Okay, so you have rings, each other, a marriage license and the perfect location. Now what?

All you really need to be legally married is a marriage license, an officiant and each other. Anything more than that is nonessential. Some nonessentials, however, are fun to have, so if you need me to refer you to a photographer or a florist who shares my love for small weddings, then I'll do my best to help you.

At minimum, you definitely need someone who can legally marry you. That person should share your belief that intimate weddings can be very special and memorable.  That person should be someone who offers both ready made ceremonies specially designed for the eloping couple, and somone who also allows you to personalize things if that is your preference.  My moto is Your wedding . . . Your way.

Sounds like what you need is someone like me!

Congratulations Bill and Angela

Today I married Bill and Angela.  Angela was once a student of mine when I taught at Rocky River High School so that made performing this ceremony extra special for me.  Angela has four children and Bill has two.  It was important to them that the children be included in their wedding so we decided the family sand ceremony was the perfect way to do that.  Angela and Bill began by each pouring half of their colored sand into a large class container.  Then the six children joined them, each adding the colored sand they are chosen for the ceremony.  Next Angela and Bill poured the rest of their sand over the top of children's sand.  Finally the glass vessel was closed shut telling the children to look and see that they are in the center of your mom and dad's hearts, now and forever.  It was a special ceremony and that can be placed on a shelf in their home as a daily reminder that they have become a family.

Beautiful day for a wedding

Congratulations to Anne and James who were married yesterday.  They are an adorable couple who put together a beautiful wedding in their backyard.  It was a perfect wedding for a marvelous day.  The weather could not have been nicer.  May they share a lifetime of love and happiness.

Wedding Ceremony

A current trend in wedding ceremonies is for couples to walk alone down separate aisles and meet together in front of their guests.  Some brides are choosing to be escorted by both their father and stepfather or by her mother or mother and father together.  Other brides are having their grandparents or a significant person in their life.  Just how the bride makes her entrance and how she gets there has definitely changed offering today's couples to truly have a wedding done their way.

Destination Weddings

Las Vegas is the top wedding destination with over 100,000 weddings a year, followed by Hawaii at 25,000 weddings a year.

Make a Program

Your guests will be able to enjoy the features of your wedding much more if they can follow them in a program. Programs not only enlighten and inform; they remove the restlessness that comes from being confused or lost during an unfamiliar service. This does not mean that every word of the service must be transcribed, but it would for example, be helpful to have an outline of the order or a brief description of an unusual custom which you have included. Wtih the right font, stationary and attention to detail, your program can also be a lasting keepsake for a memorable day.

Save the Date Cards

He asked you to marry him and the ring is on your finger. Planning is now underway and time to let you future wedding guests in on the exciting news. Your first step may be to send out save the date cards. This pre-invitation announces your wedding date and lets guests know that they will be invited to your upcoming celebration.

Save the date cards are especially important if guests will need to travel during a high travel holiday weekend or to a particularly popular resort area. Save the date cards are a courtesy and although you don't have to send them, they may increase the chances of your guests attending your wedding.

Rehearsal Dinner Invitations

Unless your rehearsal dinner guest list is ten or less, you should send out dinner invitations. Your guests will appreciate knowing where to be and when. These invites, however, should not just be added to the wedding invitation envelope. Rehearsal invites should be sent out separately from the formal invitations. Otherwise, your guests could miss them. The rehearsal dinner invitations don't have to be letterpress creations on glitzy card stock but there are some very fun and creative ideas on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EdenWeddingStudio?ref=seller_info

Share the jobs

At the end of the night, there are a few things that must be taken care of before everyone can leave. There will be gifts, personal items, decorations, etc., that need to find they way back to your home. Parents and siblings are often the ones left with this responsibility. Why not ask an Aunt, Uncle, or Cousin to help at the end of the night Your parents will be very grateful for the break and you will make another family member feel like they are contributing to your special day.

Go Green

A new year often means new trends in weddings. The brides of 2012 are choosing to Go Green. Choosing a venue is usually the first major decision the couple needs to make. When making this decision, keep in mind that traditional spaces, such as hotel ballrooms and resorts tend to use a great deal of electricity, water and many other unfriendly earth items to host a wedding. Consider getting married outdoors. Check out a local botanical garden, gazebo, farm, garden, greenhouse, inside or outside a cave (check out Ash Cave in Hocking Hills, Ohio), or waterfall. Outdoor weddings are not only romantic and scenic—they are earth friendly! Selecting a venue that is close to where the majority of your guests live will also save on gas.

Almost anything can be found locally. Brides are choosing locally grown flowers, organically grown food, recycled invitations and repurposing items to become centerpieces.

Reusable cloth tote bags, natural soaps, soy or beeswax candles make wonderful environmentally friendly wedding favors. Some couples are deciding not to give favors at all but rather to make a small charitable donation in each guest name.

