Number one all done on time pick up! Heading to Wedding to now. Everything looking good fingers crossed  

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Last Wedding/ First Wedding

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I just finished my last wedding of 2016 on New Years Eve, followed by my first wedding of 2017 on New Years day.

(A photo from my winter wonderland wedding on New Years Eve at Langley Golf Centre. Snow falling in the background, gold sparkles everywhere...magic!)

First off, a HUGE thank you to all the wonderful couples who included us in their weddings in 2016. We had a really great season, including meeting some fabulous people and getting a chance to work at some new venues and also being back with our some of our long term partners.

Some of our newer favourite local wedding spots include Estate 248, Krause Berry farms and South Bonson, and as always, we love the teams at Redwoods Golf, Langley Golf Centre and charming Fort Langley Hall.

This year I also got to do my first weddings at Vancouver Convention Centre, Seasons in the Park and one at a potato barn that was transformed into a wedding hall straight from a Pinterest page! We also did quite a few backyards that were such beautiful, heartfelt events. We get to see so many cool spots and have done weddings in so many places, this is one of our favourite things about the job.

Every year we try to spot a trend we hadn’t seen before. In 2014 it was the ‘Thumbprint Tree Guest book’, in 2015 it was ring bearers/ flower girls holding a sign on their way down the aisle and in 2016 it was lovely flower crowns for the bride and attendants and those gorgeous Flower Walls. https://www.pinterest.com/explore/flower-wall-wedding/. Looking forward to what creative ideas come out in 2017!

We have already begun booking for 2017, so if you’re looking for an officiant to help make your day special, please send us an email! You're welcome to request either Jordan or myself. I will send you our info, and you can meet with either Jordan or myself for coffee, chat about what you’re looking for. Please include your date, ceremony time and venue and we’re happy to let you know our availability. (Email: jennbateman5@gmail.com)

Happy New Year from the Batemans (here is a photo from this summer as some of the website photos are from previous seasons).

What Makes Our Services Stand Out

I have said this countless times to couples I meet with, but for me, what I love about weddings is standing up there with the couple at one of the best moments of their lives helping them create a life-long memory. It is such an honour to be able to marry people and after 10 years in the business we still have that feeling of getting swept up in the moment.

Jordan and I are pretty laid back and relaxed and happy to help create and perform a wedding that suits you as a couple. We don’t need to be the stand-up comedian or the deep philosopher or the officiate who uses the platform to talk about themselves for the entire ceremony. Our ceremonies are about the couple. We’re trying to create a moment that everyone is a part of and leaves feeling “we just shared in something really special”.

We do all types of weddings: more formal affairs where tradition is important, laid-back backyard weddings where being relaxed is important, big weddings with lots of guests and attendants, small weddings with just a couple witnesses in a park or home. And we love it all. We’re there to facilitate what you want and to help your wedding ceremony be what you envisioned.

And, if you don’t know where to start we can help with that too. You don’t need to spend hours pouring over content or writing a script just to get something unique, we have a Getting Married Kit you can work from. We’ll allow you to choose your own vows (or write your own if you’d rather) and choose a reading and ring vow as well.

We’ll help you if you want to include some kind of symbolism like pouring sand, lighting candles, memory box, tree planting etc. We have great stories about unique ideas that have worked in weddings we’ve done in the past (and some that don’t work as well). If you want to think of ways to honour a loved one who has passed or include blended family or your children we’d love to help with that as well. We can help you include some spiritual content if that would be meaningful for you. We’re happy to make suggestions if needed and take all of your ideas in too. We’ll even help you with music ideas for the ceremony.

We’ll also run the rehearsal. I always say rehearsals are like all the fun of the wedding with none of the pressure. Even if you have a simple ceremony it’s nice to run through, get the rhythm down for the processional and know the order of ceremony. We’ll direct your wedding party and make sure everyone is on the same page. And we’ll help navigate through any awkward family dynamics if needed. We’ll make sure things go smoothly and you don’t have the added pressure of having to boss around your loved ones during the rehearsal.

The final things that makes our services stand out is our track record. We’ve been doing weddings for 10 years now. We love it. We both have regular day jobs and we just do weddings on the side as it fits our family. So we’re not burdened or burned out of weddings. We choose to do it year after year because we think being married is awesome (15+years for Jordan and I!), we deeply believe marriage is a gift and we want to share that with others.

We’d be honoured to share in your big day. Please send us an email if you’re getting married and we’ll let you know what we can do to help!

Contact Jenn (I manage schedules for both Jordan and myself, let me know if you have a preference as to which one of us you’d like to perform your ceremony)

Jennbateman5@gmail.com

Hope to hear from you soon!

 

Booking 2016!

Just wanted to update the blog here to say that we are actively taking wedding bookings for all of 2016. Popular dates tend to fill up fast, so please contact us ASAP for more info about our availability and what we can offer to help make your ceremony meaningful, comfortable and special for you.

Email jennbateman5@gmail.com and we’d be happy to get your info.

Happy Planning!

