Announcing “Love is a Small Word”
I am happy announce my new E-zine “Love is a Small Word,” which will include essays previously appearing on this blog. This dynamic publication features a wide-variety of ideas for your ceremony and wedding. Whether you are a destination bride coming from Europe for an elopement in the Big Apple or a New York native planning the wedding of your dreams, this site will offer ideas for you ceremony, including readings and vow samples, ritual options, music, flowers, venues, fashions….and more. I have sought to include timely, fun, and creative ideas that will spark your imagination. Let me know what you think and what you’d like to read! And for the adventurous bride (or groom) why not consider being a guest contributor to Love is a Small Word, to share ideas and tips from your own planning process? Let’s Celebrate!
Photography courtesy of Flowers by Richard Salmone on New York’s Upper East Side.
Congratulations to my 2010 Couples!
It has been an exciting year! I offer a heartfelt congratulations to all of my brides and grooms. I have had the honor of marrying over 100 couples in 2010. Most of my weddings have been in New York City, but I have officiated ceremonies in the entire Tri-state area–from Connecticut to New Jersey to Westchester. And I have seen what feels like every inch of New York’s very “long” Long Island. As New York has become one of the most popular spots for Destination Weddings, I have been happy to serve brides and grooms from many American states (Ohio, California, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, and Indiana, to name a few) as well as folks from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Dubai, the Netherlands, and Scotland. I thank you all for sharing your special day with me and look forward to staying in touch.
The following slide show, prepared by my young colleague Noemie, includes photos of most of my couples. And, the couple at the beginning of this post is Rebekah and Matthew, a lovely bride and groom from Edmonton, Alberta. With the historic blizzard of the past week, they rearranged their simple flight to NYC, flying instead to Toronto and taking the “Maple Leaf” Amtrak down to the City. Their journey was over 30 hours in length. Meanwhile, their dedicated officiant (that would be me!), made her way from Budapest, Hungary to Prague, Czech Republic, to NYC’s Upper East Side. We had a lovely, sweet romantic ceremony on the Gapstow Bridge in Central Park. Many tourists stopped by to watch and savor the romance, on a sparkling winter’s day. So Congratulations, one and all. Peace and all good things in 2011!
All Souls Church: A “Church” Wedding
Some brides and grooms, New Yorkers as well as those coming to the city for a destination wedding, would like to marry in a church. Yet even in a place like the Big Apple–with a bountiful array of houses of worship, it is a surprisingly difficult task to find a church that will allow these ceremonies. Many churches require that the brIde and or groom belong to their church, in order to secure the venue for a ceremony. In certain cases, there is a mandatory pre-marital counseling that must be completed, too. And in nearly every situation, there is a fee to use the facility–and often a hefty one! However. I am happy to report that there is an outstanding exception to this rule; All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I can’t heap enough praise on this wonderful worship community and their beautiful church. For those not familiar with the UU denomination, it grows from the Judeo-Christian tradition. All Souls and other UU congregations are filled with interfaith families, “spiritual but not religious” members, and people who practice all manner of faith traditions. As the beloved long-time pastor of the church, the incomparable late Forrest Church would say, “We are people who have more questions than answers.”. (On a side note: yes his surname really was Church. He was the son of the Late Senator Frank Church of Idaho who ran for the presidency decades ago). Not only do they adopt an embracing, inclusive approach, they organize awesome social outreach programs ranging from feeding the hungry to lobbying Congress for just legislation.
All Souls provides their Sanctuary and Chapel for rental for marriages and union ceremonies at a very affordable price. They also provide options to secure the organist and other staff members. However, couples are allowed to bring other clergy to the church to perform their ceremonies. I, for instance, was allowed to officiate a wedding there in December.
I include photos here which don’t do it justice. It was originally constructed as a Congregational Church (a mainline Protestant denomination in New England and on the east coast). As such the architecture is simple (from the Georgia tradition, perhaps) with beautiful lighting, windows and simple chandeliers. Throughout the church are plaques of remembrance. The altar is simple as well. And perched above the pulpit, one will find the familiar mathematical symbol for infinity, a representation the life force in all–welcoming people of all faiths. As Mr. Church would say, the beautiful windows show the streams of various faiths. Many paths to one truth.
So not only is All Souls a rare option to unaffiliated couples, it is an excellent choice for all.
