We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action. - Frank Tibolt
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Thought For The Day
We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action. - Frank Tibolt
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Wedding Affair 'Rule Britannia'
So - the first real Wedding Affair blog. It feels quite monumental really and almost as if nothing I write will be worthy! Anyway, this will be the first of many posts where we share insights into our fabulous world of weddings.I thought i'd start by showing you the results of a recent photoshoot held at Newburgh Priory, near York. Royal Wedding fever has been gripping the country since the date was announced and here at Wedding Affair Mansions it's no different. When we needed some photographs of a venue for promotional purposes we decided to push the boat out and have a Rule Britannia themed shoot, giving us the opportunity to showcase some of the fantastic suppliers we work with, whilst still indulging in our passion for all things Royal right now!
We turned up en masse at the very stunning Newburgh Priory and were blessed with beautiful sunshine and blue skies (despite it raining the days before and after the shoot). Photographers Jim Poyner and Joe Dodsworth were on hand to shoot anything that moved and b
oy, did they do this in style. What do you think? It's an impressive roll call of lovely suppliers involved on the day so here goes - Plush Bridal Boutique (beautiful dresses of course and suits!), Beauty Call Hair and Make-Up (making everyone look more gorgeous than they already were), HF Couture (lovely, pretty, sparkly jewellery), Ragdoll of Pudsey (wow MOTB wear), Homebaked Heaven (the most delicious Rule Britannia cupcakes), Superior Motor Cars (fab cars that we love!) and Alison Massingham Flowers (gorgeous bouquets).Thank you also to Helen Jackson (Miss York 2008), Henry Richardson and Sean and Kim from The Model Experience for looking fabulous and helping to bring our ideas to life.
It is impossible to finish, of course, without sending Newburgh Priory a huge amount of Wedding Affair love for allowing us to run riot at this amazing venue. (They also let us borrow Widget, the rather handsome black labrador who was a bit of a superstar whenever a camera was pointed in his direction!).
I hope you've enjoyed this snippet of life at The Wedding Affair. Thank you to everyone who made this day possible for us - it was a huge amount of fun and Lisa, Chris and I can't wait to do it again. We'll let you know the details of our next photoshoot very soon but in the meantime, why don't you visit our website - www.theweddingaffair.co.uk where you can see more photo's from the day as well as bucketloads of useful information, tips and ideas! Oh, and I think I may just have been bitten by the blogging bug now - so watch out for more coming very soon.
Photo's used here are courtesy of Jim Poyner Photography.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
How To Write a Wedding Ceremony
You may be thinking about writing your own wedding ceremony and wondering what needs to be in it to pronounce you husband and wife. Here it is – you both have to want to marry the other person, admit it, and accept the other person as your spouse.
If you also want the marriage to be legal, you have to have a valid marriage license (see the requirements on another page), have a qualified Officiant present and have it all witnessed by 2 living people.
That is it! Everything else is fluff. There are no magic words. You can say “I do” anyway you want.
Some religions say you have to do it a certain way. If you want to get married in that religion then that’s the way you have to do it. If you don’t want to have those particular words said then you can find another way and have the ceremony some place else. If you insist on getting married in a church, there are churches that will rent their space. A wedding does not have to be in a church, temple, or any specific place to make it holy, sacred, or legal.
If you would like to know how a traditional wedding service goes so that you have an outline to work with, I’ll give you the outline. Just know that you can change any part and move items around to suit yourself. It’s your ceremony.
You start the actual ceremony with the Convocation which is also called the Welcome. That calls everyone together and tells them that they are there because the two of you love each other so much that you want to be married.
The Invocation calls on God, Universal Love, Radiant Presence, or highest dimension of self to place the participants in a reflective and receptive state.
Personal stories, honoring of people who could not attend which is also called a Memorial, and asking “who gives this woman to this man in marriage” is next. You could also have one or more parents light candles at this time.
A Reading of prose, poetry, Bible verse, a contemporary or original writing may be read by someone you would like to honor, or a live singer could dedicate a song to you. (I don’t recommend a recorded version.)
Now comes my favorite part called the Address. It’s where I get to say my blah-de-blah about all the important things you should know before you go any further.
Another reading, additional ceremony, or song could be added here.
If you’re spiritual you may want to include the Consecration which brings the service to a sacred level.
