Just this morning I had the opportunity to perform a ceremony at a beautiful, small, family-only wedding right here in Charlottesville. I loved it! Small backyard weddings are among my favorites... the feeling is always intimate and usually somewhat informal which is nice. This couple, Kathleen & Bill, chose to have a spiritual ceremony that included a Hand Blessing ritual which is a very modified Handfasting from the Pagan tradition.

An important part of the ceremony was acknowledging each of their children from prior marriages and letting them know how important their love and support was to the couple. Bill's daughter read one of my very favorite readings... an excerpt from the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.

A backyard wedding gives you lots of opportunity to be creative, to welcome you loved ones to your own home and to just generally create an atmosphere of love and gratitude for your guests. I had the opportunity to meet everyone and even have short, personal conversations with each guest which, of course, I am not able to do at a bigger event. All in all if a couple is looking for a small, very personal and somewhat less formal wedding experience I think backyards (or front yards, or living rooms) are the way to go!