Tag Archive: marriage celebrant auckland

A New Year’s Eve Wedding

Me and My Darling were thinking of a New Year’s Eve wedding – it would be a great excuse to include fireworks in your day! We decided on another date close to my heart in the end though – but My Darling still put on an amazing fireworks display!

The other reason to have your wedding on New Year’s Eve, apart from a cool fireworks display, is they are the perfect time for a massive party! Everyone is planning on attending a celebration – so make it an extra memorable occasion. Plus most people have the next day off to recover!

Here are some fabulous ideas for a New Year’s Eve Wedding, courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings and BridalMusings.com…

Get glitzyMake it about the new year and the newly married couple Put party props on each table Give everyone sparklers Countdown for a photo opp Let the champagne flow Wear a slinky sequinned wedding gown Pin resolutions to the wall and ask guests to ‘take one, and make one for you’!

Love & devotion

My Darling reads the Herald newspaper everyday, in every imaginable place, on his iPhone. It drives me crazy sometimes. Except when he sends me interesting human interest tidbits like this…

Devoted widower to rejoin wife

Love and devotion Rocky and Julita AbalsamoLove and devotion - Rocky AbalsamoA man who sat at his wife’s grave for almost 20 years through storms, heatwaves and howling winds from dawn to dusk has died.

Rocky Abalsamo will now be reunited with his beloved wife, Julita, who died in 1993 after 45 years of marriage. He will be buried on her left, the side he walked alongside her when she was alive, the Boston Globe reported.

He only left Julita’s grave site when St Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury, Boston, was closed. Then he would sprinkle crumbs across the plot so chipmunks would keep her company when he could not.

Rocky, who was 97 when he died, rose to prominence in 1990 when his vigil became known. He told the Boston Globe “She is part of me, so here I am whole. Being here makes me feel better. Not good, but better. I do it for Julita, and for myself.”

He sat beside his wife’s grave in a blue beach chair, calling out, “I am here”, when he sat down. On her birthday each year he would toast her with a glass of cider. Every night he left, Rocky would rub his finger on her name on the red granite stone. The ritual left an indelible mark.

He always carried a photograph of his wife. On the back of the image, Julita had written: “Today the sky smiles to me. I see you. You look at me. Today I believe in God. With all my love, Julita.”

The couple met in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1937 and married a year later. They followed their children to the US in 1971.

As Rocky’s story became widely known, he began to receive visitors at the grave who would bring him meals and gifts.

What an incredible bond. When I googled to find some more photos of the couple I stumbled on a hysterically titled site Confessions of a Funeral Director which the story was featured in as well. I thought the post Hippos Kill More People than Sharks and other Useless Death Data was the best… and this one I found… we all know the beautiful Ryan Gosling movie the Notebook (sadly James Garner who played the loving and devoted husband died last month)…

The real Notebook

The Real NotebookKenny and Helen Felumlee were introduced when they were teenagers – by Kenny’s ex-girlfriend. After dating for two years, the couple decided to get married. Immediately. Even though Kenny was only two days shy of his 21st birthday – the legal age for men in Ohio at the time – the pair drove to Kentucky to elope. They married on February 20, 1944, and spent the next 70 years together.

The couple raised eight children with Helen staying at home while Kenny worked for the railroad as a car inspector, ran a automobile repair place, and even carried mail for the town of Nashport. Helen was known for sending personalized greeting cards for any and every event, causing her family to joke that she “kept Hallmark in business.”

Once all their children had left home, the Felumlees travelled around the United States by bus. They preferred that mode of transportation so they could see everything along the way.

According to their children Kenny and Helen never spent a night apart even preferring to share a bunk bed rather than sleeping in separate beds on a trip. When Kenny became too ill to sleep in the bedroom, Helen slept on the floor nearby so they could stay together.

Helen Felumlee died on April 12, 2014 at the age of 92. Kenny Felumlee died 15 hours later on April 13, 2014 at the age of 93.

I’m sure there are millions more stories like this of unconditional love and devotion. I hope yours is one of them. I know mine is.

