Katrina & Amanda's Vow Renewal

The rain may have dampened the garden, but we hardly noticed - there was too much love and laughter surrounding us! 

On July 1st, I had the joy and honor of doing a vow renewal ceremony for one of my favorite couples and sweet friends, Katrina & Amanda. They were a part of the Under a New Moon civil union wedding three years ago. This summer, on their anniversary, their civil union became a legal marriage! We celebrated with a ceremony - and their sweet little boy was there to make it that much more special.

Visit the Amanda Megan Miller Photography blog for more beautiful photos by Julia Franzosa. 

Photo by Julia Franzosa Photography

Congratulations, Millers! I am so happy to have been a part of your special day - and to be a part of your lives!

Graduation Day!

It's Graduation Day here at the Vaughan house - my son is graduating form 8th grade today.!

And that is an event that needs to be celebrated with CAKE. This beauty is from the wonderful folks at Sweety Pies in Skokie. 

While I'm looking forward to the graduation ceremony, I really CANNOT WAIT to cut into this cake. When Dana at the bakery began telling me about the best way to save "the leftovers," I just chuckled. Like there will be any leftovers. Ha!

Thanks for the amazing cake, Sweety Pies! 

It's our Anniversary!

He looked at me, tears in his eyes, and said, "I do." I smiled and replied, "You better!"

And, yes, he still married me. That was 20 years ago - today.

Happy Anniversary to the most amazing husband I could ever imagine. We are having the best Happily Ever After.

Cheers! 

Had a little trouble cutting the cake..... until someone told me about the cardboard between the layers. 

The Babies are Coming!

It looks like 2013 will be the Year of the Baby! A few of my past brides are expecting, as well as a friend of mine. I'm just dying to hold and snuggle these new little ones. I'm SO excited, I can't even stand it! 

I'm so thrilled to have been asked to create ceremonies to welcome some of these new little friends into the world. Have I mentioned lately how much I love being a Life-Cycle Celebrant? Best. Job. EVER!

And now that I'm in baby mode, I wanted to share some really cool ideas for any new mamas in your life.

I know a lovely woman by the name of Amy, who is not only a very cool mom, but also a Childbirth Educator and the creator of some very cool products & services for parents and babies, available through her website, Nakita Baby.

One of my favorites is henna for your belly! If you know anything about me, you know I LOVE henna! Why didn't I know about this when I was pregnant???

This beautiful artwork could also be incorporated into a wonderful mother blessing ritual. 

And if you do the henna belly, why not get a matching onesie for the baby?

Another fabulous offering is the belly cast, which can also include a henna design. What a wonderful keepsake for an expectant mother!

In addition to these great items, there are also other goodies, including custom-made baby slings. Be sure to check out all of the fantastic products from Nakita Baby by clicking HERE. A great opportunity to do some LOCAL holiday shopping.

And to all those babies coming soon - I can't wait to meet you! 

It's Our Wedding Anniversary! Looking Back 19 Years.......

Mom's creation

Today, my husband and I are celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary. Tonight we'll go through our wedding album and reminisce. 
In honor of our celebration, I thought I'd share a few pages from our album - and some wedding day memories

1. My mom made my wedding gown. This led to many debates (okay, arguments). I wanted a flowy, hippie-style dress. I wound up with a straight skirt and a detachable train. It was beautiful - but completely different than what I planned. And what was with that cap/veil thingie?
2. When the flowers were delivered to my house, we realized that we forgot to order corsages for the moms and grandma. I wound up ordering them from Jewel & Dad went to pick them up. 
3. I went to a friend's house to have her do my make-up before the wedding. I looked like a circus clown when she finished. ("But you need to have more color for the pictures.") I rubbed off most of it off on the way home. 
4. My brother drove me to the ceremony with my sister and his date. We were early, so we went to Winberie Cafe, a restaurant with a bar. People kept buying us drinks! (Brides, use that wedding dress to your advantage!) 
5. When I was walking down the aisle, a friend of my husband's stepped forward and high-fived me. Classy.
6. My nephew (age 2 at the time) was the ring bearer. My sister bribed him with candy to "walk nicely" down the aisle. When he got to the front he yelled out, "Can I have my Tootsie Roll now?!" 
7. During the vows, after my husband said "I do," I whispered, "You better." I didn't think everyone would be able to hear me. Of course they did.
8. We did a receiving line at the reception venue. By the time we finished, all the appetizers (that WE picked!) were gone.  And I was hungry. Really hungry.
9. My parents wanted a German band, I wanted a deejay, so we had both. All my friends danced to the German band. The Deejay played everything EXCEPT the songs on my playlist.
10. We had a really hard time cutting the cake. No one mentioned that there would be cardboard between the layers. I know that now.
11. Another thing about the cake. I wanted fresh flowers on top. The bakery said that wasn't possible. What?!
12. The server that waited on the head table was really mean. She rolled her eyes when we asked for more butter. Nice.
13. Despite some mishaps, it was one of the best days of my life. 

Other couples make cake cutting look so easy!

If I could do it over again I would: 

1. Hire a real deejay & play great dance music.
2. Get a good photographer
3. Serve cupcakes!
4. Wear a different dress
5. Marry the same wonderful man.

So..... I guess next year we may need to have a 20th anniversary party. This time we'll get those details right. 

Happy anniversary, sweetheart!

51 Years Together!

Instead of the usual Friday Q & A, this week my post is dedicated to my parents, in honor of their 51st anniversary.

I remember when I was first married. Back then, it seemed that our 5th anniversary was so far away. We planned to go back to Europe for that occasion. Well, that milestone came and went, as did our 10th and 15th anniversaries. And we still haven't made it to Europe again! Oh well.

Now, imagine being married for 50 years. My Mom and Dad reached that point last year. Isn't that amazing?
In this photo, I'm with them in my sister's beautiful yard, at a family celebration. 

And, of course there was cake. Made by yours truly. I hate to toot my own horn, but I am pretty darn proud of my creation. It was a white cake with lemon filling and white butter cream frosting. I decorated it with fresh sweetheart roses - because I knew that any attempt at decorative frosting would end in tragedy (or comedy, depending on your perspective.) As I've said before, fresh flowers make any dessert look great!

But back to the point - my parents are celebrating their 51st anniversary this 4th of July weekend. They managed to raise three children without losing their minds. They've cared for us and watched us grow up and have families of our own. And now they're grandparents to six grandchildren. Yay, Mom & Dad! Life is good!