Amanda and Bryan: 9/5/09

A great day for a wedding and Amanda and Bryan are a great couple.  They were smiling the whole ceremony and they really couldn't keep their hands off of one another!  They almost got an early kiss during the ceremony, but they held back.  We had a great time together and I had a lot of fun spending time with their family as well.  It was clear that family is important to these two, and it was clear Amanda had a great relationship with her father.

Oh, and then there was Lorraine.  Lorraine, Lorraine, the bridesmaid Lorraine... pictured below on the right with her brother.  Lorraine played comic relief for the day... great sense of humor.  Any other officiant would have had to chastise you, Lorraine.  :)

Another great wedding and another great couple.  I wish I could have spent all day with this family, and I'm honored that they let me have a glimpse into their lives.

Be well,

-Ryan.

Liz & Derrick: Rockin' Out at The Crescent Club 5/29/09

I truly love performing wedding ceremonies.  I get a chance to see some great places, great views, everyone is always happy at weddings, and I get to meet some great couples.  Liz and Derrick (or as Liz named them, "The Delinquents") are a great couple and they almost convinced me to stay all night.

First off, they named themselves "The Delinquents" because it took them a while to get back to me on various aspects of the ceremony.  Okay, so they finally got back to me on Thursday for their Friday wedding.  But that's okay... I worked on their ceremony and got them back something they really really liked.  One of the more fun aspects of this wedding for me was that I had a chance to incorporate another language into the ceremony.  Derrick's family is Dutch, and so I worked on a couple of Dutch phrases for the ceremony to honor them and for anyone in attendance that would understand it.  I had a chance to use Dutch back in March (Danielle & David's wedding) and it was great to be able to put it to use so soon again.  In the past, I've incorporated Spanish, Italian and even a phrase or two in Greek.  Now twice in the span of a couple of months I've had the chance to speak some Dutch.

This wedding took place on Long Island, right on the beach and it was truly perfect.  The weather in the morning was against us, but by the afternoon, it was beautiful out.  The sand, the sky and the couple all looked great.  When I got there they were in the middle of their pictures on the beach, without their shoes on.  We did a quick run through, and it was sweet to see Liz tear up in anticipation of the real thing.

The ceremony went great and both Liz and Derrick decided to say something in addition to their vows and I've got to say, I was very very impressed by the poem that Derrick wrote.  It was very heartfelt, well put together, and one of the most touching things I've seen in the over 100 weddings I've performed.  The two of them held hands the whole time, and they were so connected up there, I thought they weren't going to wait for me to finish before getting their kiss.

After their ceremony, they did some rock pictures with the guitar and drums, with Derrick playing a mean "Paradise City".  During their cocktail hour, they invited me in to sit with them while they ate a bit.  We had a great time talking and as I said, they almost convinced me to stay.  However, I knew the drive back would be long, and it was getting late.  I left knowing that they would definitely keep in touch.  

...one more wedding this weekend.  I get to head back to Beckwith...

Be well.

-Ryan Kaplan.

Helena & Andrew: 4/26/09

I performed a special ceremony earlier today for Helena and Andrew's wedding out on Long Island at Chateau Briand.  Long Island weddings always require extra driving time, because in my experience, there is always traffic getting to Long Island.  I planned for an extra hour of driving time to put me at the venue at my usual "1 hour early" arrival time and it worked out perfectly.

This wedding was running smoothly thanks to Galas Inc.  They had two planners in attendance to make sure that everything went off without a hitch.  I had plenty of time to review the ceremony with the bride and groom, make sure they had everything we needed and to answer any last minute questions they had.

This was an interesting ceremony as Andrew comes from a strictly Christian background, and Helena's background is Hindu.  I had been referred to them through another wedding I performed in August 2006 for Penelope and Ge which incorporated Hindu traditions as well.  For today's ceremony we were performing the unity candle (which went on to represent the Hindu fire diety Agni) as well as the exchange of garlands and the 7 blessings (both Hindu traditions).  I worked to blend their backgrounds and show respect and deference to them both.  Helena took a very active role in the ceremony revisions and I feel the end results were great.  Everyone laughed when they were supposed to and teared up when they were supposed to as well.  There was a great vocalist named Ebony that performed "Ribbon in the Sky" during the unity candle.  To cap off the ceremony, during their walk back up the aisle, Helena and Andrew pulled out sunglasses and walked away in style.  I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures!

Today's slight snag was that there was a microphone but no stand.  I prefer not to be encumbered by having to hold a microphone, though I do it when necessary.  However, I normally carry a microphone stand in my car for these occasions, so this was easily rectified.

The weather was beautiful, and everything went perfectly.  Chateau Briand has such a nice feel to its outdoor area, and it was easy to see that the pictures will turn out gorgeous.  They've created what they call an "outdoor oasis" which does give you the feel like you are getting married on a resort in Aruba.

Marlene at Galas Inc. did such a good job in planning, I look forward to working with her in the future.  In the end, Helena and Andrew looked happy and in love as I left them.  As for now, it's later than I should be up.  My two daughters are going to wake me up early in the morning whether I've rested or not, so I'm off to bed.

Be well!

-Ryan Kaplan.