Eclectic Unions - Custom Wedding Ceremonies by Celebrant Jessie Blum
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Beautiful, original, custom wedding ceremonies by Celebrant Jessie Blum.
I will create a ceremony that embodies the love and passion of your relationship, while still capturing the individuality and personalities of both parties. I take elements and rituals from your backgrounds and weave them into your love stor...
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Reviews for Eclectic Unions - Custom Wedding Ceremonies by Celebrant Jessie Blum
I wish there were more words to describe what a wonderful pick Jessie was as an officiant for our wedding. From the moment I started emailing her, she showed nothing but warmth and light, but at the same time being very professional.
The first time my husband and I met her was on our wedding day, as we were having a destination wedding. It didn't matter that we'd never met her face to face...it felt like we knew her for years.
There were no surprises during the ceremony as she cleared everything with us first. Her happy and cheery personality just added to the beautiful ceremony that she wrote. Thank you so much, Jessie!!
Jessie is amazing. She was sooo quick to respond every time I contacted her. She is very organized and professional. She has such a kind demeanor and gentle yet fun personality. She wrote an amazing ceremony for us and created a keepsake for us with our vows and ceremony. The price included a rehearsal the evening before. Thank you Jessie for making our day so special!
We are so glad we found Jessie. She worked with us to create a ceremony, and offered suggestions for readings and rituals to personalize our ceremony. Her guidance was invaluable, and she was always so prompt in answering my emails and questions. Our wedding ceremony was so special, sweet, and funny, and we got SO many compliments at the reception. We couldn't have asked for a better ceremony, and I can't imagine what my wedding would have been like without the ceremony. If you want a beautiful ceremony, you need to have Jessie officiate.
When we started planning our wedding my mother went on line to find us an officiant. She called me and told me to look at Jessie's website. She got a good feeling from her smile. Now I know that is not the best way to judge anyone, but it was a feeling from my mother's gut. AND...she was right!!! Jessie was easy to work with, flexible, honest, down to earth, and charming. Our wedding ceremony was beautiful! Our friends and family continue to comment on the wonderful job Jessie did. We were extremely happy with Jessie and have recommended her to people already. She made our day memorable!!!!!
Jessie made our ceremony incredible. What made her so different from other celebrants is that she put her heart into creating our ceremony. She got to know us, and the love between us. And she dedicated herself to conveying that love to our family and friends. Jessie, you are an amazing woman. Thank you for making our ceremony so incredible and so memorable. We will forever be grateful to you!
Jessie is absolutely awesome, fabulous, and fantastic. She was unbelievably flexible, professional, responsive like no other and simply phenomenal. I am extremely happy with the results of my ceremony. It is everything I wanted and then some. Everything that Jessie did exceeded expectations. Thank you so much Jessie, I could not have asked for a better ceremony!
Jessie was a dream to work with. From day one she worked so hard to make sure that every aspect of the wedding reflected our wishes and who we are as a couple. Every aspect of the ceremony from the “love story” of our relationship to the vows were performed with professionalism, honesty and heart. It is no wonder that so many of our guests, including a minister who has performed many weddings herself, told us that ours was the best, most personal and meaningful wedding they had ever attended. We are so grateful to Jessie for making sure that our wedding ceremony would be a special, meaningful and memorable experience. Thank you!
Jessie was fantastic – she put together a highly personalized ceremony for us with just the right tone. She was receptive to what we wanted and gave us total veto power over what would/would not be included in the text. We were thrilled with her delivery of the text at the ceremony, and afterwards many of our guests remarked how much they enjoyed what Jessie had written. Choosing Jessie as the celebrant for our wedding was one of the best decisions we made and we recommend her without reservation and with great enthusiasm.
John and I were struggling with our decision to use a Justice of the Peace and have an impersonal ceremony. We really wanted something that would reflect us, tell our story, and talk about what is most important in our lives, and the woman that we originally selected for the ceremony wasn’t willing to do that. Switching to Jessie was the best decision that we made! After our initial meeting to discuss our ceremony with her, John and I were both so relieved and knew that it was going to be just what we hoped for. She introduced us to some unique ceremony ideas, like handfasting, and she went along with some of our crazy ideas, like planting a tree together, our Circle of Love, and having our readers surprise us the day of. When John and I think back on our wedding day, we are so happy that we made the switch to Jessie. Our ceremony was meaningful, thoughtful and so personal. So many guests came up to us afterwards and thanked us for having such a personal ceremony, they really appreciated getting to know us a little better through it. I will happily recommend her to anyone.
