meBonidie2be

STONE CEREMONY I was very unsure at first how to incorporate a lot of these things into the ceremony, so I thought i would post my script. This is my first rough draft so i would love any comments or feedback on things that could be improved. On behalf of Casey and Brian, I welcome you and thank you all for gathering here on this beautiful day to witness this loving couple join hands in marriage. The fact that you all have travelled such a great distance to be here today is a testament to the amazing amount of love and support they have. Many of you have given them much happiness, unconditional love, encouragement, and guidance through the various stages of their lives. They would like to sincerely thank you all for being here to celebrate their big day. A special and respectful acknowledgement must also be made to those friends and family members who were unable to attend, or have passed on, but whose spirit remains alive and strong in all our hearts. (pause) Who gives this woman to be wedded to this man? (dad and Jeff- I do) Casey and Brian, before you met your lives were on different paths with different destinations. Love has brought you together and joined these separate paths into one. Each of your family members and friends here today has been given a small polished stone that represents their unique individuality and their presence at your wedding today. You also each have a stone of your own that symbolizes your previous separate lives, separate sets of friends, separate families and the different life’s journeys that you once traveled. I ask that everyone please hold the stone that you have been given throughout the ceremony. Fill your stone with hope, positivity, a prayer, or blessing for happiness and good will for Casey and Brian for the future of their marriage. This marriage ceremony between Casey and Brian does not mark the beginning of a new relationship; rather, it is an acknowledgement and celebration, of a relationship that has been thriving since they met. Marriage is the mutual commitment of two people sincerely in love who share the same dreams about life. More than that, it is the intimate sharing of two lives. It is a sharing that does not diminish but enhances the individuality of each partner. The institution of marriage is not to be entered into lightly; it symbolizes commitment on every level. Together you will continue to meet the challenges and obstacles of life head on with honesty, integrity, and loyalty. This beautiful setting should remind us that, like the ocean, human life is an ebb and flow- spirit and emotions move in cycles. To be in a relationship does not guarantee an eternal summer. To make a sincere and honest commitment does not promise an end to all struggles. What a good relationship does offer, much like this ocean, is the opportunity for renewal. A successful relationship recognizes that after every fall and winter, spring and summer will come again. A flourishing relationship takes more than just love. It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so... And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both. Casey and Brian have written their vows for one another. Brian will you please say your vows to Casey. Casey will you please read your vows to Brian. Brian, do you take Casey to be your wedded wife? (I do) Casey, do you take Brian to be your wedded husband? (I do) "I Brian, give you Casey, this ring as an eternal symbol and daily reminder of my love and commitment to you." "I Casey, give you Brian, this ring as an eternal symbol and daily reminder of my love and commitment to you." Will everyone please rise. Will you, the cherished family and friends of Casey and Brian, witnessing these vows do all in your power to support them in their marriage, love them, and encourage their love for one another? (Guests- we will). You may now sit. (Nicholette will gather stones) We will now pause collect the stones that have been blessed with good fortune. (pause) The union of these stones has now symbolically joined your once separate lives. Through you, just as the stones have been combined, so now are your friends and family joined. Your once solitary life’s paths are also now one, and all that was once separate is now shared. In this sharing you both will find new strength and joy as together you forge a new life path. Stones stand the test of time. Over time they can even become stronger and more beautiful. Let these stones be a reminder and a memorial of the love, blessings and support that your family members and friends have provided you here today. Katherine Hepburn declared, "Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything." No ceremony can create your marriage; only you can do that – through love and patience; through dedication and perseverance; through talking and listening, helping and supporting and believing in each other; through tenderness and laughter; through learning to forgive, learning to appreciate your differences, and by learning to make the important things matter, and to let go of the rest. What this ceremony can do is to witness and affirm the choice you make to stand together as life-long partners. Officiant wording followed by… “You may now embrace and share your first kiss as husband and wife.†I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Bonidie! Thank you for reading this!

