SYMBOLS & TRADITION: L.A. Roadside Memorials

"Homemade monuments to those we’ve lost are all over town, built by friends and loved ones as reminders to be careful—and as a way of saying good-bye."

-- from Los Angeles Magazine

For more detailed information about this artistic roadside memorial, and the motorcyclist whose death unfortunately affirmed the dangerousness of Mulholland Drive, see Shrines: The Giving Tree in LA Mag.

PHOTO: 30 Rock Wedding - Liz Lemon Marries Criss Cross

from Season 7's episode "Maazel Tov, Dummies" on NBC, originally uploaded by dj venus.

"I reject the wedding industry's phallocentric fairytale grotesquerie."

As one should!

Liz Lemon, left, in her Princess Leia wedding dress, married boyfriend Criss Cross in a civil ceremony last night. With Jack Donaghy, far left, and former boyfriend and pager king Dennis Duffy on far right.

YOU can reject the grotesquerie, too! Have the wedding ceremony YOU want. Contact A Non-Denominational Ceremony for your wedding officiant in Los Angeles, Orange County and greater Southern California.

Via Flickr.

VIDEO: NYPD's "It Gets Better" for LGBT Youth

In light of today's Supreme Court discussion to consider whether or not to take on the same-sex marriage issue, i discovered this video featuring New York Police Department's Gay Officers Action League president; NYPD Commissioner Kelly; their LGBT community liaison and NYPD officers.

NEWS: $30k really the average cost of a Southern California wedding??!

You don't have to spend the cost of a new car to have your wedding in Orange County or Los Angeles... do you? The latest comprehensive report by the Wedding Report website has been released for the Orange County and Los Angeles areas. Among other things, it states the average cost of a Southern California wedding is over $30,000 (thirty thousand dollars)??!!

The report states the following statistics for the 2011 Orange County wedding industry: Number of Weddings 20,314. Average Wedding Cost $31,975. Market Value $650 Million. Average Number of Guests 142 - 152. Online Market Value $158 Million. Number of Wedding Businesses 2,228 - 2,475.

According to the same website, in the Los Angeles/Long Beach/Santa Ana metropolitan area, the following represents the wedding market in 2011:

Number of Weddings in Los Angeles/Long Beach/Santa Ana 78,508. Average Wedding Cost $30,245. Market Value $2.4 Billion. Average Number of Guests 135 - 145. Online Market Value $474 Million. Number of Wedding Businesses 10,007 - 11,119.

Contact A NON-DENOMINATIONAL CEREMONY if you need a modern, inclusive wedding ceremony officiant. You CAN have the wedding you want, even if it means choosing to spend less!

Statistics via © 2005 - 2012 The Wedding Report, Inc., All rights reserved.

VIDEO: Crystal Cove Wedding near Newport Beach, CA

Lovely ceremony footage begins at 2:30 mark!!! ♥♥♥

Harley & Kristia Hylton - Feature from Unscene Visuals on Vimeo.

Beautiful work shot by Ryan, ®Unscene Visuals.

TRADITION: Wine Box - Handmade for Ceremony with Family Participation

WINE BOX WEDDING TRADITION. (clockwise from top left:
wine with wedding year vintage; wine box handmade by couple; copy of wedding vows: photo;
wedding invitation [under photo]; nails and hammer.)

Recently, a couple i wed chose to include a made-by-hand wine box (or is it winebox ?) in their wedding ceremony.  Their box included a bottle of wine from 2012, the year of their marriage; a copy of marriage vows; a  picture they took together, and their wedding invitation. These items served as symbols and as a reminder of their love for one another, on this day, and leading up to it. 

The wine box was built of wood and the couple constructed and stained the wine box themselves.  Once the box was filled during the ceremony, the couple invited their parents to come forward and help them hammer the nails to seal the box shut.  The box is like a wedding time capsule, because it will not be opened until their tenth anniversary.

Other alternatives or variations of winebox contents to consider: wine from the year you first met or began dating; ticket stub from concert or event at which you first met; the first photo you took together; a souvenir or symbol from an important shared occasion (e.g. a party favour from New Year's Eve; fortune of fortune cookie from your first date; etc.)...  Or, in line with the time capsule concept: if you are having a small wedding (or not!?), ask your guests to bring an item that represents your friendship or relationship to contribute to the box.  The possibilities are many, and limited only by what you consider appropriate!

