This weekend I officiated a wedding for Odalisa & Jorge en Español at The Vanderbilt, Staten Island. It was in a big gazebo right on the boardwalk overlooking the beach. A picture perfect day, a bit warm at noon, but very nice. The wind was kicking up a bit, it knocked over a plant right before hand, and nearly blew the trellis down during the ceremony but we were grateful for the breeze! It did nothing to take away from the ceremony.
I also officiated the first wedding ever held at the Laurelwood Arboretum in Pines Lake, Wayne, NJ. It was for Claire and Don in the new Memorial Gazebo there. Those gardens are beautiful! with a uniquely-crafted wooden gazebo overlooking a pond with fountains. This location is the best-kept secret in North Jersey for a small ceremony! Really nice, tranquil and inspiring.
Today I did another ceremony at The Bethwood in Totowa. The gazebo and the perfect weather combined for a magical setting. Some unique touches to Shannon & Patrick's ceremony: I loosely tied their hands together reminiscent of old Irish traditions, and blessed their hands as I spoke about the gifts their hands are to each other. Then I removed the cloth that held their hands together. Later, after heartfelt vows they wrote themselves and read, I said a special Cherokee prayer and blessed them with sweetgrass incense, which has a unique and very nice scent. It is considered sacred by many Native American cultures. Shannon & Pat's Catholic families really loved both these touches and the bride & groom received many complements on the ceremony!

Wedding season has truly begun!
So far in June I've officiated:
A sunny outdoor wedding at the gazebo of The Bethwood (Totowa) for Claudia and Norman. Norman's heritage is part Lenape (Native American) from the Ramapough Mountain Nation of NJ, so we included some Lenape spirituality in the ceremony. We honored the Grandmother and Grandfathers of the Four Directions and what each represents in marriage and in our lives, as the bride and groom offered tobacco in a seashell to the East, South, West and North. I used some Cedar & Sage incense for the blessing. We also honored Claudia's Mexican heritage with a special wedding poem, said to date back to pre-Colonial times in Mexico: 

I know not whether thou has been absent:
I lie down with thee, I rise up with thee,
In my dreams thou art with me.
If my eardrops tremble in my ears,
I know it is thou moving within my heart.

A sunny morning ceremony at The Mill (Spring Lake Heights) by the pond, as a swan swam by... the highlight was when I related the heartfelt and often humorous things Regina and Matt had to say about their love and how they met via a questionnaire that I offer to all couples. People loved it! There was laughter and it was very sweet.

the joyous and moving nuptials of Kara and Laura, two beautiful brides who wed each other at The Berkeley Hotel (Asbury Park). God bless them for embracing the possibilities in this amazing world.

the muy linda backyard wedding of Estela and Moe in Passaic, NJ, who have a love story resembling "The Notebook" going back over 10 years; and were so thrilled to finally be together surrounded by their loving children and family.

a moving Baptism for Kollet, 9 weeks young, in the gazebo of Town Hall Park (Lyndhurst). Kollet's cousins had hand-painted seashells in which we held water and the other liquids for her anointing. Her dad Charlie said, "Everyone was blown away by the ceremony... it's different! It's REAL." Other guests loved how personal the ceremony was. 

This Winter/Spring has been busy with Baptisms.

