Wedding Stories

Hi Ema,

We are home and just about adjusting back to the time difference…!

It was great to arrive home to your email - thank you. The pictures are all so fabulous. We will let you know our top 40 favourite images very soon.

Our Wedding Day was so wonderful and we thank you so much for your part in that.

Our dinner celebration was truly lovely - what a great place on the water, and the cake was absolutely delicious.

The Whole Day was just amazing.

Thanks once again for everything and we’ll be in touch again soon.

Best wishes from
‘The Chestermans’
England

Ema…

pleasure talking with you… thank you for all you have done… we very much appreciate your services… our wedding was beautiful… thank you once again.

Have a blessed day,
Patrick and Deborah

Dear Ema,

We received the DVD and it is so wonderful!! We were both really pleased with it. It will be such a treasure for years to come! Thank you for everything you did to make our wedding go smoothly!

Todd and Melanie

Hi Ema,

Thank you for the beautiful words at the wedding. It’s a day Aletha and
I will remember for a long time to come. It was a wonderful ceremony!

Thanks,

Ronaldo

Dear Ema -

Matt and I would like to thank you so very much for officiating our ceremony on June 14th! It was great and just what we wanted!!

Thanks again!

Diana & Matt

Ema -

Dallas and I just got back from our honeymoon and were thrilled to see these pictures! What a fantastic job you did (especially under the circumstances - you have a lot of patience!)… Thank you so much for everything you did to make our day so special - everyone commented on the lovely job you did with the ceremony in particular! We were very pleased with your assistance all the way around.

Our certificate was in our mailbox when we got home! You are fast!

Thanks again, so much, for everything, I really appreciate it!

Best,
Carrie

Ema,

We really loved you!! Thank you for being so PATIENT and lovely. We can’t wait
for you to renew our vows in a few years! The pictures are beautiful. Thank you
so much for taking them and being a part of our special day.

Best,
Dana & Rob

Hi Ema,

Thank-you again for making our wedding ceremony special. Everyone present enjoyed the way you presented the ceremony.

I like the photos very much and eventually will order the album. I know it will be worth it to have the keepsake to look over our cherished memories.

I know the kids enjoyed the attention on them as well.

Again, we want to thank-you for your patience as we went through a stressful period trying to get there on time and my eagar n-laws trying to capture some photo’s.

Since we were short o time, they forgot to wait until you were done.

Sincerely,

Linda

We wanted to give you our sincere thanks for making our wedding ceremony so unique and meaningful.  The ceremony captured the essence of our relationship and set the stage for a magical wedding day.  Many quests commented that the ceremony was so rich and deep — even a few men!  The written ceremony will be one of our lifelong treasures, and we will look forward to re-reading it and living it for years to come.

With warm regards,

Jennifer & Phill Mai

Dearest Ema,

Just a note to tell you thank you so very much for ALL you did to make our wedding ceremony SO perfect for us!

You were and are a true answer to prayer for us!!!!  Our wedding could not have been more perfect in ANY way….and your guiding expertise was the most important part.  We are humbled and honored to have had you officiate our ceremony….not only are you a beautiful and articulate amazing lady, but have the wisdom and gentlenss and patience to deal graciously with a nervous bride-to-be. 

The ceremony was exceptionally perfect….not only must we thank YOU for introducing us to the most lovely Chapel, but you knew just the perfect time to start our wedding, to maximize the lighting for the photos!  It is a miracle that the chapel was available at such short notice!

Thank you from the bottom our hearts.  You will always hold a very special place in our hearts and lives….We thank God for bringing you into our lives at just the right time.

Thank you also for all the extra time and effort you put into our wedding photo shoot….your expertise put us at ease….the deer which came by were an extra special bonus, and the location was special beyond simple words can express.  We look forward to seeing the photos!  Thank you thank you!

much love,

Ada and Bob Weeks

Dearest Ema,

We are speechless!!!!  You are SOOOOO talented….your abilities and spirit captured the moments so beautifully!!!!!  thank you thank you thank you! One shot is more lovely than the next….I think we must have them all!:):)  They ALL are fantastic!

The lighting, the location, your talent, and God’s hand in all this make for very amazing photographs!!!!!!

We cannot thank you enought, from the bottom of our hearts!

much love,

Ada and Bob

Dear Ema,

You will always hold a special place in our hearts…..for not just sharing our new beginning together as husband and wife, but guiding its unfolding in so many special ways, so much more then we could ever have imagined.

We would love to order the photos, of course…..and I think we must have them all.

the book, the DVD

thanks…..Ada

Hi Ema,

I know that Ada wrote you a note, but I wanted to thank you for the great job you did at the wedding.

