Dinosaurs in Love

When I married Trevor and Lindsay a few weeks ago I knew their wedding was going to be fun, funky and unique- and it did not disappoint. One of my favorite parts was the reading they chose, called "A Lovely Love Story" by Edward Monkton.

The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice. Although it was cold he was happy in there. It was, after all, his cage. 
Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur. The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts. I like this Dinosaur thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny. He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now. 

I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur. She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice. She is also a free spirit which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur. 

But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. He is also overly fond of things. Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of things?

But her mind skips from here to there so quickly thought the Dinosaur. She is also uncommonly keen on shopping. Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?

I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur. For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.

I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the Dinosaur. For she fills our life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises. Besides, I am not unkeen on shopping either.

Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old. Look at them. Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs. 

And that, my friends, is how it is with love. So let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together. 

For the sun is warm. And the world is a beautiful place.

 They had it read by a groomsman and bridesmaid (who happened to be married by me a few years ago!), with the groomsman reading about the female dinosaur and the bridesmaid reading about the parts about the male dinosaur. It was charming and adorable and their guests LOVED it. We always recommend picking a reading that reflects who you are as a couple- and if you're a lot of fun, you might want to consider dinosaurs in love :)

Beyond the Sand Ceremony

We've been having ANOTHER amazing season full of fun, sweet couples. Hard to believe we've been doing this for 8 years!
The summer just flew by and while we've tweeted (@jennbateman and @jordanbateman) and instagrammed a bunch of our favorite moments and pics from this season, we've been behind on the blogging!

 One thing I've noticed are some variations on the unity candle/ sand ceremony.
When I married Zach and Keren last month they wanted to create something that signified how important it was that they were not just joining their two lives, but also their two families. They are big fans of wine, so I helped them write this special 'wine ceremony'.

Here's what I wrote:  
Zach and Keren have chosen to do a wine ceremony that they created for today. In many cultures a raising a toast is a sign of the celebration. Today marks one of the best events we could possible celebrate, a marriage. 
Each of the mothers will pour a glass of wine here at the table. The wine represents the richness and the beauty of the families that come together today. Today we celebrate the individual lives of Keren and Zach being bound together, being joined for a lifetime. Today also two families, two stories, two cultures reach a shared path. 
Today Zach and Keren will take a sip of the wine poured by their own mother to represent their past, their family their roots. Then each will take a sip of the wine poured from their new mother-in-law to represent their future, their new family, their life together. 
Today we ask for you to share in the blessing, as Zach and Keren raise a toast in celebration of their new life together as husband and wife.

It was a great fit for them and a beautiful, personal addition to their ceremony.

Yes, Churchill and Thatcher Can Be Romantic

Yesterday, I married off Neil and Aisha - two amazing people who a year or so ago, sold everything they owned here in Canada and moved to England with literally two suitcases. They are fantastic people, and returned to the Lower Mainland this week for a visit, and to get hitched.

They are political animals (I first met Aisha when she was the spokesperson for Integrity B.C.) and huge fans of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. Fortunately, I love politics and history, so this was right in my wheelhouse.

I tailored my opening comments to include an excerpt from a love letter from Winston Churchill to his wife Clementine:

Now, there are many amazing marriages these two could pattern their own after. But there was one deeply romantic couple that they felt would serve as a most apt inspiration. Of course, I speak of the great British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his beloved Clementine. When one thinks of Churchill, we think of his courage, his stubbornness, his magnificent leadership during the darkest days the free world ever faced. We think of his perseverance, his ability to speak hope to terrified people, and his brilliant wit. We don’t necessarily think of Churchill as sweet or romantic, but to his dear Clemmie, his wife of 56 years, he certainly was. They wrote one another hundreds of love letters during their marriage. This is an excerpt from just one of those letters:

My darling Clemmie,

… you wrote some words very dear to me, about my having enriched your life. I cannot tell you what pleasure this gave me, because I always feel so overwhelmingly in your debt, if there can be accounts in love... What it has been to me to live all these years in your heart and companionship no phrases can convey.

