I have to laugh at myself, I seem to be captured (unintentionally- and NEVER in my birthday suit!) photobombing wedding photos all the time. As the celebrant is difficult not to get caught in the background of photos – even harder when you’re the wedding event manager and it’s your job to be everywhere at once.
Here are some very cool intentional (and not so intentional) photobombs that might give you some ideas!
Like so many Brides and Grooms/Marriage Partners in this day and age, living together and building a life and a home before marriage is normal. Plus an excellent way to know you will actually be able to live together as husband and wife/marriage partners!
This means already having chosen a beautiful collection of home appliances and accessories that traditionally in by-gone days would have been given to the happy couple as a wedding gift.
So, what do you do when you don’t need a Wedding Gift Registry for household stuff?
You politely ask people to contribute in other ways. Most people will want to honour your wedding day by giving you a gift of some kind, so all you need to do is choose the wording that you will apply to your invitations, letting your guests know you would prefer a donation – of their time towards your wedding coordination or to a charity of your choice – or to your wedding costs/dinner, honeymoon or house fund… whatever is right for you.
♥ The biggest gift you can give us is your attendance at the celebration of our marriage, however should you wish to give a wedding gift, we would be more than happy to receive a donation towards our wedding fund.
♥ We will be honoured by your presence on our wedding day.
If you would like to delight us with a present, there will be a travel suitcase at the reception where we will gratefully receive all contributions towards our honeymoon.
♥ If youʼre thinking of giving a gift, to help us on our way,
a gift of cash towards our wedding, would really make our day.
♥ More than just kisses so far we’ve shared, our home has been made with love and care.
Most things we need weʼve already got, like a toaster and kettle, pans and pots.
A wishing well we thought would be great, (but only if you wish to participate).
A gift of money is placed in the well, Then make a wish … but do not tell.
And in return for your kindness weʼre sure, that one day soon you’ll get what you wished for!
Check out this site for more great ideas for this kind of wording and other helpful hints.
After 67 years of marriage a Kapiti couple in their 90s passed away within two hours of one another. They were in the same resthome room together just like in the movie The Notebook.
“They were strong Christians and therefore they knew where they were going, and they had no problem about going there,” their son said this afternoon of his late parents Hugh, 94, and Joan, 92.
The NZ Herald reported they had been married for 67 years after meeting in the Hutt Valley and died on Tuesday at Eldon Lodge, Paraparaumu, where they were cared for since moving from their Waikanae home two and a half months ago.
His father, a retired Baptist minister suffering from cancer, passed away just two hours before his mother, who had a stroke on Sunday.
How wonderful they got to enjoy 67 years together – and in their own home too, up until recently. That is just incredible. Especially in this day and age.
Asked whether they might have had any premonition of their close departure, their son said: “It’s so hard to know – it almost seems like it, doesn’t it?”
My very gorgeous Bride & Groom Davinia & Gustavo, who are excitedly expecting their first child had this to say about my celebrant service:
Kimberly was more than we could have ever asked for.
From the first moment we met Kimberly, we instantly clicked. Her endless energy and positivity is contagious and exactly what we wanted for our special day. She instantly took charge of the organization and kept us on track, giving us brilliant ideas, options and pointers for the ceremony.
I can highly recommend her to anyone wanting an unforgettable day and can assure that she will brighten up any ceremony with her bubbly personality and professionalism. Thank you Kimberly so so much for all of your hard and magnificent work!!!
All the very best of luck for your future and your little family!! xx
If you’re the Bride & Groom you worry what’s going to come out at the Wedding Reception Speeches! If you’re guests or the MC you wonder how long they are going to run (over)!
Recently there has been some great press about wedding speeches, for inspiration here are a couple from George Clooney’s wedding and from Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden’s…
Apparently Nick Clooney, George’s Dad, had the guests in tears with this:
The loveliest, most intriguing city on the planet. CHECK. A glittering assembly of accomplished people. CHECK. A beautiful bride. CHECK. A nervous groom. CHECK.
We are deep in the age of irony. … We cherish our guilty pleasure of skepticism,” he continued. “Then here comes George, the crown prince of irony, getting down on one basketball-battered knee and asking the savvy Amal to marry him. And if you think that’s crazy, Amal said ’YES!’
In their tidal wave of generosity. Amal and George present us with one more gift, Hope. No, it’s more than hope. Hope is too ephemeral. … It is belief that in this place and at this moment, love is alive and well.
(I couldn’t find any wedding photos of these two, but the Kiss Cam (get it) photos are so cute)
Cameron Diaz, the 42 year old Bride herself, delivered a touching speech at her wedding, to her new husband and explained why he was ‘The One’ in front of family and friends at the reception.
I waited because I didn’t want to settle. Now I got the best man ever. My special man. He’s mine.
Cameron wasn’t the only one to speak in front of the star-studded guests. Joel also got some laughs when it was his turn to acknowledge their special day.
I only asked to be in control of two things: The music and the cake.
Toastmasters NZ run some great courses on not only delivering speeches well, but what to talk about.
Set the tone
Giving a wedding toast is a special moment during the wedding reception. Wedding toasts are meant to set the tone for the rest of the reception, allow the guests to learn more about the bride or groom, and to celebrate the couple’s new life together. A toast is also used to wish the couple well and to remind them to remember this wonderful day always and why they decided to marry.
