A forest Wedding Ceremony: Seymour Demonstration Reserve Forest

Okay, I admit it.  Sometimes I cry during wedding ceremonies. The look on Daniel’s face when Radha walked through the forest towards him was certainly one of these!  Radha looked like a forest sprite.  Daniel’s eyes filled up and so did mine.

Radha and Daniel chose a spot in the Seymour Forest Reserve to hold their custom wedding ceremony.  One of Radha’s sisters handed out bubbles to each guest as they entered the forested ceremonial space.  The ground was sprinkled with red rose petals, and the majestic cedars needed no other adornment.

After I had welcomed guests and spoke about what Radha and Daniel had shared with me the ceremony and marriage meant to them, Madhavi (Radha’s sister) read an amazing poem that the couple had selected.

It is called Blessing for a Marriage by James Dillet Freeman.  What a striking and deeply relevant piece.   I encourage you to Google this poem.  It’s a great wedding choice!

I often like to share with wedding guests the couple’s proposal story. Let me share this part of their wedding ceremony with you, dear reader.

“It was Valentine’s Day 2008, and they had just finished eating a wonderful dinner they had cooked together at home. Daniel told Radha he had a small Valentine’s Day present for her, and brought out a gift bag with a nicely wrapped little box in it.  When Radha opened it, there lay a beautiful diamond ring.

Radha says, “I just looked at him, trying to mask my delight in case it wasn’t actually an engagement ring.” She took the ring out of the box and was going to put it on, but Daniel stopped her and said “Wait, it’s an engagement ring!  Shouldn’t I get down on one knee?”  Radha said, “Oh yeah!” and quickly put it back in its case and gave it back to him.

Here’s what Radha says happened next, “Daniel had such a lovely, touching speech, and his voice was shaking. It was so sweet and perfect… he said “I don’t know where life is going to take us, I just know that I want to spend the rest of mine with you.”  And then he asked me if I would marry him. I just couldn’t stop smiling and said ‘Yes!’   I felt so thrilled and joyful.  It was a perfect experience, and very reflective of us.”

Radha and Daniel each wrote their own wedding and ring vows.  What a gift to treasure. I really admired how diligently they must have worked to memorize their vows… It was so important to them to look into one another’s eyes while they spoke their lifelong promises.  Now I KNOW that I wasn’t the only one crying at this point.

Time stands still in moments like these.  True love does exist.  It reaches out to all present.  We forget about the not-so-great things happening in the world, and in these gentle moments we touch our humanity and awaken our collective belief in love.

Radha and Daniel, I hope that many long years from now, you’ll still be found strolling hand-in-hand as in love as you are today!

Joyfully yours,

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

** Photo by Vancouver Wedding Photographer Cora Henderson of Cora’s Photography.

A Garden Wedding Ceremony in Coquitlam BC

I always like to see a couple invest in the things that truly matter.  Lana and Cory focused on creating a custom wedding ceremony experience that totally spoke to who they are and how they wanted to feel.

Cory is more reserved than Lana.  He was nervous about the wedding ceremony.   But as you can see from his big grin in this photo, Cory had a great time!  If I can make a nervous groom guffaw at his wedding, then I’ve done my job well.

And while apparently it’s the butt of many jokes, Lana and Cory both love how different they are. They shared such funny stories with me of their life.  I decided to include a number of them in my storytelling.  Family and friends were effusive after the ceremony about how much they enjoyed it.  Most said they had learned things about Lana and Cory that they never knew before.

Lana has an adorable young son named Ryder from a previous relationship. Ryder lives with Lana and Cory full time and thus Cory has taken on a father figure role.  Apparently he’s done it really well, as Ryder calls him “Daddy-Dude!”  So cute.

We wanted Ryder to have a role in the wedding ceremony, to acknowledge that Lana and Cory’s marital relationship is also a family relationship.  It was so important to Lana and Cory that we find a way to publicly and symbolically include Ryder within the embrace of their marriage.

There are many ways to include children, but one that I especially like is a Sand Ceremony. If you are interested, please email or call me to have me describe the intent and deeper meaning.

Following this very moving portion of the ceremony, Cory got down on his knees – so he could look directly at Ryder.  Cory impressed me so much with the vows of love he made to Ryder. Was there a dry eye in the house?  I think not!

Joyfully yours,

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

A Custom Wedding Ceremony on Burnaby Mountain

Sarah Bernhardt once said, “Your words are my food, your breath my wine – you are everything to me.”

These two young people are everything to each other. They are each other’s food. They are each other’s wine. Together, they have everything they need.”

Those were my opening words for Michelle and Ryan’s custom wedding ceremony. I felt that the Bernhardt quote suited them wonderfully.  Plus Michelle is a wine rep, so it was even more perfect.

And hey, check out the setting on Burnaby Mountain for their wedding ceremony!  The mountains in the background, totem poles paying tribute to the ceremonial space…  wow!  What you don’t see in the photo is how the guests were arrayed on the grassy hillside.

I had a lot of fun learning about Michelle and Ryan during our meetings. At our interview, they regaled me with stories about some of their adventures.  From epic road trips, bug infested camping trips, trying fine wines or cooking new recipes, I could really see that this is a couple that knows how to have fun together. It was touching to see the depth of their devotion to family and friends, and their passion for life in general.

But I digress…back to the wedding ceremony!

