Hello All,

I do not have any weddings to perform this weekend but I did meet with a couple, Brady and Jamie, for the final meeting before the wedding. I like to meet with my couples at least twice before the wedding. The first time to get your ideas and also to get to know one another and the second to "nail" down how the ceremony will run. Do you want the couples to walk in together or have the fellows up front waiting for their partner? Who will seat the Moms, and what are the music selections for the big day? With all of these questions answered I am then able to run the rehearsal.

Brady and Jamie want a short simple wedding that will take place at Ault Park in the pavilion. They even wrote most of the ceremony and it will be great!

They are also dog lovers also and of course my poodles were all over them. Lots of dog kisses to go around.

So anyway, lets get together and make a ceremony that will be right for you.

Good Luck and God Bless..... Rev. BB

What a great weekend for weddings. The first wedding was held in our living room. The couple called me last week and wanted to elope on Saturday. The Bride wore a full dress and veil and the Groom was in a black tuxedo. They brought four guests along and they were also dressed nicely.

The second wedding was held at the "Syndicate" in Newport Kentucky. The Syndicate was originally opened in the 1930's as the Coconut Grove. It's past is rather "seamy" along with most of the past of Newport. The whole city was controled by organized crime bosses and there was gambling and other not so nice things going on. The Coconut Grove attracted singers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Doris Day to name a few. After the city was cleaned up and gambling made illegal the building sat empty for a number of years. In more recent times it re-opened as a very classy spot for a wedding and reception. The staff makes sure that all the details are attended to. I heard the manager more than once ask different members of her staff to walk through and double check that everything was right. The place is immaculate, the windows cleaned and the outside in perfect condition.

Cynthia wore a white strapless dress that had a zillion sequence sewn to the top and the skirt was toole with more sparkly beads. It was a very classy dress. The groom and his guys were in black tuxedos with a rose bud on their lapels.
At this wedding all of the guests were dressed in their best; I love to see the guests at the wedding dressed appropriately. Sometimes at weddings the attendees are in in shorts, jeans and t-shirts and really do not look right for the occasion.

I really liked this couple - they were very genuine in their vows which they wrote. There was a little bit of crying and some sniffles from the family as they read their vows to one another. I am very confident that Adam and Cynthia will have a wonderful life together.
Good luck and God Bless...Rev. BB

All Pictures

Hello All,

I received an email today from a couple who want to get married this summer at a park. They also wanted to write their own ceremony. Apparently they have run into some problems finding some one to marry them who will not require them to have the ceremony they way he wants them to.

It is your wedding and you should have it your way. Anything that you want to do is OK with me. I really like when my couples write their ceremony. You do not have to be a gifted writer to create a ceremony - because the Internet has all of the components you will need. "CUT AND PASTE" three little words that will help you to create your perfect ceremony.

Let me know if I can help with your day.

God Luck and God Bless...... Rev. BB

It is so cold here today!!! Not a really good day for an outdoor wedding. Last week it was eighty degrees and today it is twenty-two. So I hope that there were no cold Brides today.

So many times couples look at their venue on a cold blustery day, for their wedding in the summer months. Something to keep in mind is that the summer months can be very hot which for the guys is tough wearing black tuxedos with heavy jackets and the bride in her long gown. I have done three weddings in the Krone Conservatory where if it is ninety degrees outside it is one- hundred and ten inside. All of the weddings had water on hand for their guests and also printed their programs on fans so that the guests could cool off.

Another important topic should be to keep the ceremony at no more than twenty minutes as every one is "cooking". Your Officiant should be able to create a ceremony that is elegant, respectful but still fun in a shorter ceremony.

At my weddings I also tell the guys and girls to not lock their knees while standing up there. You need to keep the blood flowing to the brain or I guarantee that you will pass out!

So even though it is sooooo cold now be sure to keep your cool this summer.

Good luck and God Bless.....Rev. BB

Hello All, I performed three weddings in the last two days. One was at the Union Terminal outside near the fountain and two today at Mt. Echo Park. The park weddings were a little cold and blustery but all in all the couples were happy and are off on their new life as husband and wife.

