Another Wedding Season Coming to an End

It is hard to believe that April is now five months past. Another wedding season is coming to an end and it has been a memorable one. Great wedding location favorites were experienced again this year - Hartefeld National & Ridley Creek Park and Mansion. In fact I'll be closing out the 2010 wedding season at Hartefeld National in late October.

New favorites were found. These are places I highly recommend. Venues such as Cescaphe Ballroom, the Curtis Center, and Brandywine Manor House all provide for beautiful and elegant ceremonies. Whether you are looking for a grand celebration or a simple ceremony, these venues have exactly what you need.

So for everyone planning a 2011 wedding event, give these places a look. Also, give me a call or send me an email. I'm happy to help you craft your wedding ceremony.

Meanwhile, cheers to all the 2010 newly weds! Now bring on 2011!

A Great Start!

Well, the 2010 wedding season officially kicked off this weekend. Congratulations to Andrew & Laura and Tim & Kate. The two couples shared the same wedding weekend but in very different ways.

Andrew & Laura were married in Center City Philadelphia at the Double Tree Hotel on Broad Street. It was a full ceremony complete with a wine blessing and a beautiful version of Unforgettable sung by Laura's cousin, Amanda. After they were officially pronounced husband and wife, they took in the sights via horse-drawn carriage. They returned shortly thereafter to join their guests at their reception.

Tim & Kate has a simple, yet meaningful ceremony in LOVE Park, directly in front of the LOVE statue. It was a location that meant a great deal to this couple, and they had a beautiful day for it.

Congratulations to these special newlyweds!

Romance Year Round

Well, another Valentine's Day has passed and based on the number of couples who have contacted me this week, cupid has been very busy! Valentine's Day is one of the most popular engagement days of the year and for good reason - it is a day for romance. But, there is no reason why February 14th should hold a monopoly on romance. Successful marriages embrace romance year round. I've posted a link over on Joyous Occasions Facebook page to an article that provides some helpful tips on year round romance. Visit the page and check it out. It might give you some ideas or confirm that you and your love are on the right track.

For those of you who are newly engaged, Congratulations! I'm looking forward to working with you.

Happy Holidays!

On behalf of all of those associated with Joyous Occasions, I wish you a very Merry Christmas, a happy New Year, and the very best this holiday season has to offer for you and your family.

This time of year is a time to cherish those you love. It is also one of the most popular times to pop the question - "Will you marry me?"

Best wishes to all the newly engaged couples this holiday season. Enjoy this special time of year.

I'll see you in 2010!

Home Weddings: Sean & Jessica; Alejandro & Julie; Thomas & Feruza; Thomas & Xia

What a wonderful summer it has been! I have had the opportunity to preside over some truly wonderful ceremonies and work with great couples. Now the fall begins, and I have several weddings that will be performed at tremendous facilities like Hartefeld National and Longswamp Bed & Breakfast.

But I wanted to take a moment to reflect on one of the most meaningful and appropriate settings for a wedding ceremony - your home! A home wedding is a great alternative to a more grand affair. Your home is certainly more affordable and provides for a comfortable, warm and loving setting. I have performed many home weddings and four this summer. Each time I step into a home, I am struck by the warmth and love that surrounds the couple.

As the saying goes, "Home is where the heart is." For a wedding ceremony, where matters of the heart are front-and-center, the home is a perfectly appropriate setting.

Ridley Creek Mansion and Grounds: Ed & Laura

Another wonderful setting for a wedding is Ridley Creek State Park in Media, PA. Not only does it offer wonderfully wooded grounds for a beautiful outdoor wedding, the Mansion is an ideal setting for an intimate ceremony. The platform staircase provides for the perfect ceremony spot as your guests surround you on multiple levels of platform spaces. The lighting is ideal for crystal clear pictures and the acoustics provide for a wedding ceremony heard at perfect pitch.

I performed Ed & Laura's wedding at the Mansion in early August. While the original plan called for an outdoor wedding, the Mansion served as the backup venue. It was an ideal setting with friends and family surrounding them while they recited the vows and performed the rites that united their lives and families.

I'm very pleased I was able to be a part of it. This couple is truly in love and equally devoted. Cheers to Ed & Laura! Oh, and cheers to their flower girl, Jenna, who did a great job! Nicely done, Jenna!

Release the Doves: Frank & Maria

Recently, I performed a wedding ceremony unlike any I had performed before. Frank and Maria were wonderful to work with. They met each other a bit later in their lives and I was struck by how rooted they both were in their traditions. It was a very nice thing to encounter and it was clear that family and roots meant a great deal to both.

I imagined that this would be a very routine wedding, steeped in the traditional ceremonial style. I was quite surprised when they suggested releasing doves as part of their service. I have heard of this done and spoken to colleagues who presided over dove releases, but I personally had never encountered this particular element before. In keeping with my promise to serve as guide for a service and not its author, I happily agreed to their suggestion and we scripted a very nice piece that included the reading of the Dove Poem.

Frank managed to locate a great service, Delaware White Dove Releases, servicing Delaware and areas in PA and NJ. Their representative, Dawn, came to the wedding early, met with me, and set up a beautiful stanchion where the bird cage was hung draped with white lace and bows. At the appropriate moment in the ceremony, Dawn opened the cage and gave the bride and groom each their own dove.

Frank and Maria released their doves on cue and it was an amazing portion of a great wedding. Later, dawn told me that the doves are trained to return to the dove farm in Delaware. Evidently, the doves have their own little reception waiting for them back home.

For details on Delaware White Dove Releases, visit http://www.delawaredovereleases.com/. And cheers to Frank & Maria for teaching me something new!