Wedding ceremonies take time to create. Are you considering a traditional hand braiding ceremony to symbolize your entering into the bonds of marriage? In the history of some European traditions, weddings were celebrated by a simple ceremony in which two partners would join hands and their wrists would be tied with a cord, symbolizing the binding together of their individual lives. It is from this practice that we get the expression “tying the knot”   Below are some after ceremony framing ideas. Not sure you what to do about creating or purchasing a ceremonial hand braiding cord or ribbon, well, I have you covered. At NO charge, I will provide the ribbon you need. The ribbons in stock are Vitalizart Chiffon Ribbons, in nine colors, and measuring 24” by 1.3/4”. Pick one color or mix and match. I am happy to provide these to maybe help lower your to-do list by a notch or two. If you would like to purchase a ceremonial hand braiding cord, I can provide a variety from $50 to $125...

The Central Coast is replete with fantastic venues for weddings and elopements. Santa Margarita Ranch is one of those special places; though not on the water, it’s close enough to the coast to be considered “central” to our wedding community. Contact: ...

Olive Tree Officiant, Reverend Ric Latendresse. As a Wedding Officiant / Minister / Celebrant of Olive Tree Officiating for many years, I have performed countless weddings, elopements, and directed rehearsals which ensure that my clients receive the highest level of service.  Priding myself on friendliness, joviality, and professionalism, I am confident and capable of rolling with the punches and solving any roadblocks to my client’s ultimate satisfaction. Traveling the CA Central Coast and beyond, I love performing weddings and attending to the needs of each couple. Every ceremony is custom written to suit their individualized needs, wishes, and desires of the wedding couple, for a perfect wedding ceremony. Featured Photo By,  Tim Latendresse Contact Olive Tree Officiating to book...

BANG! The wedding ceremony planning begins! The racers were off. Each stride brought them closer and closer to the tape. The final line was just within their reach. They pushed with every fiber of their being, stretching to close the gap, straining and heaving as though held back by some invisible force.  SNAP! You’re there. You’ve made it! The tape broke and the winner was crowned! Does this describe your marriage? Do you resonate with rushing to either the starting line to ‘get this thing going’ or heaving toward the ‘finish line’ as though your wedding day were just the “starting gun” that began an emotional marathon we need only survive? The expectations for planning your wedding ceremony might kill you if they aren’t properly managed. Part of the problem with societies conception of marriage is connected to the negative ways we characterize marriage. Our collective thoughts on marriage are either negative i.e. battle field, or war zone or exhausting i.e. race, journey etc. We need to think about our marriages as experiences composed of more than just impossible encounters with reality that end in trivial rewards. Your wedding ceremony planning should incorporate your beliefs just as much as your wedding itself. Buddhist and Christian beliefs about marriage emphasize cooperation and mutual service. Christianity works on the moral of “love your neighbor as yourself.” Buddhism functions by the principle of practicing compassion toward all sentient beings. Marriage, in both religions, is a practicing ground in which the bride and groom give and receive the loving benefits of cooperation and affection that only an intimate lover can provide. In these systems of belief, neither the wedding day nor the day your partner passes, are adequately characterized as a “race.” There are no onlookers, no crowd cheering you on. Everyone present is engaged in the act of showing compassion to one another. There is no track, since the path of learning to love others is never linear. Rather, marriage is an unknown, day by day unfolding of the needs of others and how we might meet them. The behaviors you exhibit under pressure, the way you act on your beliefs during the wedding ceremony planning will follow you throughout marriage. Day-one, your wedding day, is not the beginning of your life-together with the one you love. The wedding day is one of many expressions of love given between lovers that communicates the reality of present love and creates hope for a loving future. As your wedding day approaches, or if you’ve been married for decades, let go of unhelpful perspectives of your marriage and re-learn the simplicity that today is the day for you to practice loving your neighbor, your spouse, your lover.   Contact: Ric Latendresse...

Here Are 3 Ways To Include Religion Into Your Wedding Even If You Aren’t Religious It’s tough to get away from it: religion is a HUGE part of wedding ceremonies. There’s no way around it. Even if you want to avoid, ignore or disavow your beliefs from traditional beliefs espoused at weddings, it’ll be tough to do so. Besides, mom, dad and grandma might be offended if the biggest event of your life is lacking the religious-nod. Here are 3 Ways to include religious expression without offending your own beliefs: Music is the primary method of incorporating religious elaborations into your ceremony. You’ll need to pick music for the seating, the entrance, the processional, and the recessional at least. You might consider many of the religious, instrumental options out there. You can stream YouTube channels by the search title, “religious instrumental music.” You’ll find hours of music familiar to those who attend religious worship services. You can make them happy simply by playing some nice, instrumental tunes before the festivities begin. (If you’d like more to read regarding ceremony writing and preperation go here…) Readings may include poems, short stories, proverbs, and inspirational quotations. They almost always including religious writings from holy books. Depending on how the readings are prefaced, a somewhat ambiguous passage on love and relationships from the Bible, the Koran or Bhagavad Gita will elude to the marriage-beliefs of your relatives without making the entire ceremony about those beliefs. Prayers are another common way to incorporate religious history into the present experience. I know what you’re thinking, Prayers are the most religious thing you can think of! In actuality, prayers are a very touching way to include friends and family. A prayer is a brief communication of what a person hopes will happen. In the case of a wedding, most religious people will pray for blessings and good things to happen for the couple. How can that be bad? Contact: Ric...

Choose An Officiant/Celebrant Wisely The rules for selecting an Officiant are not dramatically different than the rules for selecting any other wedding professional. You’ve already selected a coordinator, a photographer, a caterer, a venue, a bridal party and many other important people that will support you on your wedding day. Now you must choose the person who will stand with you at the most significant moment of your wedding day. Choose successfully with a little more information about how an Officiant thinks. Contact: Ric...