VIDEO: TV Host on His Daughter's Wedding Day

"Wallet open, mouth shut." That's how BILL GEIST of CBS News describes his role, for the most part, as he leads us in a taped segment about being the 'Father of the Bride'.

It was broadcast today on the season premiere of CBS Sunday Morning.

IDEAS: Rainbow Cake Jell-o® Shot !??

Rainbow Cake Jelly Shot, originally uploaded by Jelly Shot Test Kitchen.

Here's another gorgeous entry from one of my favourite Flickr sites, the JELLY SHOT TEST KITCHEN.

These are perfect for an LGBT ceremony or any event. The JSTK shows us just how beautiful gelatin can be. Too bad i'm a vegetarian! :))

WEDDING: Los Angeles Arboretum Officiant in Arcadia, CA

Congratulations, Pa. and Jn.!  This couple was married in a rose garden ceremony in front of a few dozen of their closest loved ones.

Arcadia Wedding Officiant

The wedding included a ringwarming and a ceremonial passage through archways, or gates, attended to by four sets of significant people, to mark the couple's transition from single to married life. (Please see the (horribly backlit) photo here. ---->)

It was a beautiful, and meaningful, ceremony, especially when the couple crossed the thresholds together.  Hope to have more photos soon!

VIDEO: Weddings Get an 'I Do Over' on WeTV

i am excited to announce my involvement with an episode of a new WeTV series called I Do Over! i performed the ceremony for Lindsy and Reid in the second episode of the series. Here's a teaser/trailer featuring the show's glamourous yet extremely down-to-earth host and event stylist, Diann Valentine. And please note the officiant at the 1:05 mark... ;-P

The show brings a second chance to couples who were married in less-than-ideal circumstances at their first wedding. This doesn't mean second marriages (although, i think that would be a great idea for another show!); it just means these lucky newlyweds get a 'do over' to have the wedding of their dreams. More details to come!

WEDDING: La Quinta Officiant at CTR Ranch Wedding near Indio and Palm Springs

Celebrant Venus sharing laughs with a fantastic couple!

Congratulations, Dar. and Al.! i had the honour and privilege of officiating (yet another)dream come true for a wedding Celebrant. A private home that sleeps 20 (but probably more) called CTR Ranch was the venue for this incredibly intimate ceremony that would beat any larger wedding in terms of love, friendship, family, celebration and partying!

Food truck Crêpes Bonaparte came out to feed the guests, as well as local hot dog business, the Riverside Hot Dog Company.  Fullerton musician Brett Cain provided entertainment.  Photography by Jake Ogle (not image at left).  More details to follow... i promise!

NEWS: June = (the first) LGBT Heritage Month in Los Angeles!

Thirty years ago, a newly identified cluster of symptoms and illness was first given the term 'Gay Related Immunodeficiency', or GRID, by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).  This first week of June 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of when these disease clusters became recognised as the first cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). 

You can listen to a fantastic account of this time in history in two parts - first with a doctor of infectious diseases, and next with a man living since the early 1980s with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): on Dick Gordon's The Story on APR.

From the mayor's website

Perhaps coincidentally, June is also officially declared as LGBT Pride Month by President Obama's White House and by communities throughout the country.  On Friday, Los Angeles (finally) proclaimed June as LGBT HERITAGE MONTH.

According to the LA Times, Bill Rosendahl was the first openly gay candidate to run and be elected to the City Council in 2005.  On Friday, the Councilman, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck,  along with other city officials, honoured LGBT Angelenos and publicly celebrated the launch of June as LGBT Heritage Month.

The Times went on to say that the "City Council also passed several resolutions on Friday, backing state and federal legislation calling for LGBT equality, including a state bill that would add questions regarding sexual orientation and gender identity to state demographic surveys", but when i tried to authenticate or source this statement, i couldn't find any proof.  (But i did find a very odd and somewhat disturbing comment thread...)

ELEMENTS: Serving Rainbow Pancakes

Rainbows are everywhere, especially if you put them there...

More people are opting for a small wedding these days...or at least considering the possibility of having one.  But what could be more beautiful than serving these colourful rainbow pancakes at your wedding weekend breakfast or brunch?  

via A Non-Denominational Ceremony's TUMBLR.

Disclaimer:  i am aware of the potential harm various food colourings and dyes may cause...and you should be, too.  Check your ingredients and do your research!  There are lots of 'natural' colouring options out there.

BTW did you know there was a fuss was made in 2010 involving a segment of Christians, their use (misuse?  disuse?) of rainbow baked goods and connection (or lack thereof) to LGBT pride?   Also, here is a source for non-toxic, natural food colouring, plus a recipe for the stack pictured above.

Oh, and check the lovely rainbow wedding dress, pictured at right!