(My Darling – you know I have issues with graveyards though! xxx)

Keep calm and hire a wedding planner

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As you know my career is event co-ordination and party planning. So I thought it would be a cake walk planning my own wedding. But even for someone with a high level of corporate skills – don’t be fooled – planning your own wedding is a highly charged emotional rollercoaster! The sensible thing to do is to hire a wedding planner. I believe they can be hired for minimal charge nowadays and will end up saving you $$$ in the long run. They will stop you from becoming bridezilla (which is inevitable), by making decision making easy, recommending the best suppliers and keeping your wedding party under control (which I desperately needed on my big day).

I read this fantastic article in M2 Women today by Kellie Stevenson and it reminded me of exactly what major effort is involved in making your big day perfect. Have a read it is hysterically funny and true to life…
The Best Laid Plans? With the likes of Pinterest sprouting ‘easy’ ways to plan and create the perfect wedding, Kellie thought she had it covered, that is until what is involved in the rigmarole of wedding planning became apparent…

I am getting married and have decided that planning a wedding is hard. Wouldn’t it be great if there were people who actually did all that for you for a pre-arranged sum of money? People who planned weddings for a living? Unfortunately, my inability to work out what such professionals could possibly be called, couple with my innate need to make life difficult, means that I have decided to take on the undertaking myself.

There are so many moving parts, things I hadn’t considered and have not a skerrick of interest in. For instance, I had no idea what the difference is between satin and grosgrain ribbon (although grosgraine sounds like a raging STD mixed with a terrible headache). Raffia and hemp twine. Same? Different? Bothered? I don’t know, but I am tempted to hang myself with either or both if confronted by too many more of these decisions. I had no an inkling that your font choice could impact the quality of your nuptials and that using something like Comic Sans says, clearly as yelling from the roof tops, my wedding is a farce and I am an empty shell posing as a bride.

Apparently, a theme for the day is of the utmost importance. If you believe Pinterest, and by God who wouldn’t, it seems more important than the choice of say…groom. There are so many to choose from, relaxed meets classic rustic meets bucolic urban Mexican swing dance, it’s all there for the uninitiated to blunder through.

The theme du jour seems to be retro/vintage, laden with preserving jars, gingham bunting and all that hessian. I never thought to draw correlation between heavy sacking and a wedding but apparently, it’s what all the cool kids are doing. According to the wedding magazines (full of models that look like child brides and lots and lots of hessian) it’s all about being timeless. A mental image of me in a mildewing bridal gown swooning around a cobweb-filled room, Miss Havisham style.

Anyway we took this theme thing on board but have decided that the only thing we can find that ties all the elements of the day together is that we are getting married. We have decided on a wedding-themed wedding.

The wedding magazines, along with making you feel chunky make it all look so easy, they lull you into a false sense of security that all you need is a mason jar, four tea lights and an old typewriter.

But what you really need is… a wedding planner!

 

 

 

You're terrible Muriel

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1nO2LO8FkM]

Remember Muriel’s Wedding? Skip to about 3minutes into this clip – it’s hilarious!

I found myself sitting in front of the tv the other night watching the first half hour of this movie that made Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths stars, before I remembered there was a lot more misery before Muriel’s wedding and had to walk away. If you have never seen it though you have to – even if it’s just for the crazy 80s/90s hair and outfits – but the gist is Muriel finds life in Porpoise Spit, Australia dull and spends her days alone in her room listening to Abba music and dreaming of her wedding day. Slight problem, Muriel has never had a date. Then she steals some money to go on a tropical vacation, meets a wacky friend, changes her name to Mariel, and turns her world upside down.

In the first few scenes though there was a nasty one where one of the bridesmaids is “having it off” in the broom cupboard – with the groom! It made me think of a great idea for a blog – Worst Wedding Guests Ever!

Along with that example above, here are a few more: bridal party doesn’t perform their duties, guest thinks wedding is a piss up and gets so wasted ignoring bride and groom, toast that sounds more like a threat than a well-wish, wedding-crashers… you get the idea. Let’s hope none of those things happen on your wedding day or the next wedding you attend!

