Vancouver Wedding Officiant, BC Marriage Commissioner, Justice of the Peace?

Many couples don’t know where to begin searching for someone to create and perform their wedding ceremony.

Marriage Commissioner, Justice of the Peace, Wedding Officiant, Wedding Celebrant, Marriage Officiant, Minister, Chaplain.  These are all commonly used terms but what do they really mean?

Here in beautiful British Columbia, there are two primary options when choosing the Officiant for a legal wedding ceremony. I fall into the first category.

ONE)  An Officiant recognized as a Religious Representative… someone who has gone through BC’s very strict approval process and is thereby authorized to stand in the power of ceremony. While it may sound formal — it certainly doesn’t need to be! For instance, as an Interfaith Celebrant and Chaplain, my ceremonies are deeply meaningful and completely reflective of the couple’s beliefs, whatever they are.

But I digress… the truth is that this is a very diverse group of people who can perform a wide variety of wedding ceremonies.  We range from Lay Chaplains (like me) who work in an Interfaith way (again, like me), to Priests, Ministers, Imams, Rabbis, etc who can guide a very formally religious wedding ceremony in a house of worship.  We use a variety of titles: Celebrant, Wedding Officiant, Wedding Chaplain.  What we don’t use is Marriage Commissioner ...

TWO) A government appointed Marriage Commissioner who uses a preset script.  These ceremonies can be fun if the Marriage Commissioner is willing to make changes to the script to give it a more personal feel.  Marriage Commissioner ceremonies are not created or written specifically for the couple.  These ceremonies fall into what I call ‘the cookie cutter’ category.

That leaves us with Justice of the Peace.  In the past these officers of the peace performed wedding ceremonies in city halls and courthouses around BC.  Nowadays the Marriage Commissioner has taken over this role.

Did I muddy the water or make it clearer?  Please let me know.  I’d like to really help people understand this.

Joyfully yours,

Celebrant Michele Davidson, Vancouver Wedding Officiant, Custom Wedding Ceremonies Vancouver and Whistler

A Vancouver Same-Sex Wedding Ceremony

Talk about citizens of the world… Janice and Natalie are definitely the most global couple I’ve had the pleasure to marry so far!  Janice is originally from the land down under and Natalie from America.  It’s easy to see that they are soulmates, but governments don’t always see what the rest of us do!

Natalie and Janice met in Canada while both were here on work visas –they decided to make their home base in our beautiful country.  But first they had to wind their way through the immigration processes from their respective home countries!

Natalie and Janice are inspirational examples of what it means to truly commit to a relationship – to do whatever it takes to be together.

With Canadian citizenship finally complete for both – yay — Janice and Natalie were super excited to gather an intimate circle of dear family and friends for their marriage ceremony. The setting:  the picturesque park at Deep Cove.  We drew together in the shade under two huge cedars, with the ocean to the east and the North Shore mountains to the North.

At this same-sex wedding ceremony, the two brides were dressed in flowing white.  Natalie’s grandmother was there on her cool scooter, Women of Honour Bethany and Clare were calm and excited all at the same time, the couple’s dog ‘Baby’ was divinely attired in a garland of flowers… and everyone else was simply beaming!

After I had welcomed folks to the ceremonial space, I touched on how special this day was for Natalie and Janice given the long road they’d taken simply to be together in one place.

I weave people’s own words into their wedding ceremonies because as a Celebrant I believe it’s what they think and feel that is most important. In our lively interview, Janice and Natalie spoke about their hopes and dreams for their future together.  Something they said struck a chord with me.  I wish all people could live life like this:

“We want to live fully appreciating and valuing each other. To celebrate each day, to enjoy life, and to know it’s value.  People often forget this.  We want to always remember how incredibly lucky we are to have each other.”

Natalie and Janice.  I have faith that you do and always will celebrate each others uniqueness.  That you will taste the preciousness of your shared journey, each and every day. I look forward to watching you create a family out of your deep love and appreciation!

Joyfully yours,

Celebrant Michele Davidson, Vancouver Wedding Officiant, Custom Wedding Ceremonies Vancouver and Whistler

A Custom Wedding Ceremony on Blackcomb Mountain

Riding the new Peak to Peak Chair to a Wedding in the Sky!

The setting for this lovely little wedding ceremony was the top of Blackcomb Mountain on a bluebird summer afternoon.

I love it when couples pull off a mood of elegance and occasion, but with a relaxed easy feel!

Natalie and Jay’s wedding ceremony was all this and how!  With just family and a circle of close friends present, their custom wedding ceremony was all about intimacy.

It was so much fun for me to tell the story of how Natalie and Jay came to this place in their lives; to be standing in this beautiful place getting married.

