Summer Evening Ceremony

 

JoAnn and Rocco began their wedding celebration with a straightforward ceremony...vows and ring exchange...their love story...and the pronouncement they were husband and wife. 

The procession was managed very well by the staff at the Grand Oaks Country Club on Staten Island.  This newly renovated venue lends itself to a dramatic and beautiful ceremony with it's garden-like setting and charming gazebo.

As I prepared for this ceremony I was thinking it was quite minimal, and I expected that it might just fall flat.  But to my surprise, and I should have realized this, when it's a wedding, even the most simple words that speak the truth with feeling are meaningful.  This couple, their families, and their guests were listening carefully, finding moments of sentiment, and delighting in the intensity of this moment for JoAnn and Rocco.

So the lesson that I have learned over and over...yet again...is that "short and simple" ceremony doesn't mean the ceremony is not worth the time it takes or that the couple doesn't care about their vows or that the guests and family won't take it seriously.

Rocco and JoAnn...you are lovingly married, ceremoniously linked forever, and truly celebrated for all you have pledged to one another.

And who could resist that wonderful golden color just before a summer sunset...!

 

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!

Great Day for the Irish!

Brian and Lauryn compliment each other...they balance each other...they make each other a better person.  And they both have an Irish background.  So their wedding ceremony had many components that had Celtic roots.  Their reading came from the rich written word from Ireland.  The handfasting ritual, which is probably from Celtic origins, honored their heritages, their hopes, and their vows.  I used the colors from the flowers to symbolize elements of their marriage that meant something to Brian and Lauryn.  The Maid of Honor and the Best Man "tied the knot."

 

In an unusual ceremony gesture, Lauryn moved her engagement ring to her right hand just before she received her wedding ring.  This honors her German heritage...and the ring on her right hand is where it will be for the rest of her life.  (She broke that finger just a few weeks ago...but the swelling was down enough so she could wear the ring as she planned.)

Their wedding location, F.E.A.S.T at Round Hill was a perfect setting for bringing family together from across the US.  A nearby hotel...transportation by bus...and a cozy space for reunion, conversation and partying. 

 

CEREMONY TIP:  Lauryn and Brian had a rehearsal without me the day before the ceremony.  I provided a rehearsal guide...and they executed it perfectly.  All those participating in the ceremony knew where to stand, what do to, how to assist with rings and handfasting...so that the ceremony came together very well on the day.  If you are having a rehearsal without your officiant, ask for a guide so that all the necessary elements are covered.  It really pays off!

 

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!

Three Time's A Charm

“Three time's a charm,”  said one of the grooms.  That will probably only be said for one couple I have married…Lerrick and Oliver.

I created and officiated at their commitment ceremony, their civil union ceremony, and finally their legal marriage ceremony.  Fortunately, no other couple I work with will have to have three ceremonies.  Marriage equality is on the near horizon, and one ceremony will make it legal.

Working with Oliver and Lerrick has been a joy in large measure because they wanted meaningful and ritual-filled ceremonies.  And also because they are truly warm and totally charming people.

Lerrick and Oliver asked me to create their commitment ceremony in 2006.  It was a major, large wedding event…rich in ritual and family participation.  We worked together to incorporate three traditional Philippine wedding traditions in that ceremony.  Honored sponsors completed rituals incorporating coins, a cord, and a veil pinned to their shoulders.   The music was stunning, selected by the musician Lerrick.  The setting at Oakside Mansion in Bloomfield, NJ, was beautiful.  Lerrick and Oliver were emotional and serious.  They were surrounded by three generations of loving family.  It was an amazing magical day.

 

 

Two years later, NJ made civil unions legal, so Lerrick and Oliver had their second ceremony back at Oakside Mansion.  This time is was the two of them and two witnesses.  They said the same vows again…holding their wedding rings over their hearts.  The ritual for this ceremony was informal.  Everyone present picked sayings out of a bowl…sayings about what makes for a good marriage.  We read them in turn as we stood in a circle.  The civil union license was signed, and they were officially in a legally recognized relationship.  But it was not marriage.

 

 

With the legalization of same sex marriage in NJ,  Lerrick and Oliver once again stood before witnesses and family on March 16, 2014.  They said the same vows a third time as they held their rings over their hearts again.   The ritual for this ceremony was handfasting.  They picked four colors that had meaning for them, and two siblings and two in-laws “tied the knot.”   I said some of the same words for the third time and some words for the first time.    The words I said for the first time were the ones they had wanted to hear all along.  "By the power vested in me by the State Of New Jersey, you are now married - each as husband to the other."  With cheers and applause…and some tears…Lerrick and Oliver now enjoy the full legal rights of a married couple.

For each of their ceremonies, Lerrick and Oliver wore their traditional Philippine ceremonial shirts, barong tagalong, as you can see in the pictures.  They gave me a preserved orchid after their original commitment ceremony day which I kept and wore it at each of their successive ceremonies.  Now I can retire the orchid…their ceremonies are complete.  “Three time's a charm”...indeed.

 

 

 

Right in the Middle of Grand Central Terminal

 

 

 

Pete and Alessandra came from Toronto for a weekend in NYC that included an intimate wedding ceremony...just the two of them...in the middle of Grand Central Terminal.  You might not think they had as private moment with all the hub-bub around them...but it was intensely private.

Their short ceremony included a few words about what they love about each other, how their professional friendship turned to romance and then love, and then they spoke very traditional vows that were quite emotional for both of them.

When they kissed at the end of their ceremony...everyone around them applauded.  This seemed to surprise Alessandra and Pete, because for a few minutes in one of the busiest spots in the world, they were alone...just the two of them...unaware of the crowd that stopped to quietly watch a wonderful moment.

Pete send me a short thank you a few days later...describing their wedding as simply "magical."


Julie Laudicina, Celebant!

Winter Wonderland

 

 

 

Connecting all the pieces of your wedding day makes your statement about your wedding come alive.
Jennifer and Michael selected words for the runner that was positioned down the aisle...the first words that their guests saw.  The words were used again to introduce their vows.

A quote on love and marriage on their wedding program was part of the ceremony too.

The visual image of the blue and ice played into the introduction...the winter wedding the bride wanted.  Words, images, colors, and emotions all came together.

Mike and Jenn presented her daughter with a necklace during the ceremony...a symbolic gesture that their new marriage would also be a new family with the three of them building a life together.
To use a winter word:  Cool!

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant!