Ceremonies & Rites of Passage
I love ceremonies, rites of passage, and rituals! And as an Interfaith Minister, I honor the customs and wisdom traditions from all the world religions and spiritual paths. My ability to combine elements from various religious, cultural, wisdom, and spiritual paths to give couples what they want has made what some might feel like a difficult or impossible situation turn out to be the highlight of a couple's life.
Every couple is different and has their own vision of how they would like their ceremony. In over 1,000 ceremonies I have officiated, every one of them has been unique in some way and has had its own individual flair. Why? Because we're all different!
Why do we need ceremonies? Life is an adventure, it is a journey of change and growth. We all go through many physical stages: infancy, childhood, puberty, adulthood, maturity ... We all go through different social stages: kids, students, workers, retirees ... We all go through various personal, emotional and sentimental stages: we fall in love, we fall out of love, we get infatuated, we find a partner, we settle down, and maybe have or adopt children ...
There is a deep human need to find some sort of stability in this ever-changing world. It is similar to taking a road trip in your car. We need a map to know where we are and where we are going. We need reassurance and support from our families and friends as to where we stand at a given time in our lives.
Ceremonies marking our journies in life are called Rites of Passage.
Contrary to Church (or Relgious) Ceremonies, a Customized Personal Ceremony is just that, Personal: it's setting, content, wording, style, everything is decided by those for whom the ceremony is held (in the case of engagement, wedding, anniversary this means the couple, and - if possible and/or appropriate - their families).
The role of the Celebrant (Officiant) is to assist, advise, and coach you in the preparation and delivery of the ceremony. You are in charge, it is you who decide who, what, when and where!
The ceremony is the most important part of your wedding day. It's not an ordinary occasion. It's overflowing with special possibilities and opportunities for joy. This is a magical moment. Seize this opportunity to make your event a memorable and joyous occasion. You wouldn’t think of having the same wedding as anyone else, why have the same ceremony? Your ceremony can be very formal or very relaxed, but most importantly, it should reflect the wishes and vision of the couple, as one size does not fit all.
A well designed ceremony has a clear structure. If flows smoothly, maintains everyone's interest and remains personal and intimate througout. Working together, we'll create a unique, sensitive and beautiful ceremony that celebrates your love and the sacred meaning of your marriage pledge. Everyone present will feel they are a part of this very memorable event.
We perform your ceremony at a reception site, private home, lake, mountain, chapel, church, park, garden, sanctuary, ski slope, horse ranch, beach, boat, restaurant, my office, or almost anywhere you'd like to begin your life together.
We are here to help and coach you through this process and will gladly travel almost anywhere depending on availability.
In other words, we are here to make your special occasion uniquely yours.
The Process . . .
1) We set up a complimentary meeting to get to know each other and explore the possibilities for your ceremony. We work with many out-of-state couples via phone, email, conference calls and web-cams, and then meet during a visit to Colorado for planning purposes.
2) If you decide to reserve us for your ceremony, a $200 deposit is required to hold the date. After receiving your deposit, I send you a confirmation letter and a copy of my guidebook. You are not limited to what’s in my guidebook.
3) The goal is to complete your ceremony two weeks prior to your wedding day, so we start a working draft two months out which gives us six weeks to tweak and perfect your ceremony. We generally email drafts back and forth.
4) Your balance is due one week prior to the ceremony unless arrangements have been made to pay at the rehearsal.
5) You will receive a complimentary keepsake copy of your ceremony as a gift. |
