Shannon & Steve's Geeky, Sweet, Whale of a Wedding!

When I met Shannon & Steve for our initial consultation, we hit it off immediately. By the end of our conversation, I knew I just had to be their Celebrant! We talked about their wedding - and just about everything else, ranging from comic books, Harry Potter, to pet cats. 

Their ceremony included many personal elements, including a handfasting. I also shares they story of Steve's proposal. He surprised Shannon with a Beluga Encounter at the Shedd Aquarium, which was something she had always wanted. What she didn't expect was that one of the belugas would play an important role in presenting the ring. 

All along the wedding planning process, I knew Steve wanted to add a secret element to the ceremony. This wound up being a helium shark (as a whale stand-in) to deliver the rings. And naturally, the shark's entrance was accompanied by the Jaws theme song, thanks to the always fantastic DJ Harsh.

In a addition to this fun surprise, the ceremony also included quotes from The Princess Bride, Harry Potter, and author Neil Gaiman. Can you tell why they became one of my favorite couples?!

Their gorgeous wedding, which took place at the lovely Hotel Arista in Naperville, is featured on the Angel Eyes Photography blog. Click HERE to check out the amazing pictures!

Surprise Wedding Proposal!

Check out this surprise wedding proposal, which took place here in Chicago. 

The groom shared scenes from their relationship, leading up to the big finale - when he popped the question!

The amazing proposal was designed and executed by Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings. And, the best part? She said YES!!

Visit the Greatest Expectations Blog for the whole story!

I Wanna Marry You - a Group Effort.

A beautiful marriage proposal. I'm still in tears. Enjoy.

Kyle Proposes to Tommy - with a Huge Audience!

A beautiful proposal ..... go get your box of tissues before you hit play!


Thanks to The Advocate for sharing the video. You can read the story behind Kyle's proposal by clicking HERE.

Engaging Stories

It's engagement season! Many couples became engaged over the holidays, with more to come on Valentine's Day. This got me to thinking about proposal stories.

My own poor husband underwent an ordeal when trying to surprise me with a romantic proposal. Let's just say that I was really hungry after a long day of work, he was acting weird, and I was getting impatient. And grouchy. And did I mention that I was really hungry?

When he finally asked, my "Yes!" was followed by, "Can we eat now?" And, believe it or not, he still married me.

One of the best things about being a Celebrant is having the privilege of telling couples' love stories. The proposal is an important part of their story, sometimes being perfectly executed, sometimes not going quite as planned.

Here are some of my favorite proposals of couples I've married....

• On the 4th of July, during a fireworks show
• Hiring a diver to appear from the ocean, presenting a shell containing the ring
• Texting a picture of the ring with the caller ID reading "Will you marry me?"
• Ring tucked into a flower in an elaborate bouquet - which the recipient failed to notice until prompted
• Friends helping with the big moment by setting up candles on a beach for a romantic setting
• A ring tied to a handmade bookmark, tucked inside the couple's favorite book
• On a camping trip, just as the sun was rising
• Ring hidden inside a box of chocolates
• Trying to find the perfect moment before going out for the evening - and finally proposing in the bathroom
• Treasure hunt leading up to a box with a ring
• Making arrangements with the restaurant to have the ring placed on top of a cake - only to have the bride wanting to skip dessert
• Spelling out "Will You Marry Me?" across three computer screens

Despite the various methods, all the proposals were a success!

Now I'd love to hear about your proposal. Feel free to leave a comment if you'd like to share your story!

A Proposal that was "Too Good to Be True"

Just had to share this..... I was in tears by the end. But they were happy tears.

Thanks to the website Good for posting this!

Sue & Gary's Romantic Wedding.... at Home!

Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share the details of a romantic wedding that I had the pleasure of officiating this past weekend.

Sue and Gary tied the knot in their lovely Oak Park home on Saturday afternoon. It was just the two of them, their photographer, Lee Balgemann, and Henry & Abby, their furry friends. Henry even wore a black tie for the occasion.

It was utterly romantic! The setting was perfect. They were sealing their commitment in their very favorite place - home.

Lots of candles in the background helped create a warm, intimate setting as they exchanged their vows with a combination of laughter and tears.

My favorite part of their story is the engagement. Unbeknownst to Sue, Gary had the engagement ring in his possession when they went on a vacation to California. To create the perfect moment, he hired scuba divers to help deliver his message.

As they were sitting on the beach, soaking in the sun, two scuba divers suddenly appeared in the water and approached them. They presented Sue with a large shell. She opened the shell and I'll bet you know what was inside! Yep - the ring!

How smooth is that? I gave Gary major points when I heard that story!

Well, the engagement finally came to fruition on Saturday, and Sue and Gary are already on the road to Happily Ever After. I'm confidant that they'll enjoy a wonderful journey together.

Congratulations, Sue & Gary. I'm so happy I was able to be a part of your wedding day. It was such a joy.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

A Stormy Wedding Proposal

Okay, you may have seen this already, since it's already a year old, but I'm a sucker for a marriage proposal! My husband saw this on TYWKIWDBI and I just had to share.