Jessie is awesome! She was very flexible when it came to meeting with us and dealing with our busy schedules. She helped with creating our vows when we had writers block, and was very inspirational for our ring vows. Because of her – our ceremony was VERY personal and intimate. Our family and friends enjoyed the ceremony and pretty much everyone made a comment on how great it was. There was not a dry eye in the room. Jessie made our ceremony feel like a conversation amongst friends and tailored it specifically for those who attended. A wonderful day….
About Eclectic Unions - Custom Wedding Ceremonies by Celebrant Jessie Blum
I will create a ceremony that embodies the love and passion of your relationship, while still capturing the individuality and personalities of both parties. I take elements and rituals from your backgrounds and weave them into your love story to create a unique ceremony just for your wedding.
Of course, this is your wedding, and you have the ultimate control. I will create this unique ceremony based on the parameters you give me. All traditions and backgrounds are accepted and honored. The possibilities for the ceremony are nearly endless! I can also suggest rituals or ceremonies to include if you are looking for ideas, as well as help you with your vows, and readings.
The ceremony will be original, touching, and beautiful, and one that you, as well as your family and friends, will remember forever.
I am a Celebrant and non-denominational minister, and legal to perform weddings in New Jersey. I provide unlimited consultations on your ceremony script until you are happy with it. In addition, if you'd like a rehearsal, I can provide one for you.
The central theme of the ceremony will be your love story; the original tale of what events have brought you both to where you are today. Indeed, your wedding is just the beginning of this story, and I would be honored to help guide you into this next chapter.
Blog: Eclectic Unions - Custom Wedding Ceremonies by Celebrant Jessie Blum
Wedding: Cathleen & Matt
Cathleen and Matt were married at the spectacular Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange, NJ in late September.
It was a beautiful, sunny day. Their ceremony was sweet, funny, and meaningful, and included this reading, from Plato’s Symposium (a great non-religious reading!):
Humans have never understood the power of Love, for if they had they would surely have built noble temples and altars and offered solemn sacrifices; but this is not done, and most certainly ought to be done, since Love is our best friend, our helper, and the healer of the ills which prevent us from being happy.
To understand the power of Love, we must understand that our original human nature was not like it is now, but different. Human beings each had two sets of arms, two sets of legs, and two faces looking in opposite directions. Due to the power and might of these original humans, the Gods began to fear that their reign might be threatened. They sought for a way to end the humans’ insolence without destroying them.
It was at this point that Zeus divided the humans in half. After the division the two parts of each desiring their other half, came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one. So ancient is the desire of one another which is implanted in us, reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of humankind.
Each of us when separated, having one side only, is but the indenture of a person, and we are always looking for our other half. And when one of us meets our other half, we are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy, and would not be out of the other’s sight even for a moment. We pass our whole lives together, desiring that we should be melted into one, to spend our lives as one person instead of two, and so that after our death there will be one departed soul instead of two; this is the very expression of our ancient need. And the reason is that human nature was originally one and we were a whole, and the desire and pursuit of the whole is called Love.
Cathleen and Matt, thanks for letting me be a part of your wedding!
Wedding: Rachel & Brian
There are so many things that I love about being a Celebrant, but I think my favorite is that I get to officiate my friend’s weddings.
Rachel is a college friend of mine – we worked together on many shows, drank a lot of wine, and basically had an awesome time. Brian was kind of “the one that got away” for Rachel – they met in high school (where they had mutual crushes on each other!) and kept in touch afterwards. But it took everyone being in the right place at the right time for them to actually make it work as couple – which they do amazingly. Knowing Rachel pre-Brian – he just brings out the best in her, and I am so glad they found each other.
Click to see bigger!
They were married at the Nassau Inn, in Princeton, NJ on Halloween (yes, Halloween! Apple cider and cider donuts were served before the ceremony, and pumpkins were everywhere – but no costumes!)
