Congratulations to Sarah, Charles and Kellie

On Saturday, Februrary 2nd, I had the honor of marrying Sarah and Charles.  Every wedding I get to be a part of is special to me, but I truly loved the wording chosen by this couple.  Charles has a seven year old daughter, Kellie. It was important to the couple that Kellie be includedf in this important day. Charles and Sarah presented Kellie with a ring similiar to the ones they exchanged.  They also had a family circle where Sarah and Charles shared very personal words to Kellie about their love for her. Then the three of them made a number of promises to each other.  It was a wonderful way to make this little girl realize she had the love of her father and Sarah.  I will definitley share this with other couples looking for a way to involve their children in the ceremony.

Bird Cage Centerpieces

Do you want your centerpieces to be unique and different from other weddings? In 2013 floral designs and other planted centerpieces will be covered up and caged. Birdcage centerpieces are no longer only for garden or vintage weddings.  You can alter the look to make them look classy and elegant also. When choosing birdcages for your centerpieces, try to find simple looking ones so that you can focus on the flowers and birds inside and outside the cage. You can also go for floral decorations inside the birdcage only and omit the birds altogether.You can practically choose anything for your centerpiece besides flowers and birds, including candles, vintage bottles, herbs, plants, fruits, etc. Choose the cage “filling” that is most suitable to your wedding theme.  Consider looking for a variety of different styles and shapes of birdcages so each table is different.

Bridal Brooch Bouquet

I love bridal brooch bouquets and am so delighted they are remaining popular among brides!  If I were getting married now I would so carry one of these beauties down the aisle.  Brooch bouquets are amazing for so many reasons--they are sparkly, they make meaningful keepsakes after the wedding, you can use jewelry from family members and carry a bit of them with you down the aisle, you make your brooch bouquet well in advance of the wedding, you never have to worry about it not holding up throughout the day and they are .

Making a brooch bouquet can be a fun DIY project and not nearly as difficult as you might think!  It generally takes about 50-85 brooches.  You can, however, still make a lovely bouquet using fewer brooches by including silk flowers.  Begin by seeing what you already have in your jewelry box then ask friends and relatives to share any they have.  A brooch your grandma always wore, you and your fiancée’s initials or the earrings your mother wore on her wedding day would all be special additions.

Favors? How about making a donation to your favorite charity!

Instead of spending money on a favor that your guests that will simply toss into a drawer, or even worse, leave sitting on the table, consider making a donation to a charity that means something special to the two of you.. This is a new trend that many couples are choosing. During the reception, ask your DJ can announce "Instead of favors, the couple has chosen to make a donation to the American Cancer Society. The bride's grandfather passed 3 years ago from this disease and have made their donation in his name." Donations always get a round of applause…ever see anyone clap for a box of candy or a candle??

Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Every bride needs to be prepared for the unexpected on her big day.  Making a wedding day emergency kit can help your be prepared for whatever might gone wrong.  Include different sized safety pins, double-sided sticky tape, a small sewing kit, a small pair of scissors, a bleach pen, brush and comb, bobby pins, hair spray, static guard, blotting papers, tooth brush, tooth paste, floss, gum or mints, a razor, straw for drinking without messing up your lipsitck deodorant, earring backs, Band-Aids, a small packs of tissues, nail polish remover, clear nail polish, an emery board, a nail clipper, makeup remover wipes, tampons, lint brush, antacids, headache medicine, contact lens solution, super glue and anything else you think you might need.  This would also be a great gift for the maid of honor to make to surprise the bride with.  

Unique Wedding Venues in Cleveland

For 2013, couples continue to look for unqiue venues to hold their wedding ceremony and reception.  Couples are choosing not to select the traditional ballroom but rather looking for farm houses, barns, estates, mansions, vineyards, beach clubs, gardens, parks, museums, art galleries and libraries.  Any place that is unique and ideally doesn't have four walls and windows seems to be what today's couples are looking for. 

