St Louis Wedding Officiant Ruth Hasser

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2010-03-24T04:51:00.001-07:00

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Welcome, Spring!

2010-03-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

As I talk with brides and grooms about their spring and summer weddings, it is sometimes hard to imagine that it will be warm enough again for these outdoor ceremonies. It has felt like a longer, colder winter than we have been used to around here in recent years. I know that we have not had it as rough as other parts of the country where they were slammed with snowstorm after snowstorm. Nonetheless, everyone I know is grateful to see the first signs of spring all around us, more sunny days, and warmer temperatures.

On this day of the Vernal Equinox, I share this prayer borrowed in part from the Chinook Psalter:

O Lord, may we today be touched by grace, fascinated and moved by this your creation, energized by the power of new growth at work in your world.

May we move beyond viewing this life only through a frame, but touch it and be touched by it, know it and be known by it, love it and be loved by it.

May our bodies, our minds, our spirits, learn a new rhythm paced by the rhythmic pulse of the whole created order.

May spring come to us, be in us, and recreate life in us.

Amen!

Off White Indie Wedding Show

2010-03-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make: I’m not a big fan of wedding shows. In fact, I’ve never gone to one, as either a customer or a vendor. But when I first became aware of the upcoming Off White Indie Wedding Show, I knew this was going to be something different and exciting.

The following is from their website:

http://offwhiteweddingshow.com/

Off White is the St. Louis area’s first indie wedding show, bringing together independent minded couples with local, green, independent vendors and artists.

Taking place at The Luminary Center for the Arts, the event will showcase 30 local and independent designers, retailers and vendors with services that let couples express their personality on the big day! The first 100 couples will receive a free, reusable goodie bag and all attendees are eligible for raffle and attendance prizes during the show. A line-up of experiential events allow brides to touch, taste, and feel the creative options; fashion shows, mini dance lessons, cake decorating demonstrations and wine tastings will be scheduled throughout the day.

Traditional couples and off beat duos will both find vendors to fill a niche in their wedding planning. The goal is not to just cater to those wanting an all-out indie wedding, but to introduce couples who want a more traditional wedding to unique touches and alternatives that they can incorporate into their events as well.

04.03.10 $5 in advance and $8 at the door 11am-4pm The Luminary 4900 Reber Place, 63139

Advance tickets available here: http://brownpapertickets.com/event/94455

Get your tickets now. I’ll see you there!

Love at First Sip

2010-02-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

Last night I had the most fabulous cup of hot chocolate in my life to date. I do not consider myself a connoisseur of all things chocolate but my love affair with chocolate began in utero and continues to this day.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to be invited to an interview with a couple at Café Cioccolato in downtown St. Louis. This “luxurious European chocolate, wine, and dessert lounge” wooed me with tantalizing aromas from the moment I stepped in the door. Not only was I presented with delicious options to eat and drink, I was surrounded by art – paintings and sculptures!

So here I am in this “chocolate café in a beautiful art gallery setting.” I was treated to a cup of hot dark chocolate, topped with a handcrafted marshmallow so divine that I was distracted from the interview several times as I tried to lick every little bit of it from my lips after each sip. Despite my distractions, we managed to have a productive and delightful interview. As I was preparing to leave I learned that Café Cioccolato can host up to 150 people for special events.

To all of you chocolate lovers who are planning weddings and looking for a unique and intimate setting for your small wedding or bridal shower, check out this delicious gem in downtown St. Louis, 816 Olive, right across from the Old Post Office building. For more information call 314-345-1200 or go to http://www.cafecioccolato.com/ .

Valentine’s Day 2010

2010-02-18T14:41:00.000-08:00

It was my first group wedding. I imagine that it was a first group wedding for the couples, too! We were at Windows Off Washington and a light snow was falling outside. There were seven couples standing in front of me. None of them knew the other couples present, but when the brides and grooms looked into each others’ eyes, it really didn’t matter. What did matter was that they had chosen to be there together, ready and willing to commit their lives to one another.

