Adding Your Love Story to Your Wedding Ceremony

My wedding season in 2015 ended in the same way as it was opened, with an LGBT wedding.  Gabriela and Sasha came to me looking for an Inter-Faith ceremony that would express the true essence of their union.  Gabriela wanted to honor her parents and her Judaic upbringing by including the traditional Breaking of the Glass in their ceremony.  Their ceremony took place on October 3^rd, 2015 at one of the most, if not the most beautiful wedding venue in Laguna Beach, Tivoli Too! The backdrop to the platform where the ceremony took place was magical, a cascading waterfall on stones amongst all the gorgeous greenery that not surprisingly set the tone for a serene peaceful feeling and the view the guests had was absolutely breathtaking as Gabriela and Sasha stood there facing one another.  Tivoli Too! has a European courtyard feeling that set the tone for this romantic couple’s wedding.  And so their Love Story Ceremony goes like this…

When I met with Gabriela and Sasha they knew what they wanted their ceremony to be like.  So we discussed the Inter-Faith aspect of the ceremony they wanted and we also discussed the type of non-religious tone they wanted in their ceremony.  They had also decided that they would write their own vows and would keep them a secret from one another until the day of their wedding.  They even kept them a secret from me.  They explained that they would each hold on to their written vows and would pull them out of wherever they had them tucked away when the time came to read them to one another at the ceremony.

Their vows were written as a love story that included the first night they laid eyes on each other.  Gabriela’s version and then Sasha’s version, each of them describing in their own beautiful way what it was like to fall in love with the other and ending with the promises they were making to each other.

Although I knew this couple personally and had seen their relationship evolve I had never heard the story of how they came to be.  It was a beautiful touch to their ceremony and it was enjoyed by their friends and family in attendance. Everyone including myself chuckled when Gabriela said to Sasha “The first time I laid eyes on you, you were break dancing on the dance floor close to where I was dancing and you kicked me and I turned around and saw you and thought to myself wow, I need to meet her!”.  Their love story was filled with laughter and tears, the kind of tears you get when you identify with the emotions being conveyed in the story being told.

I saw, heard and felt the reactions of everyone in attendance when they heard the love story portion of their vows and it made me realize that this was a way to bring everyone there into an intimate space shared by these two beautiful women.  In that moment everyone was given an opportunity to see them as they are and how they came to be.  The Love Story Ceremony was conceived that day for me.

The love story does not have to be included as the vows, it can be a separate reading in the ceremony. I created the Love Story Questionnaire for the couples that choose the Love Story Ceremony.  The questionnaire helps me create your love story and the more you tell the better the love story (wink).  It’s a very personal touch to your ceremony and one that is remembered by your guests.  They get to walk away knowing a little more about how you met and the special quirks of your relationship.  It can be funny, romantic or a reflection of just who you are, as complex or as simple as that may be.  It is a gift that your guests walk away with knowing a little something about how your love story began.

The love story can be read by the couple, the officiant or whomever you choose.  Perhaps someone that is not part of the bridal party but you would like to have them included in your ceremony could be the designated person to read your love story.  It’s all up to you, after all this is your day and you can make it whatever and however you want it to be.

All I know is that there were chuckles and “aaaawwwws” in the audience as each of them spoke about their version of how they met and when they knew they had found their “one”.