In the Cleveland area, you might want to take a look at:

Adena Mansion & Gardens, Alpine Valley Ski Resort, Avalon Event Center, Cleveland Botanical Gardens, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland Metro Parks, Cleveland Metro parks Zoo & The Rainforest, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Goodtime III, Hale Farm and Village, Holden Arboretum, Lodge at Geneva, Mapleside Farms, The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, Nautica Queen, Northfield Park, Norwalk Raceway Park, Patterson Fruit Farm, Pine Ridge Country Club, Playhouse Square, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Progressive Field, Quailcrest Farm, Renaissance, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Severance Hall, Squires Castle, Stan Hywet Hall, Taft Museum of Art, Terrace Club Restaurant at Jacobs Field, The Conrad Botzum Farmstead, The Old Courthouse on Lakeside, The Rose Cafe in Lorain, The Sarah Benedict House, Thistledown Racing Club, Western Reserve Historical Society.

Hale Farm

Almost made it!

On October 5th, I had the honor of marrying Erin Dugan and David Rohrich at the Portage Country Club.  As you can see from the photo, it was a beautiful wedding.  We had all, however been watching the weather radar most of the day because storms were certainly in the area.  The manager of the country club was most concerned.  Erin and David really hoped to be married outside.  When I arrived at 4:00 the staff was piling up the chairs that had previously in the day been set up for an indoor wedding.  Since it looked like there was a break in the weather, a decision had been made to move everything outside.  I believe we would have made it all just fine if family members (especially grandma) had arrived on time.  That twenty minute delay made all the difference.  About the time Erin and David were sharing their vows,the sprinkles began.  In an effort to get the guests out of the eminent storms, a quiet decision by Erin was made to skip the Sand Ceremony.  There is a belief among many that rain on your wedding day brings good luck.  So Erin and David were blessed with much luck!

We are growing!

Due to the number of requests for the services of Celebrations by Shari, we have grown.  My two daughters, Kristen Fitzhugh and Chelsea Duffin, are now ordained and licensed to perform ceremonies.  In addition, Josh Lenix, has also joined us.  Josh lives in the Toledo area so will be serving that part of the state.  This will make it much easier for us to provide our excellent services to interested couples.

A special day for two couples

Every wedding I get to share is special to me.  No two couples are alike and neither are is how they plan this important day.  This past weekend I performed two weddings that were very opposite of each other.  Jessica and James chose to be married in the backyard of her parent's home in Parma.  There were many beautiful plants, trees and flowers decorating the space.  There was a lovely Pergola that had been decorated with tulle by family members.  Jessica and James, along with his parents and two brothers, traveled from Great Britain for the wedding.  James' father recently retired after serving the Queen for over 38 years in the army.  He wore his uniform, decorated with a number of medals he had received from the Queen.  I must tell you that this was such a joyous day for all.  There were over 100 people--they even had to gather more chairs so everyone could sit.  Although the two families had just met for the first time a few days before the wedding, it was obvious they had become friends quickly.  The area was filled with much love and joy.  The second wedding was held at The Greystone Hall in Akron.  This is an amazing venue with an imposing seven-story stone facade.  Greystone Hall is one of downtown Akron’s most majestic structures. It was originally built by the Freemasons in 1917 for their business and social gatherings, the Hall now offers exceptionally appointed spaces for banquets, meetings and wedding.  This is where I married Angie and Mark.   They were also an adorable couple and Angie wore an amazing gown--definitely one of my favorites.  Such different ideas about their weddings, but love shared by all.  I love this job!

Nicole and Jason

This past weekend I had the honor of marrying Nicole and Jason Reeves.  Nicole was a previous student of mine when I taught at Rocky River High School.  Her sister, Megan, and brother, Tommy, were also my students so is was truly special for me to be chosen as the Officiant for Nicole and Jason.  Their wedding was beautiful.  They chose the Clifton Club in Lakewood where they were married outside in the beautiful gardens.  The weather was perfect--not a cloud in the sky.  The bride's maids wore long black dresses.  Nicole's dress was white lace and she looked absolutely beautiful.  Amanda Wakeman, also a Rocky River student, was the wedding phographer that took this picture that perfectly demonstrates the love this couple share.

