There is a special place in my heart for couples who are willing to open their hearts to love and marriage a second or even third time. Most of us have grown up with the myth of finding our one and only soul mate and getting married “till death do us part.” What is true about life is that we learn as we go, we live through cycles and we are constantly given the opportunity to begin anew.

With experience comes wisdom, self awareness and also an invitation. Will you choose to open again? Will you chose to keep learning and keep growing? Will you choose joy?

And so it was that Joe and Elizabeth said YES to all of these questions AND on their first anniversary of meeting they said their I Do’s times two. It is a good thing we had a wonderful, grand, nature cathedral for their nuptials because the love that was beaming that day might have been more than could have been contained even for a regular church.

We began the ceremony with a Happy First Anniversary gift exchange. Joe had invited Elizabeth to a first get together in THE MOST Pacific Northwest style that could ever have been imagined. “How would you like to meet me on the 7:05 am ferry?” She said yes, brought him a coffee, he brought her a red rose and off they sailed into the sun rise.

Note to local Salish Sea suitors… the ferry is a fantastic place to woo your prospective partners. Its kind of like hiring a private yacht, complete with catering service, and what a bargain. 🙂

So Elizabeth received a lovely little wooden ferry ornament to remind her of that special day and what did Joe get? Joe got a belt. He had been so excited and nervous about meeting Elizabeth that he forgot his belt that morning. Note to suitors everywhere. Bring the rose, forget the belt… it works every time. So Joe received a back up belt and now it was time to being the wedding ceremony.

Opening prayers called in the benediction of the divine and most certainly our prayers were answered with magnificent God Rays beaming down to match the beaming smiles on our bride and groom.

A lovely ritual followed, a Hand Washing Ceremony. In honor of all the life that had already been lived and with the intention of washing away anything that did not belong in this new marriage, Joe and Elizabeth washed each other’s hands with a small dose of those same Salish Sea waters that carried them into to each other’s hearts one year ago.

Our ceremony continued with lovely scripture readings and poems about Soul Mates and then it was time for the vows. Never have I ever borne witness to more blissed out vows. There were moments of laughter, moments of tears and even moments of such eagerness, that all the rehearsed sequences just blew away on the breezes. With chickens clucking in the background (and maybe even a goat bleating in chorus) Joe and Elizabeth affirmed their love to each other and declared their commitments.

What is so beautiful about these public declaration of vows is that even when only witnessed by the tiny gathering of dearly beloveds allowed at this time of pandemic, you could feel the prayers of those present surrounding our couple and enfolding these new promises in a web of genuine support. There was also a palpable presence of Providence being super charged by these commitments and being set in motion to bring forth all manner of blessings to assure their fulfillment.

And so rings were filled with prayers and well wishes from our guests, exchanged with more laughter and tears, and in such a short period of time, the true miracle of alchemy was complete. Two lives, two hearts, two souls, two families had been woven into one.

Pronouncements were made, kisses were joyously exchanged and rose petals were tossed in glorious celebration.

Thank you Joe and Elizabeth for daring to love so whole heartedly. You know full well what it takes to make a marriage truly a living home of conscious love and you have shown us all, even at this time in our world where so much is chaotic and uncertain, that LOVE is the foundation, the bedrock that we can all rely on.

Blessings to you both and thank you for the honor of helping you say I Do Times Two.

love Grace

And thank you Stephanie Cristalli for the glorious photographs.

Nice Words from the Bride and Groom

Each time I look at our wedding pictures, I think of how you graciously guided us down our married path.  It made me feel cared for and uniquely special.  Working with you only made me feel more certain of my choice to marry Elizabeth.
When you came to my home before the marriage you sought to understand in a way that told me you wanted to be sure about us, before proceeding.  I felt cared for and gained respect for your integrity.
A beautiful soul who deeply cares for the people in her life. – Joe

 Our work together helped me in bringing my best self forward for my wedding.  It allowed me to get to know myself and clean house and come as whole person to marry Joe.

2.  Your unique gift is you.  You have a presence that spoke to me in your blog on your website.  I wanted to get to know you more.  You have such a depth of knowledge and experience …I was curious.  Then when we met, I immediately felt comfortable safe and wanted to hear more about your gift of healing and love.

3. Grace is a healer, wise warrior, a spiritual presence.  She connects people and brings them together and then holds them in a loving manner. She allows the people to shine and brings out the vulnerability in a beautiful way.  She allows God and love and all wise angels and spirits to enter along with the humans to experience the Divine. – Elizabeth