Rita & Bridget's Super Fun & Sorta Nerdy Ceremony

Bridget and Rita...just married!

When I met Rita and Bridget I adored them on the spot. They were sweet and funny, and my kinda people! Needless to say, I had fun creating their wedding ceremony. 

This winter wedding took place at Old Towne Hall in Crystal Lake, providing a warm and intimate setting for this fun and unique event. 

The brides created a whimsical and welcoming atmosphere with all of their DIY touches. From the flowers adorning the tables to the seating arrangements, Bridget and Rita put their personal touch on all of the details. 

Their ceremony was so much fun to write and included some nerdy references, lots of love, and even a unique unity ritual of their own creation. Rita and Bridget are craftsy folk, so they each created a piece of work for the other. (I'm especially impressed that they were able to keep these a secret from one another!) 

After their vows and the ring exchange, they each opened the artwork the other created for them. They then placed these pieces side by side, inside a frame, which they sealed shut together. In the piece on the right (created by Bridget) you can see their silhouettes in blues and purples, huddled over a coffee cup, commemorating their first date at a coffee shop.

While this was definitely my favorite part of the ceremony, I loved that they were willing to include some nerdy references, including Harry Potter and gaming. I mean, they did first meet at a bar game night, playing Cronikole.  

Their unique and personal touches were evident throughout the venue. For example, instead of individualized seating, guests were grouped at tables, according to their association. So, there were family tables, as well as tables for co-workers from the framing shop, and friends from gaming groups. Hence, the "Framers" and "Gamers" table. 

What's not to love with these two?!?! 

Bride selfie!

Bridget and Rita were such a joy! The rehearsal the day before was full of laughs, so I knew we were going to have a great time on the big day. Boy, was I right! The ceremony was full of laughter (even if one of the times it was because no one got our joke), and even a few tears. Most of all, it was full of so much love. 

Rita and Bridget, I wish you all the love in the world. Keep making each other laugh and keep shining your light.... and "I forget the rest." 

Carla & Steve - Gamers Get Married!

Carla and Steve's wedding ceremony at European Crystal was everything a ceremony should be - sweet, fun, and completely "them."

They met in college at anime club, so it goes without saying that their ceremony would have lots of nerdy references. Their unique touches included music from favorite movies. It began with their parents and the wedding party walking in to "Storybook Love" from The Princess Bride and ended with them exiting to Harry Belafonte's "Jump the Line," popularized by the movie, Beetlejuice. 

The ceremony itself included quotes from Doctor Who, as well as mention of their favorite character from Dragonball Z - none other than Vegeta. They exchanged rings inspired by The Legend of Zelda, and even included the three elements of the Triforce - power, wisdom, and courage - in their vows.

After the vows, guests made wishes on blessing stones, which were then collected and poured into a vase. Carla and Steve then made their own wishes on heart-shaped stones and placed them on top. The blessing stone collection will be a keepsake for them - and a reminder of their special day and all those who shared it with them.

The wonderful Genevieve Lee of TrueLee Photography captured it all on film. You can see more photos of Carla & Steve's wedding by visiting their album on the TrueLee Facebook page.  

Congratulations, Carla & Steve!

Modern Family Wedding Photo Shoot!

So excited to see our Modern Family wedding photo shoot featured on the Sassy Chicago Weddings blog! Be sure to CLICK HERE to see all the shots of this incredibly happy and colorful event.

Below are photos, courtesy of Ocken Photography, of rituals that were included in the ceremony part of the stylized shoot. 

First, the couple participated in an adaptation of a food sharing ritual known as the Tasting of the Elements. In this ritual, various foods represent the "for better or for worse" of married life. In our version, the couple shared a variety of candies - including Hot Tamales to represent the heat of an argument 

As you can guess, the candy was a big hit with the kids!

We ended with a family sand ceremony. The dads and each of the kids picked a color to be layered in a tall vase. Not only was this fun for all the participants, the results yielded a bright and beautiful keepsake.

