I received an email from Adrienne’s best friend and maid of honor, as she is in the special event industry and was helping Adrienne and Ryan plan from afar (they live in Las Vegas) – and said that she was happy to see that I was on the vendor list at Wiens Family Cellars in Temecula (I love that venue!) and have me as an option, since she knew me from various wedding industry events and loved my approach. Yay!
I received an inquiry through my website and was psyched to see that they came my way not only because I was on the recommended list at their venue (one of my favorite venues, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park), but also because I was highly recommended by their wedding coordinator, Laura of Serendipity Events. And, it was clear that we were on the same page, as they definitely wanted a ceremony like I described, they said – one that was fun, personal, meaningful, and non-traditional, emphasis on the non-traditional, they mentioned. Count me in!
I have three different couples to thank for Brooke and Stanley! Yes, three different of my past couples sent them my way, which told me before I even met them that I would really like them – like attracts like, right? And I loved that Brooke told me that they had already read my reviews, as I think that they say so much of what it’s like to work together.
Are you enjoying these readings ideas? If you've missed them, here are the earlier ones: here and here. Since my couples tend to be non-religious and/or non-traditional, it's fun getting to provide ideas about readings that are focused on love, commitment, marriage, friendship, etc, that can be used in their wedding ceremony rather than the traditional or "normal" ones they've heard many times.
I love helping couples find different content and wording ideas that we can use in the ceremony to express what love and commitment are all about for them. And the assumption that including something that could be called a "reading" in the ceremony means that either A) a guest has to come up to read it and/or B) it is religious-focused or -toned is a common assumption to make, but would be wrong. Many of my couples choose one or two or three readings for me to include in the ceremony content and read myself, without anyone else coming up to read them. And since my couples tend to be non-religious and/or non-traditional, the readings chosen rarely could be considered anything but.
There are so many great ideas out there of what can be included in a wedding ceremony, and yet I hear from couples regularly who don't know that they can do anything outside the norm. Oh, yes, please do! And since "readings" often makes folks think "religious" or "traditional" and yet that's not necessarily the case at all, since there are so many great pieces that can be used as ceremony readings, I thought I'd start to share some here.
Here is one of my current favorites, and I love using it right before my couple exchanges their vows:
I received an inquiry through my website for a wedding at Mt. Woodson Castle in Ramona, and I was glad to hear that the venue had sent them my way, as I know that the team at Personal Touch Dining who run the castle totally know who my favorite couples are!
The three of us met virtually via Zoom soon after to talk about what they wanted and didn’t want from their ceremony, and then we walked through my process and how I work.
After you've thought about what kind of structure your vows might be, and how long they might be, what do you write? What should be in your vows?
Did you see my previous post on types of vows? Well, as they start to work through the process, many couples ask me about the typical length of vows.
I show my couples ideas that are a whole variety of lengths, intentionally, and this is what I usually recommend:
I get asked regularly about vows and how to make them truly your own. In almost every meeting with my couples, this is the part where real relief comes across their faces - no, you will not be alone in writing your vows, I promise, and will give you as much help and guidance and ideas as you need!
Here is one of the first pieces of advice I share, different ways that you can do your vows:
![adrienne + ryan – wiens family cellars temecula [real wedding]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d40a2ae41c3c60001ef135f/1566512166265-EQQRUGU0UD7CM86NOL2N/IMG_8394.JPG)
![sarah and hunter – san diego zoo safari park [real wedding]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d40a2ae41c3c60001ef135f/1566880069310-0TES8VOBBXG01LV1CJLR/SarahHunter-Wedding-HoffmanPhotoVideo-00973.jpg)
![brooke + stanley – secluded garden estate pala [real wedding]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d40a2ae41c3c60001ef135f/1566872759316-0WKZ67IXJ9F5QXFRQQ4J/IMG_8240.JPG)
![celeste and austin – mt. woodson castle [real wedding]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d40a2ae41c3c60001ef135f/1566879479652-GD2PXXPOVK3Q9K2K098I/IMG_7683.JPG)
![kanima and johnathan – la quinta civic center park [real wedding]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d40a2ae41c3c60001ef135f/1567039503456-LTPDSQUL91L2LXG95KZJ/IMG_6559.jpg)