A toast is only part of the reception celebration, but it can be a very special time. In fact a well-prepared toast can be a memorable gift to both the bride and the groom. The best man, a friend or relative usually toasts the bride, or both bride and groom.
1. Prepare what you are going to say, write it down and practice ahead of time. Find out how much time has been allowed for your toast.
2. Make sure everyone has a filled glass. Traditional toasting drinks are champagne, wine, mixed drinks or even non-alcoholic punch.
3. Stand and face the person/s whom you are toasting.
4. Raise your glass up with your right hand.
5. Use a microphone if necessary. There is nothing worse than losing the audience’s attention because they can’t hear what you have to say.
6. Say your toast mentioning those you are toasting by name, your relationship to them and a thought about their good fortune and their future. Add witty anecdotes wherever possible but don’t recite a joke or story that only means something to a few people. And don’t embarrass the recipient! Use notes if necessary but keep it short and sincere.
7. Wave your glass to all and cap off the toast with a hearty “To the Bride and Groom” or “Cheers!”
8. Take a sip and sit down.
Visit the following websites for information and resources:
http://www.great-wedding-toasts.com/ for Wedding Toasts
http://www.weddings.co.nz/features/toasts-and-speeches.php – New Zealand’s premier online wedding magazine and directory
http://www.weddingspeeches.co.nz/ – for help with preparing and delivering wedding speeches
http://www.hitched.co.uk/speeches/examples/index.asp – for examples of wedding speeches
or search for “wedding speeches”, “wedding toasts” etc on Google
I was listening to George FM this morning and you know how we were just talking about Brides changing their name – well, Avatar actress Zoe Zaldana’s husband has apparently changed his name to hers!
It seems like the couple had a whirlwind marriage a few years ago stating:
The moment I met my husband, we were together. We knew.
How gorgeous.
Of course obnoxious Dj Thane Kirby had quite a bit to say on the subject.
But here’s what the papers are saying!
Zoe Saldaña made headlines this week when she revealed that her husband Marco Perego has taken her last name.
Getting some backlash, the actress spoke out on Facebook, standing behind her man’s decision despite her initial hesitation.
“Fathers, sons, brothers, men everywhere: Your legacy will not perish if you take your partner’s surname, or she keeps hers,” Saldaña wrote. “I shared my hesitation with him … (and) he also asked me, ‘Why not? What are you so afraid of?’ And it made me wonder.”
She continued: “Why is it so surprising, shocking-eventful that a man would take his wife’s surname? Women have never been asked if it’s OK for them to give up their names — why doesn’t that make the news?”
The 34-year-old actress revealed in an interview with InStyle that she tried to talk Perego out of it.
“I told him, ‘If you use my name, you’re going to be emasculated by your community of artists, by your Latin community of men, by the world.’ But Marco looks up at me and says,’ Ah, Zoe, I don’t give a s—t.’”
Saldaña said men will not cease to exist by following in her husband’s footsteps, but instead will be remembered “as a man who stood by change.”
“I know our sons will respect and admire their father more because their father led by example,” she wrote. “Gentlemen, I implore you to think outside the box – remove the box altogether. Let’s redefine masculinity.”
The “Avatar” actress said she hopes the buzz garnered by her story will inspire others to have the conversation and “for us all to look within and see what is truly important.”
What a fun and heartfelt marriage ceremony today for Bride and Groom Jenni and Jason. It was a delight for me to be part of your incredible day.
I just love Jenni and Jason’s love story – but that’s not for me to share here.
What I can tell you is that Jenni’s family name Huynh has an English translation of ‘yellow’ – so marrying Mr Green was obviously meant to be!
In fact yellow and green combined make a lime green colour I believe – and this vibrant colour is very representative of this vivacious couple!
Mr and Mrs Green – I wish you many more decades of fun and happiness together!!
Here’s the Groom posing beside the wedding cake – notice the cake topper on the right???!!!! A groom dragging his bride to the altar!!
Speaking of the altar – the lovely Beryl of Covers Decoration Hire provided the elegant backdrop.
Our gorgeous little Jack Russell was our ring bearer! We were really nervous she might actually run off down the beach into the water with the rings being as energetic and uncontrollable as she is – so we entrusted her with my mother who tied the rings around her diamond studded dog collar and walked her up to the altar at the time of the ring exchange. It all went really smoothly and our cute dog stole the show!
Some other cute ways you can include your pet in your big day are:
♥ Use your pet to propose!
♥ Include your pet in your engagement photos.
♥ Star your pet in your Save the Date or Wedding Stationery.
♥ Get them to hold wedding day signage.
♥ Use them to escort you or your bridal party down the aisle.
♥ Carry them down the aisle instead of a bouquet!
♥ If your pet is a horse, ride them to the ceremony or reception.
♥ Include them in your vows.
And make sure you not only have someone keep an eye on them so they don’t get into any mischief – make sure they have plenty of water, food, a quiet space and shade too. It helps to have someone take them for a massive run and work off some of that excitable energy beforehand!
Did you hear about the incredible Pont des Arts bridge in Paris?
For years couples have been saying je t’aime by placing a padlock on the railings of this bridge. Lovers (mostly tourists, Parisians say) have placed nearly a million padlocks on a fence along the bridge and then thrown the key into the Seine river as a symbol of their undying adoration.
But city officials have a less romantic view of it all, blaming the padlocks for “long-term heritage degradation and a risk for visitors’ security” as it has become so weighty parts of the bridge are snapping off under the pressure! About 45 tonnes!