Shortly after noon, the ceremony began. Among other things, I shared the following thoughts with them:

This is not the first time St. Louis has seen a group wedding, and I would be willing to guess it will not be the last. By participating in this wedding ceremony, you join with a growing number of couples from all over the world getting married in large, public ceremonies: from Santa Ana, California to Baghdad, Iraq; from Gaza in Palestine to Beichuan in China; from 30 Navy and Marine couples this past June to a gathering in Soulard yesterday– mass weddings are becoming just one more way to say “I do!”
But no matter how you say it, where you say it, or what you spend on your wedding celebration, today is one of the most important days of your life. Yet we all know that, as important as this day is, what is most important is how you will choose to live out the vows you take today.

And so they said their vows, exchanged rings, and began married life with a kiss, a dance, and a glass of champagne. Families looked on from the sidelines, snapping photos and cheering the newlyweds.

Not a bad way to spend Valentine’s Day, eh?

How Much Do You Charge?

2010-02-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for wedding planning. Ask any wedding vendor and she or he will tell you that we are getting lots of emails and phone calls these days from couples hammering out the essential details for their wedding celebrations coming up in the next six to eighteen months.

One of the first and sometimes the only question I get from an inquirer is “How much do you charge for a wedding ceremony?” While I certainly understand the concerns of many brides and grooms for keeping costs down, especially in these tight economic times, I am saddened that so many seem so willing to cut corners on something as important as the ceremony. In fact, in all of the articles I have read about how to have a low budget wedding, I have yet to see an author recommend hiring the cheapest officiant you can find!

Of course, I understand that not everyone is in a position to have the ceremony of their dreams. Sometimes finances and other circumstances dictate paying as little as possible. And there are many wonderful officiants who offer their services and structure their fees specifically to accommodate the needs of these couples.

But those couples who do have options regarding how they spend their budgeted amount for one of the most important days of their lives should not overlook the key role the officiant plays in setting the tone for that special day. The wedding ceremony attempts to put something into words and rituals (lifetime committed love) that is nearly impossible to express. Couples should be sure to take the time to find someone who is willing to work with them to create a ceremony which will reflect the meaning they have found in joining their lives together in marriage. Do not settle for less than an officiant who has both the experience and the desire to design a truly customized and personalized ceremony.

Will such a ceremony cost a little more? Probably. Is it worth it to pay for the experience and training which will insure that your wedding ceremony is meaningful and memorable? That’s what you get to decide. But ask any couple who has had such a ceremony and they will likely tell you, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Shannon, Tobin, Milan, and Me

2010-01-27T14:31:00.001-08:00

There was a tremendous rainstorm that poured down on Lafayette Square Park less than an hour before Shannon and Tobin were scheduled to be married on that amazing September day. Yet, here we are half way through the ceremony: the sun is shining, Milan is with his people, and all is well!

From the bride and groom:

"Ruth did a fantastic job of guiding us in the right direction, yet allowing us the freedom to curtail our ceremony to be exactly how we wanted it. She was a pleasure to work with during the planning, rehearsal, and wedding day. Ruth is professional and timely. She 'goes with the flow' and is flexible to needs, wants or any ideas you can dream up. We highly recommend Ruth's services. She worked perfectly in our quirky, fun, park ceremony!"

-Tobin and Shannon Lichti, St. Louis, MO

Daily Miracles

2010-01-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

I found this challenging gem today:

"And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy." - Kahlil Gibran

The People of Haiti Need You

2010-01-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

Today I am praying for the people of Haiti, a strong and beautiful people, many of whom live a level of poverty unimagineable to most North Americans. Now they suffer even more deeply following such a devastating earthquake. If you are someone who believes in prayer, please include them in your prayers. If you have some extra change to spare, please forward it toward relief efforts.