ALTERNATIVES: Eco Bouquets Made of Clay, Beads and NOT Flowers

Today's blog is a lazy, link-laden entry, which, admit it, is what you want anyway!  :)

i began researching non-flower bouquets as a true green option over the impermanent, biologically based traditional bunch of plants and flowers brides carry, pass to someone in their wedding party and sometimes throw to some lucky single (read: unmarried) person at the reception.  Anyway, these bouquets are freaking gorgeous.  i hope you agree!

DK DESIGNS
http://dkdesignshawaii.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-last-big-wedding-order-for-2010.html

Clay Bouquet by DK DESIGNS

SEA SHELLS IN BLOOM
http://www.seashellsinbloom.com/bouquets.html

Sea Shell Bouquet by SEA SHELLS IN BLOOM

FFFLOWERS on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/people/ffflowers?ref=ls_profile

One Kind of Ribbon Bouquet by FFFLOWERS

BURDA STYLE on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/burdastyle-how-to-make-your-love-bloom-forever-3379/

Another Ribbon Bouquet by you/BURDA STYLE

LITTLE BIRDIE SECRETS
http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2009/08/make-fabric-flower-and-flower-tutorial.html

Fabric Flowers for Bouquet by LBS

HANDMADE BY ALI (the Bride)'s MOM
http://ruffledblog.com/a-diy-handcrafted-wedding-with-a-bouquet-made-of-ribbons-and-rickrack-by-goodnickels-photography/

Photo by GOOD NICKELS PHOTOGRAPHY

BEAD_FLORA_JEWELS on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/people/BeadFloraJewels?ref=ls_profile

Custom-Made Bead Bouquet by BEADFLORAJEWELS

more beads
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0g5B_4K54GqoH8Dza3fmxUzA3ouCAMP6sgu91wopXOyPSHYdJw2Rw20-XfmulnMX1wmda0Wr4-KVu-PC15FEaHU_p_WqqK9q0DQ5tMkWF8jRfC5JpWrLQIz6kTQdhy8Y8sCTkYwRXNZK/s400/Martha+flower+alternatives.jpg

FLOWER COVE
http://craftcove.blogspot.com/2009/11/beaded-flower-bouquet.html

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc-UOkx3wl3HkE8DMI3RUSPEhiEYfDSDLoDECF_WXR5RlPxpCRiUPTkG_tYhorhmA13ceVS0KW0bC9Z5Korf__83_QjcYqaJVNGeKfT86cVuupUPv8eyOudgtD4BwdkFTnI-ViOPkh6Q/s400/y-286+h.jpg

SUCH PRETTY THINGS
http://suchprettythings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/02/french-beaded-flowers.html

READING: Not Poetry, Not Literature, But a Unique, Objective Definition of Marriage

One of the most original and most special readings i have heard in a ceremony is something which was originally written and stated as part of a 2003 decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, holding that the Massachusetts Constitution prohibits denying same-sex couples access to the protections, benefits, and obligations of civil marriage.

Ceramic Doves from DJVenus on Flickr

The following definition of marriage was a fantastic thing to include in the ceremony text, and provides something different for those who think poetry is too corny or don't want to use the same old wedding ceremony readings:

"Marriage is a vital social institution. The exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support. Without question, civil marriage enhances the welfare of the community. It is a social institution of the highest importance. Civil  marriage anchors an ordered society by encouraging stable relationships over transient  ones. Marriage also bestows enormous private and social advantages on those who choose to marry. Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family. It is an association that promotes a way of life, not causes; a harmony in living, not political faiths; a bilateral loyalty, not commercial or social projects.

Because it fulfills yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life’s momentous acts of self-definition. Tangible as well as intangible benefits flow from marriage. The benefits accessible only by way of a marriage license are enormous, touching nearly every aspect of life and death.

It is undoubtedly for these concrete reasons, as well as for its intimately personal significance, that civil marriage has long been termed a civil right."

- by Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, from Goodridge v. Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, 440 Mass. 309.

WEDDING: Indian Wells Wedding Officiant at Miramonte Resort

Tree Strung with Origami Cranes, originally uploaded by dj venus.

Congratulations, Ki and Ke!

The television producers were married in an outdoor ceremony on a gorgeous Palm Springs afternoon.  The couple brought family and friends out to an Indian Wells spa and resort for an informal yet elegant celebration of their marriage.

One of the most striking components of the wedding was the Japanese tradition of one thousand origami, or folded paper, cranes!

Miramonte Resort Wedding Officiant
in Indian Wells, CA,
originally uploaded by dj venus.

The pair, who work in TV production and post-production of television commercials, enlisted their friends and relatives to assist with the folding process.  Dividing up the duty of crane-folding in this way provided a chance for Ki. and Ke. to share the wedding preparation process experience, with the people closest to them.

Many thanks to Shauna, Miramonte Resort's awesome catering director, and musicians Mari & Mike (violin / guitar duo)!