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Celebrating Milestones

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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.

Colorful Weddings

 in Personalization / Uncategorized / Wedding Party / Wedding traditions / Weddings  tagged colorful wedding / personalized wedding / wedding fashion / weddings by


Colorful weddings often refer to bright hues selected for bridesmaids’ dresses, table settings or possibly for flowers. But don’t leave the brides and grooms colorless. Yes, elegant neutrals for the women, and black or navy for the men will always have a place in wedding fashion. But how about a bride in black with a purple underskirt, or a groom in brightly colored argyle socks. I’ve seen both in recent weddings, and they are a great way to let your personality shine.

White wedding gowns have been popular since Queen Victoria chose one for her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert. On recent runways we’ve seen pastels in blue, pink and green plus some delicate floral options for wedding gowns.
But brides are making choices to reflect their personalities and passions. Such was the case with last years bride selecting a black dress with purple underskirt. It fit perfectly with her near gothic sensibilities and Metallica ceremony music.

A black and purple wedding dress for a colorful wedding

Just last week I was speaking with a couple planning a ceremony for later this year. The bride informed me that she would be wearing a black and red gown. Everyone in the wedding party will be dressed in those hues, making for a very bold and colorful wedding.

Let’s not leave the gentlemen out of the opportunity for colorful attire, though. I’m not suggesting the pale blue tuxes of the early ’80’s, but men can add a punch of color to their wedding finery. The argyle socks I mentioned above are an option, but the Green Bay Packer socks worn by the groom and all his groomsmen are another. There was no question who the groom rooted for, even here in Viking country. Ties and vests are other easy ways for men to add a punch of color. Within the last year I’ve seen bold plaid ties, soft floral ties and vests in a variety of colors.

Colorful weddings are a way to express yourselves, to share a passion or interest, or to bring just a bit of whimsy to a day that can feel very formal and sometimes stiff. If your personality is more lighthearted or you just want to dress in your favorite color, don’t feel constrained by tradition. Colorful weddings are becoming more common and are also more memorable. They make for great pictures, too. So feel free to express yourself with your fashion choices.

Honoring Loved Ones at Weddings

 in Ceremony / Uncategorized / Wedding Ceremony / Weddings  tagged honoring loved ones / memorial moment / remembering loved ones / wedding / wedding ceremony by

Honoring loved ones at weddings can be accomplished in a few different ways. If the person (or people) were close to you, you’ll want to find a way to include them in your special day. But weddings are happy occasions, and you don’t want everyone getting sad and distracted during your ceremony.

Honoring loved ones can be done subtly or in a bolder fashion. If you’re having a ceremony program, a remembrance section naming family and friends who have passed may be sufficient. Including a general comment early in the ceremony can also be done gracefully. It can have more impact if you name your loved ones. You can even include a moment of silence in their honor. But if you want something more visual, here are a few options to consider:

  1. Set up a table at the back of the ceremony space with pictures of your loved ones with a plaque and/or candle. Memorial Pictures & Message Memorial Candle
  2. Place a flower or other memento in their honor on the chair they would have occupied. Memorial Mementos
  3. Bring a memento of them into the ceremony – this couple hung a favorite wind chime to honor the groom’s mom. Memorial Wind Chime
  4. At one ceremony I performed, the bride placed a uniform and dress on chairs to honor her grandparents.Honoring Grandparents

Moving beyond the ceremony, honoring loved ones can also be a part of your reception. Place wedding pictures near your cake or gift table can bring them symbolically into your celebration. Or perhaps you’ll dance to their favorite song or raise a toast to them. All are ways to honor the role and impact they’ve had in making you the person you are on your wedding day. Honoring loved ones can be a sensitive topic, but it’s worthwhile to reflect on those important people in your life and choose a way to include them in your wedding day.

Fully vaccinated – Resuming All Celebrant Services

 in Ceremony / COVID-19 / Memorial services / Uncategorized / Weddings / Welcoming Ceremony  tagged ceremony services / COVID-19 / custom ceremony / memorial services / wedding ceremonies / welcoming ceremonies by

Fully vaccinated – two of the most encouraging and freeing words in the world these days. I completed the COVID-19 vaccination series on April 1st, and am considered fully vaccinated as of the day this blog posts. Therefore, I am resuming all celebrant services.

Being fully vaccinated allows me to move more freely in the world. As more Minnesotans get vaccinated, it will be safer for all of us. I’m encouraged by the rate of vaccinations happening in the Rochester area and throughout the state. The governor has eased restrictions on gatherings, and my phone and email are busy again.

Custom Weddings

Clients are planning ceremonies for later this year and for next year, and I’m happy to book a full range of ceremony services for August 2021 and later. So if you’re looking for a simple Certificate Signing or Vow Exchange in Rochester I can help. If you want a custom ceremony in Rochester or throughout southeastern Minnesota, please take a look through this website, and contact me. I’d love to learn more about what you want in your wedding ceremony, a welcoming ceremony for your new baby, or a special memorial service to honor a loved one. I can offer options and suggestions based on the more than 400 ceremonies I’ve officiated over the past 11 years.

Custom memorial services

I’m still offering no cost, no obligation initial consultations via video at this time. Until more of the population is able to access vaccines and become fully vaccinated that’s the safest way for us to connect. As the weather warms we can arrange to meet in person outside, too.

Family puzzle for Child Welcoming ceremony.

As ceremony planning starts to pick up, and we look forward to gathering with loved ones to celebrate the important moments in life, please know that I am here to support you, to work with you to craft the ceremony you want, and to authentically celebrate your milestone moment!

Personal Unity Rituals: A Perfect Way to Make Your Ceremony Meaningful

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Personal unity rituals can be the perfect way to make your wedding ceremony more meaningful and memorable. Unity rituals are visual demonstrations of the vows you make to each other, and there are a number of lovely standard options available ranging from handfastings to love letter boxes to wine or beer sharings. Rituals can be even more meaningful if they connect with you and your story as I’ve seen in a number of recent ceremonies.

I’m working with a couple who wrote letters to each other while the groom was in military basic training. For their ceremony they’ll be writing new love letters to mark their wedding day, and placing them, along with the saved letters from years ago, into a box. They’ll write new letters on each subsequent anniversary, and accumulate the wonderful story of their relationship through the written word.

Mortar and Pestles for a unique unity ritual.

Just last week I married two pharmacists who had already planned their unity ritual when we first met. They obtained a beautiful mortar and pestle set, an iconic representation of their profession, and planned to join two substances representing the joining of their lives in marriage. This unique ritual held special meaning for them, and was a memorable part of their ceremony for all the guests, too.

Customizing handfasting with the use of rainbow colored ribbons.

I’ve also customized the handfasting unity ritual using rainbow colored ribbons for a same sex couple, and using the colors of sky, sun, earth and trees for a nature loving couple. With a little creativity personal unity rituals can be developed using a standard ritual as the base.

While not required as part of a wedding ceremony, unity rituals and especially personal unity rituals can be a wonderful addition. Working with your celebrant you can explore the wide array of rituals available and use or create one that will be particularly meaningful for you.