Bari Braun.com

A big thanks to all my couples who tied the know in 2011. It was an honor to be part of such an important milestone in your lives.

It was a great year, and while things don’t always go smoothly due to forces out of our control, I must say with pride that there were very few blunders. The usual baby/toddler who was a tad bit too noticeable from sound point of view (I’m trying to be diplomatic here) occurred only once. And who would think that there would be such a terrible wind storm on a sunny afternoon in early October?? So much so, that a member of the bridal party stepped up to me to hold open my ceremonial script. We also had to hold the glasses of wine and wine decanter that were to be used in the wine ritual.

Here are just a few of the pictures from last year.

I’m so looking forward to 2012; It gives me the greatest feeling to write and officiate weddings that help couples recognize their own personal meaning and journey to each other as well as the people who have influenced their lives. Isn’t that what life is all about???

Sorry folks, it’s been a while since I “blogged”. It’s been a hectic few months, but the wedding season has calmed down a bit (hopefully not for too long), so I’m back.

I wanted to tell you about a ceremony I did on 11-11-11. Yes, it was a very popular day for couples to get married.

Christine & Gerald’s ceremony was held at the very lovely Hyatt Regency in Princeton, NJ. They were childhood sweethearts who grew up together and went to the same schools. Through thick and thin, they knew they were meant for each other. Now Christine & Gerald are both motorcycle enthusiasts, and wanted me to incorporate whatever elements I could that related to motorcycles.

So I recommended the following vows to them, which they liked and used:
“I, ________, take you, ________, as my lawfully wedded husband/wife to ride with me through the roads of life, to balance the adventures with the day-to-day simplicity. To act in harmony with me as we share our dreams, our hopes and our passions. I promise to support you and protect you and keep the strength of our love foremost in my mind until we take the ride beyond time.

For a reading, we used the following poem:
Come join with me; stay by my side.
Hop on board let’s take a ride.
Hold on tight, the ride is long.
Come ride with me where you belong.
Come aboard my horse of steel.
Hold me close and let me feel
The need in you as strong as mine.
Come ride with me, we’ll be just fine.
Come take a ride and trust in me
We’ll ride as one for all to see.

And to end the ceremony, they asked me to read the folloing Cherokee Prayer:

God in heaven above please protect the ones we love.

We honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together.

We honor mother-earth and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons;

We honor fire and ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts;

We honor wind and ask we sail through life safe and calm as in our father’s arms;

We honor water to clean and soothe our relationship that it may never thirst for love;

With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together.

If I say so myself, it was a very lovely and touching ceremony that captured the essence of them as a couple. Here’s to you, Christine and Gerald!!

Last weekend, I performed a civil union for one of my favorite couples – Glinda and Mary. They were married in the beautiful Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge, NJ.
It was a beautiful crisp fall day, although quite windy. The ceremony was outdoors and it looked like the props on the table were going to topple, so I asked a guest sitting in the front row to hold the wine glass and sand containers until needed.
Glinda and Mary’s love story was beautiful. They were together for 15 years before being joined. They were so much fun to work with. Glinda is a big Barbara Streisand fan, and after she arrived down the aisle, the DJ welcomed her by saying “Hello Gorgeous” ala Streisand style. She also danced down the aisle (reminded me of the famous You tube scene).
For the ceremony, those chose to have a sand unity ritual and a chocolate and wine ceremony, representing the sweetness and bitterness of life.
And they had a special guest do the following reading by EE Cummings, I carry your heart with me:

I carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)
I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
And it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
And whatever a sun will always sing is you
Here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

Mary and Glinda, you are two very special people and I wish you the very best in your lives together. It was truly an honor to get to know you.

Yesterday afternoon, I officiated at the civil union of Tara and Meghan at the Alpine Boat Basin. It was a beautiful clear and sunny day (what a relief after all that rain) along the Hudson River as I joined Tara and Meghan together as a legal couple. They didn’t want an elaborate ceremony, but after the statement of intent, vows and ring exchange, we did a sand ceremony to seal their love. There were many wet eyes in the audience as I pronounced them “partners for life.” Here here to Meghan and Tara – may you have many happy years together. And here’s hoping that in the not too distant future, NJ follows the footsteps of NY in legalizing gay and lesbian marriages.

For those following the Jewish tradition of breaking the glass at the end of the ceremony, check out this website – www.treasuredcollection.com – where you can send the actual broken glass from your ceremony to be encased in lucite forever. “The Lucite Tree of Life” as it is called is a sculpture shaped from the pieces of your wedding glass. You can also order “The Lucite Wedding Invitation” which displays both the wedding invitation plus the broker pieces of the wedding glass.

At a loss as to what music to play at your wedding ceremony. Here’s are some selections I often give to my couples. Happy Music to you!!