The Expression of Intent is one of the primary factors. It’s when the couple publicly states the intention of their commitment to marriage.
The following 3 components could be combined or be separate: the Blessing or Presentation of the Rings, the Vows, and the Exchange of Rings.
A word about the vows – a vow is what each one of you is offering or promising to the other. If you want to write your own vow, think about what this marriage to this person means to you. What are you offering of yourself to the marriage?
There must also be a place where each person is asked if they, in fact, accept the other person as their spouse, their mate, their partner. Yes, you do have to give them a moment to think about it and answer.
The rings are a token of the vows and a symbol of the love that is shared between two people. A ring is a circle which has no beginning and no end which represents the thought that giving and receiving are the same.
The Pronouncement of Marriage is the public declaration of the formal bonding of husband and wife.
The Kiss, which is most important, seals the deed (so make it a good one).
To round it all out is the Final Blessing or Benediction. This can also be spoken by someone you wish to honor by having them take part in the ceremony.
The Announcement of Mr. & Mrs. So-and-so could be added, saved for the reception or proclaimed in both places.
You can also include all kinds of extra special ceremonies like sand pouring, hand holding or hand fasting, candle lighting, wishing stones, coins, broom jumping, glass breaking, bread eating, flower sharing, etc. You could add something special and unique to the two of you. Just give your Officiant an idea of what you want and she will invent a new tradition for you.
This is the bottom line – it is your wedding, have it as you wish. It will be the Perfect Ceremony for you.
If you also want the marriage to be legal, you have to have a valid marriage license (see the requirements on another page), have a qualified Officiant present and have it all witnessed by 2 living people.That is it! Everything else is fluff. There are no magic words. You can say “I do” anyway you want.
Some religions say you have to do it a certain way. If you want to get married in that religion then that’s the way you have to do it. If you don’t want to have those particular words said then you can find another way and have the ceremony some place else. If you insist on getting married in a church, there are churches that will rent their space. A wedding does not have to be in a church, temple, or any specific place to make it holy, sacred, or legal.
If you would like to know how a traditional wedding service goes so that you have an outline to work with, I’ll give you the outline. Just know that you can change any part and move items around to suit yourself. It’s your ceremony.
You start the actual ceremony with the Convocation which is also called the Welcome. That calls everyone together and tells them that they are there because the two of you love each other so much that you want to be married.
The Invocation calls on God, Universal Love, Radiant Presence, or highest dimension of self to place the participants in a reflective and receptive state.
Personal stories, honoring of people who could not attend which is also called a Memorial, and asking “who gives this woman to this man in marriage” is next. You could also have one or more parents light candles at this time.
A Reading of prose, poetry, Bible verse, a contemporary or original writing may be read by someone you would like to honor, or a live singer could dedicate a song to you. (I don’t recommend a recorded version.)
Now comes my favorite part called the Address. It’s where I get to say my blah-de-blah about all the important things you should know before you go any further.
Another reading, additional ceremony, or song could be added here.
If you’re spiritual you may want to include the Consecration which brings the service to a sacred level.
The Expression of Intent is one of the primary factors. It’s when the couple publicly states the intention of their commitment to marriage.
The following 3 components could be combined or be separate: the Blessing or Presentation of the Rings, the Vows, and the Exchange of Rings.
A word about the vows – a vow is what each one of you is offering or promising to the other. If you want to write your own vow, think about what this marriage to this person means to you. What are you offering of yourself to the marriage?
There must also be a place where each person is asked if they, in fact, accept the other person as their spouse, their mate, their partner. Yes, you do have to give them a moment to think about it and answer.
The rings are a token of the vows and a symbol of the love that is shared between two people. A ring is a circle which has no beginning and no end which represents the thought that giving and receiving are the same.
The Pronouncement of Marriage is the public declaration of the formal bonding of husband and wife.
The Kiss, which is most important, seals the deed (so make it a good one).
To round it all out is the Final Blessing or Benediction. This can also be spoken by someone you wish to honor by having them take part in the ceremony.
The Announcement of Mr. & Mrs. So-and-so could be added, saved for the reception or proclaimed in both places.
