I love it when brides like Sarah know what the exact appropriate footwear is for getting married in Vermont!
These Boots Are Made For Wedding
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The Elf Princess and The Marlboro Man
Rebekah and Alex contacted me to perform their wedding ceremony on a giant block of granite overlooking Route 4 in Killington.
They’d hiked up to this promontory on their very first date, and were now coming back up the trail with her brother Matt, his fiancee Grace, and me to solemnize their vows. Barefoot – I might add.
Still snow on the ground? Â No problem! Â As Matt put it, “She’s an Elf Princess. Â He’s the Marlboro Man. Â They don’t need shoes!”
We got to the top in about 30 minutes. Â It was a gorgeous, bright, breezy, early spring day. The kind of day which makes you believe anything is possible. Â A perfect day to get married. Â Alex and Rebekah kept climbing.
And decided they’d found the exact spot where they wanted to speak their vows.
We followed them up, and performed the ceremony. Grace had a surprise reading, a poem she said made her first believe in the power and possibility of love. Â It was the last part of “Little Gidding” from T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. Â Which, by the way, always makes me cry:
With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this
CallingWe shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always—
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.
Then there was champagne and toasting! 
And great good wishes expressed by all the other, more geared-up hikers passing through.
I’ve been fortunate enough to perform weddings in all manner of magical places, but honestly, this was a spot that made you believe you could fly – or at the very least, have an extremely successful marriage!
Pike’s Peek
Debra and Michelle
My friend, photographer Karen Pike (all these photos are hers) hooked me up with Debra and Michelle, a couple of lovely gals up from Texas to get married in muddy Vermont! Â They ended up coming out to my house for the ceremony and photo shoot, and had a really fun time – complete with tiny cake from neighbor (and Cake Genius) Julie Almond of Caketopia Cakes.
Julie Almond‘s very, very tasty vanilla/strawberry cakelet.
What I hadn’t realized was that it was the 4th anniversary of Vermont legalizing same sex marriage! Â What a joy to be part of a state that has its head on straight about human rights!
But I’ll let Karen tell the rest of the story on her fine blog…
Speed Record!
Bridget and Kiefer
I was driving into Burlington with my husband Mark when I got a call from Bridget and Kiefer. Â They were in town and wanting, for numerous reasons, to get married right away. They’d already picked up their license at City Hall and were just looking for someone who could hitch ’em up ASAP in City Hall Park (despite the frigid temperatures).
I told them I was already on my way in, and that I could meet them in 20 minutes. Â Always a fan of Love, Mark hit the gas, and we made it to town in 18 minutes and change.
Bridget and Kiefer were so sweet – like a couple of punky pierced puppies. Â They’d met when Kiefer rescued Bridget from his roommate who was hitting on her, he said, “Like a jackhammer on a small animal.” Â And they’d been inseparable every since.
I asked if they wanted an actual ceremony or to have me do a “Poof! Â You’re married!” sort of thing. Â They preferred short and sweet, so I asked them if they were sure they wanted to get married – and married to each other. Â They said absolutely yes. Â I asked them if they were prepared to stick it out through the hard times, and they said they’d already had plenty of those and yes, they were ready. Â So I said, “Ok, I pronounce you united in marriage!” They smooched, and the deed was done!
They definitely win my all-time Contact-To-Kiss speed record! Â I’d have to be hanging out right at City Hall and trolling for couples for a ceremony to happen any faster. Â I wish I’d had a trophy or t-shirts for them or something…
Purple Class
Photo by Jeannette LeBlanc
One thing I loved about working with Mardi and Misti was that as utterly gorgeous as they are in their photos, they were also incredibly grounded and down-to-earth as people. Â Rather than making a grand entrance, they mingled with their guests until it was time to start the ceremony. Â Then they asked everyone to gather in a circle, and we began! Â Cermoniously unceremonious, as it were.
They wrote beautiful, honest articulations of their love which were based in the daily reality of their 7-year relationship:
Mardi, I love you because you make me laugh out loud on a daily basis, like when you make up conversations between the cats and each one has their own distinctive voice and when you send me text messages over your lunch break with funny pictures of them saying hi to me.
Their vows, too, were all about knowing who they already are as a couple, and what they understand the ups and downs of long term relationship to be:
Misti, I will make your dreams as important as my own. I will make time for you, enjoy you, and work to know you better every day. Today I promise you that though the world may change and though we may change with it, I will always love you, always treasure you and will always share my life and all that I am with you. When life challenges us, I promise to focus on the resiliency of our love. And if I stumble and fail to live up to my promises, I will look you in the eyes, hold your hands, and apologize with sincerity. I will be my best for you.
Their love for each other was so palpable, so glimmering, and so true.
Clowning Around
All photos by http://www.joshlarkinphotography.com
Kolleen and Bobby met at clown school. Â They’re teachers, wedding photographers, physical comedians, and extremely nice people. Â Their wedding was at Kolleen’s family’s vacation home in Waitsfield amidst a profusion of beautifully-souled, brightly-dressed friends and family.
