Valentines...Forever and Ever

It's one of the best times of the year for a wedding officiant - Valentine's Day! This year I had the honor of officiating at a vow renewal ceremony for Matt and Robin who have been married for 31 years.

They selected a wonderful site for their ceremony...a charming and intimate wine cellar at "il Buco" in the Village. Of course, they included a wine ritual in their ceremony.

Both Matt and Robin collaborated with me privately so they could surprise the other with a gift. They each selected music that they played on their indidivual ipads for the other one. And they each wrote their new vows.

This couple were high school sweethearts who married pretty soon after high school graduation. In spite of their being young at that time, they have made their marriage work over the years...in good times and bad...mostly good! They raised two wonderful children who are doing well. They figured out how to conquer the challenges of life...relocation, tight budgets...the usual stresses of modern living. They are indeed Valentines forever and ever to each other.

As Robin said when she presented Matt with a new watch..."It's our time."

Julie Laudicina,Celebrant!

Announcing Bride's Choice Award 2011

I am pleased to share this press release from WeddingWire with you:

{New York, NY} – {February 3, 2011} - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce "Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!" has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 in the wedding officiant category.

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Julie Laudicina stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Julie Laudicina for her professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that "Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!" is among the very best of wedding officiants within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating Julie Laudicina to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 and our WeddingWire Storefront, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).