What a great New Jersey wedding Ceremony!

What is worse than watching Aunt Tillie battle with Cousin Marlene over the flower arrangements at your wedding? Well, you can avoid that whole fracas and enhance the lives of hospital and hospice patients through a wonderful organization called FlowerPower. (WWW.flowerpowerfoundation.org). Nancy Lawlor’s company “repurposes” flowers from all kinds of events, re-arranging them into small bouquets that are delivered to patients in nursing homes, hospitals and hospices in New York and Los Angeles. Her goal is to build a nation wide network of joy.

Your celebration flowers can make the difference in someone’s day, after they have made the difference in yours. You can contact her foundation at 212 308 4930, or ask your florist if they would be willing to deliver your flowers to a local nursing home or hospice. What a great way to share your special day!

So, the fabulous wedding ceremony (officiated by your New Jersey Wedding Celebrant)and the great reception are over and you need to chill. How about this gorgeous spa; Qua Bath and Spa in Las Vegas (where everything that happens…….) Check out their offerings for couples!

Kama Sutra with Shirodhara
Celebrate the art of love with someone special as you enjoy the Shirodhara and body massage experience side by side in your own private suite. Warm oil anoints the forehead, opening the intuitive mind, while chilled rose petals rest softly over the eyes. Tantric music and pure aphrodisiac massage oils of sandalwood and rose transport couples into romantic bliss.
75 min. (per couple price)
$420

Double Banana Leaf with Shirodhara
Incense and a traditional Thai floral foot bath greet you in your private suite for two. Your experience will begin with a skin preparation of aromatic blends, followed by a fresh banana leaf body wrap. You will also enjoy an ayurvedic head and scalp treatment for a renewing full-body experience.
75 min. (per couple price)
$420

Couple’s Lunaception*
Enter your private herb garden and spa suite with your companion for this special fertility-heightening experience. Relax side by side, synchronizing your breath during your massage above Venus “Goddess of Fertility” idols. Freshly prepared teas and hand-selected fresh herbs melt away everyday stress, unlocking nature’s reproductive potential.
75 min. (per couple price)
$420

Sounds like fun, and just what you need……www.qwabathsandspa.com

The cupcake that is; one of my cool clients from last weekend had a beautiful sendoff for her guests. Displayed on an antique table in the foyer of the reception site were tiered servers filled with cupcakes, black-and-white cookies and brownies, complete with take away boxes in the couple’s colors. They were invited to take a treat home for later (or maybe for those little ones on the ride home!)

It was a beautiful and gracious alternative to a “Viennese” table, and an appreciated little nosh for later in the evening.

Traditionally, it would be the best man, but one of my couples did something very interesting and touching this weekend. Each of couple’s mothers had been amazing and vocal champions of this long term relationship. When they were ready to exchange rings, both mothers joined us at the ceremony space and presented the “other” partner with the wedding ring they would slip on their fiance’s finger. It was a beautiful gesture and spoke volumes about special the couple’s relationship was in the mothers’ eyes. It gracefully replace the “unity candle” (which is traditionally lit as the mothers are seated) and provided a moment to speak about the unconditional love and support offered by the families.

What a amazing wedding celebration! Early on a glorious fall morning, we gathered at the edge of a lake amidst the colorful leaves of the forest. Denise and Dieter’s intimate gathering included Denise’s beautiful daughters and a chorus of frogs! As we walked through the woods to the ceremony space, the couple was surprised by several of Denise’s family members, who had flown across the country in secret to join the party, and were hiding in the woods among the pines and moss.

Their ceremony included a traditional Celtic handfasting and a beautiful reading from Rilke, offered by Denise’s brother Gary. It was truly a sincere and joyful celebration of their life together.

How are you, the bride, going to arrive at the ceremony space? How you choose to process up the aisle says much about you and your reltionships; not only to your future husband or partner, but about your family. There are many variations.

In a traditional Jewish processional, both of the bride’s parents walk her down the aisle. This may become more complex if there are stepparents involved, but there are gracious ways to acknowledge the parents that DON’T walk down the aisle with the bride; special readings, presentations of flowers or other rituals.

Maybe you don’t want to be “given” away. You CAN walk down the aisle with your partner or fiance.

If your marriage is a second one, you could be accompanied by your children or your partner’s.

The bottom line is that nothing is right or wrong if it expresses your relationship in an authentic way.

Don’t overlook fruits and harvest vegetables as beautiful and natural decorative accents for your banquet tables, centerpieces, even your bouquet. A creative florist will be happy to use these elements (which might even be a little cost saver..). Pumpkins are a natch for this time of year, but artichokes, gourds, beautiful apples and grapes; all can make an appearance anywhere at your wedding (and in your invitations, guest bags, and website). A simple apple or beautiful tomato could be just the cool, inventive and individual image that lends a theme to your whole day.