Bari Braun.com

Last weekend, I officiated at a wedding ceremony for such a nice couple. I was particularly excited about this one because the bride was from Australia – that’s where the Celebrancy movement all began. So when I initially met them, I didn’t have to go over in detail (as I usually do) what a Celebrant is. Being a native of Australia, the bride (as well as her family, who flew across the continent to attend) was quite familiar with the concept of a Celebrancy.

It was a chilly and drizzly evening, but inside it was all warmth and glow. The affair was held at the Reeves Reed Arboretum in Summit, NJ .The ambiance was my personal favorite – intimate, simple, but very elegant. The ceremony was held in a small cozy room with about 30 close friends and family. The couple wanted a simple ceremony – the usual vows, ring exchange, and 2 readings, but no rituals. Their love story, as all love stories goes, was particularly beautiful and touching.

The ceremony, started at 6PM on a Friday night. I had to drive south on the Garden State Parkway and knew that Friday night traffic would not be good. In normal times, it would have taken me about 45 driving minutes. So I left at 4:00PM to arrive at 5:30 (I thought that would be plenty of time). Turns out, the traffic was bumper to bumper and crawling all the way. I didn’t arrive at 5:30, but just got there at 5:55!! Boy, was I stressed out that I’d be late. But it went off without a hitch and everyone enjoyed. Even though it was close family and friends, the guests did learn many things about the bride and groom through my love story.
Congratulations, Rebecca and Tom. You’re a truly lovely couple and I wish you many many years of marital bliss.