Well, we did it. We went from being friends, to me avoiding him as much as possible with the assistance of friends because I just didn't think this was a good idea AT all, to hanging out as long as we were with other people, to okay, we can do this, but NOBODY can know about it, to "maybe you should move in with me". Then, Willow. Yep, Willow was a moment when I thought, "he really might wanna stick around." See, Carl is allergic to dogs. I love dogs. I mean, I really love dogs. I have always had them...and not just one dog. Sometimes, up to 6. Breeding them even. Not having one was just depressing. The fact that he was willing to be uncomfortable maybe take a shot so that I could have a dog said a lot. Thank goodness Willow is a yorkie, and doesn't affect his allergies, and I might add, from day one has had Carl completely wrapped around her little paws. Then came Dexter, my precious pup. Wednesday dinners, getting new furniture, bills, the grind of the day to day...and then, one day he says, "...we should get married."
We said from the beginning that we didn't want to, and we never would for lots of reasons. We both agreed that people always get married for the wrong reasons. Most go into it with these fairy tale illusions, and no sense of reality at all. The idea that person will change afterwards is a joke. No, they won't, and you shouldn't be marrying someone you want to change anyway. The woman often gets too wrapped up in the dress and the damn ring, and all of that, and forgets that she is getting married. The marriage gets lots in the money, the wedding itself. We didn't want that either. When it looked like that aspect was starting to creep in to our plans, we stopped it immediately, and changed direction.
It was as it began, just the two of us, private. No one else to chime in and tell us what they think, what they wanted, or what to do. All that mattered was that we did what was important to us. At one point, there was a plan to even video the ceremony, but that didn't follow through, and now, I am actually happy about that. It keeps it ours completely. Almost sacred. We had no rehearsals, no schedules, nothing. We simply drove to the beach with our photographer, who so graciously picked us up from the hotel, and drove us to the very beach that we had loved so much the year before on our cruise. We had not said one word to them about this. As we slowly came by, I mentioned to Carl, "There's the Tiki Hut, where we were at on our cruise." and he told Yvette, "We loved this place. Penny took pictures of it on our cruise last year," and at the same moment, she pulled to the side of the road. My mouth just dropped. We looked at each other, just literally stunned that they had chosen the site for our ceremony on the beach right there. Right there...
Irish Hand-fasting and Anam Cara Ceremony at Cayman Sunset Beach Wedding
Their wedding vows referenced Tir Na Nog (heaven)
When this couple from Las Vegas, Nevada asked me if I would perform a special wedding ceremony for them, I was delighted to comply. They worked on their ceremony for several weeks, personalising it to suit their heritage, their beliefs and their relationship. It was a great experience for me as well, as I had never heard of Anam Cara, and using the hand-fasting ceremony in this particular way was new to me too.
The Bride carried items of sentimental value to her
In addition to her bouquet, the bride carried a small blue pouch, given to her by her aunt. It held a small silver angel figurine and a crystal. The burgundy ribbon in the hand-fasting ceremony came from the bride’s paternal grandmother’s sewing kit, her green Irish rosary was given to her by her maternal grandmother. Since both grandmothers have passed on, the bride wanted to honour them, and have them “participate” symbolically in the ceremony, and she chose this way to honour their influence and their presence in her life.
Different colours in the hand-fasting ceremony were significant
The ribbons in a hand-fasting ceremony are significant to the ceremony in that the colours are what the bridal couple choose to bring to the marriage. Each colour represents a characteristic. The braiding of the cords is significant, as in Irish tradition it is thought that any bad luck or bad spirits get “lost” in the weaving or braiding. Braiding then, is supposed to prevent bad luck or spirits from finding you, and therefore many people choose to braid their hand-fasting cords.
Anam Cara speaks to finding your soul-mate
This is what the bride told me about Anam Cara: ” Anam Cara was significant to us , as we started out as friends, and I love the tradition of one’s soul finding its true match. I thought it was a beautiful thought, and we wanted very much for it to be a part of our ceremony, as we are friends above everything else, and as such, we truly have gotten through many challenges.
When it came to our ceremony, we didn’t want it to be like everyone else. We wanted it to be from the heart, to be meaningful, and to be rich with something that can also be passed down to our family in years to come…”
This is a Caymanian tradition, the wedding jump!
This was one of the most beautiful weddings I ever officiated, and it has definitely made my Top Ten Favourite Weddings. It just shows how special you can make your wedding ceremony when you think about it and personalise it to include features of deep significance and meaning to you.
Surrounded by beauty
These images by Yvette McField, part of our Cayman Sunset Wedding package. You can book Yvette for any wedding package through Simply Weddings.
The last word!
No comments:
Post a Comment