Cappelli's is a wonderful venue

I rarely review vendors or venues, but yesterday I had the joy of marrying Jessica and Sean at Cappelli's, located at 7701 Reynold's Road, Mentor, Ohio.  Cappelli'soffers an elegant and romantic venue with stylishly appointed ballrooms, situated conveniently within the Comfort Inn and Suites hotel. It is quite obvious from the minute you enter this venue that their professional staff is committed to exceeding even the fussiest's brides expectations.  Jessica and Sean chose to use all three rooms that are available for event use.  The first room guests entered had an electric baby grand piano, fireplace, and beautiful seating.  The second room is where the bar is located.  It was set up with tables and chairs that were used during the cocktail hour.  The final room was the large ballroom.  This is where guests sat for the ceremony and returned for their dinner.  What was most impressive was the beautiful and romantic atmosphere.  There are walls decorated with sheer fabric with twinkle lights.  Trees are placed throughout the area, all decorated with more twinkle lights.  In addition, there were mini oil lamps and candles everywhere!  In the bar area there is a wall made out of wood blocks.  Each block had a mini oil lantern burning.  Every room is simply perfect.  The best part of Cappelli's is that they truly take care of everything--chair covers, linens, even centerpieces.  If you are looking for a special wedding venue, you must look at Cappelli's, however, they do presentlly have plans to move to a new location in Willoughby.  I can't wait to see what that looks like!

Lindsay-Crossman Chapel at Baldwin Wallace University

On Saturday, August 4th, I married Alanna and Kyle at the beautiful Lindsay-Crossman Chapel on the Baldwin Wallace University campus at 56 Seminary Street.  The Chapel, constructed in 1872, is available to rent for summer Saturday weddings only.  Unfortunately, the Chapel may only be rented by BW alumni, current employees of the college and children of current employees of the college.  The alumni fee to rent is $800 and the employee fee is $100.  The couple must make their own arrangements for an officiant and musician to play the organ.  If you are a BW alumni and looking for a special place to be married, I believe you must take a look at this romantic chapel.

To check the availability of a date and to receive a list of rules and a reservation form, call the Chapel office at 440-826-2175 or e-mail chapel@bw.edu.

Destination Wedding in Mexico

Yesterday I married Vanessa and Brian who will actually be traveling to Mexico on Saturday for a destination wedding.  They will be having a ceremony on the beach but learned it can be quite difficult to make the wedding legal in Mexico.  I did a little research to learn what is required to be legally married in Mexico and US.  Here is what I found. 

You don't need to be resident in Mexico in order to get married there.  You'll will need a passport and your tourist permit.  You will also need chest X-rays and blood tests.  These must be done locally in Mexico, as the results of the blood tests and the X-ray documentation must be in Spanish and the tests need to be done within a certain time frame of the Marriage Application Form being completed. Note, not all Mexican States require the Chest X-rays so check locally or ask your wedding planner.

Ohio does not require you to have witnesses but in Mexico you will need to have 4 witnesses present at the legal ceremony.  They must have valid identification: usually a valid Passport is used, but other forms of government-issued identification are valid too.

Your Marriage Certificate will be valid world-wide, BUT you should get your certificate 'legalized' in Mexico to ensure it is legally accepted when you get back home. 

Unity Glass Ceremony

I love it when someone shares a new idea with me--an idea that I can then share with the couples I am working with.  Thanks to Sara Sadaghiani, I have discovered the Unity Glass Ceremony.  For couples who have decided that the sand or candle ceremony are simply over used, this may be just what they are looking for.  Lee Ware is the artist who is responsible for this new and unique wedding idea.  It begins with the couple selecting colored glass crystals (there are a number of colors to choose from). During the wedding these colored glass crystals are mixed together by the couple and anyone else they want to include in the ceremony.  Lee Ware has even created some wording for the officiat to share with the guests explaining the significance of the ceremony.  After the wedding, the glass crystals are mailed back to Lee Ware's studio where he incoporates the mixed crystals into "an enduring, artistic, and one-of-a-kind glass sculpture.  To learn more about this idea or to order your glass crystals, check Lee's facebook page, Unity in Glass!