For information about trustworthy aid organizations which will use your financial contributions wisely, see Sarah Van Gelder's blog with the Huffinton Post. http://http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-van-gelder/what-you-can-do-for-haiti_b_422058.html

New Year 2010, Parte Dos

2010-01-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

I am excited about the possibilities for my Celebrant work in 2010. Here are some of the things I am considering:

There were a number of weddings I officiated this past year where everyone could have benefitted from the use of a sound system. I believe that I could be heard (my fifteen years in the classroom and several years of community theatre taught me a lot about projecting my voice!), but the bride and groom and readers were not always able to be heard. So I think it is time to look into getting my own sound system.

I would like to offer couples the option to use a credit or debit card to pay for my services. I know that there can be all kinds of crazy fees involved in doing this, but if I can figure out a way to make it work for St. Louis Ceremonies, I will.

I am going to develop my Spanish-speaking and comprehension skills. My recent experience with a December wedding stirred an interest in me for speaking this language that a growing number of new St. Louisans speak as their original language. If I work hard, perhaps a year from now I will be able to say that I offer bi-lingual ceremonies. OK, maybe two years from now, but eventually I hope to make this happen!

I have signed up to take “Funerals and other Ceremonies for Healing” this winter from the Celebrant Foundation and Institute. Once I receive certification, I look forward to expanding my Celebrant practice into funerals, memorials, and other ceremonies to assist people with some of the more difficult transitions and losses that are a part of being human.

If this year is anything like the last, I know it will be filled with more of the wonders and blessings that are at the heart of celebrating life’s most profound moments. I can’t imagine doing anything else!

The New Year 2010

2010-01-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

This past year has flown by, as they all seem to these days. Recalling twenty-five weddings and one memorial service in 2009 brings on a rush of memories and feelings. As I reflect back I am grateful for so much.

First I want to say thanks to all of you who trusted me with your wedding ceremonies in 2009. I feel privileged to have worked with you to create some truly lovely and meaningful ceremonies.

Regarding St. Louis Ceremonies, I find I am most grateful for the people who have helped me to get things rolling this year. The list is long so I won’t attempt to name everyone who has shown me so much support and encouragement, but I do want to mention a few:

Thanks to local Celebrant extraordinaire Lamira Martin, from whom I received over thirty leads this year. I am most grateful for the wisdom of her experience and for her refreshing lightness of being!

In preparing to set up my website, my St. Louis friend Andrew Wimmer and Seattle Celebrant Annemarie Juhlian were invaluable in providing me with guidance and suggestions as I went through the early stages of website development. As the website vision moved toward a reality, Zoe Feast of Indigo Image helped me to pull it all together. My deep gratitude goes out to you all.

And, finally, none of this would be happening as smoothly as it has been without the constant support of my husband, Rocky. He has been on board this Celebrant project 100% from the start. Rockmeister, you are the man!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

To all who celebrate the holy feast of Christmas: may you know peace and joy this day and throughout the new year to come!

"Behold, the dreamer cometh." - Genesis 37:19

Mi Espanol Es Primitivo

2009-12-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

This week finds me working on my Spanish speaking skills. Are you surprised? Well, I am! Yes, I took ten hours of college credit Spanish as an undergrad oh so many years ago. But, like many of my peers, I took the courses but never practiced further than I needed in order to pass. And truly, in late ‘70’s St. Louis, there were not many opportunities to connect with people whose first language was Spanish.

But along comes a wedding between a native St. Louisan and a native of Columbia (the country, not Columbia, Missouri!). Upon learning that some members of the bride’s family are travelling here for the wedding, knowing little to no English, I decided to dust off my language skills in order to have some parts of the ceremony be bi-lingual. Thanks to the Microsoft Word program which offers translations and to the bride who made some adjustments, I will be speaking, for better and for worse, some Spanish at tomorrow night’s ceremony.

