And a Tiny Burst of Joy

Yesterday, I wrote about the tiny, noticed, death of a dove. Today, I am doing something I love to do and hardly ever write about–I’m an ordained celebrant and I’m celebrating a wedding.

Devil's Bridge--the destination of a rocky hike in Sedona, AZ

Weddings are expressions of hope and courage. We give up being just ourselves, and look to another as part of our lives. There is one paragraph in the service I particularly love:

“Remember that your relationship itself has a destiny, that your marriage is alive and needs care and feeding and support. Keep it young and fresh by bringing yourself fresh to your marriage over and over again.”

That’s a hard task–to keep yourself fresh and bring yourself fresh to someone you know well, and may not see in the same rosy glow as you did a few years ago. It’s the real challenge of a marriage–to create a fresh day and another chance.

This is the view the bride and groom saw at their ceremony.

Best of all, to perform this ceremony, I’ll have to hike up into the Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona, to a small and secluded spot about a mile from the trailhead. Hiking into a marriage, hiking out again. It’s such a rich metaphor.

The bride and groom, in their natural chapel, grounded and happy. The couple is Tonia and David Jenny, and I have permission to use their names. Tonia is the editor of my first book, Raw Art Journaling.

Of all the things I do—write, develop and run communication courses, create and teach journaling classes, coach clients in life changes and creativity—officiating at ceremonies feels most like a combination of all the others. It’s full of creation and energy and imagination, love and powerful growth.

Natural chapel walls in the Red Rocks of Sedona.

The wedding involved a car ride, a jeep ride, and a hike. After the ceremony, we hiked back down the mile-long trail, enchanted at every corner by another breath-taking view.

I wish for Tonia and David the same trek through life–sometimes uphill, sometimes down, but always with a breathtaking realization that ther is something bigger in their view to focus on.

--Quinn McDonald is a celebrant of weddings, a creator of rituals, and a participant in the sacred moments of other people’s lives.

Marriage Celebrant: I Do

Change is life. What were you doing a year ago? Are you still doing the same thing now? What’s new about you? What are you doing now that you didn’t do a year ago? We’ve had a housing collapse, people are losing their jobs. People are re-thinking their lives, what makes them happy, how to hold onto that happiness.

Because I coach people in change, help them re-invent themselves, I have added something new to my coaching–officiating at marriage or commitment ceremonies. I’ve received the paperwork I need to officiate at marriages in all 50 states. A special ceremony, a custom ceremony, traditional or contemporary–I can not just officiate, I can help you prepare for it, spiritually and emotionally.

I’m performing my first ceremony on July 18 in New Hampshire. I live in Phoenix, but travel from Sky Harbor airport is convenient.

In times when trust is worn thin and hope is a thread, I want to help people who choose to honor their vision and trust in themselves and their partners. Life might be harder, but a ceremony of trust deserves a special preparation. You can find the details on a new page on my website.

Tell me about your wedding, and how you are making it work in today’s tough world.

—Quinn McDonald is a writer, wedding celebrant, and life- and creativity coach, helping people re-invent themselves.