It was so much fun working with this couple and their adorable kids. And it didn't hurt that I had the opportunity to be back at Catalyst Ranch.

Thank you to Kerrie of Citygirl Weddings and Lauren from the Ranch for including me in this wonderful celebration of marriage equality! 

And a huge thank you to Ocken Photography for the wonderful photos!

Jessica & Sang-Woo's Multicultural Ceremony at Greenhouse Loft

The couple posing at same spot where Sang-Woo proposed.

This is long overdue, but I am finally getting around to sharing some details of Jessica &; Sang-Woo's gorgeous wedding from September of 2012. (I told you this was overdue!)

A true Chicago couple, their wedding took place at the wonderful Greenhouse Loft, with the ceremony outside on the lovely patio.

Photo by SnoStudios

Sang-Woo and Jessica's ceremony was a true reflection of them as a couple. They shared their love story, including how they met by chance (or maybe fate!) at John Barleycorn and the sweet and funny story of Sang-Woo's proposal outside of the Field Museum. They both value the importance of family and made sure to include their parents in the ceremony. They also incorporated Korean wedding traditions in honor of Sang-Woo's heritage.

Wine sharing 

Happy tears during the vows. Photo by SnoStudios

One of these traditions was a wine-sharing ceremony. In a traditional Korean wedding, a couple will sip wine that has been poured into two halves of a gourd, traditionally grown by the bride’s mother. When the wine is sipped, the two halves of the gourd are symbolically reunited and made whole, representing the joining of two lives.

In honor of this ritual, Sang-Woo and Jessica shared small cups of wine, presented by Jessica’s mother.

Parents tossing chestnuts & jujube fruits for Parents' Blessing
Photo by SnoStudios

Another important Korean wedding tradition is the Parents’ Blessing. In this ritual, the couple’s parents bless the couple by "showering" them with wishes for many children. They do so by tossing nuts and fruit at the bride and groom, who will try to catch them in a wedding cloth. The number caught represents how many children the couple will have. 

I'm happy to report that this ritual was a success - Jessica and Sang-Woo have a beautiful new baby boy!

Guests writing wishes on the wishing stones
Photo by Anita Vaughan

At the end of the ceremony, guests were asked to stop at a table with river rocks and write their wishes for the couple on the rocks. A wonderful keepsake for the couple!

This wedding had so many lovely elements - but the best part? The bride and groom! I had such a wonderful experience working with Jessica and Sang-Woo and seeing their ceremony take shape. They are two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet - and they know how to have fun!!





Thank you to SnoStudios for generously sharing these photos. And, of course, I have to give a huge shout out and thank you to Heather of Greatest Expectations Special Events and Weddings. She made everything run seamlessly - and made it all utterly gorgeous!

Incredible sweet table! Photo by Anita Vaughan

Congratulations on the birth of your son, Jessica & Sang-Woo! He is one lucky little boy to have you two as parents!

Adorable flower girl! Photo by Anita Vaughan

Wonderful, Intimate Wedding

I had the great joy of participating in this incredible inspiration photo shoot of a beautiful, intimate wedding, which was featured on Style Me Pretty! It was so lovely, I had to share a few of the gorgeous photos by Julia Franzosa Photography.

The ceremony included a handfasting.

The grooms also participated in a Blessing Stone ritual.

And look at this hot cocoa bar!!

There were so many fabulous details, thanks to the creative genius of Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings. The delicious sweets were created by Truffle Truffle, with beautiful flower decor by Pistil and Vine. Be sure to check out all the photos in the complete gallery!

Maria & Lisa's Intimate Backyard Ceremony

I had so much fun working with Lisa and Maria as we created their ceremony!

Their wedding day started off being pretty wet, especially after the previous day's storms. But, a little drizzle wasn't going to stop us! Despite it being cool and a little misty, we had the ceremony in the garden, with a beautiful flower arch as a backdrop. 

