremony.

From the article:

Newlyweds Katherine Kittel and Jimmy Ding decided to celebrate their Sept. 2 wedding at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton.

The 42-acre public sculpture park was founded in 1992 at the site of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds.

“Jimmy and I had gone there on one of our earlier dates. We really loved the grounds and park,” Kittel said.

At first, the couple considered a simple city hall-style wedding. But once they realized what Grounds for Sculpture had to offer, they were sold.

“The location really speaks for itself,” she said.

The couple decided to be wed at the Nine Muses exhibit, a granite collection of figures that suggest ruins and individuals from ancient Egypt, Greece, pre-Columbian sites, and other civilizations.

Click over to read the full article!

Lindsay and Randy were married at the end of June in West Virginia.  They came from different religious backgrounds, and wanted personal, unique vows, and had a friend officiate.  They had met while working at Domino’s Pizza, over ten years ago, and became friends, though they both felt an immediate spark.  It was this basis of friendship that their relationship was built on, and Lindsay sent me this fabulous quote from The X-Files that fit in with the ceremony perfectly!  I used it to lead off their Love Story:

Well, it seems to be that the best relationships – the ones that last – are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with. -Dana Scully

They crafted unique vows to use, too:

I, Randy, take you, Lindsay,
to be no one other than yourself.
Loving what I know of you,
trusting what I do not yet know.
I will respect your integrity,
and have faith in your abiding love for me,
through all our years,
and in all that life may bring us.

Lindsay and Randy, I loved being a part of your wedding, all the way from New Jersey.  Congratulations!

All photos by Amberlee Christey – thanks for sharing them with me, Lindsay!

Are you looking for someone to write your wedding ceremony, or need some help editing a ceremony you’ve already written?  My ceremony writing services are perfect for you!

When my (now) husband and I asked a friend to perform our ceremony, we knew we needed someone to write it. A Google search led me to Jessie and I’m so thankful it did! She was wonderful to work with and created a beautifully personalized ceremony for us. Many of our guests loved the uniqueness of it! No matter where you live, if you’re looking for a ceremony that truly speaks to who you are as a couple, I would highly recommend Jessie’s writing services!
-Lindsay & Randy, married in Morgantown, WV

They used Edward Monkton’s A Lovely Love Story (complete with printed illustrations!), a unique wine ceremony that decanted the wine (because, like a relationship, red wine reaches its fullest potential when it has room to breathe) and had a toast, and this fun poem by W.B. Yeats:

Wine comes in at the mouth
And loves comes in at the eye;
That’s all we know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.

Kristin and Thomas, congrats again – I loved being a part of your wedding celebration!

From the couple: We were so happy to have found Jessie to officiate at our wedding. She understood our vision right away, and did such an amazing job creating our ceremony. Her samples and resources were amazingly helpful for folks like us who didn’t want to use all the traditional words, but didn’t want to write our own vows either. I wish I could give her six stars for responsiveness; I have never met anyone who responds to e-mails faster! Thank you again so much for a wonderful and special ceremony!

It was a smaller wedding, which meant it was perfect to include a ring warming ritual.  We passed Melissa and Jonathan’s rings around the room, allowing time for each guest to hold them, warm them, and imbue them with happy wishes and thoughts for the couple’s marriage.  It’s one of my favorite rituals, and a really sweet and wonderful way to create an inclusive and intimate feeling with a ceremony.

Their love story was full of laughs, and a special mention of their dog, too.  At the end, together, Melissa and Jonathan broke a glass, a Jewish custom that is usually reserved for the room.  This was to symbolize how Melissa and Jonathan would be equals in their marriage, forming a partnership of support for each other.

Dan and I had to dash off immediately after the ceremony, so we could head up to New York state to get married!  Melissa and Jonathan, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wedding ceremony!

Photos are courtesy of the bride and groom.

