Fresh Bride

Circle Seating Part II

I've received several emails recently about a previous post "Circle Seating With A Twist."  Here are further instructions you may find useful... Circle seating means "seating in the round." Chairs are set up in a circle.

A platform may be placed in the middle of the circle upon which you and your partner can stand with your officiant. Anyone who comes up to speak, steps up onto the platform. By setting chairs in a circle, every guest gets "the best seat" in the house. You can double layer the circle if space is limited or the size of the circle loses its intimacy. With a guest list of 100, for example, I recommend making the inner circle 40 chairs and a second row, or outer circle, of 60.  The platform can also hold a chuppah or an arch to provide a precise point of focus for your guests and to accentuate the "sacred space" for your marriage ceremony.

If you want an aisle, you can make one by not quite "closing" the circle -- in other words, remove three chairs from the circle to create a space to walk in and out of.  Indigenous cultures, however, would say that it is important to close the circle prior to beginning the speaking portion of the ceremony so that the energy of the experience doesn't leak out.  Think of the ceremony area as a container to "hold" you during the ceremony.  Closing the circle after your walk down the aisle would be like putting the lid on the container.  Another way to think of it is that you create for yourself the feeling of being cradled with love when you state your vows.   Closing the circle may be done as simply as having one of your attendants tie a ribbon from a seat on one side of the aisle to the nearest seat on the other side.  Then have an attendant untie the ribbon before you walk back down the aisle at the end of the ceremony.

Do The Right Thing

If you don't yet know that Charitable Giving is now as customary (and easy!) as registering for china -- and that you can be giving without sacrificing your bridely entitlement to receiving -- this site will help you get with the program:

I Do Foundation will tell you where to register so you can give and receive at the same time.

Also check out Just Give which "connects people with causes they care about" in about half a second.

Being a PC bride has never been so simple.  No excuses now to Do The Right Thing.

Bejeweled.

Love jewels?  What's in your jewelry box?  Which are your favorite pieces?  Your favorite pieces say something about your personality, ex: how you like to feel, what kind of energy you like to have around you, your sense of style, your language for communicating romance.

Take a few minutes to look at everything in your jewelry box that you love.  Which piece is your absolute favorite?  If you had to pick just one, which one would it be?  What kinds of words or phrases come to mind when you look at this favorite piece?  Wild, mystical, sexy, charming, playful, color madness, vintage beauty...?  Your description of this piece can be the tone-setter for your wedding ceremony.  Is it vintage?  Then language of your ceremony should reflect the sound of old-fashioned romance.  Is your favorite piece a one-of-a-kind?  Then your ceremony should include descriptions of the ways in which your partner thinks YOU are one of a kind.  Is the piece you chose a family heirloom?  Then your ceremony should include the participation of family or a mention of your family's lineage and favorite traditions -- ones you intend to carry on in your marriage and pass on to your children.  Get the picture? 

If you want help applying this concept to your own wedding, take a photo of that favorite piece of jewelry and email it to me with a few of your choice descriptive words about it.  I'll give you some ideas about how to replicate the feeling of your favorite jewel in your ceremony. 

 

KNIT ONE!

San Francisco's "Chicks with Sticks" takes knitting to a new fashion "I do"!  Consider these "knit" alternatives to the standard ring pillow for your wedding ceremony: 

A knit CUPCAKE (really!):  Go to: http://www.sfchickswithsticks.com/ and scroll down to August 21, 2006 to see Stephanie's creations!  Made well like hers, it looks so sweet & pretty (without being cheesy).

If felting is your thing, check out this flickred FELT BAG by Elina:

or what about something REALLY unexpected: 

A miniature, knit-embellished tree form with your rings dangling from the branches.  Don't think it can be done?  Check out this life-size version I saw on flickr for inspiration.  Add a few "blossoms" and you're good to go for a wedding.

For the more classic bride, knit yourself a tiny bag sprouting petals to match your  color scheme -- like these from Noni bags -- and call yourself one-of-a-kind.

Flower Power.

