RITUAL: Handfasting at Two Harbors on Catalina Island

Handfasting at Two Harbors on Catalina Island, originally uploaded by dj venus.

Did you know handfasting was the origin of the term 'tie the knot'?

This private ceremony, sometimes referred to as an elopement, involved just the couple, and took place on a weekday. They graciously brought me to Two Harbors with them (and their kitten!?!), where we had a beautiful wedding on the rocky coast of the beach.  It was SO lovely to see the happy couple congratulated by the locals and the tourists, as they strolled through town....

For more information, please contact A NON-DENOMINATIONAL CEREMONY for your small, destination, home, backyard, private or beach wedding. Available for your civil, secular, not religious, spiritual, alternative, non-traditional, simple, affordable and/or last-minute ceremony!

Aquarium of the Pacific: Long Beach Wedding Officiant

Aquarium of the Pacific: Long Beach Wedding Officiant, originally uploaded by dj venus.

Congratulations E & E !

This couple from back east held their multicultural, secular Brazilian / Vietnamese wedding ceremony on 21 August 2010.

When i asked the bride if the ceremony was long/short enough, i was excited to hear her say, "It was PERFECT!"

For more information, please email A NON-DENOMINATIONAL CEREMONY at www.ceremonyceremony.com .

INTERESTING: What is the wedding ceremony of your dreams??!

Whatever it is, just be sure to do it your way. 

Star Wars Geek's Wedding Daydream. 
Another cool postcard courtesy of POST SECRET.

Whether you want your ceremony to be simple, fast, musical, unusual, non-traditional, spiritual, secular or not religious, be married YOUR way!  For more information, please contact venus, Southern California officiant, ordained minister and certified Life-Cycle Celebrant® at A Non-Denominational Ceremony.  Also available for funeral/memorial service, new baby/adoption, home blessing, job or retirement, divorce, animal or pet or any public or private event.

NEWS: LGBT Couples Must Wait a Few More Months to Marry in CA

The Ninth Circuit STAYS Judge Walker’s ruling; Appeal Scheduled Dec. 6th
#1: Same-sex couples will have to wait until at least December, to be married in California.  The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the stay.
#2: The Court desires a quick resolution and they understand the importance of the case.  Therefore, Prop. 8 supporters’ opening brief is due in just a month and the hearing will happen on December 6th.
#3: The Court specifically orders Prop 8 proponents to show why this case should not be dismissed for lack of standing.



The decision, issued by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, overrides Judge Vaughn Walker's order to allow county clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Wednesday.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who handles emergency motions in the West for the high court, may be consulted if Prop. 8 supporters successfully appeal.

Per Prop. 8 Trial Tracker

More info at REUTERS.

NEWS: Same Sex Marriage in California to Resume on Wednesday 18 Aug. 2010!!!

On August 18, 2010 at 5 PM PDT, defendants and all persons under their control or supervision shall cease to apply or enforce Proposition 8.

As stated on page three, line 10 of the final stay order issued today:

"As official proponents under California law, proponents organized the successful campaign for Proposition 8. Doc #708 at 58-59 (FF 13, 15). Nevertheless, California does not grant proponents the authority or the responsibility to enforce Proposition 8. "

 See a pdf of the entire final stay order as written by the Honorable Vaughn Walker, US District Chief Judge. You can also keep up to date with PROP 8 TRIAL TRACKER.

In other news, please see this powerful, logical argument in an interview on Fox News with Ted Olson, the former US Solicitor General:

Long Beach Wedding Officiant at Jellyfish Cove

Congratulations Patty and Tim!  Married on 7 Aug. 2010, this couple chose to have their wedding ceremony right above Jellyfish Cove in Long Beach. 

Although the jellyfish weren't in full effect, the sun and the water were, providing a beautiful backdrop for the couple and their small group of guests, which consisted of their children and one close friend.

Also in full effect was the Long Beach Sprint Nationals powerboat race, which was taking place several neighbourhoods over at the Long Beach Marine Stadium. Luckily, the couple had a GREAT sense of humour, and didn't mind the sound of powerboat engines roaring away in the background!  :)

Temecula Wedding Officiant at Ponte Winery in Temecula, CA

Congratulations, Mar. and Bri.!  These two attorneys from the East Coast were wed in front of Ponte Winery's vineyard in Temecula.

Photo by Joel Austell.

As they were planning to write the ceremony text themselves, the couple needed an officiant who was willing to read just a few passages, since most of the ceremony was to be performed by friends, loved ones and the couple themselves.  As more of a host or master of ceremonies (as well as a professional qualified to solemnise the marriage), my job was to introduce the various sections of the ceremony, as we transitioned from speaker to speaker. 

You may have found this wedding unusual, but the ceremony not only reflected the couple, and the significant people in their lives, but it accomplished what ceremony, tradition and ritual were originally designed to do.  It actively involved those who were undergoing the transition and experiencing this new passage in their lives.  And, friends and family were given an opportunity to be included in the ceremony as participants, rather than merely as spectators!

ART: Beautiful paper sculptures from artist Jen Stark

via JEN STARK via Boomaloom

GEEK: Mini Slide Projector Built Into Wedding Ring ?!!

What happens when a glass artist gets engaged, and collaborates with a jewelry designer on a one-of-a-kind wedding ring?

You get this: a beautiful and truly one-of-a-kind symbol of love!  The idea was inspired by peephole trinkets from the 19th century called stanhopes (think of those small backlit projector things you held up to your eye, when you used to go to Magic Mountain and they would take your photo at the entrance to the park).  The artist is Luke Jerram, and he collaborated with jewelry maker Bijendra Tamrakar.

NEWS: CA Same-Sex Marriage Still Not Allowed Until Stay for Pending Appeal Takes Effect

Regarding same-sex marriage, the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) of Los Angeles stated:

"...the RR/CC will comply with the orders of the court, and as such are unable to expand our services to same sex couples until entry of the final judgment."

What to do, now that Proposition 8 was overturned by the U.S. District Court?  Unfortunately, nothing, for  now.  A press release stating as such was issued by the City of Los Angeles on 4 August 2010, followed by a copy of the actual Order Granting the Stay.  Further info from the L.A. Times is here.

The Orange County Clerk-Recorder's office has not issued any statement as of noon 6 August 2010.

POETRY: "The Life That I Have" by Leo Marks

The Life That I Have 

by Leo Marks

The life that I have

Is all that I have

And the life that I have

Is yours

The love that I have

Of the life that I have

Is yours and yours and yours.

A sleep I shall have

A rest I shall have

Yet death will be but a pause

For the peace of my years

In the long green grass

Will be yours and yours and yours.

Leo Marks was an English cryptographer, screenwriter and playwright. The poem The Life That I Have was written in memory of his girlfriend Ruth, who died in a plane crash in Canada. It was composed on Christmas Eve in 1943.

And yes, this was a reading from Chelsea Clinton's wedding ceremony!  i liked it because it was not a typical passage (at least, not as typical as many other wedding readings...), and it really is lovely.