A Family Affair

Jason and Candace’s wedding at Milner Chapel a few weeks ago was especially fun for me because I know both from my past. Jason and my mom were co-workers and Candace and my sister were childhood friends. In fact my sister and mom introduced these two and they will be living on the glory of this love connection for years to come. My sister did the wedding hair (she’s amazing, shout-out to Sarah at Montage Langley!) and I got to perform the ceremony.

It was a ton of fun and their personalized vows had me getting choked up.

 

 

Here is a photo of our family with the wonderful bride and groom. Looking forward to their happily ever after!

True Love on the Way to Grade 2

I feel terrible it’s been so long since we’ve updated our blog!

Wedding season 2014 is well underway and we’re having a great time.

I was at Redwoods Golf Course yesterday to marry Tyler and Yvonne who have known each other since they were kids.

Here’s a little excerpt of what I wrote for their ceremony:

Many of you know Tyler and Yvonne have known each other since grade 2- they used to walk to school together. In fact they’ve likely can’t remember a time they didn’t have the other one in their life. They’ve gone through school together, became teenagers together, became adults together, figured who they are together, took on responsibilities together. They fell in love and started a family together and had lovely Riley. The chance to share your life with someone is a gift- the chance to find that person when you’re 8 years old (even if they didn’t know it then) is truly special.

I was so happy to be a part of their big day and all of the other big days this season.

A Low-Key Affair

Sometimes weddings are a big event. Big wedding parties, lots of guests and a ton of planning.

Sometimes weddings are an intimate affair- and there's no better example than my Squamish wedding with Kelly and Cameron. They were originally planning a helicopter ride for themselves, their witnesses and me to dropped off on a mountain peak for their ceremony. Unfortunately, the clouds were too low and it was just too dangerous to fly.

Fortunately, Cam and Kelly are so laid back, and took it all in stride. We were wearing hiking gear, so their best man took us to a local spot where we hiked in to a stream at the base of the Chief. Salmon were spawning in the river, the sun broke through the clouds and the moment was truly beautiful. These two had met while mountain climbing and now exchanged vows out in the mountains. I had prepared them a special ceremony, reflecting how important the outdoors is to them.

Here's an excerpt:

Finding the person to share your life with is tough- and these two don’t make it any easier. They can’t just meet on regular land like the rest of us. They have to meet at the top of a mountain, almost like they were pulled out of the regular everyday world so they could see each other, apart from the crowd. And today is a full circle moment. These two, who met on a mountain, pull apart from the crowd, with only our lucky 3 to witness it, and stand among these beautiful mountain to be joined in marriage.

Whether a ceremony is a big event or something small we think it's very important to have something meaningful and personal that reflects the couple. And, we're always up for an adventure!

 

New Wedding Element- Time Capsule

I always like seeing something new at a wedding.

When I married Chris and Jessica a few weeks ago they decided to create a beautiful wedding time capsule. Chris (who is a skilled carpenter) made this beautiful box. During the ceremony they ceremony I read this:

Chris has built this beautiful box, and in this box they will place their written wedding vows, a collection of music from the wedding, a love letter from each to the other, and of course, a bottle of wine. The love letters describe the good qualities they find in one another, the reasons they fell in love, and their reasons for choosing to marry. The letters are sealed in individual envelopes and they have not seen what the other has written. With this box, Chris and Jessica have created their very own romantic time capsule which they will open on their 5th wedding anniversary. 

With that, Chris and Jessica tapped a few simple nails in to seal up it up. The box will be in their home, a reminder of that special moment.

I thought it was a unique and meaningful element and I just wanted to share!

A Surprise Wedding

One of the things I love most about weddings is meeting new people who I might not otherwise meet in my job or regular life. I also get to do some many new and different things!

Last weekend was no exception. I got to do my very first SURPRISE WEDDING. And this wedding was a surprise....for the BRIDE!

When Shawn first called me and old me he wanted to surprise Lisa with a wedding. The two had been together for 15 years, raising Lisa's daughter and then going on to have two sons together. They have a business, a home, a whole wonderful life together, but Shawn wanted to make it official. They were already planning a big backyard BBQ with their family and friends on their property, so while they had everyone together- what a great chance to tie the knot! I coached Shawn through the planning and tried to write something simple and personal for their day.

Here's an excerpt:

The truth is that these two have something that is very special. They have created and raised a family together. They’ve made a home, they run a business, they’ve shared their lives for quite a long time, so today is not a new journey for them, but instead an important milestone. It’s a ceremony and a moment to share with all of you what they have known to always be true in their hearts- they love each other, are committed to one another and want to spend the rest of their lives together. 

I think Shawn and I were both a little nervous going in- but he was right, she LOVED it! They were such awesome sports and their friends and family were thrilled for them. Best part- they throw a great party! I had so much fun being a part of it. Congrats to Shawn and Lisa!

Email Trouble!

I've been having a bit of trouble with the weddings@jordanbateman.com email, and some of the emails are not getting through (or bouncing back). So please send any emails, including requests and inquiries to jennbateman5@gmail.com and I'll get them while I get the glitch with the other worked out. THANKS!

Update: Sept 20 weddings@jordanbateman.com is now up and working again! Thanks for the patience!