I am very flexible as to where you can get married. I have only a few things that I won't do; I hate heights so no jumping out of airplanes or trips in hot air balloons, I do not like large farm animals, and lastly I am not a big fan of large fires. So you can get married in almost any location.

My wedding ministry is also founded in the belief that this is Your Wedding and We Will Do It Your Way! I am non-judgemental so if you are different religious backgrounds that is OK, if you have no religious background that is OK, if you want a civil ceremony that is OK, if you would like your dog to carry in the rings that is OK also. If you or your partner have previous marriages that is OK, and if you want to get married with clowns or acrobats in the room that is OK also!

I just love to see people happy with their choices and I love to perform weddings. So if I can be of any help let me know. You can reach me at 513-633-2352 or at my website - http://www.willowwoodweddings.com/ or at doyouido@hotmail.com. I hope to meet with you soon.

Good Luck and God Bless.........Rev. BB

Hello Again,
Today I want to talk a little about Wedding Etiquette. There are often times questions that come up in the course of planning your big date and you do not know where to go for answers.
Who pays for the brides bouquet?
Who pays for the rehearsal dinner?
What are appropriate gifts?
How should I dress for a church wedding?
What is a "black tie" reception?

Take a look at the links below for all of the answers.

Good Luck and God Bless.... Rev. BB



http://www.weddingvendors.com/planning/articles/guest-etiquette/
http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5344586
http://www.weddingflowersandmore.com/etiquette.htm
http://www.eng.umu.se/vw/Etiquette/ettiquette.htm

So you have set the date, bought the dress, rented the tuxedos, and now it is time for the rehearsal. In my travels in the wedding business I often get questions from couples who have step parents. Where should they sit? Who should walk them down the aisle? Should my Mom or Dad sit with my step-parent or with their x-spouse?

All of these questions are valid concerns and I always tell my couples to do what feels right and what they are comfortable with. If your parents can not stand to look at one another then they should definitely not sit together. They should be able to put aside their differences for the night but that does not always happen.

If you have step-relatives, make sure ushers know who they are. Step-relatives should be escorted to their seats first -- for example, step-grandparents precede birth grandparents. You may want to reserve a few extra rows directly behind immediate family for step-grandparents and step siblings.

If the bride's or groom's parents are divorced, seat the parent who raised the bride or groom in the front row with his/her spouse, and seat the other parent and his/her spouse in the third row. Alternatively, birth parents may sit beside each other in the first row, or they may share the front row with stepparents.

Discuss this in advance to avoid awkward moments.

Do you like the photo? This my beautiful wife and I on our wedding day - January 25, 1975 - We looked pretty snappy!

THE UNION TERMINAL IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES IN THE CITY TO HOLD A WEDDING!!!!!!!!


Last night I performed Jason and Andrea's wedding at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Originally the building was the main train station for Cincinnati until the onset of the jet travel age. The entire building is "art deco" in style from the grand terminal with it's sweeping dome down to the smallest detail of the wood paneling.


The wedding was held in a large room that at one time served as a place where the super elite travelers could take a break away from the lowly coach travelers. The walls were all original inlay wood panels with an original mural of the map of Cincinnati painted on the ceiling. It was formal and elegant yet warm and inviting.


Jason and Andrea said their "I Do's" and I pronounced them Husband and Wife with their friends and family watching. This couple seemed to have a family that was so excited about their wedding and a family that was full of love and would welcome the new son/daughter-in-law into their homes. The whole flair of the event was based on the family theme. The Bride's Uncle did a very touching reading with some added text that brought tears to the whole family.


Andrea's dress was white with a skirt that looked as if she was floating on a cloud as she walked down the aisle. Jason and the guys were in formal black wearing coats that were slightly longer that a regular suit coat.


The dinner/reception was held in another really striking room tastefully decorated in the art deco theme. The linens were crisp white with formal black accents.


I really enjoyed this couple and their families and I am happy to have been a part of their day.


Big thanks to my wife, Shelly, for taking the photos.


Good luck and God Bless..... Rev. BB





http://www.cincymuseum.org/information_center/facilities_rental/