10 Years Ago Today

Stacey and Andrew Bradley-Vehkala got married Ten years ago today.  The first song that night was Groovy Kind of Love by Phil Collins and we finished with I've Finally Found Someone by Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams.  We still  see each other from time to time as they still live in Sudbury and unlike me it doesn't seem that Stacey has aged a day!  They're even on my facebook.  But the really cool part is that she remembers her wedding day and sent me a message to thank me for my part in it as their DJ, MC and entertainer...ten tears later.

Jason and Jaime Saved the World!

For some, May 21st 2011 was supposed to be the end of the world.  For Jaime and Jason Starr it was a beginning.  At one point during the dance when everyone was on the floor I mentioned that this was the day the world was supposed to end  but was postponed so Jaime and Jason could get married.  "Jaime and Jason saved the world!."  The place went nuts!  On top of being their entertainment and DJ I was honoured to be their MC, Wedding Director and Wedding Officiant.  What a day!  A big thanks to Rob from Westmount Photography for the closing shot and the Sudbury Holiday Inn for the great space to have a wedding.

It's the Saddest Thing

At a client meeting the other day I heard both a Bride and Groom tell me they just couldn't wait for it to be over. For him it was because he hates public speaking and she hates the details involved. I get it. Those aren't fun for anyone if they're not your thing. But what I saw was two people that needed a reminder of why they were having a wedding in the first place.

Besides the obvious and unromantic contractual reasons that bind two people together in a formal way there is a more important cultural reason. There is nothing more important than how we value each other and marriage is just such a statement. I believe life is finite which means that this life is infinitely more precious. And to say to another person that you want to spend the rest of your most precious resource with that other person is a profound statement. We can say we love something or someone but to express it in terms of the infinite makes it unique. That's what we are celebrating.

What should take much of the sting out of the day is knowing that all one has to do is express that love in an open and sincere way. Everything from the invitations to the Sunday brunch can be used to do that. A couple doesn't have to follow every tradition if those traditions don't express what the couple feels but the affirming role of the guests is to somehow share in that emotion. Finding an Officiant, planner or wedding entertainer able to accomplish your individual expression becomes the most important task when planning the most important day.

I know they were just feeling the stress. And in moments of frustration it is easy to lose sight of the reason for the day. While not their Officiant, I will be there for them to see they get their day their way and allow them to feel like guests at their own wedding. Can't wait!

Volunteers Fight Back!

For the third year in a row I had the privilege of volunteering for the Canadian Cancer Society Volunteer Appreciation night.  Folks got their service pins including one lady getting her 40th year pin!  Imagine!  There was a room full of volunteers, survivors and family members all stricken by cancer in some way and still willing to fight.  Needless to say, it was a powerful evening.

Often I see chocolate covered nuts or candies on the table as a gift to the guests.  But I recommend to many brides to turn that gift into a donation to an organization like the Canadian Cancer Society.  They have wedding related thank you cards, invitations and place cards to announce a donation made on their behalf.  This is a wonderful idea.

Too many of my brides have stories to tell of losing a family member or a friend before the wedding.  Last summer we wrapped a locket and chain around the Bride’s bouquet.  In it was a picture of her Grandmother that lost her battle with cancer just three months prior to the wedding.  Her Grandmother had introduced her to the man she was going to marry.  I look forward to the day when I never have to hear another story like that or see another tear as a bride walks down the aisle thinking about who isn't there.

Nathan and Melissa Flynn April 9, 2011

 Nathan and Melissa Flynn got married two months before their reception because they had a destination wedding.  But they wanted a reception with their friends and family that couldn't make it so I suggested a wedding video or montage just before their Grand Entrance.  As an added touch they wore exactly what they wore in Punta Cana.  Luckily they had a warm day despite being early April.  The result was applause at the end because the guests felt like they had just witnessed something important.  In fact they had.

If I was just a DJ then this point wouldn't have been my repsonsibility.  But because weddings deserve more than just someone that plays music I was able to bring everyone to the same emotional point the Bride and Groom were having so the Bride didn't feel like she had somehow cheated her guests by getting married out of the country.

FYI.  The words are from the vows the Bride read on her wedding day.  The song is Just You and Me by Jayson Belt.