Together, we shared more than a few tears, lots of tender laughter, and an abundance of memorable moments. I’m still tickled that Natalie became so absorbed in my saying the vows for her to repeat, that she forget to repeat them at her cue.  One of the sweetest moment of the summer wedding season!!!

I hear from Natalie and Jay that some of their male guests admitted to shedding a tear or two (or maybe three?) and that they consider this a great compliment… me too!

Natalie and Jay are designers, and well, stylish people.  They sure know how to plan a party!  An added bonus to this wedding was that I got to go on the Peak to Peak Gondola between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains — the gondola is an engineering feat, breaking three world records and setting up to be Canada’s newest tourism icon.Thanks you two lovebirds for the great ride!!! I was only scared a little.

Joyfully yours,

Celebrant Michele Davidson, Vancouver Wedding Officiant, Custom Wedding Ceremonies Vancouver and Whistler

A Custom Wedding Ceremony at the UBC Boathouse

Renée and Dustin’s wedding ceremony was one of those occasions where the couple, the guests, and I seem to enter an altered reality. A place where time stands still, where people hold the hand of their own loved one a little more tenderly, and the sky is bluer and the grass greener.

The ceremonial experience was nothing short of magical.  Held on the dock of the architecturally stunning John M.S. Lecky UBC Boat House in Richmond, right smack alongside the Fraser River. we were cooled by the occasional breeze off the water, serenaded by the sounds of nature, and with just a few steps backwards we would have been in the Fraser River.

Renee and Dustin’s love story is a captivating one that was a great pleasure to weave for their guests. Renée’s mom told me that the ceremony held their family and friends spellbound. It’s true… but for the squawks of the occasional heron flying overhead, you could’ve heard a pin drop. Renée and Dustin were entranced by each other… and we by them!

Here’s a sampling from the ceremony, where I described the couple using some of their own words:

“…How can any of us not be entranced by a couple who both consider themselves introverted-extroverts?  Who run full tilt at life, happily forgetting the rules and ignoring what is normally considered rational or sane?  Who enthusiastically engage in heated debate one moment, but can be found laughing and silly-dancing the next?

How can we not be captivated when Dustin calls Renée, “a closet hip-hop MC who is never more than a couple meters away from her needles and yarn”? Or by Renée, who, when asked about Dustin’s funny quirks commented, “How much time do you have?”  Here are just a few of Dustin’s obsessions she named: “strange sounds, providing grammatical critiques, and seeking out natural hotsprings at all costs.”

Wondering how wedding story telling like this comes about?  Well I can tell you that it doesn’t just happen… as a Celebrant my commitment is to crafting a wedding ceremony that is completely reflective of the couple.  This is why they are so much fun to write and so meaningful to listen to.

I spend hours interviewing every couple and having them work on reflections, using a unique process I’ve developed to help me truly ‘get them’.  From the reactions of guests, the evidence was in:  it worked! Plus, I made the best man get all misty eyed (that’s when I know I’ve done a good job!)

Joyfully yours,

Celebrant Michele Davidson, Vancouver Wedding Officiant, Custom Wedding Ceremonies Vancouver and Whistler

**  The beautiful photos are by Wedding Photographer Leanne Petersen at www.leannepedersen.com

A Chinese-Canadian Wedding Ceremony

Working with the Asian community on custom wedding ceremonies is a truly wonderful experience. There is such an admirable sense of family and connection that is missing in many cultures today.

When Emily and Michael met with me nearly a year ahead (Emily is a masterful planner), I was so excited that they picked me to tell their love story and help them enter the path of marriage.

The church looked lovely and had a grand aisle for the beautiful Emily to walk down with her father T.K.  He gently pulled back his daughter’s veil before shaking Michael’s hand.  And then Emily and Michael were on their way up the steps.  They looked like film stars!  The sight sort of took my breath away for a moment!

The guests loved that Emily and Michael’s wedding ceremony was different than many other weddings and had so many special elements. “So romantic!” is what many people said afterwards.

Family is an important part of Emily and Michael’s lives.  It made the wedding ceremony even more meaningful to have their mothers Terry and Lily join us for a candlelight ceremony, and Emily’s friend Pastor Lowe  say a blessing in both Cantonese and English.  While we signed the Marriage Register, the couple’s friends  and cousins Kitty and Janet sang and played on the piano a song written especially for Emily and Michael for their wedding day.

Well, Emily and Michael all that you’ve hoped and dreamed of, all that you’ve worked so hard for has come true.  Now you are married. Now you are husband and wife.  I envision you in your new home, surrounded by the happy laughter of friends and family.  What’s next for you I wonder?
Joyfully yours,

Celebrant Michele Davidson, Vancouver Wedding Officiant, Custom Wedding Ceremonies Vancouver and Whistler BC