Paul & Loise's Wedding, The Wequassett Inn, Chatham, MA

What a gorgeous day for a wedding on the lovely lawn directly overlooking the ocean view of the Wequassett Inn in Chatham. Loise and Paul experienced a truly unique and beautiful ceremony, designed with many symbolic traditions that were interwoven into
their

custom wedding service.

The violinists and harpist played in the background as the wedding party entered the beautiful altar by the sea. Loise and Paul had arranged for several unique qualities in their wedding. The ring bearer and flower girl were accompanied by the family dog who had the rings affixed to his collar.

All went quite well until the dog decided that there was someone interesting in the audience whom he wished to visit. Darting at a 90 degree angle, the ring bearer was pulled away from his intended path up the aisle! The flower girl, determined to fulfill her role, continued forward, unaware of the challenges being faced by her handsome ring bearer. Chuckles permeated the audience of family and friends as more people realized what was happening. The ring bearer, undeterred by his ultimate responsibility, recuperated by pulling the dog back on course, and successfully up the aisle to where Loise and Paul stood with me. Many applauded and laughed, thoroughly enjoying this spontaneously humorous event.

Everything turned sentimental within moments as the bride was escorted by her dad up the lawn's aisle to the altar where we stood. There were custom readings from relatives and a special unity candle ceremony whereby the parents of both the groom and bride lit a candle each, followed by Paul and Loise performing the candle lighting, too. Despite the windy day, with some persistence, all of the candles were lit, symbolizing the unity of their individual lives into one.

A Philippine wedding tradition of the pinning of the veil was then performed whereby the parents of both the bride and groom came forward and pinned the veil to Loise's shoulder, and then the other end to Paul's shoulder. In this way, the veil represented the shelter they will always find in the unconditional love of their families.

The wind then whipped up from the ocean beyond, and a gust caught Loise unaware. This moment captured by my wife, Lianne, shows how Loise retrieved her veil as a gust swirled, embracing she and her groom with its sudden caress. I looked up and announced to Loise to "go with the flow", to which all joined in in laughing with her and Paul in a spontaneous, loving moment.

Congratulations to Paul and Loise! Thank you for including me in your special wedding day! It was a sincere pleasure performing your custom ceremony on the lawn of the Wequassett Inn. Indeed, I have no doubt that your extended families will always be there to offer shelter and support, on calm days and windy days, too!

Jay & Erin's Wedding, The Beachmoor Inn & Restaurant, Buzzard's Bay, MA

What a beautiful day in Buzzard's Bay for Jay and Erin to share their wedding vows overlooking the

gorgeous bay. A brisk breeze cooled we and their guests as seagulls soared overhead and the sounds of pleasure boats could be heard in the distance. A flowered trellis served as our altar on the lawn of the Beachmoor Inn & Restaurant. Matt and his groomsmen wore hawaiian style dress shirts for this perfect venue by the sea.

There's a uniqueness to each ceremony that I perform, and Jay and Erin's was no exception in this regard. On a linen covered table adjacent to me and the lovely couple was the ring box, placed there for an easy retrieval during the exchanging of the rings.

We might have anticipated that 3 young boys and a ring box are too tempting a mix . . . as we were soon to learn. While delivering Jay and Erin's service, I noticed their eyes kept averting toward the table to my left; theirs was a look of both amusement and concern. Little did I know that my wife, Lianne, too was focussed on the 3 boys, she pointing her camera their way for candid shots of their playful interest in the contents of the ring box. The brothers' curiosity overcame them and the younger proceeded to open the ring box for a look inside. Lianne kept taking photos, and the middle child noticed that he was receiving attention from she and the crowd. With a twinkle in his eyes, he grinned at her and the audience, sticking out his tongue for good measure! Cute is an understatement...

Loved ones shared custom readings for Jay and Erin, which gave me the opportunity to make a quick retrieval of the rings. All went smoothly as I deftly moved the service into the sharing of vows and exchanging of rings; Jay and Erin smiled together as I pronounced them to be "husband and wife".

Congratulations Jay and Erin! May you and your children always maintain playfulness and fun in your journey together as a family! Thank you for including me in your special wedding day near the sea.

Matt & Kristine's Wedding, Chequessett Yacht & Country Club, Wellfleet, MA

Surrounded by sandy dunes, salty air and sail boats, and seaside nautical theme decor in the Chequessett Yacht Club's boathouse,

Matt and Kristine, their family and friends, experienced a charming cape cod wedding ceremony overlooking the beautiful cape cod harbor.

As guests arrived, they were given little sachets with bird seed within and a small note that said, "As the bride and groom come your way, toss the birdseed and shout "hooray!" As the tide came in for this early evening service, family and friends marveled at the beautiful views and the refreshing sea breeze - all were full of joy and anticipation for this lovely couple.

Kristine was led by her father down the natural stone stairway to the beach front below where Matt, the groomsmen and the guests congregated. A guitarist accompanied she and her dad, the music wafting with the wind. Kristine was all smiles as she was given away by her father at our flower-filled altar by the sea.

