Erin and Robert had a truly beautiful wedding a couple of weeks ago at Veritas Vineyard (I know, I know... I've been there every weekend this month... and next weekend too!). So, rather than focusing on the venue I thought I'd highlight the wonderful photos of Jennifer Colina. When I contacted Jennifer she generously sent along these beautiful photos of the Robert & Erin's wedding and it's clear to see that she is a very talented photographer. Enjoy!

There are many ways to go about choosing or creating your wedding vows. Some couples (not as many as you'd think) do write their own... but more often they choose to use a vow that has already been written (there are dozens!) ... perhaps with a few tweaks here and there to make it more true to themselves or they may use the "mix and match" approach of combining parts of several vows to create one that's right for them.

Today I found this wonderful article by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway, a Wedding Officiant and Author in the New City York Area... also known as The Wedding Goddess. Her article entitled "How To Write Your Own Wedding Vows" is a guest post at wedlok.com, a Las Vegas wedding blog. Check out Rev. Laurie Sue's website too, she is a prolific writer and also has great advice on relieving the stresses around the whole wedding-planning thing! Check out her book "Wedding Goddess: A Divine Guide to Transforming Wedding Stress into Wedding Bliss".

Last weekend I had my first UVA Garden wedding of the season and it was, without a doubt, the loveliest one I've done there. Amber & Charlie were married in Garden IX which is a Garden at the far end of the West Lawn that I'd never been in before. The Altar table with tall vases containing white orchids was created by Pat's Floral Designs. The curtain of hanging shells behind the altar made a beautiful tinkling sound throughout the ceremony as Charlie and Amber exchanged their vows. To honor Amber's Filipino heritage we included 2 lovely rituals called the veil and the cord which were facilitated by an aunt and uncle who accepted the role of Sponsors for the newly married couple.

After the ceremony the couple's reception was held just next door in Garden VII... another lovely University garden I hadn't visited before. Jennifer Carroll of Jennifer Carroll Events had absolutely outdone herself for this garden wedding. The tables, flowers, menus, lanterns in the trees, orchids and candles floating in huge clear glass vases... just everything was done to perfection. Everywhere you looked the garden environment blended seamlessly into Jennifer's beautiful, artistic design... made me smile just to look at it.

Amber and Charlie had a very unique wedding cake that I wanted to share too... created by Anita Gupta of Maliha Creations... in the shape of the University of Virginia Rotunda. So, now I know for sure that there is no cake that Anita can't create... I wonder what Thomas Jefferson would say?

Diana and Tom had their wedding last Saturday morning out in Albemarle County on Diana's family's land... literally right out in a field, it was very green, lush and scenic! The land had a natural slope that provided a mini-amphitheater feel to it and the groom had the chairs set up in curved rows so that everyone felt tucked in and included.

Diana and Tom included a couple of unique additions to their ceremony including the calling of the directions, in the Native American tradition, and a modified Handfasting ritual, both of which were meaningful and especially appropriate to the setting.

One of my own favorite parts of the day was the couple's beautiful dog, Elsa, with her lovely flower collar created especially for the occasion! Billy Hunt was their photographer and as soon as I have some of his photos to share I'll post them here.

Diana and Tom have known each other since childhood and having many of their family and mutual long-time friends in attendance was especially sweet for them... many blessings to both of you!

Brooke & Casey had their hearts set on an outdoor wedding at Ash Lawn-Highland, the historic home of James Monroe. Unfortunately one of our first warm-weather thunderstorms necessitated a change to Plan B: ceremony under the pavilion with the beautiful green countryside as a backdrop. Once the rain stopped it was truly one of the most idyllic and beautiful days in the Virginia countryside that I'd ever witnessed. And, apparently, there was even a double rainbow in the sky behind us for a good part of the ceremony... the photo here shows you what remained by the time the ceremony was over.

Another unique feature of having a wedding at Ash Lawn is that you can actually "rent" James Monroe himself (a wonderful fellow who embodies Mr. Monroe and never, ever breaks out of character) who will greet your guests, welcoming them to his home and so forth. At first the guests seem quite tentative wondering if this guy's "for real"... but then they catch on and really enjoy his presence and amazing knowledge of the life and times of James Monroe.

