Last year I had the privilege to assist my good friend
Heather create collateral for what she called “fantasy dream weddings”. Heather and her husband Nate, run the
most special couture stationery shop-- Arak Kanofsky Studios--and were working
with Matthew Robbins to put together his new book, Inspired Weddings: Designing
Your Big Day with Favorite Objects & Family Treasures.
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| Matthew Robbins (center) and Heather Arak (left) at a book signing June 2012. |
Inspired Weddings gives couples a handful of gorgeous
examples of how to take an object of personal meaning and design the entire
wedding around it.
Invitations, venue location, flowers, table settings, favors, and (my
favorite) menus—are all touched by something special about the inspiring
object.
My part in “assisting” was small—I got to create what I
considered the most perfect menus for these inspired couples. Now,
that my professional focus has shifted
from writing and fantasizing about food to writing, fantasizing about
LOVE and crafting
ceremonies, I’m ready to help Matthew add a new component for his next
edition—Inspired
Ceremonies!
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| Matthew jokes (but not really!) that he likes to dress "in palette" when he's with his book. |
Our treasured objects and family heirlooms could easily be
incorporated into the ceremony and, when appropriate, used in a ritual
that would add another layer of meaning to these highly personal
symbols. An heirloom cup used in a
wedding could be used in other rites of passage and ceremonies: baby
namings, house blessings, anniversaries and funerals. Things, and what
they become to us, can add a deeper level of meaning to our daily lives
if we take a moment to honor their symbolism and our connection with
them.
