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These two love hiking, being outdoors, and weekends away, so the sprawling woodsy property at Milagro Winery in Ramona, CA, was a perfect venue for their wedding.

Christina and Greg put so much loving thought into every detail of their ceremony, expressing their love as well as their humor throughout.

So great to work with Janis Foley, and please enjoy her amazing photo stylings. She gets the shots and angles that not every photographer has mastered. I think some of her photos look like paintings.

Milagro sign

I can’t say enough great things about Milagro Winery – it fills the bill on so many levels for a magical wedding ceremony and reception. It’s a bit of a drive, but definitely worth it.

 

getting-ready house

This cute little house is right next to the ceremony site and the perfect getting-ready area for the bride and attendants. It is spacious, has it’s own large bathroom and best of all – air-conditioned!

ceremony wide angle

Fairytale wedding ceremony among the trees.

ceremony-backdrop

Boulders and trees serve as the arch and ‘altar’

bridein trees

A beautiful frame for a gorgeous bride.

Christine-dress

How stunning is her dress? The bride had it custom-made – a perfect creation for this woodland wedding.

dress corset

Intricate delicate details of custom flowers – a delicious confection

Gayle-Greg-aisle

Starting off the processional, the groom and I head down the aisle.

escorting bride

Such a special moment as father escorts his daughter.

awtg the bride

The look on his face as he watches his bride walk down the aisle – priceless.

flowersonbarrel

Rather than ceremony tables, Milagro Winery uses wine barrels! Functional and authentic aesthetic

hammering

The bride and groom hammering their Wedding Time Capsule closed. They’ve enclosed private letters to each other, along with a bottle of wine, and in 5 years (wood is the element for the 5th anniversary) they will pry open the box, read the letters, and again toast their union.

hammering-bride

withthisring

With this ring . . .

heartboxsign

A variation on the wedding ceremony stone blessing: each guest found a small wooden heart on their chair. They were asked to hold it during the ceremony and think wonderful thoughts and blessings in support of Christine & Greg’s marriage. After the ceremony they signed their heart and dropped it in a keepsake box for the couple’s home.

 

 

bubbles

Bubbles! Blowing bubbles is a fun way for guests to celebrate the I Dos!

 

couple at lake

A private moment by the lake.

feet

How gorgeous are her shoes?! And the clever little heel protector makes it easier to walk on the grass. At the reception, just pop off the protector and it’s back in your sassy heels for dancing.

staff

I love that Janis caught a picture of the Milagro event staff in action- Melissa and crew do such a professional job. Makes it a joy to officiate ceremonies at Milagro, knowing everything is handled.

guests to reception

Guests have the opportunity to truly take in this magnificent property, with a leisurely stroll from the ceremony site up to the reception building.

FG-RB on cart

Or they can catch a ride on the golf cart!

Gayle with couple

“Dear Gayle, Thank you for doing such a wonderful job officiating our ceremony- it was beautiful! We couldn’t have hoped for any better.” ~ Christina & Greg

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2015 in review

What a fun year in review! (Fans in Russia? Who knew? Spasibo!)

Glad to see I was blogging at least once a month. I’ll be sharing lots more concepts, photos and great experiences in 2016!

 

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,300 times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 22 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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“Thank you so much for everything! You definitely fulfilled the service and did an amazing job! The most memorable parts of the ceremony for me:

-when you said some of the things we love about each other, noted from our first meeting

-when you asked us to take a moment to look around and soak it all in, loved this

Our first meeting was memorable too. I was having a minor panic changing our officiant at such late notice and by the end of our meeting I was so relieved. I remember you saying how much you love your job and for me, that was really wonderful to hear. You will always be a part of our wedding memories and we are so thankful to have had you.” ~ Best, Tiffany

A sunny September day by the sea! Tiffany and Andrew were so sweet and so clearly in love! It was so fun to work with these two, as they included so many personal touches in their ceremony:

~A friend to read a favorite scripture
~A ring warming
~Petal toss for the recessional

And what a great wedding team they had, led by the fantastic Paige Jensen of Bliss Events.