Erin and Kevin had one of the most unique weddings I’ve ever officiating at – it was a surprise!  OK, pay attention for a sec, because this gets a little complicated: Kevin’s parents planned a surprise engagement party for Erin.  Kevin ended up telling Erin about the party (because she is not a fan of surprises!), and they decided to turn the party into their wedding celebration – but not let the guests in on it!  So everyone thought the party they were attending was a surprise engagement party for Erin, BUT it was actually a surprise wedding for their guests.

Of course, Erin and Kevin let their bridal party and immediate family members (and the venue and their wedding pros!) in on the surprise.  The guests walked out to the putting green, to surprise Erin, who was supposed to be arriving – but instead, she and Kevin pulled up in a golf cart, in their bridal gear, walked out to the putting green – and got married!

I walked out on the green, along with the bridal party, flipped on my mic, and welcomed everyone, and explained that this was their wedding!  I talked about Erin and Kevin, they exchanged their vows and their rings, and kissed, and they were married.  We kept the ceremony short because all of the guests were standing, and also because it was quite chilly outside.

After the ceremony, Erin had another surprise for her new husband – a very special guest came out to congratulate them!

Eclectic Unions… a Mr. Met approved Celebrant!

Congrats, Erin and Kevin!  Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your AWESOME surprise wedding!

They included a beer sharing unity ritual in their wedding!  Max is a beer connoisseur – so it was very appropriate that they did their own twist on a wine sharing ceremony and used lambic instead!  The lambics that they used were purchased on a recent trip to Belgium, too, which made them extra special for the bride and groom.

Here’s the wording we used in their ceremony:

Plato once wrote, “He was a wise man who invented beer!” One of Max’s passions and obsessions is beer, so it is only appropriate that our couple will symbolize the life that they will share together by sharing two bottles of lambic.

Lambics are a type of beer that are fermented spontaneously, by wild yeast that live in the air of certain breweries in Belgium. This unusual process is what gives the beer its distinctive flavor: sour, dry, and cidery. And these two bottles hold a special meaning as well – our bride and groom purchased them on a visit to Belgium, in the small town of Denderleeuw. They were brewed in honor of the wedding of the owner of one of the best beer bars in Belgium! One beer was brewed for him, and one for his wife – and these are the beers that our couple will share today!

These beers hold many of the qualities that reflect the true nature of love, life, and marriage. They hold within a sweetness, but there is still an edge, a sourness, a bitterness, that exists as well. By each taking a sip of the beers, you are showing that you will share in every happiness together, every joy and every sadness, and together you will face the hardships and adversities of life, always confident that the good will return.

I ask that you drink together, and, as you do, earnestly seek the power and wisdom to use all the pleasure and prosperity that may come your way, accepting it with love.

As you have shared these beers, so may you share your lives, every joy and happiness, every sorrow and sadness. May you find life’s happiness heightened, it’s bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by your love for each other. And may you always be ready to raise a beer, in toast and in celebration, for all of the joys of your life together!

They also chose one of my favorite wedding readings, especially relevant for two scientists getting married – Charles Darwin’s pros and cons list, written on his decision to marry.  And his conclusion? Marry, marry, marry, of course!

A big thank you to Jessica and Max, for letting me be a part of their awesome wedding ceremony, and for sharing these photos with me, courtesy of their photographer, Sharon’s Wedding Art.

The bride and groom toast with their lambics as they enjoy a few moments to themselves after their ceremony.

Sandy and Jay chose an amazing (and different!) venue for their wedding – the Historic Prison Museum in Mount Holly, NJ!  The entire museum was open to guests before hand, and the bride and groom got incredible shots in the cells of the prison.  I wish that Dan and I had gotten their a little bit earlier so we could have explored the museum – it was so cool.  As Sandy put it, it was the perfect place for her accomplice to become her husband!

Sandy was stunning, in her vintage style with her little black birdcage veil.  They included a handfasting in their ceremony – to symbolize the joining together of their lives, and Sandy constructed a gorgeous fringed cord to use.  In the handfasting wording, I discussed the chains of love that bound the bride and groom, bringing the location of their wedding into the ceremony.  A memorial candle, along with photos of loved ones who had passed on, was lit on the well behind us.

