What a great New Jersey wedding Ceremony!

Being the creative person you are, you have gone to the ends of the artistic universe to personalize everything about your wedding, including your New Jersey wedding ceremony (okay, okay, I couldn’t resist….) Why should you use a plain old stamp on the envelope?  Perfect Postage  offers what seems like millions of beautiful stamps that you can personalize to fit your theme, your colors, your music, or any other aspect of your wedding that you’d like to hilight. You can match your invitation or put your photos on them;  you can even get stamps that mention your favorite charity.  They have “thank you” stamps and ‘datesave’ stamps too!  But I’ll warn you; before you go to this delightful and inspiring site, pack a snack; you’re going to be there for a while, and it IS quite addictive. But at a small premium over regular stamps, (and the built in bonus of having them shipped right to you!), they are really an affordable indulgence and dynamic touch of style to introduce your wedding celebration.

Coffee service at your reception can be a real style feature instead of an “after the meal” no brainer. Ask your caterer if they can offer a coffee buffet or make trays for each table that feature ways for your guests to customize their cuppas; rough cut sugar cubes, whipped cream, rock candy wands in different colors, different no calorie sweeteners, chocolate syrup, cinnamon sticks, chocolate kisses and biscotti. You could also have the staff circulate with a selection of flavored syrups and liqueurs to spice things up a bit. What a great way to end the perfect night! You might even offer personalized “to-go” cups, with a selection of “next day” treats like donuts, rugulah or the bagels from your favorite little place.

What better way to welcome the beginning of summer than by choosing Memorial Day as your wedding day!  Kim and Nik, did just that, at the beautiful Perona Farms, in Andover NJ.  PF is a sweet venue; with an amazing history. I don’t want to spoil the story, but it involves cows, prize fighters, and jazz great, Artie Shaw.  They offer four different wedding ceremony backdrops, from their sophisticated gardens to the rustic barn on their property. There is also a sweeping staircase in their grand marble gathering area, which came in very handy as the thunderstorms threatened overhead.   The PF staff couldn’t have been more accomodating, and Tracey, our banquet manager made the last minute transition smooth and graceful.

Their cocktail hour featured a crepe station, pastas, and passed hors d’oeuvres, but the showstopper is always the house smoked salmon station, which is carved to order and presented with all the trimmings you’d expect from a fine presentation.

Nik and Kim’s wedding was as individual as they are; the groomsmen all decked in flapper era pinstriped suits with these funky black and white brogues,  and the girls all looked fab in black and white.  Their ceremony included a rose presentation for their moms and Kim’s dad, and spoke about their story, a wonderful meeting of two totally different people who turned out to be perfectly attuned.

Best wishes to you both!

Actually, they top the cake (or cupcake!) with the sweetest personalized brides, grooms, dogs, cats….Michelle and Kelly, two crafters transplanted to Brooklyn handpaint these little beauties (though they do have a do-it-yourself-kit) so you can have you, your fiance and your entire menagerie atop your wedding cake or cupcakes. Their store, Goosegrease, at etsy, has all sorts of people and animals; you can even include your goldfish! Sweet idea!

William  Blake wrote;

It’s even easier to see it in the  wedding rings on your fingers, the rings that you will most likely exchange during your New Jersey wedding ceremony. There is probably no other symbol of commitment as powerful or as timeless. They are a gentle reminder and an outward representation of your vows and promises to each other.

Typically, the best man, will be holding the rings, although they may make their way to the couple in a number of ways; little boys or girls are the most traditional, but I am seeing many couples include their dogs as their ring bearers (and no, neither the little kids or the dogs should get the real rings…)  When it is time for the exchange, during the service, the best man might  hand them to the couple, but there are many other possibilities; the parents, an adult child of the couple, or an honored relative who is not part of the wedding party.

This is the reading I use most often to introduce the ring exchange;  

“Rings are an ancient symbol, blessed and simple. Round like the sun, like the eye, like arms that embrace. Circles, for love that is given comes back round again and again.  Therefore may these symbols remind you that your love, like the sun, illuminates, that your love, like the eye, must see clearly.  And that your love, like arms that embrace, is a  grace upon this world. ”

If there is a particularly interesting story or historical significance behind the rings, it should be mentioned during the exchange readings. One of my brides’ wedding ring was fashioned from the grooms’ grandmothers’ engagment ring.   Another bride is a jeweler, and made both wedding bands; different, yet including similar design elements, just like the couple.  Still another, a couple of engineers, used a giant bolt for the grooms ring!

Your rings present rich possibilities for expressing yourselves, and they will be with you for a lifetime. These beauties are from “The Pyramid Collection“, but for some wonderful inspiration, check out the 500 possibilities in the beautiful book, “500 Wedding Rings”, by Lark Books.