• On Feb. 27 I baptized Alaynah at The Brownstone, a really nice ceremony as the sun warmed us through the ceiling glass. I started the ceremony by playing lullabuys on the mbira, an instrument from Africa with a tranquil, soothing sound. Kids seem to love it, ad so do adults!
• On March 6 I was honored to baptize Samantha Nielson at her parents' home in Middletown. I baptized her older sister Sophia 2 years ago, and married their parents Laura and Russ in June 2006 in a breezy ceremony next to the pond at The Mill at Spring Lake. I remember that wedding well... we barely got the Unity Candle lit because of the wind on that sunny morning! And I always remember that Russ had a crush on Laura, whom he would see at the gym, for many months before ever speaking to her. It was only when his sister accompanied him to the gym one day and threatened to go embarrass him in front of Laura, that Russ finally worked up the courage to go speak to her. And the rest is history!!
• on March 13 I baptized Haley Wagner at Luce Restaurant in Caldwell. I baptized her brother Jesse in 2007, and now he's a typhoon of energy who runs around karate-chopping everybody! And I officiated the wedding of their parents in September 2005. It's really pretty humbling to be part of a family's spiritual life from marriage to kids, it leaves me speechless and very grateful.
• on March 27 I officiated Emilie Felline's baptism at Amici Restaurant in Bayonne. She was a real sport and no tears were shed (maybe she was saving them for later :) She has a look on her face that she is wiser than her years. I was honored to marry her parents Kristin and Gregory at Liberty House in September 2008.

I look forward to 6 more baby blessing ceremonies in May and June... can't wait!

I've been busy this summer!
Here are some highlights of the great ceremonies I've been privileged to officiate in 2009:
A sunrise 4th of July ceremony for Aulynn & Ted, on the beach at Sea Bright... (pic is at the very top of this page!)
A beautiful afternoon ceremony on a humid yet gorgeous day for Elisa and Richie at LBI's Mallard Island Yacht Club 8/22/09 ...
2 great weddings in Perona Farms' new Piazza for Maria & Jabbo en Español, Maria had a bright smile during the ceremony... and Jaimie and Garrett had a beautiful day there as well...
Jackie & Rafael's happy nuptials at Courtyard on Main, Freehold...
Trish & Jared's fun wedding at Glen Island Harbour Club, where their son the ringbearer accidentally burnt his hand before the wedding (he was fine though, just stressed out in a 4-year old kind of way... then he was stunned to discover hundreds of people waiting for him when he entered the room ... they did a beautiful Sand Ceremony together...
Jessica & Matt's personalized vows at Valleybrook Country Club (Blackwood) where they vowed "to be bad-ass full-time" as part of their vows :) ... and I played Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" on guitar as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle. And in spite of these lighthearted touches, this was a remarkably heartfelt and sincere ceremony!
Lauren & Frank's really cool wedding at Studio 450 in Manhattan 6/20/09... I met some cool nuns from their family afterwards... "That Guitar Guy" from Central Park did the music...
Melissa and Luis' wedding in Spanish, surrounded by trees in Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park by the Cloisters 6/19/09... a hot day but great!
Two great weddings at Crystal Plaza for Mike and Thanuja (sunny and gorgeous in the gazebo garden out back) and Camila and Fernando (indoors, where I said some things in Portuguese and English including the Unity Candle... and they presented roses to their parents and each other. Agora pode beijar a noiva! (you may now kiss the bride)
A sunny wedding at Crystal Springs in Vernon for Stephanie and Louis (his family is from the same village in Sicily as Sinatra and Lucky Luciano... 40 minutes from where my family is from (Ciminna))
Cheryl and Greg, a sweet couple, were married at Carlstadt's Il Villaggio...
Suehaydee & Juan's beautiful sunny wedding en Español at Garden Cathay in Plattekill, NY...
Desiree & Walter's delightful Español nuptials at Florentine Gardens...
Victor & Ydalim's bilingual Español ceremony at Voorhees Chapel on the Rutgers campus... it was warm in there but so was the love in the air :)
Deirdre & Fabiano's fun wedding at the American Legion in Edgewater... I played guitar for the processional and recessional...
Karissa & Matt who flew in from Wyoming to marry at the Jersey City Hyatt overlooking the Hudson on a real sunny picture-perfect Monday...
baby Gabriel's baptism in the sunny backyard with loving parents Kerry & Jared, who I was honored to marry in Nyack back on 7/7/07!
Mandyjane & Dan's sunset ceremony in the courtyard of the Olde Mill Inn, can't go wrong at such a nice place! We did a nature-inspired blessing of the rings with water, sweetgrass and herbs which everyone loved...
Gina and Jeffrey's wedding at one of the best kept secrets on cool locations: Adega Grill in Newark! A beautiful small room with amazing fireplace backdrop and ambience, and amazing tapas from the cuisine of Spain/Portugal (I was able to stay for the cocktail hour and glad I did!)
Richard and Annie at the stunning White Meadow Lake in Rockaway NJ, where I got to walk down the aisle to the crooning sounds of Tom Waits during the processional - how cool is that! They are a fun and laid-back couple and we had a perfect day overlooking a perfect lake...
Heather and Marvin at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Laguardia... where I sang "The Wedding Song" with guitar and sang Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" at the close.... Heather shed some soft tears, and her sweet sister Dawn could not do her reading because she burst into tears at that point, so they just held hands while I read it for her... and what a memorable wedding this was! Tears are not a bad thing, folks... it proves that you feel something and what's more moving than that?