Traditional/Classic:
Awake My Heart with Gladness, (Flor Peeters)
Water Music (George F. Handel) Chorale in A Minor, Adagio, (Cesar Franck)
Perfect Love (Sir Joseph Barnby)
Water Music (George F. Handel)Serenade (from String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5), (Franz Joseph Haydn)
Serenade (Franz Schubert)
A Rose Is Gently Blooming, Op. 122, No. 8, (Johannes Brahms)
Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber)
Toccata in E Minor (Johann Pachelbel)
Air on the G String (Johann S. Bach)
Aria, Bist du bei mir” (Be thou near me), BWV 508, (Johann S. Bach))
Largo from (Xerxes), (George Frederic Handel)
Rhosymedre (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
Water Music (George F. Handel)

Traditional Alternatives:
Carolan’s Welcome (Irish Traditional)
Nessun Dorma (from Turandot), (Giacomo Puccini)
Concerto Grosso in D Major, Op. 3, No. 6 (Vivace), (George Frederic Handel)
Courante”(from Three Lute Dances), (Anthoine Francisque)
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”(Claude Debussy)
Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major, Allegro assai, (Johann S. Bach)
Romance Op. 44, No. 1, (Anton Rubenstein)
Gymnopedie No. 1 (Erik Satie)

Contemporary:
Paris Nocturne (Dan Fogelberg)
Evergreen (Barbra Streisand)
All I Ask Of You from Phantom of the Opera), (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
Angel Eyes (Jim Brickman)
Longer (Dan Fogelberg)
The Gift (Jim Brickman)
Wedding Song (The Band)
You and I (Stevie Wonder)

Last weekend, I married Karen and Stephen at the beautiful Woodcliff Lake Manor in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. It was a beautiful venue and the staff was so helpful and professional. The ceremony was held outdoors in a lovely garden type setting. The weather was lovely. What more could we ask for?

A beautiful couple – and that’s a perfect way to describe this bride and groom. Karen is from Norway and came to the US as an exchange student in high school. Stephen is from good old NJ.

They wanted a personalized ceremony to reflect their unique love story and they choose to have a sand ceremony. Karen’s parents brought over from Norway sand for her container. And Stephen’s sand was from his home where he grew up in NJ.

Since many of the guests flew in from Norway, there was a special reading in Norwegian.

To honor the groom’s Irish background, I concluded with the following Irish Blessing:

May the flowers always line your path
And sunrise light your day,
May songbirds serenade you,
Every step along the way,
May a rainbow run beside you,
In a sky that’s always blue,
And may happiness fill your heart,
Each day your whole life through.

All enjoyed the ceremony. Karen and Stephen, may you always be blessed with love, health, and happiness.

Connie & Danny were married on May 1st at a lovely French restaurant, Le Jardin, in Edgewater, NJ directly overlooking the Hudson River.

It was a beautiful spring day, the sun was shining, and you could clearly see the Manhattan skyline.

The bride and groom wanted a simple ceremony with close family and friends. Simple, yet elegant, touching, and beautiful it was. They chose the following vows to seal their promises:

“I, , take you to be my husband/wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and pledge to love you today, tomorrow, and forever more. This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope, and eternally made new.”

Like many brides, Connie started tearing up when saying her vows, as I whipped out my trusted tissues I always keep tucked away with my ceremony.

Connie and Danny – may you have many happy years of married life. I was so happy to be part of your celebration.

Seems like more and more brides and grooms are “going green” on their wedding day. So if you’re an eco-conscious loving couple or just not into the traditional glitz, here are some suggestions.
The obvious, let’s start with the venue. During the warmer months, getting married outdoors, like in a park, the beach, a lake, botanical garden, and the list can go on and on. Of course, the winter months are not conducive to holding ceremonies and receptions outdoors. But try using a venue that doesn’t have millions of electrical lights bulbs hanging off a chandelier. A room enclosed by glass is a great way to get sunlight without lights or the electrical cost.
For wedding invitations, try recycled paper. Or better yet, go paperless altogether with an e-invitation.
For food, look for a caterer who uses locally grown organic foods that are not treated with harmful pesticides. And while you don’t have to go vegan, there’s plenty to serve if you decide to go vegetarian. And by the way, the same thought goes for flowers. Look for seasonal blooms that are locally grown and don’t have to be transported far distances. Or go, natural all together sans flowers.
And finally, favors favors everywhere. How many of you have kept the favors for more than a few days? Here’s an idea. Try giving out something edible such as organic preserves, honeys, teas, or chocolates.
It’s really much easier than you think to go green on your big day. All it takes is some time and imagination.

Spring is indeed in the air, and the wedding season is upon us. Last week, I married a very lovely couple, Andrea and Stan. It was a small, lovely, and intimate affair held in their house. They wanted a very simple ceremony so I just included the statement of intent, vows, and ring exchange. Short, but very sweet and the bride and groom were so appreciative. Here’s to a long and happy married life to Stan and Andrea. They emailed me a few days later to say:
“Thank you Bari! The ceremony was perfect. Just what we wanted”