They are Quite a Match!

Amy and Matt selected me as their wedding officiant because they sensed I got how important it was to them to incorporate pieces of their diverse backgrounds into their wedding ceremony.

To honor Matt's Jewish heritage, the ceremony has several traditional elements. His parents both escorted him into the ceremonial space. The men in the wedding party held a chuppah over the bride and groom. I offered the couple seven blessings, and the groom broke the glass to the joyful response of "Mazel Tov!"

In a nod to Amy's Slovak and Eastern Orthodox background, the bride was to my right and the groom to my left during the ceremony, the more Christian staging. The Best Man and the Maid of Honor assisted me with the crowning ritual. Matt and Amy's crowns were made of ivy which symbolizes fidelity, commitment, and married love.



On the wedding day, the bride opted to have the ceremony inside Nicotra's Ballroom (Staten Island, NY), not outdoors in the gazebo. It was a wonderful decision on behalf of her guests to be in comfortable air-conditioned space for the ceremony. To not be wilting in the heat helped their guests fully listen to all the detailed aspects of this ceremony that Matt and Amy so carefully planned.

This couple met on match.com...and they are truly a match!

Ceremony Tip: When the children in the wedding party are young...especially younger than 5 years old, plan on having them sit with relatives in the front row after they enter. They will be happier...and so will you.

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!

Gray Skies are Gonna Clear Up

For the last two weeks, couples who have scheduled outdoor weddings in the NY/NJ area have just crossed their fingers and hoped for the best. For Bonnie and Alan, it worked! Their wedding ceremony in the relatively new Brooklyn Bridge Park was held under sunny skies.

With the lower Manhattan skyline as the backdrop and the majestic Brooklyn Bridge anchorages in view too, Bonnie and Alan said their vows...witnessed by their parents and their sisters, all here from the UK.


I appreciate it when couples infuse their wedding with symbols of their own. Bonnie's bouquet was constructed from a collection of sparking pins, brooches, and a coin from Antiqua, where Alan proposed. A couple of the pins were heirloom pieces from their families.

Ceremony Tip: Find that special connection to family heritage to include in your ceremony...a favorite poem, reusing vows your parents used, a flower in bouquets from your parent's garden, or jewelry worn by your great-grandmother. Have your celebrant incorporate words about this symbol into the ceremony.

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!
Wedding Officiant for Personalized Ceremonies

Sweetish...No, Swedish

Central Park...down the stairs to Wagner Cove...it was a lovely spot for Sofia and Fredrik to get married. I was the wedding officiant for this couple who arrived with over fifty of their family and friends from Sweden, Norway, and the US.

Sofia and Fredrik spoke their vows in Swedish. It was the first time I have officiated at a wedding when I didn't know what the couple said to each other. But I could see that the words came from their hearts as I watched their faces. It was a very sweet moment.



With bubbles all around, the license was signed, and I declared them husband and wife. It didn't rain, the filming of a commercial nearby was out of hearing range...nothing got in the way of this marriage. The ceremony turned out perhaps better than they expected...I hope!

Ceremony Tip: The couple had a permit to have their ceremony at Cherry Hill. We arrived at that spot to find it filled with trucks that were part of a filming event. I don't know to fail safe everything when the park clearly didn't check their permit list when they allowed one of these two events. So just know that "stuff happens," and the solution may make the wedding even better.

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!
Wedding officiant for personalized ceremonies

The Beautiful Two

As their wedding officiant, I worked with Diane and Michael to write their wedding ceremony in a way that would reflect their interests and values. They were drawn together by a mutual interest in books, and they took care to select the readings for their ceremony. One they especially liked is by Alice Walker who described marriage as two people who do not melt into one, but rather two persons becoming a "council of equals...the beautiful two."

As these words were read, it was symbolic that Michael and Diane stood on a mosaic depicting cranes...a beautiful twosome of birds who mate for life. Surrounding the cranes were symbolic interlocking circles...maybe wedding rings! This mosaic is visible in this picture of their ceremony at the Chinese Scholar's Garden in Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island.