So.... The wedding is next month and i just finished my first rough draft. I would really appreciate any thoughts on flow, wording, or anything else you ladies can think of. YOU WILL NOT OFFEND ME. Please feel free to be honest : ) I don't know if i like the part about asking who gives this woman to be wed...My dad and step dad are walking me so I would want them to both respond. Plus, they will be seated which i think is a little weird. I am not sure about the wording around the vows and exchange of rings. On behalf of Casey and Brian, I welcome you and thank you all for gathering here on this beautiful day to witness this loving couple join hands in marriage. The fact that you all have traveled such a great distance to be here today is a testament to the amazing amount of love and support they have. Many of you have given them much happiness, unconditional love, encouragement, and guidance through the various stages of their lives. They would like to sincerely thank you all for being here to celebrate their big day. A special and respectful acknowledgement must also be made to those friends and family members who were unable to attend, or have passed on, but whose spirit remains alive and strong in all our hearts. (pause) Who gives this woman to be wedded to this man? (dad and Jeff- I do) Casey and Brian, before you met your lives were on different paths with different destinations. Love has brought you together and joined these separate paths into one. Each of your family members and friends here today has been given a small polished stone that represents their unique individuality and their presence at your wedding today. You also each have a stone of your own that symbolizes your previous separate lives, separate sets of friends, separate families and the different life’s journeys that you once traveled. I ask that everyone please hold the stone that you have been given throughout the ceremony. Fill your stone with hope, positivity, a prayer, or blessing for happiness and good will for Casey and Brian for the future of their marriage. This marriage ceremony between Casey and Brian does not mark the beginning of a new relationship; rather, it is an acknowledgement and celebration, of a relationship that has been thriving since they met. Marriage is the mutual commitment of two people sincerely in love who share the same dreams about life. More than that, it is the intimate sharing of two lives. It is a sharing that does not diminish but enhances the individuality of each partner. The institution of marriage is not to be entered into lightly; it symbolizes commitment on every level. Together you will continue to meet the challenges and obstacles of life head on with honesty, integrity, and loyalty. This beautiful setting should remind us that, like the ocean, human life is an ebb and flow- spirit and emotions move in cycles. To be in a relationship does not guarantee an eternal summer. To make a sincere and honest commitment does not promise an end to all struggles. What a good relationship does offer, much like this ocean, is the opportunity for renewal. A successful relationship recognizes that after every fall and winter, spring and summer will come again. A flourishing relationship takes more than just love. It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so... And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both. Casey and Brian have written their vows for one another. Brian will you please say your vows to Casey. Casey will you please read your vows to Brian. Brian, do you take Casey to be your wedded wife? (I do) Casey, do you take Brian to be your wedded husband? (I do) "I Brian, give you Casey, this ring as an eternal symbol and daily reminder of my love and commitment to you." "I Casey, give you Brian, this ring as an eternal symbol and daily reminder of my love and commitment to you." Will everyone please rise. Will you, the cherished family and friends of Casey and Brian, witnessing these vows do all in your power to support them in their marriage, love them, and encourage their love for one another? (Guests- we will). You may now sit. (Nicholette will gather stones) We will now pause collect the stones that have been blessed with good fortune. (pause) The union of these stones has now symbolically joined your once separate lives. Through you, just as the stones have been combined, so now are your friends and family joined. Your once solitary life’s paths are also now one, and all that was once separate is now shared. In this sharing you both will find new strength and joy as together you forge a new life path. Stones stand the test of time. Over time they can even become stronger and more beautiful. Let these stones be a reminder and a memorial of the love, blessings and support that your family members and friends have provided you here today. Katherine Hepburn declared, "Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything." No ceremony can create your marriage; only you can do that – through love and patience; through dedication and perseverance; through talking and listening, helping and supporting and believing in each other; through tenderness and laughter; through learning to forgive, learning to appreciate your differences, and by learning to make the important things matter, and to let go of the rest. What this ceremony can do is to witness and affirm the choice you make to stand together as life-long partners. Officiant wording followed by… “You may now embrace and share your first kiss as husband and wife.†I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Bonidie! Thank you sooo much for taking the time to read this!!!

So cute! I love the name Cruz : )

I love your review. You gave some great advice and the pics are beautiful!

Wow! Congrats on the time already spent together!!! The best part is you know each other well and will have plenty things that are very "you". Your wedding will be amazing : ) happy planning

if you really want to make them yourself thats great. But i just have to say....I ordered my barefoot jewels through {Red-i} by chelsea and they are stunning. I know alot of brides on this site would say the same. Sorry i dont have pics i can post right now, but she is on fb. Her ads are always running on this site too. Either way...Good luck!

Does anyone know where to find these small white flowers with the yellow center?

There is a girl on here that posted the most awesome thank you books. She had them made through mypublisher.com and they were amazing. The layout is just like drag and drop. They were really nice for around $10. I plan on using them for thank you books for my guests at DW. Are more of your pics posted on BDW now?