Gratitude to Aubree Lynn Photography for capturing the day so beautifully

seagrovesign

Seagrove Park in Del Mar offers sweeping views and wide open spaces: a special location for a beautiful wedding ceremony

ceremonywide2

Majestic views bordered by beautiful pines

mirrorsign

A clever and fun alternative to a ceremony program: A welcome and wedding party members listed on an oversized mirror! While reading the wedding party names, guests can fix their hair, too!

chairdecor

Not much decor was needed at this stunning setting, and delicate florals added a simple touch

market umbrellas

These market umbrellas bring such relief of shade to the guests in the bright sun and heat

petalscone

A petal toss is a sweet and natural way for guests to create a fun sendoff as the newlyweds walk back up the aisle

water

Even though the ceremony was by the ocean, it was a blazingly hot summer day. Offering refreshingly flavored water to their guests shows what a thoughtful conscientious couple these two are!

violinists

These violinists of Sensational Music Services were fantastic and their dulcet tones swept across the guests and created such a sacred and uplifting atmosphere

watching processional

As the first one down the aisle I have the joy of watching the entire wedding party processional

FG and RB

So sweet! Little ones are always a wild card and bring such sweet innocence to the ceremony

fg crown

A floral crown to adorn the flowergirl

parentspics

Both sets of parents had been married more than 30 years – Tiffany and Andrew honored this testament to love & commitment by displaying their parents’ wedding photos

Groom-aisle

The groom escorts his mother and grandmother down the aisle

escort aisle

Can you see where she got her smile? Much joy as Dad escorts his daughter down the aisle

processional petals

Though the petal toss was supposed to take place at the end of the ceremony, one guest couldn’t hold back their enthusiasm! I love this “mistake” as it added to the joy of father escorting his daughter

dad-bride hug

Sweet goodbye

transferhug

I always love this moment in a ceremony, when Dad hugs it out with the groom. It’s sometimes awkward or funny but always touching.

ceremony2

I should have brought a stepstool . . . 

reader

The bride’s cousin read from Colossians: “And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. . . .”

ringpass start

Ring Warming: Guests bless the wedding rings before the ring exchange. This is a beautiful way for all guests to participate and think warm wonderful wishes for the couple. The rings started with the bridesmaids in a small velvet pouch before making their way through every row of guests

IDo

“I Do!”

ringpass

The rings have made their way back to the groomsmen and to the best man, who hands them over to me for a final blessing before the ring exchange “These rings are now warmed with the love and good wishes of your community.”

withthisring

“With this ring . . . “

inowpronounceyou

“I now pronounce you . . . “

kissthebride

“You may kiss the bride”

justmarried

Presenting Mr. & Mrs.!

MrandMrs

Happily married, Showered with petals

 

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The other night I was enjoying a powerwalk around my neighborhood, it was later at night, around 9:30 pm, when it had finally cooled off a bit. Nobody else was out; very few cars drove by.
As I walked past a grassy meridian, I noticed a strange eerie glow; it was startling and I wondered what it was. Then I realized, it was coming from a cell phone: a man walking his dog was looking down at his cell phone. It was such a strange sight in the otherwise dark area.
It really struck me, and not in a good way: I wanted to run over and yell, “WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WALKED YOUR DOG WITHOUT BRINGING YOUR PHONE!??”

In all fairness, maybe he walks the dog all the time without the phone and this was a rarity; but that was my reaction.

It made me consider again that more and more we are too easily distracted and less focused on making each moment count. When I had that reaction on my walk, it brought home to me why I love officiating weddings:
It is an opportunity for two people to deeply feel a significant, poignant moment; perhaps something they didn’t think possible.

Photo by Philip DeFalco Photography

Photo by Philip DeFalco Photography

Because a ceremony allows for that to happen, because otherwise we rarely make time for such a moment, and I love to guide them to that space.
During a wedding ceremony I can see the couple experiencing profound feelings, perhaps that they didn’t realize they would. It is such a gift and privilege to make that a possibility.

Before every ceremony I say a prayer for the couple, that they will have a moment of aha, of connectedness, however brief, however it may come about for them.

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A beautiful day for Ashlen & Thea; made all the more poignant as we celebrated their union the day after the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality.

Their joy, enthusiasm, and unique touches made for a very special wedding ceremony at a private home estate, canyon-side.

ceremony smilesMajestic views and even a huge hawk swooped low just before the ceremony to check out the celebration.

“Gayle, Thank you for everything! It was a very nice ceremony and we couldn’t have done it without you! So thank you so very much!” ~Ashlen and Thea

arch

A beautiful rustic arch bursts with color. Designed by Ranch Events. Photo by Chana and Don.

newlyweds

Congratulations to the newlyweds! Photo by Chana and Don.

Thea waiting

A sweet moment, waiting for her bride. Photo by Chana and Don.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sand-cake

Their unity ceremony, the Blending of the Sands, celebrated their favorite colors and will be a beautiful keepsake in their home. Photo by Chana and Don.

vista

Incredible views at this private home set on the canyon. Photo by Chana and Don.

Thank you so much for the pics to Photo by Chana and Don: Such pros at catching sweet emotion!
www.photobychanaanddon.com

In addition to providing the catering, Ranch Events put on quite a display with gorgeous rentals, dynamic cake, and incredible floral displays
www.ranchevents.com

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