One of the many blessings of being in the wedding world is meeting other Wedding Pros who share the same enthusiasm, commitment, and call to service. Today attended a brilliant networking conference hosted by The 21st Century Bride, offering encouragement, advice, and trend-tracking in the wedding universe. Here I am with my NYC wedding pals Rev. Will Mercer Wedding Officant & Margaret Sanzo Sneddon, Harpist. I refer to both of them with confidence! It was great to meet in person some of my on-line wedding connections from Twitter & Wedding Wire including Ian Lozado Photography, make new friends like Caitlin Boshnack, Event Planner, and Tweet with NJWedding.com & cyber pals! I was so delighted to meet Celebrant Kim Kirkley (NY) & Celebrant Diane Wilkerson (NJ). It gives me such comfort & confidence to be able to refer to warm, experienced, and kind officiants when I am unvailable, to share experience & stories, and support. Of the MANY presentations today, I particularly enjoyed warm & wonderful Dina Eisenberg of Positively Wed, website advice from Alan Berg, upbeat & energetic Anne Chertoff, from the blog I-Will-To-I-Do, hearing from Wedding Podcast Network, growing your business with Ken "Bosco" Rabasco, photography advice from Phil Cantor Photography, and amusement from "Celebrity Robot!" You can follow the Twitter Feed from @21CenturyBride with the tag #21CB. Thanks to all--have a great Wedding Season 2011! Warmly, Rev. Annie NYC
Sunday morning ceremony at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers *photos coming soon*!
READING #2 Scottish Wedding Prayer Lord help us to remember when We first met and the strong love that grew between us. To work that love into practical things so that nothing can divide us. We ask for words both kind and loving and hearts always ready to ask forgiveness as well as to forgive. Dear Lord, we put our marriage into your hands
I am proud to support full MARRIAGE EQUALITY for all LGBT couples! It's important to me to be seen & heard in my support for Civil Rights, I want my gay friends to know that I am an ally in the movement to change hearts, minds, and *the law* in favor of recognizing LOVE, and granting gay couples EQUAL RIGHTS. So on Valentine's Day Monday, February 14th, I joined Marriage Equality New York GetEQUAL NY, the Metropolitan Community Church (MCCNY), Queer Rising, and fellow New Yorkers at The Manhattan Marriage Bureau, near City Hall in lower Manhattan, to stand beside Rob Lassegue & Manuel Reyes, as they attemped to file for a marriage license and join the more than 1.2 million couples who have been married there since 1930. 
We came carrying signs, smiling & showing our love, and demonstrating our commitment to making Marriage Equality a reality. We chanted, shouted, we waved at passing cars, we passed out fliers to people on their way to work. We gathered with pride as Rev. Pat from MCCNY conducted a joint ceremony for a gay couple and a straight couple, demonstrating that LOVE is an equal right! We will continue to speak out, educate, advocate, and protest civil injustice until ALL COUPLES are equated with respect and the same rights under the law. 
It's wonderful to BELIEVE in gay marriage in your heart, but at this critical time in history, it's also important to DEMONSTRATE your belief by telling your family, friends, co-workers, children, neighbors, and community that you ACTIVELY SUPPORT civil rights for gay couples, and you support MARRIAGE EQUALITY. I especially encourage my straight friends to TAKE A STAND and SHOW UP for gay rights rallies wherever you live! Find your local chapter of the grassroots groups & organizations that are taking actions, and support them. It's important to let your gay friends & family know that you are on their side not just in theory, and not quietly...but with PRIDE! http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/valentines-day-marriage-equality-wedding-in-manhattan/marriage/2011/02/13/17401
Kris & Nic were sooo excited to come to NYC for the 1st time to celebrate their true love on Valentine's Day weekend! I met them at their mid-town hotel, Millennium Broadway right off Times Square, and we took a cab to the South East corner of Central Park (where the horse & buggies line up). They choose to have their ceremony on The Gapstow Bridge, which is an easy walk close to the corner of the park. It's a small bridge, and no matter what season, you'll often find a saxophone player there doing Frank Sinatra, classic jazz and of course, "New York, New York!" Just behind the bridge is the Central Park Wollman Skating Rink, which turns into a children's amusement/ride park in summertime. It was cold but bright & sunny, and they cuddled up to keep warm as they shared their vows & rings and emotions. I was happy to take pictures for them so they would have plenty of photos to show off at home to their kids, families, and friends. After the ceremony, they planned on celebrating by going to see their favorite Broadway show: Phantom of the Opera! That is TOTALLY how I celebrate special occasions, too! Love it! 
