On my birthday, the following inscription from an old sun dial has caught my attention:
Time flies,
suns rise
and
shadows
fall.
Let time
go by.
Love is
forever.
Author: ruth
Tower Grove Park Wedding: Emily & Edis
I met Emily and Edis in late August after their original church wedding plans had fallen through. They were a little concerned, with less than two months to go, that everything could still come together for their October 2 wedding. But with a lot of hard work on everyone’s part, their ceremony at Piper Palm House in Tower Grove Park was just beautiful.
As you check out the photo from that day, notice the most nontraditional aspect of their wedding: no bridesmaids!
Congratulations, Emily & Edis!
Strength to Love
Every once in a while, a couple surprises and delights me with a reading selection for their wedding ceremony that is outside the traditional and even less traditional readings with which I have grown familiar. Will and Rachel did just that a few weeks ago with a selection from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s book, Strength to Love, written in 1963. Enjoy!
“The meaning of love is not to be confused with some sentimental outpouring. Love is something much more than emotional bosh. An overflowing love which seeks nothing in return, is the love of God operating in the human heart. Love is the most durable power in the world . . . the most potent instrument available in mankind’s quest for peace and security. The strongest man-made empire has crumbled and burned to ashes. But the empire of God, built solidly and majestically on the foundation of love, is still growing.”
Plan Your Wedding While Helping Someone Else
Online Fund Raising Auctions are now OPEN across America!
Getting Married? For the first time in history, you can plan your wedding from virtually any major city in the United States, hiring the top wedding vendors in the industry and knowing that the money you spend is benefiting someone in need.
Just looking for a great deal? Check out our auctions for hundreds of other items including amazing trips, jewelry, spa treatments, dinners, entertainment and MORE… Even if you are not planning a wedding, we have what you are looking for!
Who will you be helping? Your bid helps raise crucial funding for Wish Upon a Wedding the world’s first nonprofit organization that provides weddings & vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and other serious life altering circumstances. Launched in January of 2010, Wish Upon a Wedding has already impacted hundreds of lives by offering hope, courage and strength to couples facing some of life’s most challenging situations.
What is available? Find everything needed right here to plan your own perfect wedding day! Just by planning your wedding, YOU can make wedding wishes come true for some very deserving couples! All proceeds go directly to Wish Upon a Wedding
Wish Upon a Wedding is a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting weddings for those battling life-threatening illnesses and life-altering situations, regardless of sexual orientation. Our foundation was created to celebrate the courage, determination and spirit of these couples by granting their dream wedding wishes. Our hope is that chosen recipients can inspire others couples facing similar situations to find hope and strength, without having to put their wedding dreams on hold.
Shrine Wedding: Kim & David
The Lourdes Grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois was just the right setting for Kim and David to say “I do!” On a warm late summer evening, surrounded by candles, flowers, family, and friends, the bride and groom glowed as they exchanged vows, rings, and kisses.
Congratulations, Kim and David!
May I Have Your References, Please?
Last week I had four last-minute Autumnal weddings come my way in two days’ time, three for September and one for early October. I certainly look forward to working with each of these couples!
At the same time, I was amazed by the fact that three out of the four couples had found their way to me after having the unnerving experience with their previous officiant not only pulling out at the last minute, but also not providing any suggestions or guidance as to how to find a replacement officiant. It strikes me as rather unprofessional and downright rude to put people in such a difficult position so close to their scheduled wedding date. I’m rather stunned that these officiants appear to have taken their commitments to these couples so lightly.
So I just want to remind couples that when looking for an officiant for your wedding ceremony, it is a good idea to ask for references so that you can contact people who have actually worked with her or him before. Of course, I cannot say for sure that checking references would have made a significant difference for any of the couples I met last week. Each was coming from a unique situation which may or may not have been clarified ahead of time with the help of references.
But, in light of the key role that your officiant plays in your wedding day, it will likely be well worth it to take a little extra time earlier in your process of selecting an officiant to contact a several of her or his references. This way you can be assured that you have made the best selection possible.
Certainly I know that even with the best references, you cannot be 100% sure of anything. But at least you will know that you have done everything you can to be assured of the quality and reliability of your wedding officiant, so that you can have the meaningful and personal wedding ceremony you so richly deserve.
