Cynthia and I had the wonderful honor of spending time with one of the best human beings on the planet - who is also a wonderful artist. Maggie Hayes, of Maggie Hayes Photography met with us at Mordecai Historical Park on Saturday evening to chase the sun and take some wonderful pictures of us. 

Here's a sneak peak of the shoot!

Thank you so much Maggie! You always bring me peace and laughter. You are a delight to work with. 

NC Secular Weddings is growing and we couldn't be more excited! It is my absolute pleasure to welcome on board, Cynthia Wooten. I met Cynthia through a mutual friend last year and we instantly connected on so many levels. Cynthia is a social activist and social justice warrior. She has experience that only comes from working with people who need the most help and her kindness is legendary. 

In 2016, Cynthia agreed to be my emergency officiant contact - I could call her if I was too ill, broke a leg, or couldn't officiate a ceremony for any reason. Fortunately, I haven't had to call Cynthia in as back up, but I find myself referring clients to her when I am booked because Cynthia is the person I would want officiating my wedding if I were getting married today. 

We've joined forces and we are thrilled to offer Officiant Services to all who need them. As a secular officiant, I've found that most couples I work with are looking for an Officiant who shares their values and worldview when it comes to important milestones. There are a lot of traditional ministers who will perform secular services, which is great, however, the genuineness that Cynthia and I bring to ceremonies is something the couples we've worked with appreciate. Your spirituality is completely personal and your ceremony should reflect that. Cynthia and I are excited to get to know you and help you create the ceremony of your dreams. 

You may notice that our pricing has changed. If you've contacted Kenna or Cynthia regarding your ceremony before March 1st, we will honor the previous pricing. This change reflects our experience and confidence that your wedding ceremony will be spectacular. We have also added a new option for couples - a Choose Your Own Adventure Wedding Ceremony. This is super cool! We present couples with a few different styles of verbiage for each section of their wedding. They get to put their ceremony together and make any additions or changes. This is a more affordable option for couples who want more than a Simple Wedding Ceremony. This is going to be fun!

Last weekend I officiated a wedding for a lovely couple, Paul and Brittany, who had the largest wedding party I've ever worked with - 12 attendants on each side. Counting the family and the bridal party, there were 35 of us to line up for our entrance. The wedding was gorgeous and the mixed-gender attendants were dazzling in gold and aubergine.  Brittany and Paul held their wedding at the Life and Science Museum in Durham. This was a stellar venue with a great hall for the ceremony and fantastic exhibits for the reception. If you are looking for a way to connect your sense of wonder and inner science nerd, a museum is an excellent venue for your wedding. Paul proposed to Brittany with a Harry Potter book (her favorite and mine too!) so I was able to squeak in an Albus Dumbledore quote into the ceremony and it was well received. 

Personally, I've been under the weather a bit this year. Between viruses and the flu, we've been investing in Lysol for our home. The political scene isn't helping with my depression and anxiety and I've found that I have to temporarily disconnect from politics for self care reasons - finding balance is always challenging and I'm working on finding it here as well. I've been practicing a lot of compassion exercises and meditating on how I see the world. There is so much love and kindness in the world, and it's balance is hate and fear. I'm so saddened by the divisions that run through our communities and homes. Between the election and the inauguration, I was honored to offer free weddings to members of the LGBTQ and immigrant communities as my way of letting people know that you may find yourself part of a group that is marginalized and feel threatened, but you are not alone and you are part of the wider, human community, and I support your right to be married, to be here, and to be loved. 

Cynthia is a wonderful person and I couldn't be more thrilled to collaborate with her. I am looking forward to watching her love story with all of you unfold. Because this is what we are doing, love. We get to love the people we work with - how amazing is that, when it's a wedding, we fall in love with the couple and help them organize their thoughts on how they want to celebrate their love. When we officiate a funeral or memorial service, we fall in love with the person who has died and the loved ones who are grieving for their loss - we get to share that time with them, to hear the stories about their loved one, and create a way to celebrate their life and acknowledge the pain of the living. When we officiate a baby naming ceremony, we get to fall in love with a beautiful new life, full of potential, who is being welcomed into their community and family with celebratory fanfare. When we officiate a trans-naming ceremony, we get to fall in love with the person in front of us, the person who has spent so much time becoming themselves and is now ready to publicly declare and celebrate their transition into their true selves. This is excellent work for people who love, and I am certain that Cynthia is my soul sister when it comes to loving people. Welcome Cynthia. I am so glad to know you, to be a part of your life, and have you be in mine. 

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