Today I am happy to share Thomas and Kristine’s  cozy candle-lit winter wedding held in the wine cellar at Clifton Inn with you.  Kristine and Thomas are poets who live in NYC and chose to have their ceremony on New Year’s Day with just their parents in attendance.  The Clifton’s wine cellar provided warm, glowing surroundings and Rob Garland of Rob Garland Photographers was their to capture their very special event.  Enjoy!

Contact info. for Rob Garland Photographers:
~ phone: 434-293-3332
~ e-mail: contactus@robgarland.com
~ website: www.robgarland.com
~ blog: http://www.robgarland.com/blog/?author=2

We’re getting to the end of this “Best Of” series but I have a several more  fabulous posts for you over the next couple of weeks before we’re done!  Anne and Bill Holland of Holland Photo Arts sent me the most generous and spectacular array of their work from 2008 and I spent way too much time trying to figure out how to pick and choose which photos to post.  Then I thought, “Hey, this is my blog and I can post every single one of those photos if I want to,” … and I do… so I am .   So, Holland Photo Arts Best of 2008 will be presented in 3 parts and I know you’re gonna love ever single one of them as much as I do… thanks Anne and Bill!

Contact Information for Holland Photo Arts:
~ website: www.hollandphotoarts.com
~ phone: 434-295-9681
~ e-mail: info@hollandphotoarts.com
~ blog: hollandphotoarts.wordpress.com

Yes, Tuesday! After all of the weddings I’ve done over the years at the Clifton Inn, I had no idea that there was a lake with a dock on the property… imagine my surprise . … and it made an absolutely idyllic backdrop for Jeffery and Lena’s beautiful little wedding this afternoon. All of their guests easily fit right on the dock with us and it made for such an intimate outdoor setting.

Two of the many special things about this wedding ceremony were the family sand ceremony that Jeffrey’s 3 beautiful children joined in to symbolize their participation in the forming of this beautiful new family… plus incorporating a Russian wedding tradition at the end of the ceremony where the newly married couple shares bread and salt with the guests signifying their good wishes for health and prosperity for their life together. Albemarle Baking Company, apparently followed Lena’s instructions to create an authentic loaf!

As with all weddings there are many wonderful and talented people that help make everything happen, including of course, Crystal at the Clifton Inn who helped Lena and Jeffrey plan their day. Additionally, Jennifer Myer played beautiful music for the ceremony, Jill Rose of Jillian’s Video Productions was there to videotape everything for all the friends and family that couldn’t be there today and Will Kerner was there to photograph every moment… there was a moment there when we were afraid he was going to fall in the water trying to get the best shot… hopefully he will share some of his photos of the day with me so that I can post them here in a day or two.

Thanks everyone… don’t we have the absolute best jobs in the world!?!?! And BIG Congratulations to Lena and Jeffrey… I wish you a lifetime of love!

Long life, health & prosperity!

Let me introduce you to the 3 amazing and beautiful couples that I had the honor of marrying this past weekend.

First, Steven and Eliza held their ceremony on their own land under one of the biggest trees I’ve ever seen (in the East) surrounded by their dearest family and friends. They had 4 Flower Fairies (wish I had a photo to show you how sweet these 4 little girls were!) who sprinkled basket-fulls of wild and garden flowers in Eliza’s path. Isn’t Eliza’s dress just beautiful… she looks like a garden faerie herself!

After Steven and Eliza’s ceremony I had to tear myself away to head back to town for Tang Yin and Troy’s wedding at the University Chapel. Finding the best ways of honoring their diverse cultural and faith backgrounds was a wonderful challenge! In the end we ended up doing a Unity Candle ritual to honor Troy’s Christian background and a Chinese Tea Ceremony to honor Tang Yin’s cultural heritage. I always love the opportunity to learn something new!

Then, on Sunday morning I headed back over to the University Chapel to marry Liz and Paul. Liz and Paul worked with me to create a wonderfully unique and personal ceremony. They included lots of readings and also took time to speak to and acknowledge not only their parents who, cumulatively, had been married for more than 90 years! Later in the ceremony Liz addressed Paul’s grown children thanking them for their presence in her life. It was truly wonderful!

Thanks to all of you for honoring me with the privilege of being your wedding Minister. I have the best job in the whole wide world!

One of the many wonderful things about Charlottesville is its proximity to the beautiful Shenandoah National Forest and, although not too many couples even think of it as a site for their wedding there are many beautiful spots. Lana & Tom chose Skyland Resort as their venue which is at mile marker 42. Skyland is a little more than an hour’s drive from Charlottesville and has a wide variety of reasonably-priced accommodations and activities for all of your guests and is especially kid-friendly… they even have a few rooms where they allow pets.

