Photo courtesy of Ann Keen Photography
I love weddings in the woods with all the rustic touches, logs to sit on, teepee like "altars" and dirt paths to get from the ceremony site to the reception. It's all even more fun if the venue is your parents' back yard. Holly and Henry married on Henry's parents' property. It was easy to see how everyone had pulled together to create a most beautiful woodsy environment that was so perfect for an outdoor loving, sports loving, nature loving couple.
"Magical! Cindie did an amazing job as our officiant, from start to finish. She took the time to get to know us as a couple, wrote an entire ceremony just for us, and performed an absolutely beautiful ceremony. Not a dry eye in the house! I would highly recommend Cindie Wilding to anyone looking for a genuine, heartfelt, unique and special wedding. She has a lovely demeanor and a great speaking voice. She is a true professional through and through, and it was a joy to work with her. We are grateful to Cindie Wilding for making our wedding the greatest day of our lives." ~ Holly & Henry
Photo courtesy of Kaboo Photography
I truly love lots of laughter (and tears) in a ceremony. These are real emotions we all feel whether it's a wedding or a memorial honoring a life well-lived. Weddings can be particularly fun when the couple has known each other as long as Jume & Rogers, when they married at beautiful Scribner Bend Vineyards. There were lots of fun stories and moments, like when Rogers surprised Jume with an upgrade to her ring.
Photo courtesy of LQ Photography
I really love when the "work" I do intersects with my more personal life, when I get to perform important ceremonies for friends or family, or family of those friends! I had the wonderful honor of marrying my friend Angela's daughter Kelly, and her true love Ryan. Being more country folk with a love of horseback riding, the Gibson Ranch in Woodland was just perfect for their small and intimate wedding.
It was particularly sweet when Kelly recited special vows she had written just for her soon-to-be stepson, Wyatt, making him feel so included and acknowledging the new bond they would share.
"Cindie is amazing! She really gave us a beautiful and a one of a kind ceremony. I found her through my mother, who has been friends with her for a long time. Cindie worked with us from day one to create a unique wedding ceremony that fit us perfectly. She was great at checking in, sending friendly reminders and just being so organized when it came to everything. She even made sure the wedding license was signed and sent in. At the last minute I decided to write vows to my step son for our wedding and she placed them into her ceremony with no issues. Honestly, she is such a great and warm person to work with. She just has amazing energy! I would highly suggest her to anyone!!" ~ Kelly & Ryan
Photo courtesy of Carl Zoch
It's truly special to me when clients somehow find me online and we get to meet for the first time in their exotic elopement location. Kim and Mick came all the way from Australia to wed in the meadow in front of El Capitan. Kim's son Kaleb served as ring bearer, as well as holding his mom's bouquet and he managed to snap some photos on her cell phone during the ceremony. I loved getting to know them and when we met it was like we had known one another a very long time.
"Cindie, we could not have asked for more in a Celebrant four our Yosemite elopement. You captured our romance and love story perfectly. There was just the just the right amount of love and laughter and we especially appreciated with way you magically wove our connection to nature and Yosemite in particular into the ceremony. You were an absolute delight to get to know and work with. If you are looking for a kind hearted, passionate and professional celebrant, look no further as you have found her. Thanks again Cindie." ~ Kim & Mick
Photo courtesy of A Perfect Impression
Despite the extreme heat of a July afternoon in the Rose Garden of the Capitol, Kristin and Ethan could not have been happier on their wedding day. Meeting in college, they shared a love of science and I loved finding and including quotes and readings from Carl Sagan and Neil DeGrasse Tyson, which delighted their guests who shared with me after the ceremony how it truly reflected the two of them and they'd never heard either of those people quoted in a wedding ceremony before!
"Cindie gave us a wedding ceremony that was absolutely perfect for us. I found Cindie on Yelp, and was drawn to her because of her excellent reviews. She went above and beyond what we could even imagine. We met with her several months before our wedding to get to know her, and we knew she would be a great fit. She was calm, organized, and had a passion for telling love stories. We were looking for a wedding ceremony that would tell our unique story and incorporate our love for science, and based on our meeting with her we were sure that she would be the best person to create such a ceremony for us.
After our meeting, she sent us questionnaires that my husband and I each were to fill out individually. Because my husband didn't feel he could best put his words into writing, she conducted an oral interview with him over the phone. The result was a personalized, beautiful ceremony that was exactly what we were looking for. She sent us the ceremony prior to the wedding, and we read through it together and suggested a couple edits which she implemented and sent back to us. She attended our rehearsal, and made sure everyone was comfortable about what to do on the day of the wedding. At both the rehearsal and ceremony, she was prepared, confident, and reassuring. We received LOTS of compliments on the uniqueness of the ceremony. Working with Cindie to create our dream ceremony was worth every penny, and I would recommend her 100% to any of my friends and family." ~ Kristin & Ethan
Photo courtesy of Patrick Pike
Cathedral Beach in Yosemite is another wonderful location for an intimate ceremony and sometimes you can get creative, stepping away from the crowds at the beach and finding your own sweet spot with the river serving as backdrop, flowing behind you. Leah and Eric came from Wisconsin to marry in the beauty of Yosemite and for the majority of the handful of close family who came along, it was their first time in the park. Their's was the perfect size wedding for a ring warming ritual to begin the ceremony.
"We really appreciated Cindie's thoroughness developing our ceremony. She shared many options and ideas to help us on our journey. Cindie was responsive and maintained timelines. We enjoyed the process and loved our day. Thank you Cindie!" ~ Leah & Eric
Photo courtesy of True Love Photo
I just love rituals during the ceremony, rituals that mean something to people and that help tell the story of their heritage, their lives and the Jewish "glass stomp" is one wonderfully joyous ritual that always makes everyone feel happy and alive..."mazel tov!!" I especially love how during Leslie & Mark's wedding at Antiquite Midtown our flower girl braced herself for an anticipated loud noise by covering her ears.
"Cindie, you set the tone for a ceremony that was uniquely us! There was laughter and a few tears (surprisingly more from Mark, then me) - and guests thought that you'd known us for years. I am so glad we found you - I can't imagine a better person to have officiated over our marriage ceremony." ~ Leslie & Mark
Photo courtesy of Patrick Pike
No compilation of highlights would be complete without this wondrous shot at Taft in Yosemite. This has become one of my favorite places for an elopement. The hike up is fun and the jaw-dropping view is incredible, not to mention the bit of flopping my belly does when I'm standing so close to the edge. Linda and Eric wanted to marry barefoot and so we all literally felt the earth beneath our feet during their very spiritual ceremony.
"Cindie is a wonderful, spiritual person. She captured the essence and meaning of our wedding in the way that felt right for us. She is warm and sincere and got to know us so that she could tell our story in a way that fit into our private wedding ceremony perfectly. We wanted to be married up on an overlook of Yosemite Valley that required some hiking, and she was absolutely open to that. We had to hike across wide creeks, get through mud and snow to get to the spot and not get dirty! And that's what we did. Cindie was perfectly fine with standing barefoot out on the rock overlook close to the edge with us. She made our wedding day adventure possible!" ~ Linda & Eric
I am so grateful to all my couples, for the opportunity to get to know them and to share their story, even if I'm only sharing it with them. You all have a special place in my heart and in my inner box of memories. May you all continue to celebrate the love you share everyday.
xo
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