What a great New Jersey wedding Ceremony!

I know that so many of you are animal lovers (I know this because many of your dogs have been flower dogs and ring bearers!), and what better way to personalize your wedding day than to include our fuzzy friends who are less fortunate to the celebration! Not in person; most wedding reception venues frown on that…. but there are many ways you can share your joy, and many are found on the Animal Rescue Site.

When you enter the site, you can click on a link that will enable their sponsors to donate food to shelters, and from there you can go shopping! They have a whole bridal section of the store, which has great gifts for bridesmaids, your future spouse and yourself! A portion of the profits goes right to animal welfare.

You can even use the site to make donations instead of buying favors; you can vaccinate shelter pets, help to rescue birds who are victims of oil spills and feed orphaned baby elephants. What an incredible way to add to your wedding day!

But Merynda Adams will! If you’re looking for beautiful and classic music for your new jersey wedding ceremony (smooth, eh?) or reception, you’ll be happy you discovered Merynda. She is positively angelic on the harp, by herself, but has a troop of other wonderful musicians on call as well. Merynda has performed with New York Grand Opera, New Philharmonic, Plainfield Symphony, Metro Lyric Opera, Opera at Florham and the Northeastern Philharmonic. A winner of the South Orange Symphony Artists’ Competition and the Goldblatt Award, she has appeared at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, Avery Fisher Hall, and off Broadway in the long running musical, “The Fantasticks”. Her gracious and inspired artistry will add the perfect touch to your celebration, and she can suggest the perfect selections to accompany your ceremony. And just as important is the fact that she is just plain fun to work with!

Well, not you! Me! It’s been a long time since I blogged; thanks to my wonderful couples, it’s been a crazy two weeks! I feel like Where’s Waldo; you never know where my next wedding ceremony is going to be, but there have been some really interesting ones, and as soon as I get photos, they’ll be posted here.

Some random great ideas, just bits and pieces from my creative duets!
For a rustique-elegant wedding in a beautiful, enormous white tent, Kathleen and Roland used Mason jars full of locally grown flowers. Since “going local” is all the rage in the age of green weddings, these were stylish, beautiful and ecologically correct.

They also used a funky canoe to hold their canned and bottled beverages (don’t forget the bottle openers ties to the canoe with camper friendly lanyards! (This photo is from Whistler Outdoor,a company that runs year round adventure tours in British Columbia. What a great idea for a honeymoon!
There were so many stylish ideas in play at Kathy and Carol’s ceremony, it’s hard to pick, and I can’t wait to get their photos back from my amazing photographer and friend, Dan Epstein. They chose the gracious, newly redesigned Museum of Morris County as their ceremony site, arriving with great flourish in an antique white Packard. As a backdrop for the ceremony, we had a collection of silver picture frames that showed scenes from their life together; vacations with their son, family vacations, pets. It was a warm and personal touch that everyone enjoyed. When the ceremony was over, the photos were distributed among the guest tables and the cake table so all could enjoy close up. (These frames are from Hampshire Antiques, a collectors’ site that will make you lose your mind entirely).

Nothing says “patio wedding” like a swimming pool full of flowers and a fireworks display to cap off the night; more on that one later!

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Okay, it was on the West Coast, and I’m jealous. The wedding of Nikki Rice and David Malki sounds so cool and so fun that I wish I could have been there! They are both multi talented artists who work in film as well as many other media, not the least of which was creating their own unique celebration.

Although the did have their serious and romantic moments…

comfort and funkiness was definitely a factor. I love the dyed to match chucks. Move over stilettos and laceups…..

But maybe my fave is the cake!

All the best to yous twos! Long live love, talent and humor!

When I saw Carrie Weston’s jewelry, I couldn’t resist posting some pix. Her quirky and fun designs would just make the most amazing wedding rings!

My personal favorite is her “sandwich” ring (but check out her hamburger ring too…)

And then there are the “diamond” rings (and pendants and earrings) which she designer for her brother.

Her work is fun and unusual and there are many, many designs that would just rock as wedding bands. If I get married again, I’m having the sandwich!

I read about Lisa Krisner George in the New York Times, in a wonderful article about women who have created alternative career paths. As soon as I finished reading, I picked up the phone and called her. We had a cool conversation and I went to see her delightful pink and chartreuse studio, Vanilla Pink in Bloomfield NJ. It is there that she creates the most amazing, individual dresses for special occasions. Her outlook on what she creates is very similar to the way I view my New Jersey wedding ceremonies; (smooth, eh?)

“Your bridal wear should tell a story; it should speak of who you are and how you came to this day. It should be as unique as the person it is designed for, and should say more about what is beautiful to you than what happens to be in fashion. It is the dress you have always imagined yourself wearing—not a dress that wears you.

Our designs, first and foremost, reflect these beliefs. Every dress we make marries a love of design with time-honored techniques—to reflect both the beauty of the fabric you have chosen, and your own personal tastes.”

You will love speaking with Lisa, and her dresses will seize your heart.But call her now because she is getting busy!

When you start to think about music to surround your wedding ceremony, think out of the box! Sure, you can use the Pachabel Canon in D, which is lovely; but how about something that is more personal, more individual,like you are! I wrote about Tricia, and her heart stopping walk down the aisle. I had a bride arrive to Bobbie Mcferrin’s version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow”; I had another walk in with a selection from “Riverdance” flowing behind her. Lovely Tovah and her father walked down the aisle to “Edelweisse”, from “The Sound of Music”. She almost took me down; by the time she got to the ceremony space, all the bridesmaids, the groom, and me were sobbing.

When I got married, a billion years ago before unity candles were invented, I chose the theme from the wonderful movie, “Out of Africa”, written by John Barry. The music was evocative; slow enough to walk to (this is a BIG consideration!), and short enough to be appropriate.

To me, the real meaning of the movie (which does bear another view!) was two people who found each other, against all odds and coexisted in an edgy, not perfect way. They were completely soul mates although life was messy for them. It spoke of the real challenge and joy of partnership.

So go look! Maybe the into music to Pee Wee’s playhouse suits you! Maybe a beautiful Gershwin tune, “Embraceable You”, or “Some Enchanted Evening”, from South Pacific

Think about the music that you love, and that music will enhance your ceremony more than any words can do.

You saw some of Tricia’s amazing and delicate jewelry in a post not too long ago, but she has been busy busy busy with her wedding, which took place several weeks ago at the gorgeous Font Hill Museum, in Pennsylvania.

We had just the most gorgeous summer day; French blue skies, a slight breeze and all the sun we could have wished for. The ceremony took place on the rolling lawns,under a rose wreath and a spreading elm tree.

Tricia, an amazing vision of a bride, was escorted by her father; they descended the steps of the castle to a song by Ben Harper, and I have to say there was not dry eye in the crowd, including me.

“All that I can give you is forever yours to keep.
Wake up every day with a dream
and happy ever after in your eyes
and happy ever after is in your eyes.”

Best to you both, Tricia and Derek!!!