Personalized, Meaningful Ceremonies

If you and your beloved desire a ceremony that reflects who you are as individuals and as a couple, I would like to help you make that a reality. Whether it’s just the two of you or you’re inviting five hundred of your closest friends, I’ll be happy to tailor the service to meet your needs.

“We LOVED having Kanta as our wedding officiant! She really took good care of us and made time to get to know us. She met with us personally prior to the ceremony and rehearsal    (a couple times) to get a better understanding   of our relationship and who we are as individuals. She was also great in bringing together the crowd during the ceremony itself, no matter their background (we are a pretty diverse crowd) no one felt out of place or excluded. She made everyone feel very welcome and part of the celebration which was wonderful. We highly recommend her as a wedding minister. Happily married and very pleased with Kanta and our ceremony! ”
-Jacqueline & Jon Walker

“My wife and I were overjoyed having Kanta perform our ceremony. She took time to get to know us individually and as a couple and incorporated our personalities into our wedding service. She was there to help bring to life the details that make us who we are. Kanta felt more like a life long friend who was there to share our special day, than someone presiding over the event. We couldn’t be more pleased that we met Kanta! ”
-Jason and Jessica Hiner

 

 

 

video by Pixelscore.com

Want to see more? I now have a special FB page just for Weddings!  https://www.facebook.com/#!/KantaBosniakWeddings

“Still stuck on finding the perfect person for your 2013 I Do’s? Take a look at Kanta Bosniak Weddings! Aside from being an Ordained Minister, Kanta has amazing personality and creativity to help make your ceremony unique and special. Check her out and give her a well deserved “like” while you are there!”
- Shannon Hunt Ainsley, “Always and Forever hoto,” Dublin, VA http://www.virginiaweddingsphotography.com

                                                                                   Niche Weddings in the NRV:

Authentic, Personal, and Meaningful

Rev. Kanta Bosniak

Alerted by jazzy marimba sound, I dug in my bag, found its source, and glanced at the North Carolina number as I touched the green icon. The young woman’s voice bubbled over with excitement. “I know this is a cliché, but my fiancé and I are ‘spiritual but not religious.’ We want a non-denominational wedding in natural setting and we heard that Floyd is a beautiful place to get married.”

In fact, the entire New River Valley has a lovely, gentle charm that lends itself to sweet and personally meaningful events. Keywords: personal and meaningful. The trend to client-centered, independent and niche is what’s happening.

This cultural phenomenon has influenced other aspects of our lives. With satellite, cable, and online entertainment, the three basic channels plus PBS have morphed into a myriad of choices. Now every individual can broadcast thoughts, images and ideas via YouTube and social media. Increasingly, the publishing industry has gone indy. Done are the days when “self-publishing” was less-than, as even established writers have chosen to shape and promote their own creations and big box stores compete with online outlets. Creative doors have opened for all of us.

And so it is with weddings. Engaged couples have more choices and they feel empowered to make those choices match their lives. In addition to the traditional church wedding many are opting for one that is non-denominational. They want to take the path less traveled, blaze their own path entirely, blend old traditions with new ones or include cross-cultural features that honor their beliefs and/or adopted spiritual paths.

For example, many couples incorporate the Celtic hand fast in their ceremony, because of Irish or Scottish heritage, or because of they find beauty and personal meaning (those words again!) in the ritual of literally “tying the knot.” This preference is so often-requested that I maintain close contact with the region’s top bagpipers so that couples who want the full-tilt experience can have their scone and eat it too.

As a wedding minister the task of personalizing and meaning-making begins with interviewing both bride and groom. Times may have changed, but it’s still the bride’s dream day, so I begin with her. How would she characterize the two of them? If they are two overlapping circles, where are the common qualities in the Venn diagram that is created? In a second conversation, I ask for input from both of them. What are their most important shared values? What does “spiritual” mean to them? What inspires them?

Sometimes couples follow slightly different paths from one another. I recently wrote a ceremony for the wedding of a Buddhist-oriented bride and a groom who resonates more with Hinduism.

Finding the language of common ground is especially important for weddings in which the couple’s spirituality differs from the more traditional roots of their extended families (and their families may differ from each other). It’s the couple’s day and the service must be authentic to them. That’s why they hired an interfaith minister, after all! At the same time, we all want the ceremony to invite, include, honor, and feel joyous for everyone attending.

Today’s couples may blend families as well as faiths. Ceremonies may include children from previous marriages. Sometimes weddings may formalize longstanding marriage-like relationships that have produced children. I know of a wedding a colleague officiated in which one of the couple’s grown sons (in his late thirties, I’m guessing, from pictures) escorted his mother down the aisle. I recently performed a wedding in which the couple had small children who were so precious as ring-bearers and flower girl that they (almost) stole the show.

While this couple may not typify the usual wedding couple in some ways, it did represent a trend I’ve noticed in with wedding couples that’s a bit different from past generational models. Yes, it’s the bride’s “dream day.” Their fiancés know this and let them have the pleasure of being the Wedding Princess: being in charge of the overall vision and working with the party planner or other folks who make it happen.

However, most often the groom that I work with has established a strong sense of personal identity and spiritual perspective. He knows who he is as an individual and as a partner. And though he may not have been dreaming of this day since childhood in quite the same way as has his beloved, it’s important to him that the language, style and meaning authentically reflect his deeply held values.

One final thought about the importance of personal meaning in wedding events. I love weddings! That’s why I’ve chosen to do what I do. I feel honored to serve you and look forward to helping you create your sacred and special event. Whether you choose a traditional church wedding or you wish to “tie the knot” in a garden setting, I want to help you make your “dream day” a reality, exactly as you envision it.