“We want our ceremony to be warm, sincere and inclusive. We want to speak of our journey together and our love for one another to all the important people in our lives, our families and special friends.” This is the vision of a second marriage ceremony that many couples have and it can be a [...]
A home dedication or blessing….why not?
Moving into a new house, an older home that is ‘new for you’, or an apartment, deserves to be celebrated, to be dedicated or blessed. Milestones or times such as these ought to be marked or distinguished as being different and special.
In reality we all hunger to celebrate life’s milestones, to add more meaning to [...]
Dementia – how do you explain it to your kids?
I am very mindful of the degenerative diseases plaguing our aging population today, dementia, Parkinsons Disease, strokes and arthritis. Almost every family is touched by such disorders and children especially are exposed to the debility and dependence that they cause. How do we explain dementia to kids? How do we explain diseases like Parkinsons Disease [...]
Helping with the healing in divorce……
A ceremony or ritual to signify the ending of a relationship, the dissolution of a marriage and a new beginning, can help greatly with the healing process.
As not all relationships end amicably or in the shortest possible time frame, a divorce ceremony or ritual can be a very constructive part of the healing process. Some [...]
Children participating in ceremonies – why not?
Whats the old adage? Never work with children or animals? If you are planning a ceremony and are unsure whether you should involve children – read on.
Many ceremonies involve families. Children are a part of families, so children automatically become involved whether they are merely acknowledged or actively participate.
There are not many ceremonies that do [...]
Rituals enrich lives…..
Today, political correctness and the fear of treading on the sensibilities of others are successfully diluting or dumbing down many of our religious and cultural rituals and observances. Compared to yesteryear we celebrate very few of life’s milestones in a ritual sense, in our lives today or if we do, the celebration is noticeably changed. [...]
Rehearsals are bonding times…insist on one!
Ensure your celebrant includes a rehearsal of your wedding or gay commitment ceremony in his/her contract with you, preferably at the ceremony venue. The importance of a ceremony rehearsal can’t be over estimated. Often, wedding rehearsals include a rehearsal dinner.
Consider the level of anxiety being experienced by most couples. The amount of butterflies fluttering around [...]
Personalizing your ceremony makes it uniquely yours.
By personalizing your ceremony you create a ceremony that is unique. Whether it’s a wedding ceremony, a commitment or gay marriage ceremony, a namegiving or naming ceremony or any other rite of passage or milestone ceremony for that matter.
To add personal touches to your ceremony will require you, the couple to open up and share [...]
A guide to celebrating a second marriage.
So many marriages these days are second marriages, sometimes third marriages, couples marrying again as a result of divorce or death. The statistics tell us that over 50% of all marriages will end in divorce, sad but true. But so many couples find fulfilling relationships and lasting happiness second or third time around and are [...]
Flaxseed meal – a flavourful constipation remedy
There is absolutely no reason in the world why we shouldn’t eat healthily. The choice of foods that we have to choose from is without doubt momentous, fresh or frozen, dried or salted, canned or bottled.Maybe this is part of the problem. The choice is too great! Maybe even confusing.
In the western world no [...]