It means so much to me to see true love in action. Nic & Kris are so well matched, I feel lucky to be in the presence of such happiness. We signed a souvenir wedding certificate to commemorate the emotional, spiritual, and symbolic significance of joining their lives. And as soon as the wedding license they are entitled to becomes available, *we will sign that, too!* MARRIAGE EQUALITY! With love, Rev. Annie NYC
The Boathouse at Central Park with Trice & Matt! When visiting NYC you must come here for drinks/dinner! It's an oasis of elegance in the middle of this bustling city, and they really know how to "do it up" in style! http://www.thecentralparkboathouse.com/
When Diana 1st called me on the phone from Florida, we made a great connection. I loved hearing her love story and dream to have a winter wedding in NYC. February did not disappoint--we provided plenty of *snow* for her dream day! Diana & Jeffrey and the wedding party of family & friends arrived in pedicabs. I met them at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park with John McCarthy Bagpiper. Oh, the bagpipe is very moving & emotional, isn't it? We received a lot of attention as folks in the park stopped to listen, take pictures, and appreciate the traditional sounds. Diana was a perfect winter bride in 
fur headband. She made a dramatic entrance, descending the steps of Bethesda Terrace escorted by her teenage sons. Groom Jeffrey wore a Scottish kilt. The cold temperature didn't stop the tears as Bride & Groom and family beamed with love! In Central Park, it's common to have some onlookers stop & appreciate the site of a wedding. It's inspiring! It's always been my exprience that people are respectful, kind, and considerate when they come across our wedding in the park. In fact, it adds to the happiness of the occasion knowing that we "made their day!" After the ceremony, when it was clear we were finished with formalities and were celebrating and taking pictures, several tourists and photography 
enthusiasts asked if they could snap our picture. The Bride & Groom said yes--I like to call this having "A New York Moment!" I am so honored to share life-changing moments with couples & families, and days they will rememb
er forever. Just thinking of Diana & Jeffrey brings tears to my eyes. There are some couples you just know will *stay in touch* :) It really was a perfect day! So much love, Rev. Annie NYC
Tom & Emma have been a part of each other's lives & families for many years. They share a life together that includes a happy house full of children. Their marriage ceremony marked not the start of a new relationship, but their deep committment to each other and their family. Their private & personal ceremony reflected their mutual respect and the confidence they have in their long-lasting love. They married in a suite at The Ritz Carlton Battery Park, with Emma's mum & brother from the UK as witnesses. The ipod played country music before & after the ceremony.
Sydney & David were married at home in the company of their parents. Sydney wore snazzy shoes & carried pink roses, which have a romantic history in her family as her father gave her mother pink roses on the day she was born. The closeness of this family & the romantic feelings of this sweet couple filled the room with love, and we were easily moved to tears in the presence of such excitement, happiness, and emotion. Wishing David & Sydney a long and happy life together, and a great wedding celebration party with friends this summer on Long Island! With love, Rev. Annie NYC
Rory & Steve asked me to officiate their Monday, Jan. 17th Martin Luther King Day holiday luncheon wedding in Queens. What a great time for a ceremony--many friends & family were off from work and able to join them for this romantic, kid-friendly, celebration of love followed by an Italian lunch. One of my jobs at weddings is usually to pin the boutonnieres on the gentlemen. And then keep them calm as we wait for the bride! Rory took our breath away in her lace bodice dress. She had tears in her eyes throughout the ceremony, and the bride & groom held hands as they repeated their vows. Steve kept beaming his warm smile at his Bride, as they exchanged rings and pledged their love to each other in the presence of their children, family, friends, neighbors, and community. I was delighted to stay for lunch to enjoy the company of their wedding guests! We had a leisurely Italian meal 
that began with antipasta, then pasta, and entrees. I so enjoyed chatting with friends and relatives, we had a fine time! It really makes my day when guests come up to me after the ceremony and tell me that they loved the wedding, and that it spoke to their hearts. Even the waitstaff was kind enough to greet me one by one and tell me that they listened in and they were really touched! I"m so honored to share a message of love that stays with people, and allows them to appreciate the love they have in their lives, and inspires them to find real love--the kind that allows them to grow, to shine, to share, to be truly happy, helpful, and inspiring to others. 
The couple ordered a carrott cake for their reception--yum! What a great choice. As the sky grew dark around dusk, it was time to catch my train back into the city. What a great way to spend the day, in the company of good & kind people, celebrating love, enjoying an excellent meal, and taking "time out" to say to each other, "What a GOOD day this is! THIS is really LIVING!" 
I had an excellent time creating a highly personal, meaningful, family ceremony for Brynn & Maz's wedding day at Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown, NY. They gave a lot of time & attention to the details of their ceremony, including family members in offering readings and traditions that reflect their blended families and cultures. Brynn was escorted down the aisle by her mother, and remembered her father in the ceremony with a beautiful memento photo of him in her wedding bouquet. Maz's sister & sister-in-law did a reading from the Sufi poet Rumi, "This Marriage," offering it in Farsi & in English, and Brynn's Uncle Jim read from "Union" by Robert Fulghum. 
Maz's mother created a beautiful sofreh covered in mirrors, candles, fruit, sweets, coins, and favors, a Persian tradition representing the many blessings we wish for them in their marriage. Both Brynn & Maz's mothers participated in the Candle Lighting, representing the shared light of their lives and their families, and Maz's cousins came forward after the pronouncement to help us with the "Taste of Honey" as the Bride & Groom sealed their 1st kiss as Husband & Wife. It was a pleasure to work with friendly, organized, fun, professional Jennifer Boyle Photography. Jennifer kept everyone on schedule with photos before the ceremony, getting all the shots "on the list" with grace, laughter, and ease. She has a wonderful ability to tell the story of your wedding day as it unfolds. You absolutely want to see the wedding slideshow! Warmest wishes to Brynn & Maz and their families. You brought so much warmth to a snowy winter night, and I wish you so much happiness for years to come! With love, Rev. Annie NYC
Best wishes to lovely Karina & Vitaly, married today @6:30am! This special time was advised by their astrologer as an auspcious beginning to their new life together. We had a beautiful ceremony in a private location in NYC, in the company of their closest family and friends, followed by champagne, cake, and coffee. Losing no time, the couple was then off to look at new apartments! Wishing thems so much happiness as they enjoy this new start in life, TOGETHER. With love, Rev. Annie NYC
Tonight's Bride & Groom
Congratulatons Frank & Nelleke from The Netherlands,
Side of the park, it's easy to get there on foot from Central Park South by walking north past The Gap Stow Bridge & Wollman's Rink, or by circling around The Central Park Zoo.
I took this photo of the couple as they jumped into a pedi-cab headed back to their limo parked at the SE corner of the park. I had a lovely stroll through the park on my way home, enjoying the snow covered trees, the bundled up tourists and pedestrians, the dog walkers and carriages, the snowmen and winter sports.
Let's make EVERY DAY of 2011