Sweet Peas, painted by Georgia O'Keefe.

Lead with your flowers.  Huh?  Lead with your flowers.  Which kind of flowers have you chosen for your bouquet?  Sweet peas, for example, are said to represent "delicate pleasures."  As a means of customizing your wedding ceremony, begin by considering your favorite "delicate pleasures."  What are yours?  What are the delicate pleasures of your fiance?  Which do you share?  Bet you never asked each other this question before.

Zoe and David asked themselves this very question and discovered that they both have this thing for a specific kind of Swiss chocolate.  So, they decided to import a box of it for use in their wedding ceremony.  After reciting their vows and exchanging their rings, they fed each other a bite of their favorite "delicate pleasure" -- a stamp of personalization on their ceremony that came out of investigating the meaning of the sweet peas Zoe wanted to carry down the aisle.

Lead with your flowers.  Learn something new about your partner's taste and priorities.  Incorporate the answers into your ceremony to make it that much more your own. 

Fine Art Wedding Vows & Wedding Gifts.

I've previously posted about Daniel Sroka's fabulous fine art photography ketubahs, http://www.modernketubah.com, but in passing along his contact information today to a friend who will distribute it widely, I made a point I wanted to restate here.  This art is equally perfect for couples who want a non-religious marriage contract or means for making a beautiful display of their wedding vows. This concept would also make a lovely contribution to the creation of an original vow-renewal ceremony.

AND ALSO AN ORIGINAL WEDDING GIFT...

If you are going to be a guest at a wedding and want an original gift to give, consider this gift of fine art! After the ceremony, simply ask the couple for a copy of their vows and send them to Daniel.  Select a photograph you think will be suit the married couple and, voila! -- you've just easily created a one-of-a-kind gift of fine art that provides an everlasting memory of their wedding day.

AND HERE'S MY FAVORITE IDEA -- FROM THE GROOM FOR HIS BRIDE

Grooms often need suggestions for wedding gifts for their brides.  If you know a groom, give him this information to consider.  A unique gift to give his bride; she will be wowed!

http://www.modernketubah.com

Ketubahs with Love.

For those who want a beautiful contemporary ketubah they can relate to, a fabulously artistic presentation of their non-religious wedding contract, or a magnificent, frame-worthy presentation of their own vows, here's your source:

Modern Ketubah : fine art ketubot by Daniel Sroka at http://www.modernketubah.com.

The power and beauty of Daniel's creations go the distance in helping wedding vows take hold.  Look at his site to see breathtaking photographic options that create backgrounds for wedding contracts.  Read his thoughtful choices for wording or customization. And be inspired by his depth of character. 

Then let me know which one you pick! 

Creative Wedding Ring Bearers.

They look like birds, but they are actually little cones from a tamarack tree on Canada, photographed in wintertime, up close and frosty.  Photo credit: Photojenic @ http://www.photojenic.ca/

For Green Brides, Eco Weddings or brides who love Mother Nature, wouldn't these make awesome wedding ring holders for a ceremony?  What's out in YOUR backyard???

Charitable Giving.

Registering for gifts?  How about also registering for donations to your favorite charity in celebration of your marriage?  Spread the wealth.  And the good will.  Tell your officiant about your designated charity and why you chose it.  Ask her to say a little something about it during your ceremony.  Not as a solicitation, but as a way of honoring your depth of character when she talks about the fabulous couple that you are. 

And here's a link to related idea I've previously presented: sweet charity

Inviting Invitations.

The wording on your invitation can set the stage for an exceptional ceremony.  Here's original wording I wrote for a couple being married in a cliff-top garden at the home of a friend:

There's a place on Earth

1,000 feet above the neighboring sea

where we will gather in the garden of a beloved friend

among those whom we most cherish.

There,

we will make sacred vows of commitment

in a ceremony intended to

strengthen our experience of life as partners

and our belief in the tradition of family.

Joy-filled we'd be if you will join us.

Saturday, May 10, 2005 at Noon

at the home of Marc Rhodell

101 Cliff View Road

Malibu, California