I do love the idea. If I can pull it off I will be sooo freakin excited. Well they are not for the actual wedding. I plan on using this for the AHR for almost 200 ppl next month. But Here is what I am thinking so far..... My dad is going to make the tray to custom fit a nice dresser that sits right at the front door. Im going to try to match the fabric with the color of my sash (like a deep red) for the tray and the ribbon. I do plan on using sand but my FI won't let me bring that back from Jamaica : ( so I'm just getting it from home depot. The starfish I found on Ebay. Alot did come broken and i had to superglue them. I don't know if i really suggest doing this for DW. I got a really nice card stock to do the tags and a hole punch that looks like a wave that will span the top of the tag. I just about have table assignments done so I will post some pics when I have some assembled!

Hey this is all about doing things your way. That really will make a great Christmas present. How do you plan on making the books?

Thanks!

where did you get the flip flops?

IMO...the cover should be one of your fav shots from the wedding (prob just you and hubby). When you think about it.... The book really is about the wedding. So unless you have some shots from throughout the week that you are madly in love with just have those pics in a sep album. Hope this helps!!!

I went back and forth between size 8 and 9. Wish i would have had this advice before! I just ordered the 9 : (

Does anyone know where to get some great polished stones? I really want to do the stome ceremony, but I can't find the items I need.

I just ordered the black "bride" robe from VS on ebay. They did have a cpl more.

Thanks so much for the heads up. I just ordered one from ebay. I dont want to chance not getting one from here!!!!

Oh hey thanks. There is a girl on this site selling a white one....or maybe its ivory. They had the white ones in my VS store last time i was there.

uhhg. I wish I could say yes, but i have always been a very last minute person. So why would that change now?!!! I had less than six months to plan everything from time of engagement to the wedding day. I think i'm doing pretty damn good. lol I mean i have the major things done. But i am still working on table assignments, escort cards, flowergirl baskets, the CD favors and centerpieces. All DIY. I do think it is important to have something at home for the family and friends that can't make DW. How much each bride chooses to spend or how formal will always vary greatly. I really wanted the formal pics as well. I really want to be able to remember both days forever. It truly is like having two weddings. The way i look at it.....I only plan on getting married once. So i want to savor it!!! I do know that i have had to put alot more time, effort, energy and money into the AHR. The package at the resort is so easy. Very little rushing around to plan. If you have questions or anything...feel free!!!!

Not many ppl do this so i bet that is why you are not getting much advice. I suggest doing what feels right to you. I invited ppl by WOM for the DW so i dont think doing that is out of the question. We all have so many other things to spend money on so cut corners where you can. Happy planning!!!

hey ladies... Just thought i would chime in and keep this thread going. My formal AHR will be three days after we get home for almost 200 ppl. Why did i do this to myself? Thanksgiving was a big part of it and the weather in Pittburgh, but uhhhhggggg. I wish i had more in between. I was really curious to hear about how others are being introduced at AHR. We have four flower girls because I wanted to include our nieces (big mistake). Any suggestions on other ways to include them besides just walking in? I'm lost! IYO should they have a dif song to walk in to then my FI and I?

I don't have pics yet or anything . we are getting married next month. Just thought i would let you know i kinda feel the same way but am really happy with the choices we have made so far. here is kinda what we are doing.... We are taking 10 ppl with us to Jamaica. All those ppl we invited by word of mouth right after the engagement. We had everything booked within a week. I am doing OOT bags per cpl. Three days after we get back we will be having a formal AHR with almost 200 ppl. We hired a photographer for jamaica and home. We ar spending so much money for the AHR but i really think it will be worth it. All the ppl that cant come will still feel like they got to come to our wedding. I dont want to leave ppl out beacuse they were not invvited to the DW even if they did have the money to go. We have a different suit and dress for AHR. Buffet style dinner for everyone. All the DW guests will be at AHR. The linens alone are over 1,500. I didnt want to do it half assed but i am still trying to do alot of things myself and limit how much i spend. It is hard tho. There will be a full bar open the whole time. If you have any questions or want any other advice please feel free to ask. I know sometimes we all just want some reassurance!

Hey ladies, I am kicking myself for not buying the black robe from VS that said Bride when i first saw it. Now they only have it in white : ( My wedding is 11/11/11. So, I know this is short notice! If anyone is willing to sell one they have please let me know. Thanks Casey

I have been looking for them for soooo long. When they do become available on this site they are gone in an instant. I ordered my first ones from beachthemeweddingshop.com Then i decided to do the starfish escort cards so i needed at least 80 more. It would have been over $200 to get 80 of them from the same site. So i shopped around and also found ebay was the best pricing. I ordered 100 white finger starfish for $54 plus the $15 shipping. I loved the ones i got from the first site. Im a little nervous to see the size and condition of the ones from ebay, but i can let you know when i get them.

Thank you!