The way you handled the ceremony itself set just the right balance of tone, style and function.  We were relaxed as a result.

I think that the photos have come out so well that it would not be an exaggeration to say they are the best I have seen of Ada or myself.

Several friends have commented on their not being a bad picture amongst them.

Thank you very much.

Best Regards,

Bob

Think you’re planning the perfect party? Not so fast. We know what guests really think about cash bars, waiting for the bridal party to arrive, late-night drinking, and seating arrangements. To spare your friends and family the kinds of things that make guests grit their teeth, some veteran wedding-goers graciously agreed to tell us what you need to know to make your wedding rave-worthy.

Receiving Line Traffic Jams

“I hate long receiving lines. I once went to a wedding with over 300 guests and I sat in the last row of the church. Therefore, I was also the last row to leave the church. I had to wait for more than an hour to get to the receiving line and to exit the church.”
–Heidi, 25, Blacksburg, VA

“I dread those receiving lines with about ten people in them, including the entire wedding party. I suppose it’s great for the very few guests who know the bride and groom’s families and all of their wedding party pals. But most of us just want to congratulate the couple and their parents. Unfortunately, you always get stuck making chitchat with a stranger in a bridesmaid dress who doesn’t particularly care who you are, either, while the people in front of you hug the bride.”
–Margaret, 42, Sarasota, FL

We’re Not Going to Maui Tomorrow

“My wife and I recently went to a wedding on a Sunday evening, and we had to be at work the next day. The ceremony was at 5 p.m., the reception wasn’t until about 6:30, and dinner wasn’t even served until 8. The meal was finished around 9:30, and most of the guests were not from the area where the wedding took place. We left before the reception was over, and still didn’t make it home until midnight.”
–John, 35, New York, NY

Shall We See a Movie?

“I don’t like long pauses between the ceremony and reception, as it is terribly inconvenient for out-of-town guests.”
–Jocelyn, 27, Austin, TX

“If your ceremony ends at 5 p.m. and the reception starts at 6 p.m., you can assume that guests will be heading for the reception hall immediately following, so maybe it’s best to book the location from 5:30 on. It’s so awful to feel like an eager beaver and just be waiting in the reception hall lobby until the party officially ‘begins.’”
–Amy, 25, Middletown, CT

A Little Mystery Never Hurt

“One thing I didn’t like was seeing the bride before the ceremony. It was totally anticlimactic when she came down the aisle.”
–Sarah, 24, Brooklyn, NY

“I hate when people decorate the pews and altar in their church after guests are already seated. I have been to two weddings where I watched the attendants or friends attach flowers and bows to the pews and set up candles at the altar while all the seated guests watched. It looked so disorganized and informal.”
–Danine, 46, Miami, FL

“I hate it when the bride and her dad or the bride and groom stop halfway down the aisle for a photo op.”
–Frank, 31, Ann Arbor, MI

Nowhere to Run

“I don’t like it when there is no place to sit during the cocktail hour. My family tends to eat a lot of hors d’oeuvres, and they need a place to set down plates, drinks, cameras, purses and gift envelopes.

Also, I went solo to a friend’s casual wedding in Atlanta, where I didn’t know anyone but the groom. Since there were no table assignments, I had literally nowhere to sit. All the seats were in use or were ‘reserved’ with jackets and bags.”
–Domenica, 27, Kinnelon, NJ

Am I a Cheap Date?

“Guests should never be expected to pay for drinks. You would never host any other private party and expect your guests to pay for their own alcohol.”
–Elizabeth, 25, Frederick, MD

“I hate cash bars. It’s like sending your wedding present COD.”
–Susan, 28, New Fairfield, CT

“I’m sorry, but limited bars are generally a bummer. Ditto for wine drawn from a tap.”
–Liza, 25, Cincinnati, OH

We Like to Party, But…

“My brother-in-law was so drunk when he gave his best-man speech that he started an argument with his younger brother, yelling obscenities over the microphone in front of the entire reception, including my extremely conservative family. My advice is to get the speeches over with early, or ask those giving speeches to refrain from drinking until they have spoken.”
–Susan, 29, Charlottesville, VA

“I went to a wedding with my boyfriend and I didn’t know his family very well. I knew they liked to party, and so do I, but I was really shocked at this reception. They held it at a nice country club, but people were dancing on the tables, they were so drunk. They should have closed the bar. I can’t imagine how those people got home.”
–Michelle, 36, Raleigh, NC

Don’t Strand My Man

“The worst is when you’re in the wedding party and your date doesn’t know anyone at the wedding, and has to sit at a different table than you.”
–Jennifer, 28, Chicago, IL