The original plan had been to have their ceremony in the little outdoor amphitheater surrounded by the forest, but some much-needed morning rain precipitated a move to Plan B: the Conference Center which worked out beautifully. Skyland is surrounded in spectacular natural beauty and offers a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of life. When I got out of the car at Skyland yesterday morning it was actually chilly and I happily changed into long-sleeves before the ceremony.

Lani and Tom’s ceremony included beautiful elements including a Calling of the Directions which welcomes and honors the qualities of spirit in nature… especially appropriate in this verdant natural environment. Congratulations Tom & Lani… I wish you many years of love and abundance!

Contact Information:
~ Shenandoah National Park Reservations
~ Skyland Resort Information
~ Hedge Fine Blooms: (Charlottesville) 434-817-9950

Iam so happy to now have more of Jen Fariello’s beautiful pictures from Debbie & Rob’s wedding last Sunday morning. Enjoy!

CONTACT INFORMATION for Jen Fariello Photography
~ phone: 434-963-7976
~ e-mail: jen@jenfariello.com
~ website: www.jenfariello.com

On Sunday morning I headed over to Keswick Hall for a small family ceremony, with only about 25 guests, on the patio. Oh, my… it was hot out there!! It was a very special day not only for this beautiful pair but also for their children: his 2 sons and her 2 daughters and son who officially became part of a brand new family. Rob and Debbie chose to symbolize the joining of their 2 families by having all 7 of them participate in a Unity Sand Ritual as part of their wedding ceremony. Each of them poured a different colored sand into the central vase creating a unique and colorful design. One of a kind!

Although the ceremony that Rob, Debbie and I designed together wasn’t a very long or complicated one I couldn’t help but abbreviate it a bit as I went along because everyone (especially the groom) looked so uncomfortable in the bright hot sun. Afterwards, the whole family walked around the property with their photographer, Jen Fariello, to take some photos. I’ve included one of Jen’s photos here (below) but hope to have more to share in a few days.

Photo by Jen Fariello

Congratulations Debbie, Rob, Logan, Calli, Finlay, Ben and Josh!

Michelle and Marlon initially contacted me to help them plan a small weekday wedding for a select group of loved ones… but over the weeks of planning it grew to include about 75 guests. Luckily Keswick Hall was able to easily adjust and accommodate as the number grew and the finished product was a lovely day to remember!

Marlon and Michelle’s ceremony, held on the patio, included a sweet little Unity Sand Ceremony which included Michelle’s young son, Jordan. This ritual is a great way to commemorate and symbolize the creation of a beautiful new family… acknowledging the important role that each one will play. The Sand Ceremony also gave the bride & groom’s mothers an opportunity to participate by each pouring a foundational layer of sand in the central heart vase to represent the love and guidance that they’d lovingly provided to their children throughout their lives.

After Marlon & Michelle spent some time taking photos with Meg Runion, they were picked up by a horse and carriage and went off for a ride around the golf course. I hope to have some of Meg’s wonderful photos to share with you soon!

Photography, video, music and Officiant services were provided thru the Weekday Wedding Company of Central Virginia:

• Photography by Meg Runion of Rob Garland Photographers
• Videography by Jill & Tim Rose of Jillians Video Productions
• Music by Eve Watters, harpist extraordinaire!
• Officiant was Rev. Claire Goodman (that’s me).

Congratulations and many blessings Michelle & Marlon!

Erin and Robert had a truly beautiful wedding a couple of weeks ago at Veritas Vineyard (I know, I know… I’ve been there every weekend this month… and next weekend too!). So, rather than focusing on the venue I thought I’d highlight the wonderful photos of Jennifer Colina. When I contacted Jennifer she generously sent along these beautiful photos of the Robert & Erin’s wedding and it’s clear to see that she is a very talented photographer. Enjoy!

~ a walk in the vineyard ~

~ details of the day ~

~ lots of dance lessons ~

~ handfasting ceremony ~

~ waiting in the wine cellar ~

~ beautiful bride! ~

~ more details of the day ~

You can contact Jenny at 804-531-7135 to see if she is available for your date. Also be sure to visit her site and her blog.

There are many ways to go about choosing or creating your wedding vows. Some couples (not as many as you’d think) do write their own… but more often they choose to use a vow that has already been written (there are dozens!) … perhaps with a few tweaks here and there to make it more true to themselves or they may use the “mix and match” approach of combining parts of several vows to create one that’s right for them.

Today I found this wonderful article by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway, a Wedding Officiant and Author in the New City York Area… also known as The Wedding Goddess. Her article entitled “How To Write Your Own Wedding Vows” is a guest post at wedlok.com, a Las Vegas wedding blog. Check out Rev. Laurie Sue’s website too, she is a prolific writer and also has great advice on relieving the stresses around the whole wedding-planning thing! Check out her book “Wedding Goddess: A Divine Guide to Transforming Wedding Stress into Wedding Bliss“.