I'm glad that those ten hours of Spanish has finally paid off!

Happy Hanukkah

2009-12-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

Tonight at sundown begins Hanukkah. For the next eight nights, those who observe this Jewish holiday will celebrate a Festival of Light. They will remember the miracle that occurred when the Maccabees, though surrounded by their enemies, were able to keep the altar lit for eight days and nights, even though they only had enough oil to burn for one night.

May all who celebrate Hanukkah be blessed by love and light in their families, in their souls, and in their lives!

Seasonal Blessings

2009-12-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

Although today is December 1, I have just pulled four carrots out of my garden along with enough lettuce for this evening’s salad. I’ll admit that it’s a little bit of a stretch for me to embrace the yuletide season when the previous seasons’ gifts are still pouring in, not only from my kitchen garden, but in the form of photos and testimonials from my summer and autumn weddings. It’s been a year of delightful wedding ceremonies with a variety of couples from all over the metro area and beyond.

I am counting my blessings, a good thing to do this time of year when our national holiday of Thanksgiving flows right into the other holidays of Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, and New Years Day. I’ve never been much of a shopper, so a series of decisions which Rock and I have made over the years to step back from some of the commercialization of these holidays has left me with more time to enjoy the visitors, the gatherings, and the food of these days.

To those of you who have chosen the holidays for your wedding ceremony, my best advice is to keep breathing and to keep your eyes on the prize which is your marriage, not your wedding day!

To those of you who will become engaged during the holidays, I congratulate you on taking such a momentous step in your lives.

To all of us, may the holidays become a time to not only count our blessings, but to find ways to share them with others.

We've Come This Far By Faith

2009-11-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will be my 26th wedding anniversary. Wow. Since I had just turned 26 a few weeks before my wedding day, this means that I have now been married for half my lifetime. Wow, again.

Most of those who marry do so with the intention that the marriage will last for the rest of their lives. Sadly that is not always the case.

This year for Thanksgiving, I am delighted and grateful that we have made it this far and, “God willing and the creek don’t rise,” I look forward to many more years with the Rock-man!

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!

The Wedding Design Studio Open House

2009-11-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

Don't miss the open house of The Wedding Design Studio!

The Wedding Design Studio is a comprehensive studio offering brides complimentary access to an extensive vault of wedding resources including the portfolios of handpicked wedding professionals, each carefully chosen based on their reputation for flawless style, innovative spirit and integrity.

The 3-day open house is December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Mingle with St. Louis's most in-demand wedding professionals, browse inspiring portfolios and view the latest in table top design and couture wedding décor. Open house bonuses will run throughout the three day event including a magazine swap, color sample sets and free planning advice with a Proposing Dreams coordinator.

Hours for the Open House are Tuesday, Dec. 1st and Thursday, Dec. 3rd, 12pm to 5pm, and Wednesday, December 2nd, 12pm to 6pm with followed by a happy hour from 6pm to 7pm with complimentary drinks, hors d'oeuvres and giveaways!

The Wedding Design Studio is located at: 3520-1 Greenwood Blvd. Maplewood, MO 63143. For more information, email: info@theweddingdesignstudiostl.com.

St. Louis Ceremonies is proud to be a partner with The Wedding Design Studio. I hope to see you there!

Dominique and Michael

2009-11-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

They had a class together their first year of college. Stealing looks across the room, Mike noticed her exotic beauty and sense of style. Though drawn to her, he concluded she was way out of his league. Dominique saw his leather jacket, spiked hair, and heavy metal t-shirts- he looked cool even while on crutches after shattering his toe. She decided someone as “cool” as that would not be interested in such a “girlie” girl. The following year when they, coincidentally, moved into the same dorm and actually met, they discovered an immediate spark between them, became instant friends, and a few months later started dating. Apparently, the girlie girl was not way out of the cool dude’s league after all!