The celebration following the ceremony was at The Noble Maritime Collection, a familiar place for me having worked there some years ago. Michael's company had done the electrical work on our family room renovation, and I know Diane from our work on a planning committee for an annual Staten Island business women's conference. It's not often I have so much connection with a couple outside of their wedding ceremony itself.

For their reception, they had a great live band, and wonderful food, featuring treats from Diane's homestate of Maine...all catered divinely by Framboise. I rarely stay for a reception...this one I couldn't miss! And what did they give for favors as we left...yes, books!

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!
Wedding Officiant for the wedding ceremony that is about you

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

The bride and groom were excited...they'd done such good planning...all their ideas were incorporated in their ceremony and reception at The Lake Club on Staten Island.

As their wedding officiant, I carefully wove their ideas into the ceremony...the words to their processional song ("Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"), setting up the Dr. Seuss reading they selected, telling their love story in delightful detail, and declaring them husband and wife at the conclusion...just before they recessed with bubbles and their selected tune - "All Things Keep Getting Better."

Ceremony Tip: When you have specific ideas you want for your ceremony, it will be a richer and more meaningful ceremony. Nicole and Matt were especially good at describing what they wanted in their wedding ceremony. However, for some couples, they are genuinely clueless about what to ask for in their ceremony. Here are some things you can think about before you meet with the officiant: what song do you want playing when you enter, think about things you have seen in other weddings that you liked, let your officiant know what is important to you (for example - involving your family, having a reading in a different language, doing a traditional ritual like breaking the glass). Don't forget: Your ceremony sets the tone for your wedding day!

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!

Celebrants Sharing Wisdom

The Celebrant Foundation & Institute is celebrating their 10th anniversary this weekend with the graduation of this year's class and a professional development day, a day of wisdom sharing.

I was honored to be asked to talk about a wedding I did last year, a wedding for a special couple. The bride was terminally ill with breast cancer. The NJ Chapter of the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) enlisted wedding vendors to donate their services for her wedding. I was asked by the president of the NJ chapter of ABC to be the officiant. My presentation was a case study/story about how as a celebrant I approached working with Tina and Paul.

Candice Benson, the NJ chapter president of ABC, caught the attention of the national president of Wish Upon A Wedding, a national organization that works with couples when one of them is terminally ill. Candice was recruited to establish a NJ chapter of Wish Upon a Wedding,and the chapter was launched last winter with a gala event.



So I asked Candice to join me in telling the story of Paul and Tina's wedding and to let celebrants attending this conference how to get involved in becoming a Wish Granter for Wish Upon a Wedding chapters in their area.


Always a pleasure to work with Candice...and her wedding and event planning company is first rate too....The Finishing Touch .





Good luck to all the 2011 celebrant graduates!

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!

Getting Married in Central Park

It felt like the opening game of the season...officiating at my first 2011 wedding ceremony in Central Park. It was the last day of spring break for NYC public school kids and it was the first sunny day after several rainy ones...so the park was buzzing.

London residents Karen and Mark arrived at the popular Central Park wedding spot, the Ladies Pavillion, for their wedding ceremony. I don't think they expected it would be as crowded as it was, but the bystanders respectfully watched and applauded at the end of the ceremony.

I told their love story, reminded them of what they love about each other, heard them declare their vows and watched as they exchanged rings. They signed their NYC marriage license and keepsake certificate. I'm not sure they even noticed all the on-lookers.

Their family sent greetings for me to read to them...warm reminders that the ones they love were thinking about them on their wedding day.

Karen and Mark met at work...sometimes a difficult way to start a romance, but they built a solid relationship based on trust and respct. They also have a spirit of adventure between them...getting engaged on top of the Eifel Tower and getting married in NYC's Central Park.

I wish them every happiness and joy as they begin married life together.

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!