For more information, please contact A Non-Denominational Ceremony at www.ceremonyceremony.com .

READING: Love is a friendship that has caught fire...

Sounds like an adaptation or modern-ish wording and expansion of that ol' passage from Corinthians... 

"Love is a friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weakness. Love is content with the present. It hopes for the future and it doesn’t brood over the past. It’s the day-in and day-out chronicle of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals. If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack. "

MANY thanks to RaSmi, my coworker, who sent this to me. She'll be reading it at a friend's wedding back home in Wisconsin!

i want to attribute this passage to its rightful author, yet googol has failed me...  Lots of websites state names of different people who wrote this: among them, Caron Farnham and an advice columnist.  For now, i will say the author is unknown.  If you definitively know who wrote this, and can authenticate, PLEASE leave a comment or email me through my website.  Thank you!

NEWS: National Marriage Equality Day is 7 August 2012

DISCLAIMER: Please note, venus kitagawa-stojsic, officiant and Life-Cycle Celebrant® of A Non-Denominational Ceremony,  fully endorses, supports, believes in, officiates ceremonies for and advocates LGBT causes and marriage equality but is not listed on the above website because its vendors must pay to advertise.

WEDDING: Officiant for Outdoor Garden Ceremony in Pasadena, CA

Happy Trails Catering Garden Wedding, originally uploaded by dj venus.

The deck surrounding the camphor tree was a lovely garden setting for a wedding!

 

Congratulations, Gary & Shawna!

For more information: www.ceremonyceremony.com

NEWS: 405 Freeway Wilshire Ramp Closures and Los Angeles Wedding Season

Beginning Friday, June 22, 2012 until at least the end of September 2012, the I-405 NORTH off-ramp to WESTBOUND Wilshire and the WESTBOUND Wilshire on-ramp to I-405 NORTH will be closed for a majour reconstruction project.

Multiple ramp closures will influence traffic flow for miles, extending well beyond the 90 days anticipated to demolish and rebuild these first two of eight total ramps joining Wilshire Boulevard and the 405 freeway. Demolition and construction of all eight Wilshire ramps is expected to take more than ONE YEAR.



View CLOSURE: Wilshire Blvd ramps at 405 Fwy in a larger map
Be sure to plan ahead more than usual if you are attending, planning, working or participating in a Southern California wedding or ceremony. Inform others and be aware of alternate routes, as the closures and reconstruction of these two and the other six Wilshire ramps are expected to create significant impacts to Wilshire Blvd. and adjoining streets, such as Federal Ave., Sepulveda Blvd. and Veteran Ave. Sunset Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd may be alternatives, but we all know how crowded Los Angeles streets are already, during heavy traffic periods!

And don't forget to plan accordingly around other ceremonies, including graduation and funerals, plus parades, rallies, sports games, concerts, attractions, points of interest and other public and private events, too. For more information, consult Los Angeles Metro's website (But be warned mobile phone users and browsers, the site uses Flash. Yuck.) and on LA Metro's Twitt'r: @I_405 .

Good luck out there, and happy wedding-ing! :)

Contact A NON-DENOMINATIONAL CEREMONY: A modern officiant and certified Life-Cycle Celebrant® to create and perform your custom-written ceremony. Serving Los Angeles, Orange County, Ojai, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Catalina Island, Malibu, Temecula, Big Bear and beyond!

CEREMONY: Bestowing the "Gypsy Robe" on Broadway

The tradition honours a cast member, blesses a production and creates an artifact, simultaneously!

WEDDING: Pasadena Officiant for Backyard Ceremony

Officiant for Handmade DIY Backyard Wedding, originally uploaded by dj venus.

A handmade DIY wedding, anyone?

Congratulations, Ro. & Se.! (This couple was almost too good looking for me to officiate for. ;-P )

That gorgeous backdrop was designed and assembled by the now-wife, as were the blankets everyone sat upon during the ceremony. The wedding was a small affair, with about 20 people, mostly family, in attendance. Picnic lunch, eaten lazing on the ground, was followed by a seated dessert with drinks.