Bobby, by the way, was much admired by all the little girls in attendance. Â If Kolleen wasn’t such a powerhouse, she’d have had to put up a big fight to keep him!
I had a blast working with them, and the only real drawback for the day was that I managed to lock my keys in the car. Â But it was so beautiful out, and the party full of such nice people, that I really couldn’t complain.
And I was so moved by what Kolleen wrote me afterwards:
“Bobby and I wanted to thank you so much for creating our beautiful ceremony. So honest and free-spirited. A perfect reflection of us. And you delivered it so eloquently, and with love. People constantly tell us it was the most touching ceremony they’ve ever seen!”
Fabulous Fusion
All photos by Lucas DeSousa at lucasdesousa.com
Meet Mala and Colin. Â Could they be any cuter? Â No, there is no possible way they could be. Along with being a totally connected and copaesthetic couple, they are also a spicy transcontinental blend of Indian and Irish, and as such, had themselves a beautiful Indian Fusion wedding.
As a yoga teacher and someone who has admired Indian culture from afar for years, this was a fun opportunity for me to get to participate a little more closely in a (albeit highly condensed) slice of Indian ceremonial life.
“Love is the same all around the world. Devotion, commitment, family, a desire for connection and intimacy – those are an undeniably universal human experience, and something we all understand, no matter what language we speak or to which deities we pray.”
The way the ceremony worked is that I started out by welcoming everyone to the event – especially those far-flung relatives of Mala’s who’d travelled all the way from India to be there.  Then, Mala’s Aunt, Rajani Singhal, managed to condense what would normally be a 3-day experience down to about 15 minutes.  There was fire, there was rice, and there was a significant quantity of cloth binding these two together.
Rajani found a way to preserve the fundamental essence of the ceremony – an honoring of the alchemical blend of love and duty, commitment and bonding, friendship and love which make up any good and successful marriage.
“Mala, I give you my love, my service, my care, and my devotion. With the beauty of this ring and all the joy in my heart, I take you as my beloved wife.”
Then I stepped back in and concluded with the traditional Western ring-and-vow portion of the program.
Mala, Colin, and their families were a delight to meet and work with. Â I was just sorry I couldn’t stick around for the reception, which looked like it was going to be one big blow-out of a party. Â But it was #2 of a Three Wedding Day and a roving officiant has got be on her way! Â But I wish them all great fortune and happiness – and thanks for getting to be part of the fun!
Frolicking With Amy And Bill
Amy and Bill got married at Grand Summit at Mount Snow in West Dover, VT.  I frequently do small gatherings in demure locations, and it was a remarkble contrast.  Grand Summit is, well, grand!  And impressive!  See for yourself:
But the whole thing was hardly stuffy. Â It was lovely, and Amy and Bill included some remarkably whimsical touches. Â They had flower petals lining the walkway:
The UVM TopCats singing Kiss The Girl from The Little Mermaid:
Signs indicating Amy’s special status:
And a great deal of jumping and smooching:
Unfortunately, what I can’t show you was the end of the ceremony (I was a little busy). When I originally met with Amy and Bill to talk with them about the ceremony, Amy declared that even though she isn’t Jewish, and it’s hardly usual for a woman, she wanted to stomp on a glass and have everyone shout “Mazel Tov!” just because she thinks it’s a great tradition. Â I told her that as long as she wore hard-soled shoes, she could stomp on anything she liked. Â And so she did.
The crowd went wild.
When Thespians Wed
My friend and colleague – University of Vermont theater design professor Jeff Modreger – recently married his great love Matt Sutkowski.  It was a big treat to go support them – not to mention getting to attend a wedding for a change!
Jeff is one of the most gifted designers with whom I’ve ever had the pleasure to work, so I suspected his wedding would be more than a little…elaborate. Â For one thing, it was in UVM’s beautiful Royall Tyler Theater, so they had a leg up on gorgeous right then and there. Â Plus, Jeff designed the set and they asked everyone to wear white, so the audience was pretty, too (sorry for the blur – old camera phone doesn’t do well in dim light).
Then, one by one, the stage started being peopled with remarkable musical theater performers singing all manner of heartfelt, throaty love songs.
Finally, they had a whole crew out there, with Jeff and Matt, who had a lot to say and a lot of people to thank!
Then, just when I thought it couldn’t get any more beautiful or moving, they had the whole dang crowd sing “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” Â It was a sight to behold!
I should note that Jeff is in his 60s, so for anyone who thinks it’s too late for them, lovewise, do not be fooled by the mean voices in your head. Â Anything is possible. Â Any time.
Love Lana!
The brilliant film-maker Lana Wachowski was recently given a Human Rights Watch Visibility Award. Â Why? Â Because she used to be Larry. Â She’s an incredibly private person, but agreed to receive the award because she felt that if she could be a role model and a source of hope to other people in the Trans community, then the sacrifice of her carefully-guarded anonymity would be worth it. Â Here’s her acceptance speech. Â She’s extraordinary.