Diane and Paul's Hillside Gardens Wedding

Diane and Paul were married Friday, July 24 at Hillside Gardens, I posted a sneak peak of their wedding here. I knew Diane and Paul were going to have a wedding filled with personal touches, including friends and family in the ceremony. Enter ring bearers Brady and Keigan, Diane's grandsons in a wagon decorated for the occasion and dragging several larger-than-life blue plastic wedding rings. It was so cute! I've seen many couples include a sand ritual in their ceremony but Diane and Paul's officiant Arianna did something a little different. Before mixing the sand each of the couples dump out some of their own sand, thus "leaving behind" some part of their old life that they do not want to bring into the new life. Once they mixed the sand, symbolizing the oneness of marriage, Arianna scattered all the sand on the ground at their feet and invited the couple to take their first steps and then share their first kiss as husband and wife. It was a unique and meaningful way to wrap up the ceremony. Thank you Diane and Paul for inviting me to be a part of your wedding day. Click here to see a brief slide show of their wedding day. — Cathy