Dominique and Mike married on August 15, 2009 at The Magic Chef Mansion in a colorful outdoor ceremony, immediately followed by cool drinks and frozen fruit juice bars. The St. Louis heat and humidity did not dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for this ceremony uniting these two people so obviously in love!

Wedding planner Allison McDonald coordinated the day's events, while Susan Jackson Photography beautifully captured the ceremony and their delight in one another in the photographs you see here.

http://www.susanjacksonphoto.com/

http://www.magicchefmansion.com/

Help for Couples

2009-11-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

Now that I’ve explained that most Celebrants do not do marriage prep, I am going to recommend a book to anyone who is in a committed relationship and interested in a little help with keeping their relationship alive, healthy, and vibrant, whether they are newlyweds or have been together thirty years.

A few years back when I was teaching high school seniors, I asked one of my regular guest speakers if he had any background reading recommendations for me on the topic of "healthy marriage." Tim Jordan, M.D.* is a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician who graciously donated his time each semester to talk with my students about ways they could learn to take care of themselves as they moved through the stressful transition from high school to college. One of the books he recommended to me was, Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples, by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D.

Reading this book is a terrific opportunity to learn healthy relationship skills that can greatly enrich the lives of couples in committed relationships. It is available in its 20th anniversary edition at most bookstores and online. My husband Rock and I have recently rediscovered it on our bookshelf and have begun working through the exercises together. My recommendation of this book is offered, not as a Celebrant, but as half of a married couple who always appreciates insights and support in developing a stronger, deeper, and more intimate marriage.

*For more information on the wonderful work with children and adolescents that Tim and Anne Jordan are doing, see www.weloki.com

Do You Do Marriage Prep?

2009-10-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Recently I ran into someone I had not seen for a number of years. We were getting caught up with each other, asking questions like, “What are you up to these days?” When I explained my work as a wedding officiant and Celebrant, my friend asked a question I frequently get in such conversations. She asked if I was doing any marriage prep or counseling with the couples whose wedding ceremonies I perform. My answer always starts with, “No,” and it often includes lots of explaining.

First let me say that the majority of people with whom I have this conversation are either active Catholics or former Catholics. St. Louis is a very Catholic town! And my work history includes five years of college campus ministry in Catholic institutions and fifteen years of teaching theology at Catholic high schools. So most of these conversations have a Catholic framework and assumptions as a starting point.

For those of you who do not know, to be married in the Catholic church, a couple must meet certain specific requirements, including participation in one of a number of marriage prep activities sponsored by the Catholic church. It could take the form of a couples retreat (not at all like the movie!), a class, a workshop, or a sponsor couple program. One of the hopes for all of these programs is to help the couple take a good look at some of the realities of married life and to assess their own readiness to be married.

In the long run, one goal of these programs is to help couples avoid divorce in later years. Unfortunately, the last time I saw any studies on the subject, it appears that Catholics divorce at about the same rate as the rest of the population. This is not to say that these programs are not helpful to some or even most couples who participate in them. It is simply a suggestion that most current marriage preparation programs in general cannot possibly prepare couples for all of the complexities of married life between two very fallible human beings.

Of course, it isn’t only Catholics who require some sort of marriage prep for couples. There are many churches whose requirements for engaged couples include a minimum number of meetings with a minister or with people specifically involved in ministry to engaged couples.

Celebrants trained by the Celebrant Foundation and Institute do not require counseling, retreats, or workshops of the couples with whom we are planning weddings. Sure, we like to meet with the couple, but usually that meeting is a mutual interview where the couple gets to know us a little and we get to know them a little in an effort to decide if we will be a good match for one another. Once hired by a couple, our work as Celebrants is simply to design and officiate at customized ceremonies which help each couple celebrate their relationship and commitment as they see it.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that churches and ministers requiring some kind of marriage prep for engaged couples should change what they are doing. Not at all. I’m simply saying that Celebrants offer an alternative for couples who may prefer not to participate in such programs, and for couples who do not have a particular church affiliation at the time they decide to be married. And isn’t it always nice to have options? I think so.