"A Lovely and Special Celebration"
Angela Pechenino Romo sent the following testimonial and photo:
“We used Ruth Ellen Hasser from St. Louis Ceremonies for our May 22, 2010 wedding at the St. Louis Zoo. Ruth Ellen was basically a pinch-hitter for us—our original officiant decided to take a sabbatical and kindly arranged for us to have Ruth Ellen stand in instead. Being as I was in California attempting to plan a wedding in Missouri, we didn’t meet right away, but corresponded by e-mail for a few months until I was next in town. We first met at a St Louis Bread about 2 months before the wedding, and the moment we did, it felt like we’d been friends for years. She was very kind and considerate and she certainly helped me turn my ‘I want a simple ceremony’ sentiment into a lovely and special celebration. We corresponded via e-mail, sending ideas and scripts back and forth about 3 times before we were both satisfied that my groom and I had what we wanted. The groom and I waffled about having a rehearsal the day before the wedding until a couple of weeks before the big day, and when we finally decided that we needed to have one, Ruth Ellen was nothing but understanding and gracious, and showed up with a smile to run our short but sweet rehearsal. The ceremony on the day of the wedding went off exactly as we had discussed, and she never veered from our agreed-upon script. Through the entire process, she was calm and helpful, and my groom and I never once had any doubt that she was the correct person to marry us. We would certainly still be married if another person had performed the ceremony, but Ruth Ellen really made the day a special one.”
Thanks, Angela!
Botanical Gardens Wedding: Valerie & Jon
They chose one of my favorite readings for their wedding: Robert Fulgham’s “Union.” I think it is a favorite of mine because, among other things, it shows an appreciation for the importance of both words and ceremony in our lives. The reading concludes with this thought:
Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this- is my husband, this- is my wife.
Valerie and Jon, thank you for allowing me to witness your crossing of that threshold. Congratulations!
Tower Grove Park Wedding:Rachel & Chris
When planning an outdoor wedding there is always the concern that it might rain and ruin all of the dreaming and hard work that goes into having a good ceremony. Well, this was one wedding where the rain actually became a part of the ceremony in lovely and unpredictable ways.
Everyone was ready and in place for the 5:00 PM ceremony when, at 4:50 PM the skies opened up. It was a hard, driving rain so we scrambled and scrunched together on the bandstand hoping to wait it out. When, after twenty minutes the sky was as grey as ever and the rain had let up very little, we decided to have the ceremony right there on the bandstand.
Somehow the guests rearranged themselves to create a space and the processional began. The unplugged musicians played as the bridesmaids processed, umbrellas in one hand and flowers in the other. Rachel was escorted by her parents to where Chris, the groomsmen and I were all waiting. The intimate scene took on an almost mystical quality as we conducted the ceremony so carefully planned by the bride and groom, accompanied by the rain and the wind and the good wishes of all in attendance.
Donnell Probst Photography captured the romance and beauty of this couple and the amazing day in their stunning images. http://donnellprobst.com/
Congratulations, Rachel and Chris!
Pass This On…
I received the following press release today. Please pass this on to anyone you know who may qualify for these services!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Francisco, CA
July 22, 2010
Six-month old nonprofit organization Wish Upon a Wedding announced today that it will broaden its scope of services, in order to assist more couples in need. Although its primary focus continues to provide weddings for terminally ill individuals regardless of sexual orientation, the organization will soon help those faced with other personal burdens, such as serious emotional, physical or other debilitating issues.
Due to a significant number of requests, Wish Upon a Wedding will now provide a limited number of weddings to inspirational couples that have experienced these catastrophic life-altering circumstances.
Beginning July 22, 2010, the nonprofit will grant these wishes on a case-by-case basis. Applicants will undergo a detailed screening process, and will be required to provide medical proof of their situation. Because the organization is new and still in growth mode, Wish Upon a Wedding will only be able to grant a limited number of wishes per year, at chapter discretion, and only the most compelling cases as determined by chapter boards will be considered.
“By partnering with Wish Upon a Wedding, Get Married’s goal is to help connect talented, local wedding professionals in order to offer couples in their communities with a dream wedding and turn tragedy into triumph,” said Stacie Francombe, national public relations chair and founder of Get Married Media. “By opening up new doors to more deserving couples with a variety of life-changing challenges, the wedding industry is sharing their commitment to their profession, to these individuals and to the idea that dreams do come true for any couple in love.”
Until now, the 501(c) 3 nonprofit has provided weddings for individuals diagnosed with less than three years’ prognosis. That stipulation has been adjusted to a five year diagnosis. The organizationwill also allow couples seeking vow renewal celebrations to apply for wishes. Wish Upon a Wedding is looking forward to this change and believes this will have a positive impact on hundreds of lives, by providing the opportunity for a celebration of life and love with those most important to them.
Wish Upon a Wedding is now accepting applications from:
* Couples where at least one individual has terminal diagnosis of less than FIVE years to live
* Couples faced with situations that have caused serious emotional, physical or financial stress (approved on case by case basis)
* Married couples seeking vow renewals, who have faced serious life-altering circumstances including but not limited to terminal illness (approved on a case by case basis).
All applicants must be over the age of 18 and legal U.S. Citizens.
Mission Statement:Wish Upon a Wedding is the world’s first nonprofit wish granting organization, providing weddings and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and life altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation.To fill out an application, click this link:
http://www.formstack.com/forms/?982045-mrBk8ziGiK
With 12 active chapters and 2,500 Wish Granters, we are ready to grant wishes today!
Contact Information:
Liz Guthrie, Founder
cwo@wishuponawedding.org
877-305-WISH