Their ceremony was short, simple, sweet, and funny. I opened with a journal entry Rachel wrote in high school, about how Brian was her new “love interest,” and shared the rest of the journey that had brought them to their wedding today. They chose simple vows, saying “I do” and “I will” at the appropriate times, and broke a glass at the end, too. It was a ceremony of laughter and happiness, and I tried to capture the joy and love that they have found in each other.
It was an emotional day, for everyone (even me! I almost cried during the ceremony!), but I was so happy with their ceremony, and I think they were also. Rachel and Brian, you guys have all of my love – have a safe trip home today!!
My Modern Vintage Bridal Look
As I’ve mentioned, my fiance Dan and I are so excited to be getting married in October of 2010. Now that it’s less than a year (we’ve been planning since early 2008!), I’m starting to think through some details and elements that I want to include.
Our venue is a beautiful estate house, and once we visited, we decided the design theme for the wedding would be “Modern Vintage” – elegant and timeless touches combined with a modern twist. This is the board I’ve put together with my dress and some of my accessories, along with some inspiration photos that capture the elegant feel we’re going for.
Credits, from top right and going clockwise:
Oleg Cassini dress by David’s Bridal; Inspiration Bouquet by Fleurspermail (love the grape hyacinths!); Dress Detail shot by me; Oleg Cassini dress by David’s Bridal; Monogram by Lindsey Rose Weisman; My faux engagement ring (Mystic Topaz in a setting by GreenKarat.com); Bridal Shot via Ruffled Blog; Shoes by John Fluevog; Shot of the venue via Flickr; Bouquet Detail Shot (saved without remembering where it came from! Do you know? I’ll credit!)
I’ve had my dress in my possession for nearly a year now, and I just adore it. I’m removing the taupe sash and adding in a metallic mint green one (how could I not throw as much green as possible into my bridal look?). I have both a birdcage veil and my friend Lindsey’s veil to wear, too – I think I’ll wear the more traditional veil (a two tier fingertip veil with beautiful beading on it) for the ceremony, and the birdcage for the reception. I have my hair trial in a few weeks, so maybe I’ll have more wedding inspiration to share! It’s so interesting being on the other side of the wedding planning!
Wedding: Robin & Anthony
This was a rockstar wedding.
Robin and Anthony were married at the incredible Landmark Loew’s Jersey City Theatre – an old fashioned classic movie palace that first opened in 1929. The inside is beautiful, ornate, and lush, and the perfect backdrop for a Grammy themed wedding. The rock and roll details were incredible, and everywhere – the bride and groom posed for portraits on a grand piano, their guest book was a guitar that everyone signed, their card box was a guitar case, propped open with a cardboard sign of “Will Play for Gifts.” The flower girls (sorry, the Rock Princesses!) threw custom guitar picks before the bride and groom made their grand entrance. So freaking awesome.
The bride and groom wanted a simple ceremony, with their vows as the real centerpiece. I shared their Love Story, which is truly one for the books: they were acquaintances in high school, running in the same circles with mutual friends, but nothing more. But, nearly twenty years later, they met up again, when a mutual friend put them in touch – and it was love at second sight. From that moment, just a year before their wedding, Robin and Anthony knew they were going to spend the rest of their lives together!
Their guitar pick favors, that the Rock Princesses threw as they walked down the aisle from skull baskets!
The Rock Princesses!
Their processional was nothing short of awesome. Each bridal party member had their own theme music, with the DJ announcing them as they walked in. VIPs were seated to the side, with the rest of the guests cheering and standing behind a velvet rope. Right before Anthony walked in with his parents, his friend walked and performed a guitar solo on a glittering electric guitar, to AC/DC’s “Back in Black.”
The Ring Man presents the ring on a drumstick.
And the vows? Robin and Anthony each wrote their own vows, and Robin, who is a big crier, did a fabulous job holding it together for them (with her Best Chick and sister standing close by for support). And Anthony – well his vows were in the form of a song, which he song, accompanied on acoustic guitar. A surprise for everyone – an incredible emotional and powerful moment.
Not many couples can say they get their names up in lights at their wedding, and Robin and Anthony’s rockstar wedding truly reflected who they were, in every single way. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of it (and sharing these awesome photos with me!)
Their guestbook guitar, with a copy of their invite tickets!
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