This Cape Cod Wedding Celebrant reflects on 2015

It has been a sweetly sincere ceremony season. I've enjoyed presiding over

 low key weddings that leave everyone on a high note.

"To be natural "as John O'Donohue says, "is to be holy.  I'm loving the authenticity of the couples who seek my services for weddings and later for baby blessings. So what is this quality of being authentic? I see it in my couples who talk to me not only about their wedding but their hopes for a contented married life.

As for me I hope I am congruent and authentic in my approach to presiding over weddings. I can authentically claim to be both rustic and vintage- more and more so with each passing year. With great gratitude I come from a place of contentment after 27 years of marriage. When I get impatient with my husband he reminds me of my own words of wedding wisdom. And to be totally honest somedays I think about what I gave my word to 27 years ago. Giving your word to each other is the heart and soul of a ceremony. As Wendell Berry reminds us. "The meaning of marriage begins with the giving of our word...."

 So stay true to yourself and to one another. Allow yourself to be content and grateful as I am to all of you for making 2015 such a wonderful wedding season. 

                                Remember: Don't Worry. Be Married and

                                                   THANK YOU

Photos of Bryan and Allison at Borsari Gallery in Dennis

photography by Stop Go Love http://www.stopgolove.net

Hooray for Marriage= and Happy Anniversary to June Bride and Grooms

David and I just celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary yesterday. We walked to Sheep Pond. I had a silky swim. David told me that in the Bill Bryson book he is reading that there is something in certian waters that makes it feel silky. Whatever that is, Sheep Pond has it.We then had a delicious dinner at Bucca's in Harwich- very romantic and fun. 

Our marriage is in a good place right now. I would say we are on an even keel. Far from rocking the boat my husband's retirement has brought us closer. We are one of those couples who are so very different;not each other's best friends. Now that we are figuring out how to be better spouses it feels like the friendship is growing. 

Hey before I go on let's give a cheer for Marriage = Equality. To all the couples especially from the South, who came to Cape Cod to wed, I want to say Hooray! Y'all really means you ALL.

Organic photography -Rachel and Angel walk down the aisle at Race Point Beach

 Rainer Marie Rilke-On marriage--

The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust. and once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side-by-side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky.

After 27 I am happy to say that "I still do." I am also more committed than ever to my marriage and yours.

As for the traditional vows they are essential "to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, in good times and in bad ......." Have fun with your personalized vows but remember the essence of the ceremony is the promise to be a faithful spouse for a lifetime. That makes picking up your socks sound really simple!

Don't Worry. Be Married,

Love and Happy Anniversary to all you June Bride and Grooms.

Rev. Kathleen

"Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of Its Love"

What a beautiful start to the 2015 season. May was a lovely month for weddings..only one rainy day wedding.

Here is a reading by Edmund O’Neill that Lila and Josh chose for the theme of a wedding ceremony at Ocean Edge Carriage House.

I really like the last few lines.

"Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of Its Love", by Edmund O’Neill

“Marriage is a commitment to life, to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal; a joining that is promised for a lifetime. Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger; even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing love through the seasons of life. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique to themselves, which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential, made in the hearts of two people who love, which takes a lifetime to fulfill.”

Valentine's Day - One Month Away!

Some people consider Valentine's Day a Hallmark holiday. I love any excuse to celebrate love!

When I worked as a chaplain in a nursing home my favorite visit was with a woman who had been mute for many months. It was close to Valentine's Day and the halls of the home were adorned with hearts and pink cupids everywhere. Suddenly this tiny woman lifted her face, caught my eye and winked, saying clear as a bell,  "Don't you just love -love."  

                     

                            "Big hearts always give and give in."

                                                                                 Words of Meher Baba from Love Alone Prevails p.173

So as we commence a New Year and Valentine's Day approaches, we can embrace 'big-hearted love.' Marriage provides plenty of practice so if any of you decide to 'tie the knot' or find cupid's arrow headed towards you, give me a call and we'll plan a big-hearted, loving- love ceremony, straight from the heart.  

Keep Happy,

Kathleen at Soulful Wedding Ceremonies                       

Seaside Spring Weddings

 As the blizzard warnings blow in I feel compelled to post about Seaside Spring Weddings. First of all I love the alliteration, all those lovely ssssss like soft breezes, pink sand and blossoms-at this point such imaginings are survival techniques, a willingness to hope for spring .

 The Setting for another Chatham Bars Inn 'Beside the Boathouse'  wedding ceremony  

 So glad to say just last Saturday I presided over a wedding ceremony for a super smooth sailing couple- they were the ultimate of Sweet Simplicity. I had never met them but they promptly sent a deposit and their responses to the wedding questionnaire and we were off and running. They said they trusted me to put together a fitting ceremony so no necessity to see a draft.

http://www.chathambarsinn.com/ 

We met for the first time minutes before the ceremony and all was well. The bride looked so lovely she had a little white fur wrap that she bravely surrendered for the wedding ceremony. The guest numbered about eight including a bedazzling ring bearing beauty who did her duty in grand fashion. No photos yet but I'll insert the setting and some pink flowers to soothe our snow weary souls.