Desmond Wedding 12/31/09

Friday, January 29, 2010
Desmond Wedding

On Sunday, January 31, 2010, Josh Desmond and his beautiful wife Christina will celebrate their first month wedding anniversary. It was a joy to create and officiate their Wedding for them. The ceremony and reception were held at their own Desmond Hotel in Albany on New Year's Eve! What a night to begin their new married life!

Everything was to perfection. The bride and groom looked handsomely stunning. The ceremony reflected their special love of each other, their family, friends and of course, their beloved dog (who was featured in a reading by Josh's Dad).

The Desmond looked gorgeous and the place was filled with joy. Connie Slocum, wedding coordinator at the Desmond, is always top notch and she gives such personal attention to her couples and treats them almost as if they are family. In this case, the Desmond family members are like family to Connie so it was nice to see her enjoy herself at the Wedding. I am always delighted to work with the outstanding Desmond staff.

Guests at the wedding were greeted with a choice of five champagnes upon arrival and after the ceremony they enjoyed delicious personalized cocktails and delicious treats before dinner. Another big hit was the photo booth Josh and Cristina provided from Saratoga Photobooth. Guests got to sit in the booth and smile and pose six times (see my photo with husband, Nick on top right). Loved ones and friends not only got to keep the black and white pics after the machine sent them out but a copy was also kept for the bride and groom. I'll bet Josh and Cristina will love looking at the pictures for years to come.

I was honored to be part of their very special day and their love story...................Cristina and Josh, Happy One Month Anniversar

Happy Holidays 2009-2010

One of the greatest joys for me is to receive news from the
couples and families that I have served. I think after learning their love story and spending so much time reading their answers to the questions and researching just the right readings, writing their ceremony, holding their hand through the whole process and being there for them on the day of the ceremony, a bond develops.

Many of the notes I receive are delightful and announce the birth of a new baby or a baby on the way.
This is such a great joy to me because I feel that in some way I am a part of this miracle.
There is a saying that, "a baby is God's way of sending hope to the world". I
believe that. Each new person offers the world their unlimited potential. A
miracle and a great joy!

This year I got a picture of the most adorable little girl that Melissa and
James (River Stone Manor 08/07) had. My family loves looking at her. I also
got the updates on Elizabeth and Mike Waxman's precious girl who was ten months old for
Christmas. That is a lot of fun! I also saw the cute little guy that Sara and
Eric (Glen Sanders 04/28) had this year. God blessed Julie and Casey (Cape Cod
07/07) with a baby this year as well. One of my 2010 grooms told me this
blessed news. I can't wait to see the pictures! I think of the glamorous
pictures Luz and Jim (Hall of Springs 08/07) sent to me of their new arrival.
Luz and Jim are now very successful in their new real estate business down
South. I also heard that Christian and Yoon (River Stone Manor 05/08) had a
sweet little treasure of their own this year.

I think of my dear friend Pat who has two new grandchildren to celebrate the
holidays with. I was blessed to do little Jack's Baby Blessing in September of
this year!

This New Year we will have more to be happy about when little blessings come to
Mike and Chariz (Lake George 5/09), Amanda and John (Desmond 10/07) and Greta
and Shane (09/09) and Ryan and Kim (05/09) and Stephen and Megan (Duanesburg
07/09) and there might even be some more surprises - who knows?!

As the winter cold blows over me, I reminisce about summer with the pictures
sent to me, by Tim and Sara, of their September wedding at Erlowest on the
shores of Lake George and Amber and Steve's wedding (08/09) at breathtaking
River Stone Manor in Scotia. Even while shopping at the Art Store in Stuyvesant
Plaza, I am reminded of Greta and Shane's Wedding on Whiteface Mountain (09/09)
as I stand in awe of the photography of Greta's Dad, a noted Adirondack
landscape photographer.

I smile to think about Sean and Amy (Albany Country Club 06/08) and Jane Ann and
Bob (Birch Hill 09/08) spending Christmas in their new homes and Maria and
Arleen (Pittsfield 09/09) preparing theirs for an awesome future.

Once in a while I even get a special text message that makes my day like the one
on Christmas from Erin and Zach (10/31/09) or the one at 3:30 am when Luz gave
birth to let me know she and her little one were healthy and happy. What a
superb start to my day!

Sometimes I get a note from a couple that had a rough year, a death in the
family, an illness, or a sadness. I am honored to hear from them and I pray for
them. I am glad to know they realize that I am still here for them if they need
me. It is sad to hear of life's difficulties, but then again, I remember the
happy times we have shared and the babies. Just as I say when we do the
ceremony: life has many seasons but the important part is to hold on and
weather them side by side.

As I ended this year with the wedding of Josh and Cristina (Desmond 12/31/09), I
reflected that whatever the season or reason, I love hearing about my couples
and families and staying a part of their lives. I am very blessed to do what I
love and love what I do. Thank you to all who include me in your love and life
story.

Doubly Blessed 11/14/09

I had the wonderful opportunity to create a custom ceremony for Laura and David on Saturday 11/14/09. They wanted a very intimate ceremony because they are planning to have a larger ceremony on Long Island when more of Laura's family can join them in the US from Ecuador.

The ceremony was held at the Raindancer in Amsterdam. Since many of Laura's relatives that live in NY and NJ came, I had the opportunity to welcome them in Spanish. Then the ceremony continued in English with custom readings and personalized vows I provided for them them to make their ceremony a PERFECT beginning for their new life. They were pronounced husband and wife in both languages but for the kiss no instruction in either language was necessary. What a beautiful couple and I wish them so many years of joy.

I loved meeting all of their family members and sharing the joy with them. Everyone was happy because initially Laura and David thought they would only be able to have a standard civil ceremony provided by a JP or something officiated by someone unknown. When they found me and learned that I am also a chaplain, they were delighted to have a ceremony that was personalized for them. That is the way everyone should get married with a meaningful ceremony!

I was touched to be expressly invited by the family to be present to hear a letter read that was sent by the bride's mother and read and translated by Esperanza. What a treasure for David and his family and Laura and her family to be given a mother's blessing on your wedding day!

Another exceptional gift of the day was that just outside the door to the room where Laurita and David married was a couple celebrating 46 years of marriage at the restaurant. Laura and David walked past them with their blessing, to begin their new life as husband and wife.
This was definitely good karma for all.

So after I officiated for Laura and David, I went outside the room and offered Vince and Jean an opportunity to have their vows renewed. They renewed their vows with the new ones Laura and David had just taken. Jean and Vince are such a great couple and the moment of renewing their vows to one another in the presence of their loved ones was a sacred sight to behold and participate in. I feel honored to have been in their company.

Congratulations to Jean and Vince and Laura and David and never let your extraordinary love become ordinary.