The Castaway Wedding: Rebecca + Skip
May 15, 2011
I always enjoy performing weddings at The Castaway in Burbank. I loved the unique style of Rebecca and Skip’s wedding. Before I spoke the DJ played, “One Hand One Heart” – Westside Story and it was special.
Photography by John Li.
Westlake Village Inn Wedding: Jun + Jason
November 8, 2010
This weekend I had the pleasure of marrying Jun & Jason as the Westlake Village Inn. This hotel has many beautiful locations within the property, but one of my favorites is the Tuscan Gardens, where today’s ceremony took place.
From the Westlake Village Inn, “A fairytale come true, the Tuscan Garden offers a charming spot for an intimate wedding. Floral agrarian arbors arch over the earthen pathway that leads the bridal guests to their white chairs, which in turn encircle the rustic Tuscan accent and picturesque fountain. A perfectly pastoral setting for your romantic beginnings.”
Jason wrote these kinds words on Yelp earlier today.
My wife and I were not the type who planned out their wedding 1+ years in advance. So when we hooked up with Eric to serve at our wedding it was a big relief. Eric composed a beautiful ceremony which allowed us to be scrambling with all of the other activities instead. At the ceremony, Eric was extremely well spoken, relaxing, and confident. When you are standing in front of everyone, you definitely will feel as though the wedding is about you. Everything went off as planned, which is a credit to Eric’s ability.
I’d also like to add that meeting Eric was a breeze. He is very accommodating to busy work schedules, was very friendly right from the start, and was up for anything and background of the couple. He even did some research on a tea ceremony although we ultimately did not do one at the ceremony. Definitely one of the best officiants I’ve come across from all of the weddings I have attended. Glad he was ours!
Adamson House: Andrea + Ryan
November 6, 2010
10/10/10 was a busy day for me. I was performed four wedding ceremonies and traveled from Ventura to Oxnard to Malibu to Culver City. I had an amazing time, but more importantly, eight people celebrated their love by getting married.
My third ceremony that day was held at the Adamson House in Malibu. Alumiq Productions filmed the wedding of Andrea and Ryan.
Kyoto Grand Wedding: Vanessa + Adam
October 31, 2010
Saturday afternoon after a morning of rain showers the ceremony of Vanessa and Adam was about to begin.
I was a little worried because the ceremony was to take place at an outdoor garden at the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens, however the sun was shining and the weather could not have been any better.
I’ve performed hundreds of weddings and met so many couples, but every now and then, I get a little choke up when performing a ceremony. When Vanessa and Adam joined me at I could feel their energy and love for each other.
Love is genuine, honest, and open, compassionate and kind, passionate and blind, love doesn’t know space or time, nor look through jealous eyes, and in the modified words of Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never dies.”
Vanessa and Adam had a family sand ceremony. Both of them individually collected sand from the beaches where they spent time during their youth before Vanessa knew there was Adam and before Adam knew there was Vanessa.
Thank you Vanessa and Adam for allowing me to be part of your day.
Yamashiro Wedding: Stephanie + Jeffrey
October 24, 2010
It was a tranquil setting tonight at Yamashiro Restaurant in Hollywood for the zen wedding of Stephanie and Jeffrey.
During the ceremony, poems by Edgar Allan Poe, Thomas Moore, and Rainer Maria Rilke were read and a sand blending took place.
I didn’t stay for the reception, but you can see from some of the photos the beautiful style of the event.
My favorite words:
Courtesy and consideration even in anger and adversity are the seeds of compassion. Love is the fruit of compassion. Trust, love and respect are the sustaining virtues of marriage. They enable us to learn from each situation, and help us to realize that everywhere we turn we meet ourselves.
Fred, Sara & the kids
October 19, 2010
I recently received photos from Fred and Sara. I married them August 8, 2010, at their home.
They are such a beautiful couple and I had a lot of fun.
A good way to make your wedding personal is by adding something meaningful to your ceremony. Sara and Fred love the Disney Pixar film, “Up”.
For those of you who did not recognize the music at the very beginning of the ceremony, it was from the animated movie “UP” – a favorite of this family. The balloons affixed to the top of the arch are also a reference to this movie as the character; Mr. Frederickson attached balloons to the top of his house to float it across the globe in search of “Paradise Falls.” Just as in the movie, Frederick & Sara were looking for their “Paradise Falls.” Now, they have found it here, but not just in this house or by this waterfall, but wherever they are and can be together. Their search having ended, they will now release the balloons as a sign they have arrived in their “Paradise Falls.”
If that wasn’t enough, they also handed out small waterproof lights to each guest and during the recessional those guests made a wish for the bride and groom and tossed the light into the pool. That night you could see little twinkles throughout their backyard. Simply amazing!
Photos courtesy of Patrick E. Pang.
Warm the Rings with Love
October 18, 2010
October 10, 2010 was a big day. I performed four weddings that took me from Ventura to Oxnard to Malibu to Culver City.
Style Unveiled invited me to write about my experience performing a ring warming that I did at the Smog Shoppe that day.
Below is a copy of my post. I invite you to read the full blog post at Style Unveiled: Ceremony Idea! ~ Warm the Rings with Love.
You are planning your wedding and want to include a unique feature during the ceremony. What do you choose: a unity candle, blending of the sand, rose ceremony? How about a Ring Warming ceremony. Never heard of it? Most people haven’t. Incorporating non-traditional elements into your ceremony can not only make it even more memorable for you and your guests, but also keep everyone’s attention.
Before you say your vows and exchange your rings, the wedding officiant will ask everyone, including your wedding party to participate in a ring warming. Your officiant will explain to everyone that the ring warming is an opportunity to send the bride and groom good luck and love through a silent wish to the rings when passed to them.
It is a great idea to have one or two people in your wedding party help out with the process of moving the rings from row to row of your guests. Make sure to have the rings in a box or tied together as you don’t want them to get lost.
At the end of the ring warming, your rings are brought back up to the best man or maid of honor until the exchange of rings. If you have less than forty guests, it is possible to do this in less than ten minutes with music playing in the background. (15 seconds per person)
If you have a lot of guests, you may want to consider continuing with the ceremony while your rings are moving. This can be a time for you and the groom to talk to each other and watch the guests. It is a lot of fun and will definitely make your guests talk about your wedding the next day.
Swiss Park Wedding: Stefanie + Bryan
October 1, 2010
Stefanie and Bryan had an amazing “Nightmare Before Christmas” themed wedding. Take a look at that cake! The weather was perfect at the Swiss Park Banquet Center in Whittier.
Matt & Erika at Maximilians
July 24, 2010
I had the pleasure of marrying Matt and Erika today at Maximilians in North Hollywood. It was a beautiful ceremony and they added a special touch by giving bouquets of roses to their mothers as of way of honoring them for their love and support.
Whitney & Brandon – Westlake Village Inn
July 18, 2010
Today was a great day for Whitney and Brandon at the Westlake Village Inn.
Both of them surprised their mothers by including them in their sand ceremony:
Four colors of sand are layered in a vase to symbolize the importance of the individuals within the marriage and the joining of the two lives into one entity. The sculpture begins with a layer from each mother. This is to symbolize that the marriage is grounded by each of their families. The next layers are the individual colors representing BRANDON and WHITNEY, which symbolizes that the foundation of the marriage is based on the strength of each other as individuals. The final layer is BRANDON and WHITNEY’s colors combined to symbolize the joining of their lives as one in marriage.
I truly enjoyed working with both of them and know they will have many, many happy years together!