Time passes swiftly, but is it not joyous to see how great and growing is the treasure we have gathered together, amid the storms and stresses of so many eventful and, to millions, tragic and terrible years?

With tender love from your devoted,

W.

I love the idea that Winston and Clementine recognized that they enriched one another’s life. They made the other better – they didn’t agree all the time, but they love one another unconditionally and encouraged one another relentlessly. Those of us lucky enough to have fallen in love know precisely what that feels like. If a couple can treat one another with that kind of deep, abiding gratefulness, they forge something that can never fail.

           

Neil and Aisha, we know your love runs deep, and all of us here today bless you to have a happy, full, wonderful life together. May you enrich one another’s lives for all time.

I also worked in a few other Churchill-isms: "Never give up," and my favorite, "It is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war," both of which are great advice for couples.

And when Aisha finished her vow, I was able to throw in a tip of the hat to her hero, Margaret Thatcher. "What Aisha is really committing to, Neil, can be boiled down to just six words: 'Neil, this lady's not for turning'."

Be amazing married people, Neil and Aisha! Congratulations - and thanks for having me as part of your special day.

Something Old, Something New

We're right in the midst of another wedding season, and July was a fantastic month. Not a single day of rain! We've had a blast with our couples so far this year and are still really enjoying the chance to be part of that special moment. We've done a lot of weddings- but it doesn't get old. Helping the couple walk through the rehearsal, joking around with the wedding party, checking in on the bride right before the ceremony starts, watching the grooms expression as the bride approaches the aisle....it's magic. It is such a moment and we're honored to be a part of it. For something new: check out some of the updates to our wedding website! We try to keep it updated with some info about what we do and some pics of us 'in action'! Let us know if there's something you think we should add. This pic is of me with Jodi and Trevor who were so sweet. I had such fun with them, despite the fact that it was a HOOOOOOOT day out!

May the 4th be With You!

I had a great time this afternoon, officiating a special Star Wars-themed wedding for Chris and Janice Bold. They are huge (!) science fiction fans, so when the chance to have a wedding on May the 4th came by, they couldn't resist.

It was fun, sweet, and, most importantly, totally them. That's the key to any wedding - put as much of your story into as possible.

Thanks Chris and Janice for having me share your special day.

Here's the Global News clip: http://globalnews.ca/news/536094/couple-carry-the-force-with-them-as-they-celebrate-star-wars-wedding-in-cloverdale/ 

And CTV: http://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=919759, along with a photo gallery: http://bc.ctvnews.ca/more/photo-galleries/may-the-4th-be-with-them-sci-fi-fans-wed-on-star-wars-day-1.1267308 

Finally, here's a story from The Province:

“I will honour you, I will be faithful to you, and I will protect you from the Dark Side.”

With that unique wedding vow uttered at a club house in Cloverdale on Saturday, May the Fourth, two passionate sci-fi fans tied the knot in a Star Wars-themed wedding.

Groom Chris Bold dressed as a stormtrooper, while bride Janice wore a white Princess Leia cape.

Getting laughs and cheers from the crowd, after saying “I do,” Bold kissed his bride one time with his stormtrooper helmet off, and one time with it on.

Self-described as fun-loving and “very bizarre,” the couple said they wanted to make their big day memorable for family and friends by doing something very far — light years as it were — from the norm.

“We both like to do things a little different, we’re very bizarre people,” Janice said after the ceremony.

Chris said that, in fact, he had first planned on doing a Dr. Who themed wedding — but the couple felt Star Wars was more accessible.

They also wore Lord of the Rings wedding bands, designed by Janice, complete with “Elvish script” engravings.

The couple made their vows in front of a movie screen-sized photo of R2D2 and his partner C3P0.

Bold’s groomsmen stood by him dressed as Chewbacca and Darth Vader.

