And the sun came out at 12:00 Noon on 12/12/14

Lynne and Michael flew all the way to California from Indiana to be married at the beach in Laguna Beach 12/12/14 at 12:00 noon.   And 12/12/14 also was the day that the big storm arrived in California that ended our drought!    When I got to the gazebo, the wind was howling, like a hurricane, and the rain was pelting us in big drops.   Oh No!   So I had a little talk with the sun, and I explained how important it was to my bride and groom that there be sun at NOON on 12/12/14 for their wedding!    And I acknowledged that the sun had enough power to just shine through for a brief moment so we could get the pictures.     We sat in our cars in the pouring rain from 11:30am to 11:59am and then at 12:00Noon, precisely right on time, the sun burst through, and we got our pictures!!!!   I love it that we even got the shadow of the sun in the picture!    Proof that love conquers all!    

    

BEST BEST-MAN'S SPEECH EVER!!!!

As you know I have been doing weddings for 20 years, but this weekend, I heard the best BEST MAN'S SPEECH so far!!!    Here it is:

It's funny, Bro, the way things happen are not always the way things will eventually turn out.  If you're smart, you'll see stuff coming, and you can create the happening so things turn out your way.  Bro, we've been going at it for a long time.  About 20 years.   We've been friends longer than some of our siblings have been alive!  We've had the best of times - typically surfing - and we've had the other times, too.    And I could not be happier about being here tonight, and I could not be more proud of you.

Bro, life's a kick!   In the 24 years I have under my belt, thought it feels more like 204 years, the greatest thing I can say to you both is:  Life is a KICK, MAN!   ALL THE HARDEST PARTS ARE THE BIGGEST JOKES.  THE DEEPEST STRUGGLE ALWAYS BEGATS THE MOST SATISFYING REWARD.  THAT'S THE KICK, AND THAT'S THE CATCH.  YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN.  YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT ALL WORTH IT.  WORTH THE STRUGGLE.

You are a virtuous man, my brother.  As long as you remain so, and as long as you keep your eye on the ball, (and you know how I have to work at this myself), you will get what you want.  

So  LAUGH!

Don't argue.

Give and receive love.   

Don't create separation or division. 

Have Faith and never forget that darkness cannot exist in The Light.

Today is a great beginning for the two of you.

And things will only get better.

Enjoy Yourselves!!!

Personal Vows

At 3:00pm on December 6th 2014 in the oceanfront gazebo in Heisler Park Laguna Beach California -  Mr. and Mr. Christopher & Brian Cox-Carter were married.   Here are their personal vows.

My Dearest Christopher:

1.        I promise to respect, admire, and appreciate you for who you are, as well as for the person you wish to become.

2.        I promise to support and protect your freedom; because although our lives are intertwined, your choices are still yours alone. 

3.         I promise to seek a deep understanding of your wishes, your desires, your fears and your dreams.

4.        I promise to always do all I can to make sure your needs are met; not out of obligation, but because it makes me happy to see you happy.

5.        I promise to be there for you when you need me, whenever you need me.

6.         I promise to nurture your goals and ambitions; to support you through misfortune and celebrate your triumphs.

7.         I promise to try my best to keep our lives full of passion.

8.        I promise to remain committed to you even when times get tough, knowing that any challenges we might face, we will conquer them together. 

9.        I promise to treat you with compassion over fairness, because we are a team, now and for always. 

10.      I promise to show you; every day for the rest of my life that I know exactly how lucky I am to have you and that I will love you and you alone until my last breath. 

My Dearest Brian:

The day I met you, I knew we would be standing here today.   I have fallen in love with you more and more as we have spent time together.  I woke up 3 years ago and knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I woke up today feeling the same way.  And I have awakened every morning for the last three years knowing I would spend the rest of my life waking up beside you.

From now on and until the day I draw my last breath, I promise:

I will love you unconditionally.

I will always stand by your side, unconditionally.

I will cre for you in good times and bad.

I will nurture you and hold you, when you need it and when you don't.

I will devote my entire lifetime to making you happy.

I will be a man you can be proud of.

I will be the husband y ou deserve.

I will always listen when you need me to.

I will never break your heart.

I can always be depended upon to bring you laughter.

To you, I vow all of these promises, and I will give you all the joy and love you will ever need or want.

New Ring Thing!

Here's a new ring tradition for Vow Renewals! I did a 25th Wedding Anniversary for a couple from New York. The husband gave his wife a

toe ring "as a symbol of his love and a sign to the world that she is still

his wife!"

how old were you when you got married?

I recently married a couple at the gorgeous St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point. The groom looked very young to me but he was very much in charge of the wedding, had made all of the plans, and conducted himself maturely and in confidence. The bride was delighted with the beautiful red and white rose bouquet he got for her.   When I signed the marriage license, I noticed that he was a mere 18 years old!  And she was 35 years old.    It was a first marriage for both of them, and they said that they knew the moment that they looked into each other's eyes that they were to be together.  She told me that she had been waiting for him.  

kissing at sunset

prettiest dress of the year!

This is the prettiest dress I've seen all year.  And the bride's girls were all in purple with purple and white flowers.  We had an absolutely gorgeous day at the beach - warm and balmy - beautiful blue skies.  The bride had the bridesmaids and groomsmen already down at the beach and she walked in with her dad and had the flower girl and the ring boy walk in right in front of her.   Her music was:  Marry Me by