As is true for many services I perform, the bride and groom are overcome by emotion; for this service, Matt was so bursting with love and emotion for his bride that he cried tears of joy as he spoke his custom vows to Kristine. It is very touching, indeed, to be a witness to such an outpouring of love in a most sacred ceremony. I've learned over the years of officiating hundreds of weddings on cape cod that grooms cry, too.

All returned to laughter and smiles within moments, however, Matt beaming with his bride as I delivered their service. Special readings were given by the groomsmen, one being a poem written by Maya Angelou about love. Matt and Kristine exchanged rings under the flower canopy overlooking the harbor, and with the power vested in me, I announced them to be "husband and wife".

And as they walked up the sandy aisle, family and friends threw birdseed at the newly married couple, exclaiming, "hooray!" I second that sentiment. Congratulations Matt and Kristine!

Tim and Sarah's Wedding, The Wychmere Harbor Beach & Yacht Club, Harwich, MA

Tim and Sarah enjoyed their custom wedding ceremony on the South Lawn overlooking the Atlantic harbor of the Wychmere Harbor Beach & Yacht Club in Harwich, MA. The weather was spectacular, with a cool breeze embracing this lovely couple as they spoke their special vows to one another.

With the backdrop of the Atlantic ocean bordering the club's expansive, lush green lawn, Tim and Sarah shared their sacred vows. Pictured above, they performed a special sand ceremony in which each poured the sand from their own vases into the central glass vase signifying their newly joined future together as a married couple.

Three women sang a harmony of Simon & Garfunkel's Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water. Their melodious voices were carried by the sea breeze, singing:

Sail on Silver Girl, Sail on by Your time has come to shine All your dreams are on their way See how they shine If you need a friend I'm sailing right behind Like a bridge over troubled water I will ease your mind Like a bridge over troubled water I will ease your mind

As the women sang, sail boats and yachts entered the Wychmere Club's inner harbor pier, as if on cue. Tim and Sarah held hands and smiled as they listened with their loved ones to the beautiful music. On occasion, he would lean toward her with the most loving smile, gazing at his bride with such joy and affection.

The mothers of both the groom and bride read "The Significance of the Hands" blessing whereby the couple held hands as they read together. It was all very touching, indeed.

Congratulations Tim and Sarah! Thank you for including me in your special wedding day. I wish you happy times and safe harbors as you hold hands in your journey together as husband and wife!

John and Tiffany's Wedding, Pleasant St. Beach, Harwich, MA

John and Tiffany planned their custom wedding on the Pleasant Street Beach in Harwich, MA. Though I've performed many beach weddings, I never saw the level of enthusiasm from the beachgoers that day - girls danced around on the sand with glee when they learned of an impending wedding ceremony. What fun to have a whole community excited about John and Tiffany's wedding!

Their family and friends stood along the periphery of their natural sand aisle, and Tiffany was escorted down the aisle as John, his groomsmen and I waited by the sea. A beautiful off-shore breeze whipped up just as they were processing, enjoyed gratefully by all in this wedding party, including me. It was a perfect beach wedding and this enthusiastic crowd cheered and applauded for Tiffany - the wave of positive energy was amazing, which made me feel so fortunate to be this lovely couple's wedding officiant.

John and Tiffany shared their custom vows with one another, while seagulls squawked in approval from above, and children proudly built sand castles by the shoreline. A special sand ceremony completed with Tiffany's daughter was the final special touch to their service, symbolizing the union of their new family.

Amidst friends and family and interested onlookers, I pronounced John and Tiffany to be "husband and wife". The bagpiper played as they recessed up the beach aisle to the limousine they'd reserved for two.

All in all, it was a beautiful cape cod ceremony! Congratulations John and Tiffany! Thank you for including me in your special day. May you always experience the infectious joy and loving support that your family and friends showed on Pleasant Street Beach!

Bob and Joanne's Wedding, The Wequassett Inn, Chatham, MA

Bob and Joanne, along with their family and friends, enjoyed a beautiful, intimate wedding service by the seaside of the gorgeous Wequassett Inn, in Chatham.

Bob was so happy and relaxed as he greeted his family and close friends on this unseasonably hot, sunny day. All was elegant, yet understated for this special couple. The combined smells of the salt air blowing in from the sea, fragrant flowers and food being prepared for their wedding reception was invigorating.

Joanne's son and daughter walked her down the stairs to the patio overlooking the sea. Bob was so happy, his face beaming as his bride was guided to their patio altar.

As I delivered their service, it realized that a good number of this couple's guests were crying sentimental tears for Bob and Joanne. As they held hands and shared their vows to one another in front of the patio's breathtaking view overlooking the ocean, the look of love in their eyes for one another was so moving. First, I heard one sniffle from the front row, and then another joined in; before long, a good percentage of our audience were shedding tears - tears of joy, that is, for the happy couple.

I felt so privileged to officiate Bob and Joanne's wedding service. Congratulations, Bob and Joanne! May you continue to share the love for one another that I witnessed this day.