Maria and Lisa included a flower-gathering ritual, during which family members came forward to present them with flowers to create a bouquet. It was so sweet to see their loved ones come up, especially when Maria's little nephew announced with a big grin, "Here you go!" You could definitely feel the love surrounding them!

Now I'm just dying to see all the gorgeous photos by the amazing Oriana of Okrfoto. I know they'll be fantastic!

Hanging out with Lisa and Maria before the ceremony

Following the ceremony, guests joined the couple at a neraby restaurant for a reception, and then came back to their house for cake. Look how sweet that cake looks! And since it's from Luscious Layers Bakery, you know it was delicious! And from what I'm told, there wasn't a single crumb left over. 

Fabulous cake by Luscious Layers Bakery

Congratulations, Maria and Lisa! Thank you for letting me be a part of your wonderful wedding day. You're the best!! And now that I've sampled the results of your amazing baking skills, you'll never get rid of me. 

Luis & Dan's Wedding: Laughs and Tears - and an 80's Band!

Last night I had the most amazing experience of officiating the wedding ceremony of an old friend. Luis and I have known each other since the 6th grade! So, while it was a little surreal - I mean, I still remember us running around in the school playground! - it was also one of the most wonderful moments I've ever had.

Luis and Dan are two of the greatest guys you could ever hope to meet, and the process of creating their ceremony made me fall in love with them both. It's no wonder they want to spend their lives together!

Handfasting cord

 Their wedding took place at Uncommon Ground on the north side of Chicago. The atmosphere was perfect, the food was great - and there was an 80's band. They even had a singer/guitarist who played Crowded House and Eddie Veder during the cocktail hour. What could be better??

The ceremony was so much fun - and wound up being "interactive" with lots of jokes & commentary from the peanut gallery..... I mean, the guests. Not to mention that the grooms kept cracking jokes!

Dan and Luis opted to include a handfasting ritual, so I made their cord as a wedding gift. It included charms representing each of them and their lives together. The red ribbon symbolized the story of the Red Thread of Destiny. Their good friend, Irwin, came forward to offer a blessing during the handfasting.

They also included a blessing stone ritual, where all the guests received a rose quartz on which to place their blessings and wishes. The stones were collected and placed in a vase. Dan and Luis each had a stone in the the shape an their chosen animal totem, which they placed on top of the rose quartz.

And of course, there were tears and laughs - and it was a night I'll never forget! Especially since my feet are still sore from dancing so much!

Angel Eyes Photography was on hand to document the evening, so I'll share a link to those pixs when they're available. In the meantime, here are shots of the ceremony taken by my hubby!

Luis enters with Best Man, Polo

The tears started pretty quickly. Luckily, I came prepared!

Irwin offers a blessing during the handfasting.

Lots of laughs during the ceremony!

Exchanging vows.   Denise, Dan's Maid of Honor, approves

Luis & Dan face their loved ones for the guests' vow of support.

Congratulations, Luis & Dan. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have been a part of your wedding day. I wish you lots of love and happiness. And I expect you to make me dinner (hint: MEATLOAF!!) some time. Love you!!

Adding a Little Spice to a Ceremony!

The shady courtyard 

Yesterday was hot. Nasty, humid HOT. While I was looking forward to Sandra and Pete's wedding, I was a little worried about an outdoor ceremony. I am no friend of the heat. But, luckily, the Hyatt Deerfield has a lovely, and more importantly, shady courtyard. It created a perfectly intimate atmosphere for the ceremony. And it was surprisingly comfortable! Whew.


I also had the honor of having the ceremony be observed by a prospective Life-Cycle Celebrant student (who was nice enough to snap the picture to the left). I'm glad she got to see this particular ceremony because, not only was I marrying a great couple, they picked a unique ritual for the ceremony!

