Sacred and Fun: Troy & Anna's Halloween Wedding

Anna Sideris and Troy Quirk had an especially fun wedding on
Halloween. Their wedding took place in their spectacular Victorian
home in Coventry, CT. Perfect weather graced the afternoon wedding and the festivities went on until the wee hours.

Guests were of course invited to come in costume and they certainly did! The bridesmaids were faeries, the groomsmen were knights, the mother of the groom was Mother Nature herself and sitting behind her, Queen Nefertiti. There were biblical figures, mythological figures, storybook characters and assorted spooky and hilarious costumes. Anna's mother made traditional Greek costumes for the ringbearer and flowergirl, (her grandson and granddaughter) that beautifully celebrated their heritage. Troy and Anna spared no detail. Each guest had a trick or treat bag waiting for them on their seat and everything from the champagne glasses to the groom's cake had a halloween theme. It was so much fun just to take it all in...the whole day was such a wonderful celebration.

This wedding was the perfect example of how to mix the fun and the sacred. Many might think those mutually exclusive, but they certainly don't have to be! It all has to do with the intention of the day and Anna and Troy wanted to celebrate the sacred origins of Halloween, which was originally a celebration based on the Celtic cycles of the seasons. Originally called "Samhain" this date for the ancient Celtic people of Ireland signified the end of summer and the time when the earth begins its slow and quiet renewal of life, in the darkness of the winter months.

Honoring the sacred and celebrating love, all on a beautiful Halloween day. What more could you ask for?

Going Back to College

When choosing the venue for your wedding ceremony, think of places that hold meaning for you. On a blue sky August afternoon, Karey Scheyd and Irfan Hydari married on the beautiful and historic campus of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts; Karey’s alma mater. For Karey and her friends, many of whom were present for the wedding, the campus of Mt. Holyoke held their individual and collective histories and was a place where friendships that would last a lifetime were forged.

For many of us, our college campuses were places where we experienced great personal growth and intellectual transformation and for some of us, where we fell in love for the first time. College, especially if it is one’s first time living away from home, is a threshold experience and an important rite of passage.

If your college campus feels like an old friend to you, check it out as a possible venue for your wedding ceremony, especially if it is where the two of you met. It allows you the opportunity to celebrate another great change in your life, with an old friend bearing witness.