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We do not live by bread alone, and we cannot survive without salt. In Russia there is a wedding tradition….
But first a story.
I remember from childhood a story about three sisters, the daughters of a king. He asked of them, “How much do you love me?”
One replied, “Father I love you like all the diamonds in your crown.”
Another said, “Daddy, I love you as much as all the gold in your vault.”
The third thoughtfully and simply said, “Dad, I love you like salt”.
Unfortunately the king did not appreciate this sentiment, and banished his daughter from his kingdom.
Many years later, during his travels as an ageing man, he stumbled across another far away kingdom, and was welcomed by the royal family. Not recognising his long lost daughter at the head of the family, she served up a banquet with no salt. The food was tasteless and terrible, and he spat out the food saying it was inedible.
So she brought to the table a bowl of salt and asked if he wished to add this to the food. “Father, I still love you like salt. I meant that life is not only tasteless without you, I can not live without you.”
There is a Russian wedding tradition of bread and salt. And it is Alex and Scott who introduced me to this tradition.
So in love
So congratulations to Alex and Scott married with such joy at Maleny Manor.
Alex and Scott were a delight from day one. They are so in love, and out to have fun, yet are very comfortable with their respective heritage.
In recognition of Alex’s Russian background she chose to honour a tradition passed down the line of women in her family. And what women! Her Mother and Auntie came out from Germany and Russia to make it happen!
Bread and Salt
There is a Russian wedding tradition of Bread and Salt.
“Bread is the head of everything”. This Russian proverb explains the importance of bread in Russia for many centuries.
Bread is life and bread is hospitality.
Salt is a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
The night before the wedding day, Alex’s Mum, Marina and Aunt Ira baked a special bread with salt in the centre. At the completion of their wedding ceremony, Alex and Scott broke the bread, dipped it in salt and shared this gift of food with each other. It was a touching moment, a nod to family and a sweet (or should I say tasty) completion to a ceremony.
This tradition symbolises that they’ll never be without the necessities of life and they will always take care of each other. And I trust that in this case they always will.
This is what they said:
From the very first meeting we were sure that our ceremony was in good hands with Kari.
We felt an instant connection and understanding by her of who we are and what our relationship is all about. The writing of the ceremony was painless, easy and just wonderful, including many personal touches and a great flow. Communication was effortless and we had the most wonderful ceremony reflecting who we truly are. We received many compliments from our family and friends on our ceremony and it will be a treasured part of our magical wedding day.
Thank you Kari! You are all that we ever wished for and more!
Alexandra & Scott
Thank you to Talitha and James from Artography for the wonderful images.
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When I begin planning a unique ceremony with couples, they often ask what they must do, and what they can do.
Well the answer is that the Australian marriage law is very flexible. There is no compulsion to be in a registered marriage office, as in Europe, nor to mention God in a civil ceremony. There is so much leeway to have the wedding ceremony of your own style and tone.
There are however a set of words that must be said. Some by the celebrant and a sentence by the couple. The marriage vows must include a set of words that could be considered a little dry. Of course you can add any other words of your choice. Have a peek at David and Amber’s Day at Maleny Manor then read on to see how he managed with those words.
Thanks to LM Images for the amazing photos.
Amber and David’s is a love that grew over time, having begun when they first met on the hospital touch football team. As they got to know each other, through social outings with mutual friends and through their work at the hospital, Amber and Dave discovered that touch was just one of the many passions that they had in common. Both being doctors, they have a wealth of education to draw inspiration from.
David is an especially creative soul with words. He managed to take the legal sentence from the marriage vows and turn it into poetry. David promised ……
I call upon the people here today,
To witness these words I’m about to say:
I, David Liu
Take Amber Peckston – you
To be my lawful wedded wife
Starting today for the rest of my life
I will be your partner in all things
No matter what challenges life will bring
I promise to help you cook and clean,
And try my best to stay reasonably lean
I promise I’ll try to stay alive
When I’m hanging out with these 2 guys
(at this point he gestured towards the groomsmen, his partners on adventures of the extreme kind!)
I promise to amend and shake my fist
When people call you a psychologist
You’ll never fight your fights alone
I’ll share your dreams like they are my own
I promise in 50 years I will still say
I love you, as strongly as I did today.
It was a delight to work with Amber and David, in creating their wedding ceremony
What they said of Kari:
David and I would like to sincerely thank you for all of the hard work you put into creating a beautiful ceremony for us. You were always there when we had questions and so prompt with your replies. Your interactions with our guests and your delivery of our ceremony was flawless.