Special Celebrations

Being a wedding officiant and sharing such an intimate moment with couples touches my heart far beyond what I ever believed it would do.  Every couple has their own personal story of how they arrived at the moment of realizing they had found that one special person they wanted to share their lives with.  I love learning of that story and being able to say "And now for the first time, I would like to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. . .  Although each wedding is a special celebration, when that celebration involves a student I once had in class, it is even more amazing to me.  At one time, I either had them in a foods, parenting, service learning, skills for living or independent living class.  Now here they are getting married--and I am the one prouncing them husband and wife.  Retiring from teaching left me with a heavy heart and I was concerned about what the next chapters of my life would be.  There was no need to worry for I am truly blessed.

Dress selection for your Bridesmaids

Bridesmaid dresses with pockets are definitely in.  Having a place where bridesmaids can carry their lip gloss, IDs, toasting notes and the wedding rings will make it a real hit with the friends you've asked to share the day with you.  Also, give real thought to allowing your friends to choose a dress that they truly feel comfortable in.  Give them a color to choose from but then let them pick the style looks best on them.  What is flattering on one of your friends often doesn't work for the others.  Why not keep everyone happy?

July 4th Celebration

Today I was honored and delighted to share in a very fun surprise wedding.  Jim contacted me about marrying him marrying on July 4th.  Jim and Denise knew they wanted to get married, but had not agreed about when, where or how.  He decided it would be great fun to take control and put a plan into place.  Jim and I communicated all week, writing a ceremony, deciding where to meet, and how to truly catch Denise off guard.  Jim told her that he had a friend who would be bringing his boat to the beach at Veterans Memorial Park at 10:00 am so they could go for a boat ride.  Jim packed a cooler with a dozen roses.  Denise thought the cooler had food and beverages to take on the boat.  When I arrived, I removed the vase of roses and headed to the beach to find them.  Jim, Denise, and Denise's son were walking on the rocks.  I approached them and asked if Jim would like to buy his "wife" a rose.  I told them the money was going to Relay For Life for help fight cancer.  Denise said of course they needed to support Relay.  Jim took a $20 bill out of his wallet and I asked Denise to hold the flowers while I looked for change.  I asked her how long they had been married.  She responded "We aren't exactly married yet".  I quickly said "Well, how would you like be get married today"  Denise was speechless!  Jim had written a beautiful ceremony which I presented right there on the beach.  It was a wedding surprise filled with love, hopes, and tears.  It was truly an honor to share in such a special time!  May they live happily ever after.

Squires Castle as a Wedding Venue

One if the more popular venues for weddings I am performing this year is at Squires Castle in the Cleveland Metroparks.  It is a beautiful site located in Willoughby Hills.  Built at the turn of the century by F. B. Squire, it was to serve as the gatehouse of his future country estate that was never actually built.  Squire's Castle is open to the public and can be reserved for weddings at no cost.

Creative Way to Use Balloons!

If your guests will have to walk from the ceremony to the reception, consider providing them each with a single coloured helium filled balloon that matches your colour scheme. The vision of dozens of balloons all 'walking' their way through a country lane or a town centre (great way to make sure your guests don’t get lost!) is fantastic and makes for great photos. Once all of your guests have arrived at the reception, you could have someone ready to arrange them into two rows for you to walk through and as you reach each guest, they release the balloon into the sky, again fantastic for your photo album! {Ruth Hunter, Finesse Planning}  Many cities require you to get permission to release balloons so be sure to check this out in advance.

Renewing of Wedding Vows

In this world where divorce seems to be the norm, a couple managing to stay together through thick and thin deserves some celebration! If you and your spouse have made it to a significant anniversary, or you just want to have a "do-over" wedding, consider a vow renewal.  Here are a few tips to help you put this celebrations together.

• Involve the children or other family members with a Unity Candle Ceremony or Sand Ceremony for beach and destination renewals
• Recreate your original wedding bouquet
• Use your wedding photo to make personalized invitations.
• Return to your original honeymoon destination, staying at the same hotel, if possible.
• Display your wedding photograph.
• Don't walk down the aisle alone. Walk down together or have your children escort you.
• Attendents aren't necassary for a vow renewal, but you might choose to invite your original bridesmaids and groomsmen to stand up for you informally, for sentimental reasons.  Many couples also involve their children and grandchildren, perhaps being escorted down the aisle by them or having them perform a reading during the ceremony.