Sandra and Pete opted to include a planting ritual, using a pot of oregano. I love this idea! (You can see it on the table in the photo below by Angel Eyes Photography)

Oregano represents love and honor. It is also said that the goddess Aphrodite gave oregano as a gift to mortals to keep them happy. It was a the perfect symbol for a ritual illustrating the significance of joining two lives in marriage. And, they can make use of the herb when they cook at home!

Congratulations, Sandra & Pete! I wish you a lifetime of love, laughter.... and delicious dinners!

A view of the ceremony by Angel Eyes Photography

I can't wait to see all the beautiful photos by Angel Eyes Photography! 

Sara & Nate's Wedding at Greenhouse Loft

Yay! The Greenhouse Loft Blog featured Sarah & Nate's April wedding! 


Here they are with their fabulous cupcakes from Bleeding Heart Bakery. How can you not love this couple??


I had so much fun working with them on their ceremony, which included a tree planting ritual and readings from Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. This is one awesome couple! 


The picture above is from the Greenhouse Loft post - see more photo goodness HERE.

Pictures from Indie Wed

There was so much to see at Indie Wed - gorgeous flowers, delightful desserts, beautiful dresses (some on wheels), paper goods..... more than I can possibly explain. 


Want to see some pictures? Check out my Indie Wed album on Facebook by clicking HERE!

Handfasting & Blessing Stones Explained

I have to start by saying that I had such a great time at Indie Wed yesterday!! Yes, I was utterly exhausted by the time I got home, but I had a ball!

One of the best parts was meeting brides and grooms and talking to them about various wedding ceremony rituals. Here I'm explaining the handfasting ritual. This is an ancient Celtic tradition, believed to be the origin of the term "tie the knot." 

Handfasting cord

In this ritual, the couple holds hands and a cord or ribbon is wrapped around their joined hands. They can exchange vows at this time, if they choose, or have their Celebrant recite the Blessing of the Hands.

Handfasting at Indie Wed

Blessing Stones

 I also had the chance to explain the Blessing Stones. In this ritual, guests are given a stone (or shell, or anything they choose) at the beginning of the ceremony. During the ceremony guests are asked to hold the stone in their hands while making a wish for the couple. After the guests have bestowed their blessings upon the stones, they are collected by a friend or family member. This will then be a keepsake for the couple. 

It was really fun getting to explain the rituals that I believe add so much to a couple's ceremony

Tie the Knot with a Handfasting Cord!

Another of the rituals I will be demonstrating at my Indie Wed workshop will be handfasting.


I finished these sample cords this morning. Yay! 


In addition to the workshop, I'll also have a cord at my table if anyone wants to see how it's done. Stop by and I'll help you tie the knot! 


See ya soon.

A Ritual for Chocolate Lovers

May I offer you some chocolate? Umm.... not so fast.


These chocolate bars will be a part of my display at Indie Wed next weekend. They are used for the Tasting of the Elements ritual in a wedding ceremony. In this ritual, the different flavors represent stages a couple may go through  (ex - salty represents tears, spicy represents the "heat" of an argument, etc.).


If you'd like to learn more about this ritual - and see how it's done- stop by my 11:00 workshop, "The Perfect 'I Do' for You." I'll demonstrate this ritual, as well as several others.


And by the way, I'll need volunteers from the audience, so if you like chocolate, this one's for you!


If you miss the workshop, stop by my table and I'll be happy to give you the details.  See you there!

Getting Ready for Indie Wed!

I'm really looking forward to participating in this year's Indie Wed on January 28th. Not only will I have a table, I will also be presenting a workshop called, "The Perfect 'I Do' For You." The focus of the workshop is to give couples ideas for making their wedding ceremony more personal. I'll cover a variety of topics including music, readings, and rituals. There will also be time for Q & A, so bring your questions! 


In the meantime, I'm working on my giveaways. I was looking for some type of fun goodie bag, and came across these "robots in love" baggies. Perfect! I just finished assembling them and they're all ready to be included in the swag bags given to to the first 50 attendees. 