Amber & Dave
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What a wedding. What a happiness. What a lovely couple.
Joanne and Ed were married in love and laughter at Maleny Manor. This was a wedding full of joy and laughs, full of story and tradition, but never lost the lighter side of life. As a wedding celebrant it is pure joy to come across a couple who laugh as much as they love.
The fun began as the bridal party, both groomsmen and bridesmaids, entered in ones or twos to their own themed music. Each pair or individual had worked on an aisle routine, dancing across the grass to lift spirits of all there. By the time the bride arrived, everyone was laughing. We knew we were in for a GREAT time.
This wedding honoured several traditions. There were of course the marriage traditions that we all know and love, an exchange of rings, a bride in white, a groom handsomely dressed, bridesmaids walking down the aisle, and a reading or two.
But this wedding was so much more. Jo wanted to pay tribute to her Filipino heritage, so we included several traditions from her heritage. Allow me to look at some of these traditions. For ritual makes a ceremony so riveting and deeply personal.
Candle Ritual
It is a wonderful tradition to light a candle at a wedding; taking the lights of two individual personalities and together igniting a common future, a common pathway into that future and a light to walk together by. On this day it was a Filipino one. The candle symbolises the light of their marriage. It reminds them to always keep it happy and bright, to keep the flame alive. In the Filipino tradition family light this candle for the couple.
Veil Ritual
A veil is draped over the couple’s heads, drawing them both together. It symbolises protection and being clothed as one, it is about the shelter marriage provides the couple.
Cord Ritual
A cord is then draped over the veil, in a ring over each head, like simple wedding crowns. The cord symbolises eternity and union.
Coin Ritual
The Groom gives coins to his bride symbolising that he promises to provide and support this marriage. She accepts the coins promising also to support this marriage.
Now whilst I can’t show you these rituals in images, I can show you how they decorated their tables. The reception room at Maleny Manor looked splendiferous, and like the Cheshire cat, I was beaming as I took these photos. 
This is what they said;
Kari was absolutely professional from start to finish. We had a destination wedding, and planned the whole event from Cairns. Through emails and phone calls, Kari has created a lovely and very personal bespoke ceremony for us. She was very patient throughout the planning process, and even helped me out with my vows at 5am the morning of our wedding. She included my Filipino background throughout the ceremony, and it was a really special touch.
On our wedding day, she turned up in professional lovely outfit that complimented our ceremony. She made sure the music was ready, and that the bridal party was set. She was amazing throughout the ceremony that we felt at ease, and loved every minute of it.
Thank you so much Kari for the amazing day! Edward and Joanne
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And who brings the rings?
There is that moment in a wedding when the marriage celebrant looks up and asks who brings the wedding rings.
Sometimes its grandma. Occasionally a favourite pet or a child with a cushion.
Generally it is the moment for the Best Man to pat every pocket in his suit and pretend he has forgotten the rings. It gets a little laugh, and then he breaks out in a smile and fishes a ring box from his pocket.
I encourage this little game to lighten the mood at a wedding ceremony. The best man has his moment of fame, and everyone is relieved that nothing is going to go wrong. “Just joking”, his smile says!
From the beginning
Jason and April’s wedding began like expected. Jason waited patiently for his bride, accompanied by his groomsmen. As the marriage celebrant I waited with the guys, calming them about late brides & would she arrive.
Held on the shores of Lake Baroon in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, at Secrets On the Lake, we all enjoyed being outside in the warm sun with rainforest all around.
The girls soon arrived, to oohs and aahs, and the wedding ceremony got underway.
It was, so far, what the guests expected; a little emotional, some laughs, a sweet and funny love story.
The ceremony approached the moment to exchange rings.
What if he doesn’t?
But what happens when the best man looks genuinely worried, and gives a meaningful but slight shake to his head, looking back at the celebrant with a “Don’t ask me!” expression on his face.
I continued the charade and asked him to check all his pockets. Fortunately Matt was a good sport, and didn’t mind when we all looked at him expectantly. He just continued to shake his head and look at me, the celebrant, with expectation. Perhaps he might have guessed something was up. Note the groom looking away…..
Enter an eagle
Suddenly everyone felt the air above their heads move, as Soren the eagle swooped down almost touching the hairdos of the entire guestlist.
There were many audible gasps as the wind from his wings lifted spirits in surprise, startled us all and brought an emotional tear even to my eye. At that moment I felt the awe of nature, of the power in one creature, the wonder in life around us. This huge bird swooped over us all, and landed on the arm of Jason, the Groom who by this stage had donned a leather glove for protection.