It was a gorgeous sight, and one i will NOT forget.
Via Flickr:
www.ceremonyceremony.com

©Sweet Monday Photography.

NEWS: Los Angeles Magazine's wedding announcements section

Los Angeles Magazine is now accepting proposal stories from local couples. If you've recently proposed marriage, or have been proposed to, they want to learn about your story.

So far, (as of 1 May 2012) there are only NINE stories posted on the website , so don't hesitate, get up there!  This is a much easier process than the New York Times wedding announcements, for sure.  :)

FYI to submit your account of the proposal, you need to be registered with the magazine website.  You can get more information at Los Angeles Magazine.  Good luck and have fun!

IDEAS: Purple Table Settings and Accents

A Pasadena backyard was the remarkable setting for a wedding ceremony i officiated on Easter Sunday 2012. This beautiful table, set against the home's garage, is where the couple and their guests sat for wine and cheese / dessert!

Photo by Lindsey of Sweet Mondays Photography

VIDEO: The Love Competition

The Love Competition from Brent Hoff on Vimeo - Because "Love is a feeling you have for someone you have feelings about."

Thanks to Jonathan Goldstein of WireTap on CBC for turning me on to Kent and Marilyn Pelz!

INTERESTING: What is love?

It has been a while since we last posted a POST SECRET secret.  In honour of the week after Valentine's Day, here's a lovely postcard for you:

"When you told me your deepest darkest secret, a secret that made you think your (sic) a bad person that's when you looked the most beautiful and I knew I really do love you."

MUSIC: That's All sung by Edie Adams [VIDEO]

lyrics to THAT'S ALL


I can only give you love that lasts forever
And a promise to be near each time you call
And the only heart I own
For you and you alone

That's all
That's all

I can only give you country walks in springtime
And a hand to hold when leaves begin to fall
And a love whose burning light
Will warm the winter's night

That's all
That's all

There are those I am sure who have told you
They would give you the world for a toy
All I have are these arms to enfold you
[. From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/m/michael-buble-lyrics/that_s-all-lyrics.html .]
And a love even time can't destroy

If you're wondering what I'm asking in return, dear
You'll be glad to know that my demands are small
Say it's me that you'll adore
For now and evermore

That's all
That's all

If you're wondering what I'm asking in return, dear
You'll be glad to know that my demands are small
Say it's me that you'll adore
For now and evermore

That's all
That's all

Songwriters: Haymes, Bob; Brandt, Alan E.;
© WARNER-TAMERLANE PUBLISHING CORP; MIXED BAG MUSIC INC;

NEWS: "Best of Class Wedding Officiant" Recognition

A Non-Denominational Ceremony is Named to the 2012 Wedding Professional Hot List

2 Jan, 2012 - MomentVille.com, one of the worlds leading wedding websites, is pleased to announced that A Non-Denominational Ceremony has been selected for the 2012 Wedding Professional Hot List.

The annual Wedding Professional Hot List recognizes excellence within the wedding industry, as determined by reviews from tens of thousands of brides and grooms. A Non-Denominational Ceremony was among the best reviewed vendors in the past year.

"The Wedding Professional Hot List recognizes best of class wedding professionals." said Geoff Evason, MomentVille's CEO. "Highlighting the success of the top wedding professionals is an exciting way to spread the word and help newly engaged couples find the right professionals for their own weddings."

About A Non-Denominational Ceremony
Venus Kitagawa-Stojsic of A Non-Denominational Ceremony offers a modern, individualized approach to the ceremony tradition.  Venus is an ordained, non-denominational minister with over ten years experience officiating, speaking in public and leading groups. Her unique approach personalizes each ceremony, which is custom-written and performed to reflect her clients' values, cultures and tastes from the unusual to the traditional.  Venus is certified by the Celebrant Institute & Foundation.  She graduated from Chapman University in Orange, CA.  For more information, see www.ceremonyceremony.com . 

About MomentVille
MomentVille.com offers engaged couples and wedding enthusiasts a one stop place for planning and sharing a wedding. Offering free wedding websites, wedding planning tools, a gorgeous gallery of wedding pictures a searchable list of reviewed wedding vendors, and lots of helpful and inspiring wedding content, MomentVille helps newlyweds with all aspects of their wedding. For more information contact media@momentville.com