So, now I'm busy making buttons - thanks to my dear friend (and artistic adviser and all-around advice guru) for lending me her fancy schmancy button making machine. It's pretty addictive. My children and I got lost in a button-making haze for about a week.


Now that I'm done cutting stuff out of magazines and making buttons for fun (like a cool tentacle button that's on my jacket right now), I'm working on making buttons to give away at my table. I have buttons with the AnitaWeds logo, my signature red flower and cute "groom" and "bride" buttons. 

So, if you're coming to Indie Wed, stop by and say hi. And grab a few buttons for your jacket.

Mary and Trina's Wedding at a Lake (that used to be a pond)

After 15 years together, Mary and Trina celebrated their love with a civil union ceremony on July 23rd. They shared the moment with family and friends at a lovely lake-side party room in Arlington Heights. Except, there wasn't supposed to be a lake there. Just the day before, the room overlooked a pond with a fountain. (Notice the picnic table submerged in water?) The heavy rains from the night before turned the surrounding area into a wet mess.

Luckily, the rain didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Guests trudged through flooded roads and around blocked streets and came out ready to have a great time!

For the ceremony, Mary and Trina chose to participate in a sand ritual. One of my favorite details was that each guest received a little bottle of rainbow-colored sand as a keepsake.

My other favorite detail was that they served tropical drinks - in slushie form! They had two slushie machines, serving Margaritas and Pina Coladas. These two know how to throw a party!

Thank you, Mary and Trina, for letting me be a part of your wonderful day!

And thank you to photographer K.C.Hatfield for graciously allowing me to use these pictures!

Elise and Ed's Wedding - Featuring a Mixed Drink

A few months ago I had the honor of marrying Elise and Ed, one of the nicest couples around.

They had a lovely ceremony, held at Hotel Baker in St. Charles, also the site of the reception. Hotel Baker is a fantastic spot for a wedding - and just about any celebration! Built in 1928, this historic hotel is in downtown St. Charles and sits right on the Fox River.

The original plan was to have the ceremony in the rose garden, on the patio overlooking the river. But, rainy weather forced us indoors. The good news is that the Rainbow Room ballroom is gorgeous - and boasts a light-up floor. It was a lovely place for the ceremony!

One thing I loved about Elise and Ed's ceremony was that they opted for a unique unity ritual. Rather than a sand ceremony or a unity candle, they chose to share a drink. Now, sharing a cup of wine is pretty common, but they did something that was a little more "them." They took their two favorite beverage, iced tea and lemonade, and poured them together to make an Arnold Palmer. They then shared the concoction - a perfect unity ritual!

And one more great detail - they had personalized bottles of Jones Soda as party favors for their guests. Love it!!

Alison & Scott's Sweet End-of-Summer Wedding

As I've mentioned before, I'm wayyy behind on my blog posts. I have been meaning to share details of this wedding for months. So, finally, here you are.

Scott and Alison had a lovely wedding last September at the Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest. Already a gorgeous location, the beautiful weather made it even better. We were a little concerned about rain when we had the rehearsal, but the day was great. I did brag that I have never had a ceremony "rained out," so I was relieved to maintain my clean track record.

The ceremony was in the lovely outdoor courtyard which added to the warm, intimate feel of the occasion.

One of my favorite details of the ceremony was that Alison and Scott chose to incorporate a ring blessing in the ceremony, after they exchanged vows. This ritual is such a perfect way to include family and friends, and really creates a sense of community.

I asked the guests to direct their blessings and positive energy to the rings now worn by the couple, in order to infuse them with the love of the entire group.

It was wonderful - you could really feel the warmth and energy flowing forth from their family and friends. What a joy to be a part of such an amazing moment!

Another unique touch was the personal details Alison and Scott added to the day. My favorite was that the tables were identified by pictures of the couple, enjoying various activities together.

What a great idea!

Alison and Scott, this is long overdue, but congratulations! Thank you for letting me be a part of your wedding day.