As a seal upon their vows, Ryan and Michelle wanted to have a handfasting. The intention is literally to hold the hands fast… to hold the hands securely.  This lovely wedding tradition is dates back to the days before wedding rings.  The couple’s hands were wrapped with ribbon or cloth as an acknowledgment of the binding of their lives together.

I guided Michelle and Ryan through the handfasting using a length of ivory silk. These were truly beautiful moments and I’m thrilled their photographer got such a great shot!

Joyfully yours,

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

A Vancouver Same-Sex Wedding Ceremony

Corrine and Sandra’s love story is certainly an inspiring one.

Despite challenges that arose while they got to know each other – cancer, the death of Corrine’s beloved mother Gloria, Sandra living in Germany, and a number of others – Sandra and Corrine couldn’t forget each other.  Sometimes it seems that the most painful challenges are the greatest opportunities.  Opportunities to break ourselves wide open and to fill in the cracks with the deepest love imaginable.

And so it was with Sandra and Corrine.  In their own words, “We believe we were meant to meet, but also not to lose each other after all that stood between us.”

Mindful of this divine mystery, a hundred or so joyful friends and a whole pile of absolutely delighted family members came together to witness the wedding ceremony of Corrine and Sandra. And, I might add, assorted well-wishers from the Stanley Park Seawall.

Sandra’s dear friend Dunja came from Germany, and so did her proud parents Udo and Angelika.  Corrine Hunt is a member of the Raven Gwa’waina clan from Ts’akis, a Kwakwaka’wakwa village on Vancouver Island.  Many of her family journeyed to Vancouver for the wedding. I was really touched by her father Hutch Hunt’s quiet grace.

The wedding ceremony was held on the beach on an amazingly glorious afternoon. I got to perform the ceremony barefoot…YAY!  An excited group of nieces and nephews and other precious children in the couple’s life preceded Corrine and Sandra as they walked down the hill to the beach.

It brought a smile to all our faces to hear the children call out “The Brides are coming, the Brides are coming!” as they ran on to the beach.

The couple was all relaxed dignity in custom designed linen tunics. Speaking of design, Corrine Hunt is a gifted silver/gold carver and sculptor (update: she co-designed the 2010 Olympic Gold Medals!)  She worked her magic in the beautiful wedding rings she created and brought to life.  I loved the way the rings felt in my hand as I held them during the vow portion of the ceremony.

Following the ring exchange, we held a handfasting ceremony with a bit of a twist.  I used Corrine’s mala (a string of Buddhist prayer beads) to wrap their hands together, instead of a ribbon or cloth.  I often do this in wedding ceremonies.

Here’s an excerpt from my closing remarks.  As always I wrote the ceremony to be completely reflective of the couple.  I think you’ll get a wonderful sense of who they are from this.  I wrote this section using their own words as much as possible.

“Sandra, you have married a loving, thoughtful, sometimes unpredictable, happy, easy, Buddha-loving, Tolstoy reading, not running very quickly, disco dancing girl born for the sixties.  A talented and creative woman who is inspired by a smile from a stranger, by seeing two people together who really connect, if only for a moment…by a breath of fresh air…and belly laughs. A woman to whom love is sacred.

In Corrine you have a your own in-house poet, someone who makes you laugh, and who practices patience when you hit a golf ball straight in the grass, three times in a row! Someone who you say is, “sometimes just crazy…I LOVE it!”

And Corrine, you have married a woman who describes herself as being like a German girl, but different!  A woman with a smart brain and big capable hands, who has done many things, from being a lawyer in Berlin to rising at 3 am to bake bread in a Vancouver bakery.  A woman who feels she can take care of you, and is the best listener of all for your gift as a storyteller.

In Sandra you have partner who you say, “Has life jumping from out of her skin, her eyes big and blue.”  When you are with her, “everything in the world seems possible.”

Sandra and Corrine, it is my very great honour to pronounce your marriage legal and binding.  You are now partners in love and life! Ladies and gentlemen, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Sandra and Corrine Bars-Hunt!  You may KISS your beloved!”

Joyfully yours,

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

© Michele Davidson

A Custom Wedding Ceremony at Aberthau Mansion

Bernadette and Richard’s wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Aberthau Mansion near Jericho Beach. Aberthau is a Gaelic word meaning ‘a place filled with light’.  I’d have to say that all who witnessed Bernadette and Richard’s first kiss as husband and wife certainly felt them light up the room!

Family is important to Bernadette and Richard, so I worked hard to integrate these values into the custom wedding ceremony I conceptualized and wrote for them.  Bernadette’s wee dog Chico stepped down the aisle with great dignity.  Richard’s lovely children Alexander and Charlotte, who were the youngest members of the wedding party, took turns reading verses a poem.  I couldn’t believe how articulate and poised they were!

And in honour of Bernadette’s Dutch Indonesian heritage, I suggested having Bernadette and Richard’s mothers bestow white flower garlands symbolizing acceptance upon the beaming couple.  I’m so glad we did this, as it was incredibly beautiful.

There was something very special in the air this day.   Couple, guests, and me!  I know others felt it too.

Don MacGregor, their amazing photographer, wrote this to me after the wedding ceremony:  “I must say that your ceremony was inspiring yet fun. I rarely listen to the words anymore… I concentrate only on the image making and such. I stepped back and listen and I did get involved. That is rare.”

Joyfully yours,

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