Monthly Archives: September 2022

Building Family Connections

 in Celebrant / Ceremony / Memorial services / Wedding Ceremony / Welcoming Ceremony  tagged memorial service / wedding / welcoming ceremony by

Building Family Connections has been an unexpected benefit of my work as a Humanist Celebrant over the past 13 years. I’ve had the great good fortune to meet many wonderful couples and families as I’ve crafted wedding ceremonies, child welcoming ceremonies and memorial services. I am particularly touched when people who know my work seek my services for additional ceremonies through the years.

One of my earliest ceremonies was a memorial service for a man who was an immigrant from the Netherlands. He was the beloved patriarch of his family and we celebrated the rich and adventurous life he had led. Unfortunately, it was only a few years later when I was called on to celebrate his daughter’s life after her battle with breast cancer. A few years after that we gathered once again when the matriarch of the family died. Seeing the family repeatedly for these ceremonies was a gift to me as I learned more about them and saw firsthand the legacy of love and the values that remaining family members carry into the future.

On the wedding side of my business I’ve married sisters from one family, three brothers from another, and will shortly marry the sister of one of my previous grooms. In each of these cases the couples have seen me create and offer ceremonies for their siblings. They know and value the focus I place on the couple in wedding ceremonies. They understand that I work collaboratively with each couple to ensure the ceremony reflects their personalities and tells their stories. It’s fun to see these families through the years and reconnect over such happy events.

I’ve also had the privilege to create child welcoming ceremonies for multiple couples that I’ve previously married. And just last week I encountered the parents of one of my grooms from 11 years ago and heard about their happy marriage and two children. Building family connections like this is a true joy.

Through these repeated engagements I become something of a “family celebrant”, a role I cherish. Building family connections and being able to support families with all kinds of ceremony services is one of the best parts of my job. I never know when the next call for “repeat services” will come, but I’m always happy to catch up with familiar faces and honor the next milestone moment in their lives.

Celebrating Milestones

 in Uncategorized  tagged celebrate / celebrating / Milestone by

Celebrating milestones is what my business, Minnesota Life Celebrations, is all about. This week I have a milestone of my own to celebrate. Last Saturday a wedding at the Mayowood Stone Barn marked my 500th ceremony! In the thirteen years since I started on this journey as a Humanist Celebrant I’ve had the honor to meet hundreds of couples, to mourn with more than tens of families, and to celebrate new additions to families.

My primary goal has been to offer secular, religion-free ceremonies to celebrate life’s milestone moments. I’ve honed my skill in writing and offering personal ceremonies that work to authentically honor each person or couple. I’ve cherished the many kind words from the people I’ve served and look forward to continuing to offer humanist ceremonies in the Rochester area.

The hundreds of couples I’ve married include people of all ages and all walks of life. They include varying sexual orientations and gender identities. They include first and subsequent marriages. They include large gatherings and intimate ceremonies. During Covid especially, many of the ceremonies were limited to only the couple and their two required legal witnesses, the smallest gathering possible. Each one, however, celebrated the love and commitment of the couple as they moved forward as a married couple.

It has been my privilege to work with families following the death of a loved one. We’ve honored and celebrated these people. We’ve remembered their lives and reflected on the impact their lives have had on those around them. The focus shifts to include not only mourning their loss, but celebrating their life well lived.

Celebrating milestones has also included welcoming new children into families. These simple, brief ceremonies bring together family and close friends to offer support to the parents and to welcome the new addition to the family. They are happy ceremonies and can help bridge differing beliefs within a family.

More people are leaving organized religion. The need for secular ceremonies celebrating milestones like births, marriages and deaths is only increasing. So, while I pause today to celebrate my own milestone, it’s time to get back to work on the ceremonies scheduled for the rest of this year. I offer a sincere thank you to all the people who have placed their trust in me through the years. And I look forward to meeting new clients looking to honor milestone moments in their own lives.