Brides are also looking for ways to be environmentally responsible when selecting the perfect dress for their special day. Do your research—avoid artificial fabrics that were produced under unsafe or unjust working conditions. Consider updating your mother or grandmother’s dress with the help of a local seamstress. If this isn’t an option, consider looking for a vintage dress at a local store. If your heart is absolutely set on having a new dress, look for a bridal designer who uses eco-friendly, natural fabrics.

I won!

{Avon,OH} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce Celebrations by Shari has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Officiant!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Celebrations by Shari was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

Celebrations by Shari is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Celebrations by Shari for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Celebrations by Shari is one of the very best Officiants within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/celebrations-by-shari-avon/040080da2f09088a.html.

To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Giving Away the Bride

The father who "gives away" his daughter at her wedding ceremony is following an ancient tradition that has evolved over hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The custom dates back to the time when a daughter was considered property, and the groom had to pay a price to her family before he could be permitted to marry his intended.

Another theory is that it symbolized the transition of authority from the bride's father to her husband as she moved from the parental home to the conjugal home. Today, many brides follow this custom, but its meaning has emerged as an outward approval of the groom by the parents or family of the bride.

Brides who consider this tradition archaic, or who have lived independently for years before their wedding, can eliminate this custom entirely or revise it to include their mother, brother, stepfather or any other significant member of the family. Some brides even elect to walk down the aisle alone.

Throwing of Garters and Bouquets

The story behind throwing the garter and bouquet goes back as far as the 1300’s when people were particularly superstitious. It was believed that taking a piece of the bride’s clothing would grant the guests good luck. As you can imagine, through the excitement created at the wedding festivities, many guests would become driven to literally tear cloth from the bride’s dress. In an attempt to stave off greedy luck-seekers, many brides began to throw items to guests that could be easily removed from her person. This included her garter. Eventually, grooms began to remove the garter from their new bride, and tossing it to the men. This was done to prevent tipsy male guests from becoming impatient and trying to do the deed themselves. In an effort to help the women feel included, it eventually became customary for the bride to throw her bouquet at the female guests.

Marbelhead Lighthouse

Marblehead Lighthouse is one of Lake Erie's best known and most-photographed landmarks! It can also be the perfect backdrop for an outdoor wedding. Couples who are looking for a simpler but still distinctive way to celebrate their wedding may find this venue perfect. Although the lighthouse and nearby keeper's house are not open for such events, wedding parties with 50 or fewer guests may use the Lake Erie shoreline for their celebration. The grounds surrounding the lighthouse offer great views of Lake Erie, Sandusky Bay, Kelleys island and South Bass Island. Marblehead Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes, has guided sailors safely along the rocky shores of Marblehead Peninsula since 1822.

You're engaged!

Getting engaged should be one of the most memorable and exciting moments in your life. For t­he first few weeks after the proposal, you may both feel a little crazy with happiness and be bursting with anticipation. And why shouldn't you feel this way? You've met the man or woman of your dreams, and have decided to get married. Then it is time to get down to business and begin planning the wedding -- the official celebration of your love and commitment. As the two of you plan this wonderful day, you will hopefully continue to feel great joy, but you may also experience a few butterflies and a little confusion. After all, organizing a ceremony and reception is a big undertaking. You will have questions about anything and everything: from the meal (fish, chicken, or beef?) to the wedding gown (strapless, fitted, or empire-waisted?) to the reception music (live band, small orchestra, or DJ?) and much more. There will be issues about budgets, guest lists, and styles. In the end, however, it is important to remember what this day is really about -- a celebration of love. Stay focused, and take time to enjoy the process. Work as a team and be ready to compromise if necessary.

It's all about the groom!

Let’s face it—any groom will look handsome in a classic tuxedo. The real challenge, is in looking unique. This might take a bit more thought, however, and since most grooms would rather be planning a bachelor party than figuring out if a basic black bow tie is boring, I thought I would share a couple of my favorite ideas.

(1)Wear fun socks—black socks are the expected, but how about selecting a patterned pair or a pair in the colors of your favorite sports team. (2) Wear suspenders—not only do they look great with a slim-fit tux, dancing will be much more PG appropriate (no plumber’s crack). (3) Select a unique boutonnière—avoid the traditional rose and wear a boutonniere that shows off your favorite hobby like guitar picks or legos. You could also choose to have all the men in the bridal party wear a different bloom in your signature hue for unique looking lapels.

Wedding Cake

The wedding cake has always played an important part in this special day. Ancient Romans broke a cake over the bride's head to symbolize fertility or abundance. Many other cultures dropped wheat, flour or cake on the bride's head, and then ate the crumbs for good luck. The early British baked baskets of dry crackers, and every guest took one home after the wedding. In medieval times, guests brought small cakes and piled them on a table. The bride and groom then attempted to kiss over the cakes. Thankfully, a young baker decided to put all the cakes together and cover them with frosting, thus the tiered wedding cake was born.