Small statues of Yoda and Wicket the Ewok flanked the Intergalactic wedding party, and a stately bust of planetary hit man Boba Fett adorned another corner of the club house.

And the crowd loved it.

As two adorable flower girls, also dressed as little Leias, walked the aisle, one woman turned to another and said: “It’s different, I’ll give them that. It’s neat actually.”

The wedding officiant Jordan Bateman wore a brown Jedi robe and wielded a blue light sabre.

In a ceremony sprinkled with Star Wars quotes, Bateman cited the wisdom of Yoda, advising the couple that a good marriage is based on couples doing “the little things” for each other, no matter what.

“Do or do not, there is no try,” Bateman told the couple.

After the ceremony Bateman said he has done some interesting theme weddings, including a couple who walked a yellow brick road aisle and wore costumes from The Wizard of Oz, but the Star Wars wedding “was craziest” by far.

“It was amazingly sweet too,” Bateman said. “The best weddings inject the couple’s personality into it, and Star Wars fits this couple, it’s a big passion for them.”

May 4 has come to be recognized as Star Wars Day by the movie franchise’s fans, after the films’ iconic phrase “may the force be with you.”

Back at It!

Well 2013 is here and I wanted to update the site just to say we're still here and happily booking away for 2013. We have a bit more limited schedule this year as Jordan and I have both gone back to school so please inquire as early as you're able. For weddings, we remain passionately committed to make the weddings we perform special, memorable and personal. We love what we do and are so happy to share in your day! Best way to get us is by email- weddings@jordanbateman.com We'd be happy to send your our info, fee and also our Getting Married Kit. If you'd like to meet with us for coffee to see if Jordan or I are the right fit for your day, we're happy to do that too. Email and we'll set something up!

PopMarriage Podcast #7 - 106 Minutes of Romance

We're back with their latest PopMarriage podcast, talking wedding chains (marrying off sets of friends over a period of time), kazoos, personalizing weddings, teamwork in marriage, how much romance a woman wants (106 minutes, apparently), and a couple who have had 22 marriage ceremonies.

And then the debut of our top 5, including a costume themed debate over who is more famous: Danny and Sandy from Grease, or The Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth.

Download it on iTunes (search for jj weddings or click here) or listen here:

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Wedding Mad-Libs!

It has been a FANTASTIC wedding season! We have met a bunch of really cool and fun couples this year, bbut I have just been so focused on weddings I forgot to update with all of the special moments and cool ideas. I did tweet some of this, but didn't post it here yet. I'll try to be better! I love seeing something new at wedding and was pretty impressed when I saw what Audree and Alex had done. They were having a wedding in the beautiful ballroom of the Vancouver Hilton Metrotown, but they had some quirky and fun personal touches. For example, they had their tables named for NFL teams with the logos as centers (they were big football fans). Instead of programs they had fortune tellers (cootie catchers?) with wedding info and they had guests fill out these wedding mad-libs during the down time. I bet they got some sweet and funny responses!

PopMarriage Podcast #6

Our latest PopMarriage podcast is now live (should be on iTunes later today) and it's a good one: new wedding stories, 7 things every couple should know and a call for couples to step their game up. Plus our usual banter, Jordan's usual Longmire plug, TomKat and more!


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Thumbprint Tree

There's always something new and adorable in weddings and this week its the thumbprint tree. Not sure how long these have been a trend but it was my first time seeing one this week. I also saw another handmade one when I married Jeff&Danielle yesterday, so I'm assuming it's a new trend! I thought it was so sweet.

This is Carly and Scott's tree which was printed as a big beautiful framed picture. It's a bare tree and guests leave their thumbprint and sign their name and it looks like foliage for the tree.

The little sign underneath said something to the effect of 'Thank you for leaving your mark on our lives'. They were using it instead of a guest book and I'm sure we're planning to hang it up at home later.

I'm sure there a tons of ideas for this on Pinterest, so check it out.