Changed, Not Taken Away

2009-10-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

On their 40th wedding anniversary, Phil and June received a number of gifts from their family and friends. But there was one they particularly liked. It was a cheesy little plaque which simply said, “This marriage was made in heaven – and so were thunder and lightning!” They hung it on a wall in their home for all to see. Surely, anyone who knew them knew just how right-on it was.

After taking an early retirement a few years later, Phil finally had the time he had always longed for to pursue some of his interests and hobbies. As a professional photographer, he had an artistic imagination and a sharp eye for the aesthetic everywhere he looked. One of the things he had more time to look at was their yard. Although he was physically unable to do gardening, he still enjoyed the idea of a beautifully landscaped yard. Every winter and early spring as the gardening catalogues arrived in the mail, he imagined what the yard could look like if they planted this bulb, that shrub, those seeds.

June, though able bodied and energetic, was pursuing interests of her own which did not include spending a lot of time hanging around their house. After thirty plus years at home raising seven children, she was a woman on the go. “Don’t you dare order anything from those catalogues,” she warned him, “unless you are going to plant it yourself!” As far as she was concerned, that was that.

Early that summer, without any warning, Phil died suddenly from an aortic aneurism. After all of the usual rites of gathering family and friends to remember and mourn, June was left with her own private grief. Day by day, she slowly tended to the tasks of trying to make sense of her new life without Phil. As is normal for those early days, weeks, and months of grieving, she had her good days and her bad.

One day in late October of that same year, a package arrived in the mail from a seed store several states away. Curious, she immediately opened it. What she saw made her cry, then laugh, then shake her fist at Phil’s portrait grinning at her from the bookcase. The package sitting on her dining room table held bulbs and seeds, ordered by Phil that previous spring! It appeared that Phil had gotten the last word.

Or did he? The following spring, on April 21, one of June’s adult daughters called her from Phil’s graveside. It was his birthday, and she had gone to the cemetery to leave flowers there for her dad. When she arrived, she noticed that Phil’s grave was covered with a stunning display of blooming tulips. At first June pretended to be as surprised as her daughter. But she never was a very good liar, and so June proceeded to tell her daughter about the package which had arrived the previous autumn and how she had figured out just what to do with those bulbs Phil had ordered. A few weeks after the package had arrived, she took them to his grave and, after carefully looking around to make sure that no cemetery personnel were watching, June planted those bulbs on Phil’s grave with a triumphal, “Hah! Now who has the last word?”

But just then, after hanging up the phone, June realized that those tulip bulbs had come to mean something far greater to her than just another argument between her and Phil. To June, they had come to symbolize the nature of the change in their relationship. The previous autumn, when she had planted the bulbs, her grief was still raw and intense. What she had planted in the cemetery soil was not just a few bulbs, but with those bulbs all the complicated and mixed feelings that accompanied her grieving Phil’s death after forty-five years of their “thunder and lightning” marriage. What she had harvested six months later was not only the beauty of those tulips but a dawning appreciation for the reality that her relationship with Phil goes on, radically altered by death but not taken away. And, like the tulip that grows from a modest bulb, she could appreciate a beauty in their changed relationship now which she could not possibly have seen last autumn.

And she felt gratitude.

Spiritual But Not Religious?

2009-10-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Something I hear with regularity from couples planning their weddings is that they are “spiritual but not religious.” Apparently, those who feel this way are not just talking to me. This past weekend, PARADE magazine published the results of their national poll on spirituality. In it, 24% of respondents considered themselves to be “spiritual but not religious.”

This can mean different things to different people. Although some people who say this are regular church goers wanting to signal a religious openness to other traditions and beliefs, most people I meet are not regular church attendees. Instead, they either do not currently practice any particular religious traditions, or they have combined practices from a number of different traditions to meet their personal spiritual needs.

