I'm happy to report that Chaplain Dale Weddings (and yours truly) will be at the Grooms Brew & Bridal Tea show on Sunday, January 22nd at the Comfort Inn in Tumwater.  The show will be from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.  My wife Wendy will be there with her Sweet Buffet Lady booth, as well.

Saturday, May 14th was when I united Nataliia Masan and Mikhail Glotov in a ceremony at the Lake Washington Rowing Club near the Fremont Bridge in Seattle.  The Lake Washington Rowing Club.  The LWRC was started in 1957 by athletes who would compete in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics, some winning gold medals.  Today, on the shores of Lake Union, the club still promotes rowing, and is a wonderful site for weddings.

Here the bride, poses in the room the wedding party was readying in.  It is the club's board and conference room with many fascinating photographs and artwork.  Nataliia and Mikhail had a beautifully appointed room with tables draped in white and accented in a very regal purple.  In addition to superb food, a notable feature of the wedding was that the master of ceremonies translated every word during my conducting of the ceremony.  It took a little while for him and me to get our rhythm, but it was a blessing to all.

Congratulations to Nataliia and Mikhail.

This evening, I met with Kristen Godwin and Jimmy Jensen at a Starbucks in Kent.  Jimmy and Kris will marry on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at the Canterwood Golf Club in Gig Harbor.  A beautiful location, this will suit this Puyallup couple very well.

I enjoyed learning some of their story.  As with many couples, they met online through Match.com.  An added blessing was when they found out that they were living only three blocks apart.  Without knowing it, they already had some of the same favorite restaurants and other hang outs.  However, if they had not found each other's profile, they might never have met.

On the couple's The Knot website, Kristen explains that she wasn't sure if she should accept Jimmy's dinner date invitation.  Her friend Holly Barrett (now the maid of honor) told Kristen she should at least go for the "free dinner."  Being hungry, Kristen went for what turned out to be a great steak, and company that was even better.

Both the bride and the groom have great respect for their families.  One interesting note is that they will marry on what would have been the bride's parents' 34th wedding anniversary.  Sadly, her father passed away a few months short of their wedding. 

I'm working with the couple to design some personalized features for their special ceremony, now 46 days away.

Congratulations to a wonderful couple!

Several years ago, during their time in high school, Anika Eddy was on a Stanwood street and noticed Eddy in a car with the windows rolled down and loud music blaring on the sound system.  His name was Eduardo Santos.  Eddy actually likes all kinds of music; Anika is more of a country girl, having shown pigs and dairy cattle at the Stanwood Camano Community Fairgrounds.  Anika likes riding horses and Eddy enjoys cars and painting them, too.

I first heard from the couple by way of the bride's mother, Lea Anne.  She had contacted my wife, Wendy, about renting some linens and buffet supplies for the event.  When she heard that I conduct weddings, we put the plan in motion.  I thoroughly enjoy the Stanwood community.  Wendy and I met with the bride and groom a week before the wedding at a mid-way point, the Carl's Jr in Marysville.  At that meeting, Anika and Eddy told me they wanted to include a "wedding lasso" as part of the ceremony.

The lasso was a splendid idea.  As I read declarations at the start of the ceremony -- to which they answer "We will" -- Eduardo's sister and brother-in-law draped the lasso in the shape of the eternity symbol ("figure eight") around their shoulders.  I offered a blessing, then placed the lasso on a table at the front, a picture of the vows of commitment that they shared.

Congratulations to Anika and Eduardo and to their wonderful families.

I'm looking forward to this coming Saturday when I have the ceremony for Anika Eddy and Eduardo Santos at the Stanwood Fairgrounds.  Anika has shown pigs and dairy cattle at these fairgrounds, so the location has special significance.

Of interest, though, is the couple's request to have a Lasso Ritual as part of the ceremony.  A lasso is draped in a figure eight "inifinity loop" over the couple's shoulders during their declaration to be loving partners in marriage.  The lasso not only symbolizes the bride's love of horseback riding, but combines with images of the groom's appreciation for the Rosary, and with the symbol of eternity.

I've not done a Lasso Ritual yet, but I'll let you know how that goes next week.

After several years, I had the delight of hearing again from Linda Montague.

It was a delight, because the last time I saw Linda was several years ago at her son's funeral; I had officiated.  This time, though, our conversation was on a much more optimistic note.  Linda had attended another funeral, for a high school acquaintance, and met Stephen Reeves with whom she had gone to the same high school.

Though they had gone down entirely separate paths in the years since high school, their meeting at that funeral was certainly orchestrated by our Maker.  Love ensued and small ceremony plans were made.  With close family members gathered in my living room chapel, Steve and Linda exchanged vows under my lighted wedding arch.  They had even written a poem about their love which they read together..  Another part of the ceremony was the lighting of a unity candle and lots of happy tears.

Congratulations to Steve and Linda as they begin their married life together.  It was a fun and touching ceremony for a couple with, now, a great combined family.

He's in the US Air Force (hence the uniform); she's wearing her mother's wedding dress.  This great looking couple are Kayla and Kenyon.  They were married today in Snohomish at the Belle Chapel, one of my favorite wedding venues.  Though it was raining lightly outside, there was nothing but sunshine in the smiles of this dear couple and their guests.  In the near future, Kenyon will be transferred to Cheyenne, Wyoming.  I appreciate this very positive couple and their service to our country.  God bless you both!

The groom's mother told me she wasn't sure he'd ever get married, but tonight her son Trent, age 46 married the lovely Jerly in a ceremony with many family members on hand.  The house belongs to the groom's mother and is in a beautiful park-like setting with several hundred feet of waterfront on a lake east of Snohomish and north of Monroe.  It was raining and the mood was sweet as Jerly and Trent exchanged their vows.

Trent's daughter held Jerly's bouquet during the ceremony.

Best to Jerly and Trent, and thanks for the opportunity to conduct your special wedding!

Congratulations to Katryna and Jeremy on their commitment ceremony today at the Cascade Club at the Trilogy golf course east of Redmond.  Complete with children, this couple is warmly loved by lots of people, many of whom showed up at the Trilogy for this special event.  I was pleased to work with Emily of Flawless Events NW and Jered of Gen X Pro who provided some of the best music expertise I've seen.  An added blessing was that my wife, Wendy, was able to set up one of her candy buffets for the wedding -- a tasty extra!  During the ceremony, onne bridesmaid sang very expertly and brought out all the Kleenex in the audience and among the wedding party!