Celebrant Ceremonies Presents Wedding Rituals

I banded together with four classmates whom I met in 2004 while training at the Celebrant USA Foundation, after graduating, to create a friendly group called Celebrant Ceremonies. Our agenda continues to change over the years, but always we have spent time together talking about ceremony, and sharing rituals.

On a beautiful spring-like Sunday, February 8th, we invited the public to attend a sampling of wedding rituals with the gracious participation of two Montclair actors, Erika and Peter Daddabbo. At Amanti Vino, on Church Street in Montclair, Julie Laudicina, Celia Milton, Eve Young and I led the blushing bride and groom (and they were blushing!) through a ring warming, a draping ceremony, a hand fasting, and a wine sharing.

We were very grateful to several Montclair businesses for pitching in to help - with both generosity and creativity. In their newly magnificent space on South Fullerton Avenue, Bangz Salon and Spa pampered and prepared Erika for her pretend wedding, with romantic make up by Chris and a lovely "up-do" to her hair from Shanna. Beth at Ruby on Church Street not only dressed Erika in a creamy chiffon dress and glittering earrings, but also ran the dress next door so Jeff at Accents With Flowers could design a complimentary bouquet of ivory roses and pearls. Nancy at the wonderfully magical shop Parcel, around the corner on Bloomfield Avenue, created a program full of delicate flourishes for our afternoon wedding.

This is just one way we've thought of to explain and demonstrate how we, as Celebrants, use ceremony to mindfully mark turning points in a personal way. It was fun; we hope to do some more of this kind of theater...