Just got my Wedding MBA "Badge" from my time in Las Vegas.  This was a great convention of wedding professionals, officiants included.  I picked up lots of ideas that I think will help me be a better officiant to my couples.

Just came back from a terrific experience: the Wedding MBA: a convention of wedding professionals from all across the country and international communities as well.  From Monday through Wednesday, October 2-4 I listed to speakers, shared my experiences, and generally got lots of ideas and information to better myself as an officiant.  Speakers such as Alan Berg gave insights to trends with couples and wanting unique ideas found of Pintrest... and David Tutera from the TV shows and why he gave up his TV show to re-establish his professional business.  The two things that kept coming across was to be authentic..I am who I am and I am good at what I do...and to listen to couples...what are they saying in their words as well as body language.  And what are they NOT saying?!

Sunday was the big day for wedding vendors because the biggest wedding show in New Mexico was held at Isleta Resort through the NM Wedding Expo by Legacy Media!  It was fantastic with several hundred brides and grooms and friends present.  My own ABUNDANT BLESSINGS WEDDING OFFICIANT had a number of couples and guests come up and sign up for more information, and I will be contacting them within the week.  But I also had a drawing for a $20.00 gift certificate toward a manicure or pedicure.  Congratulations to Monica J. and her fiance James who won the prize.  It was a great time and all the professionals were there, and a wonderful opportunity to re-unite with people I haven't seen in months, or the last wedding! 

Things have been happening quickly, and I have lots of things to update with weddings and couples and ideas like Unity Candle, Sand Ceremony with blended families, and most recently the legalization of same sex marriages in some counties in New Mexico.

I have been contacted by several same sex couples and we are planning wedding in pretty short order.  Couples want to "strike while the iron is hot!" because there is some movement by parties to take away the right to marry.  So couples in New Mexico and even Texas and Arizona are making arrangements to come to New Mexico to marry.  I welcome them and am proud to say I support same sex marriage, and Marriage Equality for all.

The wonderful sign greetings family and guests at Ann Marie and Ethan's wedding at Tamaya Hummingbird Garden.  This is a great welcome and tells it all.  Congratulations and best wishes to Ann Marie and Ethan.

Ann Marie and Ethan were married last weekend at Tamaya Hummingbird Garden.  It was a wonderful event with friends and family.  There is a large tent providing LOTS of shade.  All the best to Ann Marie and Ethan and their new life.

I was reading this article online today about how to modernize and have fun at the wedding ceremony.  It has some great ideas, and one of my favorites is to have the bridesmaids carry clutchpurses matching the bridal colors instead of the usual attendant bouquets.  Some are a little weird (at least to me) but some couples may find bright and new ideas to put zest into their wedding ceremonies.  I firmly believe that nothing is hurt by looking, so take a look at the site listed below to see if these ideas might fit YOUR ceremony.   Enjoy!
http://living.msn.com/love-relationships/weddings/25-ways-to-not-have-a-boring-wedding-ceremony#26

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of officiating for Danielle and Guy's wedding,  held at the Hummingbird Pavilion at Tamaya Resort north of Bernalillo.  Danielle and Guy had an interfaith wedding with a mixture of Christian and Jewish traditions and prayers.  For the exchange of rings Israeli wine was sipped by Guy and had a prayer in both English and Hebrew, while Danielle used a traditional English ring exchange for her giving Guy his ring.  Guy's dad Avi (short for Abraham) sung the Seven Wedding Blessings in Hebrew and I sung them in English.  At the end there was the traditional breaking of the glass under Guy's heel and we all shouted "Mazel tov!"  The wedding went smoothly with Kelli from Tamaya running things like clockwork and super professionally.  We are in shade in the photo because Tamaya put up a huge tent in the Hummingbird Pavilion while they are refurbishing the stone Sunrise Ampitheater.  So, to Danielle and Guy, Mazel Tov!  


Below is a photo of the chalupa the two families made for Danielle and Guy for their ceremony.  It was later moved to the side and the wedding cake was placed under it.  Very well done, Tamaya!

The other day I got a call from Patrick Milligan, owner of Dream Factory Productions, who does music and DJ's for wedding ceremonies and receptions. Patrick and I run into each other when we attend professional wedding events and he tells me he gets a kick out of my Face Book postings.  Anyway, he told me he had given out the last business card and he wanted me to give him some more!!  Well, of course I said Yes and when could I drop them off?  So I gathered 5 or 10 business cards and dropped them off at the office on Lomas, NE.  Patrick is a great guy and Dream Factory does a great job with its music.

This the retablo in the Hotel Albuquerque San Isidro Wedding Chapel where I had the great privilege to work with Carmela and Leroy on their Catholic wedding.  We worked up the full Catholic wedding (nuptial) Mass and this is the result!  I provided the crucifix and statues for the nichos, as well as the 2 foot high brass gothic candlesticks on the altar.   There is a wooden table provided by Hotel Albuquerque under the cloths and altar linens which I brought.  There was Holy Communion for all present as part of the Mass.  Carmela and LeRoy also had the Lazo (lasso) ceremony of the double rosary included.  After Communion they took flowers to the statue of Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe (in the left nicho) to ask her prayers for them as a newly married couple and family.  All this to the music of "Ave Maria."  It was a beautiful ceremony with a wonderful couple.  This wedding was unusual since it was the complete Mass, but as a priest I was fully capable of preparing and celebrating it.  Hotel Albuquerque's Wedding Concierge, Liana,  was great and fully supportive in everything and even got the maintenance guy to set up the high crucifix.  Guillermo of Natural Touch Photography was the photographer. There was also a full Mariachi band for some of the music!  They did a great job.