“My husband was the best man in a wedding, and I was seated at the opposite end of the room while he was with the wedding party. It felt really strange and awkward.”
–Julie, 34, Los Angeles, CA

The Not-So-Great Smoke Out

“I went to a wedding recently, where, after dinner, the waiters passed out cigars. About one quarter of the guests took them, and within fifteen minutes the place was filled with smoke. It was disgusting, and I left.”
–Andrew, 46, Los Angeles, CA

Okay, Break it Up

“Cake-smashing, by far, is so replete with subliminal messages that I’d so rather not bear witness to during a wedding that I think it best be banned. This ritual is uncomfortable to watch, totally passive-aggressive, and not at all the zany, jocular show the couple thinks it is.”
–Amy, 25, Middletown, CT

“The whole cake-smashing-in-the-face event makes me wonder if the couple is just getting out their aggressions from all those pre-wedding quarrels.”
–David, 51, Atlanta, GA

The Most Dreaded Dance

“All cheesy music, including interactive songs like the Macarena and the Electric Slide, should be banned. Grandma and Grandpa should be spared the humiliation of having to dance to these musical abominations.”
–Elizabeth, 25, Frederick, MD

“I hate that dorky Chicken Dance. It’s not a nice thing to put your guests through. I have never heard someone say that they liked everything about a wedding but missed doing the Chicken Dance; but I have heard people speak with dread about the impending possibility of being subjected to this ‘tradition’ at some point in the night.”
–Laura, 30, New York, NY

Who’s Running This Show, Anyway?

“I went to a wedding where we guests were given birdseed when we left the church to toss at the bride and groom when they made their grand exit. The trouble was, the couple spent 30 minutes in the church having their pictures taken, and we were all standing around in the hot sun holding fistfuls of birdseed. Once the ceremony starts, I don’t think the photographer should stop the action for more than a few minutes for the rest of the day.”
–Ben, 36, Syracuse, NY

The Good News

“I really like it when a wedding is unique and doesn’t follow a ‘How To’ manual. It leaves me feeling like I really experienced something, and will walk away with a memory.”
–Vikki, 30, Greensburg, PA

“I love being asked to take part in making a special guest book. I went to one wedding for which we were each mailed a page to write in and decorate however we wished, and then to bring to the wedding to be put in a book for the couple.”
–Jessica, 38, Seattle, WA

“The best weddings are the ones that make me cry during the ceremony. If I cry, I know I have been touched by the couple, and after that I am just really happy to be there sharing the whole event.”
–Lisa, 33, Philadelphia, PA

“I absolutely love the day-after-the-wedding brunch tradition. Nothing fancy is necessary, just a chance to see the happy couple and wish them well without all the fanfare of the wedding day.”
–Beth, 52, Chicago, IL

“I love when the couple welcomes children to the wedding. It’s the biggest family-oriented event of your life, and the kids of close family and friends should be there. It makes for a happier occasion.”
–Susan, 31, New Fairfield, CT

“Nothing makes a wedding better than a bride and a groom who are smiling and clearly enjoying themselves. It’s completely contagious.”
–Mark, 51, Reading, PA

– Compiled by Lisa Carse

Photo: Judy Eliyas & Studio 925

Ema,

Thank you so much for the beautiful ceremony you put together and performed for us…it was a joy for everyone there!  The words will always be so meaningful to us, and we have you to thank!  Please enjoy the enclosed gift when you need some time to relax.

 Katherine & Eric

News…from the North American Butterfly Assocaiton related to releasing butterflies during ceremonies.

by Jeffrey Glassberg (president of NABA); Paul Opler (author of Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies); Robert M. Pyle (author of Audubon Society Field Guide to Butterflies); Robert Robbins (curator of Lepidoptera, Smithsonian Institution) and James Tuttle (president, (Lepidopterists’ Society)

   Most fifth graders can tell you how the magnificent Monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles every autumn from the United States and Canada to a few small mountain tops in Mexico. There they find the right environmental conditions that allow them to survive the winter. With the advent of spring, they begin their return journey. This migratory phenomenon is truly a wonder of nature that sparks the imagination.

   Now imagine tens of thousands of mixed-up Monarchs unable to find the way to their overwintering grounds. This depressing image may become a reality if the rapidly-growing fad of releasing butterflies, including Monarch butterflies, at weddings, state fairs, and other public events continues to spread. Because the released Monarchs may have come from California, for instance, where they do not migrate to Mexico, their offspring may not be able to orient properly,. Because the Monarchs were raised inside under unnatural conditions, it is possible that their delicate migratory physiology may not have been turned on.

