Friday, September 16, 2011

Unity Candle, or Unity Sand for your wedding?

Today I want to tell you about the Unity Candle and the Unity Sand ceremonies as possible parts of your wedding.  These ceremonies provide a beautiful visual symbol of the joining of the couple's lives together.

For the Unity Candle, the Bride and Groom's mothers will each light a taper candle at the front of the venue, when they are walked down the aisle.  These two candles frame a central candle.  During the ceremony, I announce that, "The couple will now light the Unity Candle, symbolizing the joining of their lives and families together."  Then the Bride and Groom each take their candle and light the central, Unity candle.  Often they will then each blow out their candle, so the focus goes to the light on the Unity candle.

For any outdoor wedding, I recommend doing the Unity Sand ceremony.  Because even in the middle of a still, hot summer day in Texas, there is often a tiny breeze the will blow the candles out.  With Unity Sand, instead of the taper candles, there are tall cylindrical glass tube vases that contain sand -- one color for the Bride and a different color for the Groom.  During the Unity San ceremony, the couple pour the sand from their small vases into a larger central vase.  The sand mixes together, creating a design that is unique to the couple.  The central Unity vase can be kept on the couple's mantle as a memento of the wedding.

Supplies for these ceremonies can be had a stores like Michael's, or can be ordered online.

USEFUL TIP: The Unity ceremony of either type only takes 30 seconds to a minute, so you might want to pick music to be played during it that can be turned down whenever the ritual is finished.  Some couples have chosen, say, a four minute song to play during the ritual, and they've felt a bit awkward when so much song was left to play, and they were just standing there.

On the other hand, you should have the ceremony that you want, no matter how long it takes.

blessings to you,
John
John@ReverendConnor.com

Monday, September 12, 2011

Dogs in the wedding, continued...

Okay, so the dogs did a great job as Flower Girl and Ring Bearer last Saturday.  The Flower Girl had a wreath of roses around her neck, and of course the Ring Bearer had the little pillow with the rings on it around his neck.  The Ring Bearer was a pit bull, I think, and the other dog a mix of a couple of breeds.

With the exception of a brief whine, they were both quiet and well-behaved during the ceremony, albeit with a bit of bouncing around on their adolescent leash-holders, which made the bride laugh.
The wedding was at One World Theatre, but actually held outside on the patio, and the theatre itself was used as the reception venue.

Most importantly -- congratulations on your new married life together, Mr. and Mrs. Brett and Shae Vaughn!

You can check out the location here: http://www.oneworldtheatre.org/home.html

And since I mentioned Vintage Villas in an earlier post, you can check that out here:
http://www.vintagevillas.com/

blessings,
John

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Thinking of having an unusual element in your wedding?


Hi gang,

This weekend I'll be ministering at a wedding at One World Theatre.  It's a beautiful facility out on 2244/BeeCaves Road, and it's primarily a music and performing arts space.  I've done several wedding's there over the years, and they've been lovely.  

At this wedding, the flower "girl" and ring-bearer are going to be dogs!  They are the happy couple's dogs, apparently well-behaved, yet the couple is aware that the dogs may not cooperate exactly as they'd like.  Fortunately, they have a good-natured attitude about that.

You should feel free to have special or unusual elements in your wedding, as long as you aren't "perfectionistic" about the outcome.  As long as the bride and groom are relaxed about any potential mis-steps that may come up if, say, you have canines in your wedding party, you and your guests will have a great wedding.

blessings,
John

Thursday, September 1, 2011

At 15...

Sometimes this blog won't be about weddings.  This is one of those times, inspired during a drive today along a Texas country road, memories swirling...


At 15, there's a sadness that is always just there.  There are good times, too -- random moments of thrill.  Then there's loneliness -- at 15 I moved from New Hampshire to Texas, a continent away from any friend.  There are 1,000 reasons for the mid-teen melancholy, but I think it's mainly the dying of the last vestiges of childhood, that fall away in pieces like glaciers calving in the arctic.  Each piece is beautiful, and we mourn them as they fall, mystified that they don't quite attach anymore.
The only suture to these open wounds is music.  (I don't know what kids did before records.)
For me, what I did in the Fall/fall of 1975 is come home from school, walk into our trailer in Humble Texas, lay down on the brown shag carpet, and put on the album "Souvenirs" by Dan Fogelberg.