You can also include all kinds of extra special ceremonies like sand pouring, hand holding or hand fasting, candle lighting, wishing stones, coins, broom jumping, glass breaking, bread eating, flower sharing, etc. You could add something special and unique to the two of you. Just give your Officiant an idea of what you want and she will invent a new tradition for you.This is the bottom line – it is your wedding, have it as you wish. It will be the Perfect Ceremony for you.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Linked to website
A Conversation With God
I’ve been reading Neale Donald Walsch’s book, “Friendship with God”. Neale is the one who wrote the original “Conversations with God” books.
I had my own conversation with God this morning as I sat in meditation. I saw myself “baring my soul” standing before God, wondering why I wasn’t making more of myself, why I wasn’t “advancing” more rapidly, asking how I could be bigger-better-stay-centered-longer, etc.
God listened and then stepped inside of me to have a look around. His reply was, “Everything looks fine to me. Nothing wrong here. Nothing to be fixed.”
He invited me to sit down at this little round café table and have a cup of coffee; to take a moment to chat. I’m not going to argue with God! I like coffee. I can sit and chat; take a moment with my BFF.
God talked to me in pictures. She showed me myself scrambling up a mountain, slipping in mud and sliding down. The frame froze while she looked at me. The unspoken questions were: What now? What are you going to do? What does this mean?
The answer was, “When you find yourself sliding around in mud, play in the mud and enjoy yourself”! If you find yourself up to your ears, splash around and make the best of it – the absolute BEST of it. You have the free choice to laugh or cry. Why, in heaven’s name, would you cry when you can laugh? Why struggle when you can play?
I remember a scene from a Harry Potter movie where Harry, Hermione, and Ron fell down a hole and were entangled in roots that were trying to choke them. Ron was fighting with all of his might to get out and only succeeded in being choked tighter.
Hermione kept saying to relax, relax. As she gave up any thoughts of struggle and relaxed her mind and muscle, she slipped right through the roots to freedom. It seems that struggle only begets more struggle. Or, what you resist persists.
God was telling me that I was fine; there was no thing wrong with me, my situation, or anyone else for that matter. Make the BEST of where you are. Embrace the moment. Love it and forgive it (and yourself too). Above all enjoy yourself. Joy is God’s middle name.
I had my own conversation with God this morning as I sat in meditation. I saw myself “baring my soul” standing before God, wondering why I wasn’t making more of myself, why I wasn’t “advancing” more rapidly, asking how I could be bigger-better-stay-centered-longer, etc.God listened and then stepped inside of me to have a look around. His reply was, “Everything looks fine to me. Nothing wrong here. Nothing to be fixed.”
He invited me to sit down at this little round café table and have a cup of coffee; to take a moment to chat. I’m not going to argue with God! I like coffee. I can sit and chat; take a moment with my BFF.
God talked to me in pictures. She showed me myself scrambling up a mountain, slipping in mud and sliding down. The frame froze while she looked at me. The unspoken questions were: What now? What are you going to do? What does this mean?
The answer was, “When you find yourself sliding around in mud, play in the mud and enjoy yourself”! If you find yourself up to your ears, splash around and make the best of it – the absolute BEST of it. You have the free choice to laugh or cry. Why, in heaven’s name, would you cry when you can laugh? Why struggle when you can play?I remember a scene from a Harry Potter movie where Harry, Hermione, and Ron fell down a hole and were entangled in roots that were trying to choke them. Ron was fighting with all of his might to get out and only succeeded in being choked tighter.
Hermione kept saying to relax, relax. As she gave up any thoughts of struggle and relaxed her mind and muscle, she slipped right through the roots to freedom. It seems that struggle only begets more struggle. Or, what you resist persists.
God was telling me that I was fine; there was no thing wrong with me, my situation, or anyone else for that matter. Make the BEST of where you are. Embrace the moment. Love it and forgive it (and yourself too). Above all enjoy yourself. Joy is God’s middle name.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Wedding Affair First Blog
Welcome to the ultimate wedding site for the Yorkshire Region, containing pages of some of the best wedding suppliers any Bride & Groom could wish for. What ever you are looking for our recommended suppliers are some of the best in the county. We would also like to invite you to our Yorkshire wedding fairs at carefully selected venues throughout the Region. www.theweddingaffair.co.uk
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Valentine's Day Wedding Inspiration
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I present inspiration for very red, romantic weddings.
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