Winter Wedding Warms the Heart

Today was wonderful! I had the pleasure of being part of a very special wedding.

When April and Paul arrived I asked a few questions about the ceremony. April said she ‘just wanted to leave married’. I told her that I could certainly take care of that.

April and Paul had hoped to get married outside but it was a chilly, windy day. They decided it was much more comfortable inside, by the fire. They did step out on the deck long enough for a few photos.

The ceremony began with the lighting of candles. During the ceremony, it was evident that they were listening to each and every word I said. Later April told me that the wording was perfect.

The ‘Prayer of Love’ was used as the benediction

My marriage prayer for you is this:
That you will always remember the qualities that attracted you to each other when you first met and how you felt as your feelings of attraction turned into respect, admiration and finally love. That you will work hard to turn your feelings of love into acts of love so that nothing and no one can divide you. That you will always have kind and loving hearts, that are quick to ask for forgiveness when you are wrong as well as to forgive when your partner is wrong. That your love might grow to hear all things, believe all things, and hope for all things, endure all things. I pray you place your marriage in God's hands, and that your love increases and overflows, beyond anything you can yet imagine.

Those who God has joined together let no one put asunder.

Wedding Planning - Feeling Stressed?

Are you tired of answering questions and making decisions? Do you need a break from wedding planning?

You may want to consider a day or so (or even a few hours) alone. And of course, you may want to spend some time with the one you love, remembering why you’re getting married in the first place…..Our retreat center, RiverMist, might be exactly what you need.

Maybe you just need to take a deep breath. What better place, than in the beauty of nature. I will teach you a few breathing techniques and then provide a private area so you can practice. Many people find solace, sitting by a large body of water or a simple flowing stream. Nothing is more calming than the sound of flowing water. It’s no accident that we have placed hammocks along the creek. Sometimes breathing exercises turn into a nice long nap!

Time in nature can do wonders for your spirit. Or you may just want to curl up and watch a movie and forget about ‘everything’ for a while. Think about it for a minute. Doesn’t it sound wonderful… to have time to do exactly what you want to do… even if it is nothing. Wedding planning can become very stressful. So many details to take care of but you must remember that taking care of yourself is THE most important detail.

And then, there is another option… do you feel overwhelmed with the whole process and have no idea where to start? I will be happy to arrange a retreat designed especially for your needs. After you have time to ‘catch your breath’, (breathing exercises) I’ll sit down with you and help you get started with the planning. I have professional and personal experience and will gladly share my resources. I emphasize that I am a minister, not a wedding planner. However, with my experience I can certainly point you in the right direction, helping you get your thoughts organized. There are often very important details that are forgotten until the last minute. It is best to address these issues early in the process. This will prevent many headaches later.

This is a special time in your life and you want to enjoy every minute of it. Take care of yourself!

Winter Weddings

The last few weeks have flown by.. Where does time go? One day you're celebrating Thanksgiving and the next thing you know it's January!

It has been busy, with the holidays and winter weddings. However, this wasn't enough... I decided it would be a good time to take a week long class at John Campbell Folk School, located near Murphy, NC.  Not sure what I was thinking but back in June it seemed like a good idea. The weather was extremely cold but it was a wonderful experience.

Even with the all the holiday activity there was time for some winter weddings. Some were private so there are no photos to display. There was a New Year's Eve wedding that I can share some photos.

 Kathy and Alex traveled quite a distance to marry at our Retreat Center. And it was wonderful that there parents were able to travel as well.

They each have children from a previous marriage. Unfortunately, it was not possible for all of the children to attend the wedding. Kathy had mentioned that she wanted to light a candle in memory of family members who have passed on and also as a way of remembering family and friends who could not be with them on their wedding day.

As an added touch I asked Kathy and Alex to each select a gemstone heart. Then they selected individual hearts for each of their children . These were placed around the candle. And now they are displayed in their home, representing their new family. I love including elements that truly make a ceremony special.

 As you can see from the short sleeves, the weather cooperated. To be honest, we've only had a few weddings that had to be moved inside.

Another happy couple.....