Movies can make a marriage better

Reading an old copy of Good Health yesterday I came across this little article…

Forget intimate dinners – sitting down to a ‘chick flick’ together could be the key to a lasting relationship.

A recent study found that newlyweds who watched and later discussed five romantic movies a month halved their risk of splitting up after three years.

It’s been proven that discussing what on-screen partners get up to forces couples to take a closer look at their own behaviour in the relationship.

Since I’m all for alternative therapies and self empowerment I thought this was really interesting and had a look at the University of Rochester website: couples-research.com

Now, the trick will be just to get My Darling to agree to watching a chick flick!!!

Certain days begin beneath a blanket…

During these cold, blustery days we need to snuggle up under a fluffy blankie with a cup of hot chocolate and a good girlie story…
This one is bound to put a little sparkle back into your day, read this…

angeladanieljewellery

 

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and then visit… https://www.facebook.com/angeladanielj

Thanks to the lovely ladies at Angela Daniel Jewellery for providing me with the artwork for this fabulous ad.

If you haven’t already, visit their beautiful showrooms to see their stunning collection of engagement rings.

Choosing your celebrant

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When My Darling and I were choosing a celebrant the most important thing to us was getting the right fit with our personalities – someone professional, yet relaxed enough to make our day fun and memorable.

We only managed to find a few in our town that were available on our date so we made appointments to meet them in person. Luckily the first one we met ticked all our boxes – she had two cute little dogs, cool art on her walls and was warm and smiley – so the deal was sealed.

She gave us lots of options for format, blessings, words and vows and added a fun element in which was My Darling and I had to email her five things we love about each other – without the other knowing – which she read out on the day. It was cute and added an amazing personal touch.

Here are some more tips I found on line:

A wedding celebrant can make or break the tone of your wedding, so it’s important to pick the best one. How do you choose a wedding celebrant? Ideally ask for recommendations from friends and family or look online…Check for these things…

Qualifications

Qualification is what you should look for when interviewing wedding celebrants. Check here to find a licensed Celebrant.

Experience

Experienced celebrants have the knowledge and resources to make your wedding ceremony a truly memorable one. There are celebrants who specialise in a certain culture or religion, so make sure to ask about the ceremonies they’ve done in the past.

Flexibility

Your wedding celebrant should be comfortable with your chosen venue. Also, make sure to ask if they agree with your wedding theme. When it comes to the ceremony, is your celebrant willing to give you the reigns or would they insist on their own programme? Better ask all these questions beforehand to ensure a smooth and hassle-free ceremony.

Other considerations:

When considering a celebrant, check to see if he has any references. Call these couples and ask about their experience with said celebrant. What did they like and didn’t like about the ceremony? Was the celebrant a good and engaging speaker? Did he/she come to the wedding on time? Make sure to ask all these questions so you can find out if the celebrant is the right one for the job.

A top notch wedding celebrant will guide you through the whole process. Also, they are willing to accommodate your questions and concerns and address them accordingly. Not only that, they will listen to your ideas and incorporate them with their own. After all, it’s your wedding not theirs.

Find a celebrant who has the skills to deliver a great wedding ceremony that reflects you and your partner’s personalities. Someone who will make you feel at ease and fill you with confidence so you and your partner can relax and have fun on your wedding day.

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Day Disasters

Groomsmen steal wedding day with dramatic rescue of capsized boat

 

 

 

 

I’m sure we’ve all heard about wedding day disasters that, are in fact minor things, but at the time, seem like the end of the world.

These disasters put things in perspective – you might have seen on the news recently about a couple of accidents that happened on wedding days – fortunately not to any of the wedding party – but where guests had to come to the rescue. Luckily for the people involved in the disasters, there were weddings nearby so help was not far away.

Check these stories out:

Groomsmen steal wedding day with dramatic rescue of capsized boat…

Groom runs from altar to help woman dying in car crash…