Whatever it means to you, the good news is that celebrants trained by the Celebrant Foundation and Institute are ready to work with you on your wedding to create a ceremony that truly reflects your beliefs, whatever they are!

From Control to Celebration

2009-09-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

This morning I ran across something written by theologian Matthew Fox which made me think about the small but not insignificant role I see celebrants playing in the world today. Fox said,

We need the courage to leap from one edge to another – from contemplation to compassion; from I to We; from ladder to circle; from climbing to dancing; from control to celebration; from home as nation to home as global village.

Celebrants trained by the Celebrant Foundation and Institute approach each ceremony with a deep respect for the ones who have requested our services. Yes, we have the authority that accompanies training and experience. But an equal or even greater authority belongs to the individual, couple, family, or group for whom we are designing the ceremony. Working together we create a ceremony based on their needs, hopes, desires, and vision, not our own. The image of moving from a ladder model, where the officiant is always right, to a circle model, where the officiant/celebrant collaborates with people to create something meaningful , moves us from I to We; from control to celebration.

When I explain this to people, I am greeted with smiles and nods. So many of us have longed for these types of collaborations in order to celebrate life’s transitions, but we have not known how to do them or where to find them. Celebrants are helping people meet a very real need to create ceremonies to honor what they experience as sacred in their lives.

Sometimes the Best Things Come in Small Packages

2009-09-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

Stephen and Christina looked over the list of favorite unity rituals used by many contemporary brides and grooms. They all looked pretty good, but none of the rituals seemed to fit them as well as they would have liked. Then, with a little searching online, they found just what they were looking for: The Wooden Wedding Box.

A tradition which has made its way from Holland to the United States, The Wooden Wedding Box can be a delightful addition to any wedding ceremony. It is about the size of a small tool box, just large enough to hold a bottle of wine, two glasses, and two love letters.

This is how it works: The bride and groom compose a love letter to each other sometime before the wedding day. In the letters they are asked to write about the good qualities of their partner and the reasons they have fallen in love. Then they put the letters into the box either before or during the wedding ceremony, but they are instructed not to show the letter they have written to their partner.

During the wedding ceremony after the rings have been exchanged, the wedding officiant explains to the guests what the box is all about. She or he describes the contents of the box and its purpose. If the couple should find their marriage enduring serious difficulties, before making any irrational decisions they should open the box together, drink a glass of the wine, and then read the letters they have written to one another. Of course the hope is that the couple does not ever encounter such serious difficulties and that they are able to open the box, read the letters, and drink the wine on a big anniversary, perhaps ten, fifteen, or twenty-five years from now!

When the explanation is finished, the couple walks over to the table where the box is waiting for them. There they each take a small nail and take turns hammering the nail into a pre-drilled hole. When finished, the rest of the ceremony continues.

At Stephen and Christina's wedding, The Wooden Wedding Box Ceremony was acknowleged with smiles and nods of understanding by their guests. It seems that anyone who has ever been married understands the need to take time out now and then to remember and celebrate their love for one another.

If this sounds like a good option for your wedding ceremony, talk with your wedding minister or celebrant. For more information, see http://www.woodenweddingboxes.com .

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!

2009-09-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

OK, maybe an auto museum is not the first place you might think of when imagining your ideal setting for a wedding. It wasn’t the first choice for Beth and Steve, either. But when circumstances arranged themselves in unforseen ways, the Kemp Auto Museum in Chesterfield was the best choice for their July 11 ceremony and reception.

On gleaming black floors, bathed in dramatic lighting, and surrounded by polished vintage autos, Beth and Steve enthusiastically pledged their love to one another in the company of family and friends. One of the perks they enjoyed by having their ceremony and reception at Kemp was the opportunity to pose for photos in some of the beautiful antiques. As you can see, ViewPlus Photo / Video captured the joy of their special day brilliantly.