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!
Jessica & Max were married at the beautiful Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in late August. They got a beautiful day!
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.
Celebrant: 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.
CELEBRANT will take a glass, and hand it to JESSICA. She will take a sip, and hand it to MAX, who will take a sip. MAX hands the glass back to CELEBRANT. CELEBRANT will take the other glass, and hand it to MAX. MAX will take a sip, and hand it to JESSICA, who will take a sip. JESSICA hands the glass back to CELEBRANT, who will place it on the table.
Celebrant: 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!
Sandy found me through her amazing wedding photographer, Cindy Patrick. I knew, from the beginning, that Sandy and her husband Jay were going to have an incredible wedding ceremony, that really reflected who they are and their wonderful and special relationship.
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!
Heidi and Ryan’s ceremony was one of the most unique weddings I’ve had the honor of officiating at. Heidi is Jewish, while Ryan is from Trinidad. Both are incredible, amazing, politically charged individuals who bring out the best in their partner. I feel like Heidi and Ryan are true partners in life, always supporting and encouraging the other.
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!
Ana and Matt contacted me a few weeks before their wedding ceremony. They were getting married at one of my favorite venues, The Garrison in Garrison, NY, and the pastor they had for their ceremony was no longer available. I knew we would get along so well when we first met – Ana and Matt are all smiles and laughs, and eager to share their stories!
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!