Here are some of the ultra-cool backyard weddings I've done this summer of 2009. Sometimes a backyard wedding comes out greater than a banquet hall wedding. What counts is the feeling, and the people, and the love!
Marlena and Mariusz had a beautiful wedding in their backyard in Clifton in August. It was sunny, I played guitar and officiated, and they had some great Polish food afterwards... what a happy couple and families.
Jessica and Jerry had a great backyard wedding in July catered by Famous Dave's BBQ... I know I'm a minister but I have to recommend their "Devil's Spit" BBQ sauce   The ceremony was fun, moving and lighthearted and I played some Grateful Dead on guitar for the processional and recessional... and their 60-something Aunt who had been to the original Woodstock, sang a mean soprano version of "I Love Rock and Roll" in karaoke!
Sharon and Rick's "BBQ With a Wedding on the Side" behind the Raritan Inn in Califon NJ, June '09... this was a blast! A lighthearted, shy, sweet middle-aged couple thrilled to be joining their lives together... after which they tapped some kegs of good beer, had every backyard game you can think of from bocce ball to badminton to horseshoes to a rubber duckie race in the creek that the whole extended family participated in... this is the way it's done, folks! Easily one of the most memorable and unique weddings I've ever officiated.

The best wedding I've ever done was a surprise wedding at a backyard crab-boil & BBQ in Salem, NJ. Only the bride & groom and I were in on the secret...  & the family was blown away! Moms and Aunts were screaming like it was the Beatles on Ed Sullivan! Just goes to show you, it doesn't necessarily take oodles of money to make an amazing wedding!

  Rodolfo and Kyle Melissa had a beautiful wedding in June in the backyard of The Pillars B&B in North Plainfield. Usually my weddings are 15-30 minutes depending what you pick... for this one we pulled out all the stops. It was about an hour, but not at all boring. It was entirely in English and Spanish... and we honored their children, did an amazing authentic Handfasting ceremony (British Isles) with the kids where the bride & groom's hands were tied loosley together; Sharing of Wine & Exchange of Roses, a Unity Candle lighting with the kids, and they also gave Family Medallions to their kids as a symbol of the new family emerging. It was a fabulous ceremony.

On Sunday May 24, 2009, I was honored to officiate a very special baby blessing/baptism for sweet baby James, 9-month old son of Kerry and Oliver. The ceremony was in a private room at the Salt Creek Grille in Princeton, NJ. James' mom Kerry's excitement for the special day was very contagious! I began the ceremony by playing the mbira, a small handheld finger harp. It is traditionally used in Zimbabwe for prayer and meditation, and it sounds like a lullaby.  It lent the right spiritual tone to the start of our ceremony, helping everyone to relax and leave the worries of everyday life behind them. Then we had an Opening Prayer, a Naming Ceremony, Naming of the Godparents and Grandparents. (James even had a great-grandmother present!) We listened to James Taylor's song "Sweet Baby James" as everyone envisioned their future hopes and prayers for James' future, and then we anointed James with water, lemon (for when life is sour), and honey (for when life is sweet). Everyone was enriched by the ceremony on this beautiful sunny day.

