What a great New Jersey wedding Ceremony!

“I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me BANG! in the face!” Langston Hughes

If your ceremony is coming up in April or May, when crocuses are shooting up and the promise of spring is in the air, congratulations! When you work with your New Jersey Wedding Officiant (smooth, eh?) you’ll want them to include a reference to this period of seasonal renewal when they hand write your ceremony. (They are going to handwrite your ceremony, aren’t they?)

We all choose the times for our ceremonies based on SOMETHING
emotionally, spiritually or intellectually important to us; the hopefulness of spring; the abundance of the fall harvest..there is some reason you chose your ceremony time, so work that celebration into your ceremony to personalize it.

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So what do you tell your guests? They all want to be appropriately dressed, but your vision and theirs may not mesh. Everyone will be more comfortable if they know what to do. (It’s easy for your New Jersey Wedding Officiant : I always wear black! Darn, am I smooth of what! Search engines be damned!)

How do you let them know the level of formality in force at your soiree? “Black Tie”, is an easy out. “Picnic Dress” is too. How about some of these?

“Country Club” Elegant and glamourous without being overly formal
“Garden Romantic” Floaty dresses; khakis, crisp white shirts with loosely knotted ties. Big hats
“Caribbean Cruisewear” Elegant but light; perfect for a beach wedding
“City Bliss” Big night out in New York-wear
“Sorta Sporta” nice but casual

Thanks to designer Michael Sherard for this beautiful cocktail dress; I’d wear it anywhere!

What a wonderful way to include your guests in your ceremony! On your invitations, invite each of your guests to bring one flower (or you could have a table with the stems provided for them, as the enter the ceremony site). Before they are seated, they add their flowers to the trellis and make a wish for your future together. As you stand beneath the flower covered archway for your ceremony, you’ll be surrounded by the hopes and loving thoughts that your guests have sent your way.

Well, as all 10 of my loyal blog readers know, I am a flat out sucker for a pretty face, especially with whiskers and a big wet nose (well, except my significant other….). If you have a special puppy, cat, ferret, hamster or other fuzzy thing (or non fuzzy; one of my upcoming couples has two sphinx hairless cats….)that is going to be in your wedding party or at your backyard wedding, why not include a simple animal blessing in your service? Your New Jersey wedding celebrant (smooth, eh?) can write something lovely and small, just like your pet (or, if you have a great dane, something lovely and large…) I officiated for a wonderful couple last weekend, and their dog (dressed for the occasion in a tux shirt and tie) was an integral part of their courtship…..let’s just say he had the last word. Or bark…

So including him in the ceremony was natural and fun. Thanks again to the Beagle rescue (their link is on our page) for this beautiful photo of Suzi!

A well written and personal thank you note is always so appreciated. Even more so with a photo. There are many software programs that can help you do this, and your guests will love seeing a different view of the day. While common etiquette says you have a year to do this, try to do it within three months of your wedding. And while we all love email, this is one instance where an email does not cut it.

Don’t forget to send notes to the professionals who made your wedding memorable; your florist who found white orchids in December; photographer who caught every moment; New Jersey wedding officiant who wrote the most amazing ceremony (;-); the banquet hall manager who made the day seamless, the musicians who got everyone dancing. Your kind words mean more than you know.

No, it’s not going to rain on your wedding day. It’s going to be a beautiful, French Blue sky day with several floaty little clouds and a bird or two, flying in heart shaped formation over your ceremony.

Or maybe not. It’s the “maybe not” factor that we’re need to address. The bottom line is this; if you’re planning your ceremony (with your New Jersey Wedding Officiant, damn, I’m smooth….) and/or your reception in a beloved backyard, a park, a field, or the parking lot of the Walmart where you met (yes, I’ve done at least one of each…), you need to be covered. Literally. And the tenting is going to be a significant chunk of your budget, so you want to get in touch with that vendor early in the game.

If you’re in Jersey, my favorite tenting mavens, Dave and Mike from Taylor, will come to your site and measure, and then let you know how they can cover you. Your florist (or your handy relatives) can decide to drape tent poles in greenery, hang lanterns from the crossbeams, and otherwise festoon this giant white (yes; white; let’s not be having any yellow and white car sale striped tenting for your wedding, okay?) with decor that fits your personality and your setting. Two or three days before the wedding, the structure will be set up and it will all, suddenly, become real~!

And you might consider having one why? Lots of reasons. You may want to include a dedication to your parents or other relatives you’d like to honor; you might want to explain why you chose the readings or music you did. You might want to list the names of the members of the wedding party, musicians, and your New Jersey Wedding Officiant (smooth, eh?). You will have taken care, joy and time in creating your ceremony, and those important moments can zoom by so quickly that it’s nice for your guests to have a remembrance.

(This beautiful program is from www.custom-programs.com