Casey and Brooke included a wonderful little ritual as part of their ceremony: before the ceremony began officially both the bride and groom's mothers came up front and then invited family members (that had been pre-planned) two by two to come up with a handfull of flowers to add to the bride's bouquet and say a few words about the part of the family that they were honoring. At the end, the mothers tied up the bouquet with beautiful ribbons and went out to present it to the bride before she walked down the aisle. A lovely ritual honoring family and giving the Mother's a wonderful way of participating in the ceremony.

If you would like to find out more about having your wedding at Ash Lawn-Highland give Baylor a call at 434-293-9539 and visit their website too.

Hindu-Catholic Wedding
Last fall I had the opportunity to officiate at a truly incredible Interfaith wedding: the bride, Sabeena, from a Hindu family and the groom, Patrick, from a Catholic family. Just recently I discovered, that although this wedding was in DC their photographers, Anne and Bill Holland, had been "imported" from lil' ol' Charlottesville just as I had.

Sabeena and Patrick's wedding was one of the most colorful and pageant-filled I've had the honor to be a part of. The groom arrived on horseback to the banging of drums and shouts of celebration from the family. Their ceremony incorporated words and rituals from both the Hindu and Catholic traditions with explanations in between so everyone could keep up! On the Hindu side the bride and groom exchanged beautiful flower garlands and took 7 steps (saptapadi) around a homa (sacred fire) as they made their promises to one another. On the Christian side the couple performed a Unity Candle ceremony and everyone enjoyed a beautiful scriptural reading.

I would imagine that for a photographer this kind of wedding would present wonderful artistic opportunities and Bill and Anne Holland of Holland Photo Arts took full advantage of the day! Their pictures of Sabeena and Patrick's wedding are absolutely spectacular... I hope that you enjoy the 3 I am including in this post. If you are looking for an amazing photograpic duo for your wedding give them a call: 434-295-9681

My second wedding of this holiday weekend was at a lovely place that I'd heard of but not had the opportunity to experience until today... the Inn at Old Virginia just outside of historic Staunton, about 40 miles West of Charlottesville in the Shenandoah Valley. With near perfect weather the ceremony was held 'round back of the Inn with a panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains as the backdrop. Before the Ceremony began I had the opportunity to meet and spend a few minutes getting to know Becky Field, the Inn's manager and wedding contact who was, obviously, very good at her job... taking care of a dozen final details for the day's event while kindly welcoming me to the Inn and getting me a glass of water.

Danyiel and Chris are a lovely couple and their wedding was one in which the love between them was palpable and so sweet! They chose to include a Sand Ceremony ritual as part of their ceremony, symbolizing the entwining of their lives and their commitment to a shared future. With the slight breeze I was happy that they had chosen a Sand Ceremony as there were no candles to keep lit!

Congratulations Chris and Danyiel!

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!

This past Saturday I got to drive up to beautiful Barboursville Vineyards (in Orange County) for a lovely, small wedding. Jill and Bruno had a very sweet and personal ceremony in a long, narrow room overlooking acres and acres of vineyards with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background. Barboursville Vineyards is one of those venues that offers a wonderful variety of options... they can accommodate a large crowd but also have perfect spots for the smallest of weddings. I'm not a big wine person myself but I've heard that theirs is the best! Also, their award-winning Palladio Restaurant, the 1804 Inn, and the ruins of Governor Barbour's mansion (designed by Thomas Jefferson) makes this particular Vineyard a place with something for everyone.

Speaking of wine... Bruno and Jill chose to include a Wine Ceremony as part of their wedding. This is a lovely ritual that involves the blending of wine from 2 carafes into a wine glass after which and the Bride & Groom share a bit together. The mixing of the wines (one white, one red) can symbolize the joining of their lives, it can also symbolize their promise to walk through life together, sharing both the bitter and sweet parts of the journey. A Wine Ceremony is a lovely addition to a wedding and is especially appropriate when the wedding is at a winery!