I tried to incorporate their unique venue into the ceremony, in a few subtle ways – this is from my opening remarks:

People have always found different ways to get hitched – but this rite of passage holds deep meaning, no matter where on earth it is performed. The institution of marriage is indeed still relevant, and it is so fun to be in THIS institution as Sandra and Jay take the next big step in their lives together… you know, tie on the old ball and chain. And it is wonderful that they do so in their own way, and their own style.

And, my favorite, especially for Sandy and Jay from whom birds have a very special significance, was the intro to the conclusion of the ceremony (if I’ve married you, you may find this familiar – I include it at the end of many of my ceremonies – I just love those last two lines so much!!)

Let me offer you two one final piece of advice, before our lovebirds fly the coop together:

May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.
And may you have love – and may you find it loving one another.

Sandy carried a dramatic fan instead of flowers, and brought it out so the couple could have a private moment for their first kiss!

For even more photos and details, check out Cindy Patrick’s blog post – or check out this wedding featured on OffBeatBride!

Congrats, Sandy and Jay!! Thank you for letting me be a part of your incredible wedding!

All photos are courtesy of Cindy Patrick Photography.  Thanks, Cindy!

It was one of the most colorful weddings I’ve ever done!  I loved Ryan’s attire (his shirt combined with the yarmulke pinned on his dreadlocks just said it all!), and Heidi was stunning in her custom made red dress.  I remember, in our first phone call, when Heidi told me she was wearing a red dress, and all of the Jewish elements, I thought to myself, “I would LOVE to do their wedding!”

Photo by Eclectic Unions

Photo by Eclectic Unions

They were married under a chuppah, the traditional marriage canopy – the prayer shawls of all of the men in Heidi’s family were laid on top, to form the shelter that they were married under.  At the beginning of the ceremony, the bride recited a Hebrew prayer, called the Shehechayanu, which is recited whenever something is done for the first time – this was the first time that all of their family and friends had gathered together.  I echoed with the English translation:

Baruch ata adonai elohenu melech ha olam, shehecheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu laz’man hazeh. (Blessed is the Eternal, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and bringing us to this time.)

Heidi’s brother, one of the groomsmen, recited the Kiddush, the prayer and blessing over the wine that Heidi and Ryan shared during the ceremony.  Ryan also broke a glass at the end, another Jewish tradition.

Their personal vows were sweet and poignant.  All in all, it was a beautiful ceremony, honoring both cultures and traditions of the bride and groom, along with the personalities and individuality of the couple themselves.

Photo courtesy of their lovely wedding photographer, Sarah Postma.

For more details and photos, check out the blog post by their photographer, Sarah Postma!

They were married on a beautiful summer day in July.  We incorporated a handfasting, as well as a reading in Spanish, to honor Ana’s heritage, a quote by Jose Marti:

“El amor nace con el placer de comtemplarse, se alimenta con la necesidad de verse, y concluye con la imposibilidad de separarse.”

which translates to:

“Love is born with the pleasure of looking at each other. It is fed with the necessity of seeing each other. It is concluded with the impossibility of ever being apart.”

Their love story was fun and humorous, but had a great balance of love in it too – my favorite moment was towards the end, where I talked about the inscription on the groom’s wedding band:

Our couple hopes to embody the three words that are engraved on the inside of Matthew’s wedding band – love, family, and laughter.  Anyone who meets our couple can see that they truly reflect these three qualities – how deeply in love with each other they are – how central and important family is to them – and how much laughter they have, together, every single day.

All photos are courtesy of 1. Art Beauty Life. Thank you!

A sweet moment between the groom and his parents, after they have walked with him to the front of the aisle.

Showing off her engagement ring during the Love Story!

We laughed a lot!

The handfasting, the couple is bound together to represent their unity

Going in for the kiss!

The kiss!