   Public interest in butterflies is increasing dramatically. We hope and expect this greater involvement with butterflies will eventually lead to much-needed support for butterfly conservation and studies, but the release of live butterflies is the dark side of this increase in popularity. Although this practice is understandable to naive newlyweds-to-be (what could be more beautiful than adding butterflies to the environment?) it is really a particularly long-lasting form of environmental pollution.

   Butterflies raised by unregulated commercial interests may spread diseases and parasites to wild populations, with devastating results. Often, butterflies are released great distances from their points of origin, resulting in inappropriate genetic mixing of different populations when the same species is locally present. When it is not, a non-native species is being introduced in the area of release. At best, this confuses studies of butterfly distribution and migration; at worst, it may result in deleterious changes to the local ecology. The Hollywood Jurassic park message, “Don’t fool with Mother Nature,” has scientific foundations. Recently a high profile report in Science magazine found that even the careful introduction of species for biological control often causes unexpected negative results.

   In addition, these releases create a commercial market for live butterflies (currently about $10/apiece), with the result that, for example, the Monarch overwintering sites in Mexico and on the California coast are now targets for poachers.

   Currently, the interstate shipment of live butterflies requires a permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture but this law is not usually enforced. In general, the Dept. of Agriculture may issue a permit for shipping any of the following species: Monarch, Painted Lady, American Lady, Red Admiral, Giant Swallowtail, Gulf Fritillary, Zebra (Heliconian), and Mourning Cloak. Shipping Red Admirals, Giant Swallowtails, Gulf Fritillaries and Zebra (Heliconians) is particularly inappropriate because they are not naturally found over much of the United States.

   A solution that better serves the public interest with less regulatory burden is to ban the environmental release of commercially-obtained butterflies (we would exempt education institutions, although even here we would encourage schools to keep commercially-obtained butterflies within the confines of the school). The intentional release of native birds was outlawed in 1947. The time has come to do the same with butterflies.

   In addition to the above, many wedding planners now avoid butterflies at weddings because they not infrequently arrive dead, or half-dead. (See the recent article in the New York Times “Festive Release of Butterflies Puts Trouble in the Air” on page F4 of the Sept. 15, 1998 edition). Even if alive, they often will soon die because they are released at the wrong time of year, or at the wrong locality to survive.

   A truly beautiful and environmentally friendly way to celebrate a wedding is to throw rose petals. You can even use outdated roses from your florist.

www.naba.org/weddings.html

Thank you, Ema!

We had a wonderful time! Thank you so much for making our day so special and memorable. It was exactly what we had dreamed of. Everything from the ceremony and the flowers, to the location and the pictures was perfect! We’re so happy that we found you for ourwedding. It was truly a day we will always remember with joy. Thank you!

- Crystal & Sead

By : Ema Drouillard

If you are planning your elopement in an area you are not familiar with you will need assistance with the details of the area. In California for instance, if you are planning an elopement ceremony the micro climates are a very important factor to take into consideration.

They can effect the time of day and the location for your elopement ceremony. If you are planning your elopement ceremony to take place in San Francisco on the beach, should it be coast side or bay side? Should it be near 2 or near sunset? Will your fantasy for your elopement ceremony match up with the reality of your elopement ceremony?

Here are a few pointers. Ask yourself the following questions before you plan your elopement ceremony location on a beach.

If you are thinking of a beach elopement ask yourself:

Do you want your feet in the sand while you are exchanging your wedding vows? Most couples say no. They want to be near the water.

How many people will be on the beach during your elopement ceremony? Beaches in California are public. Even with a permit the space is still open to the public.

What time of the day will offer the best whether conditions for your elopement ceremony? For a coast side elopement ceremony you would want to begin before the trail winds begin.

Will I be cold during my nuptials? It’s not fun to be cold during your wedding ceremony. How far is the walk to the beach from the parking? How far is too far?

If you wait for a sunset elopement ceremony, will there be enough light for wedding photography after your ceremony?

Consider the season of the year for your elopement.

If it is winter the beach will be cold. Few people go to the beach in the winter. If it is summer, there will most likely be people on the beach.

Most couples that are seeking a beach elopement ceremony are interested in the water element being part of their elopement. There may be a better choice that includes a water element and is in nature that would provide a more comfortable environment for your elopement ceremony.

Insight is always better then hindsight. It is much more delightful to plan for the desired outcome rather then have your wedding ceremony become the sad story of your elopement.

Ema Drouillard, Elopements by Ema. To have professional assistance planning with your elopement in Romantic San Francisco, California, Contact http://www.CeremonyWay.com. The Intimate Wedding Specialist.