On May 16, 2009, I was honored to officiate a really cool wedding at Lory's Lakeside in North Brunswick, for Pamela and Eric. A beautiful location on perhaps the last unspoiled bit of lakefront real estate in Jersey : )   It was a cloudy day at first, but right as our radiant bride Pamela came down the aisle at 12:30 in the afternoon, the sun came out and started beaming with radiance as well.  Paulie, their 4-year old son and ringbearer, held the rings on the coolest ringbearer pillow I've ever seen: shaped like a 4 x 4 truck that said "Bad To The Bone". This is definitely the way to a little guy's heart.
The ceremony contained a beautiful reading of e.e. cummings' poem "I carry your heart with me", which sounded magical in the idyllic springtime lake setting. Then two friends of the bride and groom sang a heartfelt rendition of the Moldy Peaches' "Anyone Else But You". (The lyrics about the pebbles and trees rang true in the glen of trees surrounding us.) I read a verse in Italian in honor of Pam's deceased father. The couple exchanged lovely vows in unison, and the congregation said some vows as well! (A resounding "WE WILL!" to give the couple all their love and support.) Top that off with a colorful Sand Ceremony with son Paulie, and the release of gorgeous and COOPERATIVE butterflies (they often have a mind of their own), and you have one really cool and heartfelt wedding!

On Valentine's Day I officiated Patrizia and Joe's wedding in Central Park's Conservatory Gardens. It was a nice sunny day, although quite cold. But our brave bride Patrizia happily processed down the hugest aisle ever, from the iron gate at 105th St. & 5th Ave. all the way to the balcony at the rear of the gardens where we awaited her, in a short-sleeved dress! And she didn't look too cold either. In that moment I believe she was walking on cloud nine, so maybe she didn't feel the chill. It was a nice and very romantic ceremony for two lovely people whose families are both from the same village in Sicily, although the bride and groom are both born and raised in America. They went on to a nice reception at the Waldorf-Astoria where I'm sure it was nice and warm :)

On February 6, I was able to fulfill a dream of mine by speaking some Irish in a wedding ceremony. Being 25% of Irish descent, it's a language I've studied on and off for the past 9 years, but I'd never gotten a request to use it on the job! Until now... when I was privileged to officiate a beautiful heartfelt ceremony for the wedding of Roisin (pronounced Ro-sheen) and Frank. It was at a cool little restaurant called Chez Oskar in Brooklyn. Many of Roisin's family still live in Ireland, in County Clare I believe, and flew here for the big day. They were charming and very friendly, as the Irish are known to be. They also gave me last-minute coaching on Irish pronunciation before the ceremony, especially the bride's young niece who was probably 10 or 11 years old, and spoke much better Irish than I! During the ceremony we said the Our Father in Irish, and I also gave the benediction "May The Road Rise To Meet You" in Irish and English. It's a beautiful language, you can check it out at with sound samples at www.daltai.com . The bride and groom were elated to be together, and the ceremony included loosely tying their hands together in the ancient Irish tradition of "handfasting", with a cloth that I believe was actually a family heirloom of her grandmother.

On November 29, I officiated Ellen and Paul's wedding in a cozy apartment overlooking Central Park. They have a beautiful story of how they began dating: she lived across the hall from him 5 years ago, and when he was widowed, she wanted to reach out to him. His adorable little dog was barking all the time, so she wrote a note to him asking if he needed anything, perhaps she could walk the dog for him some time... and she left the note under the door. As it turned out, Paul's dog ate the note, and Paul discovered the chomped-on paper still in his dog's mouth. He was still able to read the note, took Ellen up on her offer, and the rest is history!