Soren
Soren, the eagle, is specially trained to carry wedding rings. They hang from his tresses on his ankles. Paul, his trainer keeps a nature refuge, a training and conservation centre for wounded animals. Soren is a star of Broadwings Events.
Paul very kindly allowed me to hold Soren for a photo after the ceremony and photos were over. I can assure you there is nothing like holding a powerful bird on your arm, and experiencing a wild creature so close.
Allowing nature in
Many say that the presence of water blesses a marriage like no other. There is plenty of water at Secrets on the Lake, one of the most beautiful wedding venues on the Sunshine Coast. The lake over which the tree houses look is actually the drinking water for this area. It is special water, clean water, and was a very special blessing for this couple. To honour the place and the water, April and Jason chose a finale ritual for their wedding.
The pebble toss…
Guests were invited to participate in a Celtic wedding tradition, that of the Pebble Toss. Stones were handed to each guest at the conclusion of the ceremony. Behind this tradition is the notion that natural things can anchor a thought. It is important that water is involved in the pebble toss. Water is the element that represents emotion and spirit. In a wedding it is about wishing prosperity and flow. The stone is the carrier of wishes and prayers, happy hopes and cheeky thoughts for April and Jason’s future.
Holding their pebble for a moment, each guest waited by the shores of the lake. Imbued with warm thoughts and story the stones were tossed into the water, sending wishes into the ether to come true for April and Jason.
Thanks to Malin from Love Is A Place Photography for the images.
This is what the couple said:
Kari was one of the vital pieces of our wedding that we couldn’t have done without. We are so glad to have chosen her as our celebrant after a lot of careful searching. We were quite lost as what we wanted, but she listened carefully and crafted for us an amazing ceremony which both we and our guests loved. She also helped us keep our “ring delivery” secret a huge surprise from everyone (rings flown in via wedge-tailed eagle). Kari is a fantastic celebrant and also a truly talented lady. I hope many other couples get to experience the same joy she brings to their ceremonies too. April & Jason
See this wedding story in pictures by Malin from Love Is A Place Photography :
Read about another unusual ring bearer:
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Congratulations to Tom and Ben finally wed in Australia, so they could be together.
Simple with no unnecessary frills
Tom and Ben needed no frills to show they love each other; no huge flowers, fancy clothes or other frilly stuff to declare their commitment to each other. Their wedding was a simple ceremony to declare what is deep and meaningful in a natural way amongst the big trees and forest sounds.
They found each other many years ago actually, in New York at a youth Democratic Education conference. They have since traveled across the world to see and be with each other in their respective countries.
Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens
This year they were able to wed in the glorious Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens with the sounds of the birds and animals as the backdrop, and their close family around them.
Kari, the celebrant gathered the family in the Mossy Log Grove under the canopy of the trees.
Coo – ee
We all cooo-eeed to call the couple. And the birds above answered us too!!
Tom and Ben walked in along the garden path, already hand in hand already joined in spirit, and so happy to be together at last.
And the ceremony began.
But the rings!
Oops, the rings had been left in the car.
No problem, a friend was despatched with the car keys, and he came running back in plenty of time for the vows and the exchange of rings to seal the promises made.
A wedding does not have to cost the earth. Ben was keen to make sure it cost very little, if anything. He was most miffed when he had to pay for a haircut to fix the one he had insisted his mother do!
The family made delicious and healthy decorative picnic fare to share after the ceremony. The gardens are open to the public every day. The couple even chose their wedding clothes from the op shop. Ben found a local artisan to craft rings from reclaimed silver cutlery. And Mum crafted the lovely floral headpiece for the bride from garden flowers.
Friends and family, and even grandma gathered to enjoy the gardens. A teensy early mist of rain meant the gardens were private just for us that day!!!
It was a day about joining two people, not about spending money. A day to celebrate two people in love, who simply want to be together. And they are so happy!
It was a true and simple joy to be there.
Tom said afterwards:
We actually never had to look for a celebrant, the universe just pointed to you. I can remember one year ago Ben was telling me on the phone he met our celebrant and set up a date and place for our wedding. It felt so distant to me… Being on the other side of the globe, not even ready to apply for a visa let alone see it approved. It all sounded like a dream.. Or more like some kind of a rough plan. But still from that point on we were one step closer towards being able to live together. What I find amazing is that I couldn’t imagine us finding anyone else taking your part. I think most celebrants out there wouldn’t relate or able to understand as well as you did. The way we wanted to keep it all simple (but still meaningful). Both of us just felt so happy with it. Thank you so much!
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