This morning, on Fort Lauderdale Beach, I had the pleasure of joining Kristin & Wendy together in their commitment to becoming life long partners.
Kristin & Wendy are beautiful women. I had just put a new advertisement out, and Kristin responded the following day. She and Wendy lived in Kentucky, and they were raising Wendy’s son, Cody, and they were coming to Fort Lauderdale for a week. They wanted someone who was spiritual, but not into all the fru-fru stuff, and they found me. Since they didn’t live in Florida, they really needed someone they could count on to make some other arrangements, as well – namely, line up a photographer, and some flowers.
So, the first phone call I made was to my friend, Desiree Wilcox, who, even though she was 8 months pregnant, immediately agreed to photograph the ceremony at 7:30 in the morning! Then, I wanted to buy the flowers from a gay-owned business, so I called Bobby at Petals Panache in Wilton Manors. Bobby did such a great job with the flowers, arranged to open the shop on Sunday so I could pick them up, and his willingness to go above and beyond for a relatively small order was so appreciated. And, the flowers were beautiful! He put just the right touch to the flowers, elegant, but not “wedding-y”. Thanks, Bobby!
So, we all met on the beach, and found the perfect spot. Right there, near Las Olas, was a little carve out, with a few trees surrounding us, and just enough room for us to stand inside. The sun was still coming up over the ocean, there was a beautiful breeze, and it was perfect. We included a sand ceremony, which came out beautifully. Kristin didn’t want rainbow colors, so I chose a cranberry and lime green color sand, then gave Cody a cup of sand from Ft. Lauderdale beach. The 3 of them combined their sand together to make a beautiful sand sculpture in a glass jar, and I hope they get it home the same way it looked when we were finished!
Afterwards, Desiree burned them a CD right on the spot, so they could take the pictures of their ceremony with them right away. It was a beautiful ceremony, and I am so honored to have been part of it. I’m so happy to be able to officiate a ceremony like this. To me, it doesn’t matter who you are, man or woman. When you love someone, you love them. You want to honor that love in a respectful, beautiful way, and i believe that everyone should have someone who truly cares about them officiate their ceremony.
I hope it was a memorable experience for them. Kristin & Wendy, you are both very special, and I thank you for including me in your special day!
Thanks, Gerogeann!
I look forward to reading some of your ceremonies as well!
Hi Debbi – I enjoyed your blog. Unlike many things I read online, it was composed beautifully and thoughtfully. That makes me want to read your ceremony. I have visited Ft. Lauderdale many times and am familiar with the beach at Las Olas – what a beautiful spot.
Thanks for sharing!
I happen to come across this posting while familiarizing myself with your blog. I commented on your entry yesterday about the wonderful Bar Mitzvah with which you are involved this weekend, and I wanted to get to know your work better.
This particular entry really grabbed me because my husband Arnold and I were married in Montreal, the town in which we reside, this past August 31st. We had guests attending from many parts of the U.S. and Canada, and the event was freylakh and wonderful. It brought warmth to my heart to know that you officiate at the marriages for members of our community.
Bless you.
Michael
Michael,
I’m so honored that you have taken the time to read and comment on my blog. My life is so incredibly rich because of the experiences I am able to have, and even richer because I get to meet people like you online. Thanks again,
B’Shalom…..
Debbi