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Love Stories
The young girl who shared her love of flowers, the couple who want to marry by a lake for a very interesting reason, the girls with their eye on a beach ceremony, the couple who want something a little different to the norm, the woman who wants simple elegance for her daughter, le couple qui veut se marier au printemps, the guy who proposed under water…and more. Yesterday was a great day for stories….. Food for my soul.
Meeting you
Meeting people is one of the beautiful aspects of my job as a celebrant. It may sound cliched, but its true. Getting to know people more intimately, hearing their love stories is actually what makes my job the best in the world. I am eternally grateful for the stories that are shared with me.
Often at wedding events I meet many people seeking inspiration for their wedding. Marion Jonkers Photography shared the following lovely image, taken as she walked past my stall. And thank you to Willow Bud Flowers for the inspiring bottles of blooms. And thanks to all those people who shared their dreams, their wishes, their desires and their love stories.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”40155″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Hearing Your Love Stories
The stories that are shared with me are precious. Some have said, “one day you could write a book…”. Well actually I don’t need to publish the book. The stories I tell are for particular occasions for specific people and places; an intimate tale for a ceremony. A wedding, commitment or indeed a funeral or baby naming ceremony are about stories. Real stories of people’s lives. They are fascinating, deep, layered and unique tales of individual lives. They tell tales from a particular perspective and experience. With these shared stories I can weave a ceremony that is a real reflection of real lives.
Let me write and tell your love story.
I look forward to helping tell the stories of some couples who I met at a recent wedding expo. The glimpses had were enough to entice me to want to explore these stories more deeply.
The stories I mentioned briefly, well these are the stories that make my job the best in the world.
Well that and sipping champagne in the bath! (Thanks to Marion Jonkers for this image as well!)[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”40152″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
with Kari – theme dressed, Sunshine Coast wedding celebrant
Themed Wedding
Congratulations to Anna and Bryn, who chose a 60’s beach theme for their wedding day.
Whenever I met up with Anna and Bryn, they seemed to have just come from some amazing fitness activity. I was impressed by their approach to organising their wedding, too. Casual, down to earth, and real.
Married at the Beach
They did wish to marry at the beach, Point Cartwright in fact. They chose this particular headland for the memories of their first date there. But also for the connection to place, for the intimacy that we felt gathered in a group, looking out over a beautiful and vast ocean, looking far into the distance. And I guess it is a perfect metaphor for marriage. We are also looking into the far distance, the distant future of two peoples lives, a life chosen to spend together, with a shared vision of future.
When I first met Anna and Bryn, they both described the other as fun but strong willed. They also described the adventurous spirit they both share. They love to seek new experiences. On this, their wedding day, they chose a theme to help everyone have fun, and get into the spirit.
Surfboard Signing Table
When they talked about their wedding theme, beach 60’s, I immediately asked if they had considered a surfboard for a signing table. They instantly took this idea on board. (!!!).
Ceremony reading
I appreciated their choice of ceremony reading, The Desiderata. Reading it now one would never believe it was written in 1927, by Max Ehrmann
It counsels:
Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
This is what they said;
Kari is a truly special person and made our ceremony very special too. Her choice of words, and affinity with nature and the ocean are unique and was exactly what we were looking for. Working with Kari pre-ceremony was a lovely experience. She is thorough and competent but relaxed with never a stressful moment. We cannot recommend Kari enough. Many of our guests came up and specially complimented us on Kari’s service asking for her details. We feel extremely lucky than we found Kari – she is just brilliant.
Anna and Bryn
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Have you considered felt flowers for your wedding bouquet? Here is a story of a couple who did…. and how they sourced these amazing flowers for a wedding bouquet that reflected their exact choice of blooms.
Congratulations to Cherie and Josh on their stunning wedding on the Mooloolaba Spit Parklands.
Would it rain, would it not??? A teensy drop of drizzle chased all the beach-goers away, and left the whole beach and parklands to Cherie and Josh for their wedding. Thank you sky. Thanks for the cooling blessing of a drop of water, AND for a rain free wedding ceremony.
Rain and Retro
However today’s story is not of rain blessings, nor of beach and delightful parks for a wedding.
Nor is it even about their choice of retro styling their wedding, nor arrival in the heritage red kombi van from Deluxe Kombis. Although I must admit I did appreciate the beautiful restored ruby kombi parked next to my own retro car, a pt cruiser… However I divert myself.
Felt Flowers
Cherie and Josh inspired me with their choice of flowers. Flowers in the glass bulbs hanging in trees, flowers at the belt of the flower girls, in lapels of groomsmen and in the hands of bridesmaids and bride. But all made from felt.
Cherie found them on Etsy, from a gorgeous maker in Albania called Livija Kandele, who showcases her felted creations on her daughter’s Etsy shop. By the time wedding flower styles and colours had been negotiated, they were firm friends. Cherie tells me she will miss her weekly online chat with her new friend, the felter. Livija, a craftswoman from Albania, wove her creativity into new realms with the design of new flowers especially for this Australian wedding by the beach.
Cherie said: “She had never made wedding flowers before, but sells hand and needle felted brooches, toys and various homeware items, on her daughter’s Etsy store- Liga Kandele. I actually began talking with Liga initially who coordinated with her mother, and took professional photos of the work to send me as her mother progressed. Livija agreed that she would be happy to give wedding flowers a try, and I ended up speaking back and forth with both mother and daughter about the detail of the flowers quite regularly. They were both amazing, and so extremely helpful and accommodating to my very specific requests!”
Cherie and Josh had clear ideas on the colour scheme for their wedding. In line with their retro theming, and using a classic autumn colour palette, they chose browns and oranges and yellows and cream. The flowers were quite symbolic too.
They selected Australian yellow wattle for their home country,
English roses for the long time they spent living in England,
North American russet red spotted tiger lily flowers for their time in Canada, and creamy citrus blossoms, traditional for weddings in times gone by.
The combinations were just stunning.
Cherie told me,” The dark orange flower is an orange spotted tiger lily. This flower was actually the main reason why I started looking into getting flowers made in the first place! I had a Sesame Street “Little Golden Book” when I was little, where big bird walked around the neighbourhood with flowers giving them to different people – describing the different types of flowers as he went. I always had a fascination and love for the orange spotted tiger lily in the book – it had stuck in my brain all this time! I noticed over the years that I’d never seen a tiger lily quite like that in Australia – they look different here. So I started researching it for the wedding and found that these type of flowers mostly come from North America. We had just moved back from living in North America (Canada), so I thought why not include that, plus a flower from England, and one from Australia – the three places Josh and I had lived together 🙂
To set off the flowers and their colours, the boys dressed in browns and carried brown umbrellas. Very classy!
And the girls dressed in individual retro dresses in mustard yellows, and carried brown polka dot umbrellas. The overall effect was simply gorgeous, set under the she oak trees in the park.
Photos by Kari – the celebrant!
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