Four Weddings & A Cathedral

photo by Caylie Mash Photography

May 22, 2022 sounds like a pretty nice day to get married wouldn’t you say?

Fortunately Seattle Tiny Weddings thought so too and joined up with Cathedral Seattle to offer four lucky couples the opportunity to say I Do on 22/2022.

If you haven’t heard yet, Seattle Tiny Weddings (STW) offer boutique style, gorgeous and glorious mini weddings completely curated and prepared down to the finest detail. Couples choose their spot and their only task is to show up to the “church” on time with their Dearly Beloveds.

Cathedral is a charming event venue whose origin mission was to build something that’s sole purpose of existing was to make this world of ours a more just and beautiful place. I can’t think of a more beautiful combination for celebrating love and preparing for married life. Multiply that by four and you can imagine what an utter joy it was to be part of this magical day.

All the vendors, the decor, the cake and champaign and add ons are in place, photos of all the special moments ready to happen and the video live stream primed and there to share the happy occasion with loved ones far and wide. How lucky for me that I get to be the Officiant. It fills me with such a sense of delight, joy and honor to get to be up front with the couples, helping them to cross the threshold from their single lives to their married lives and also getting to see the tears and smiles on the faces of their guests, beaming with happiness for their brides and grooms.

One of our couples happen to be interested in numerology and they had been seeing a lot of 22 signs at significant moments in their past year, so when they saw the May 22, 2022 STW date it was a no brainer. I also happen to enjoy numerology and respect the power of these number signs to bring us messages of guidance and support. I looked up the meaning for 22 and here is what I found: “According to numerology, 22 is referred to as the “Master Number” because of its powerful vibrations. Your angels' yearning is the source of that tremendous vibration. This number is your angel's way of telling you that you're on the right track and that your dreams are about to become a reality.

Whether you relate to number signs or angel messages or not, it was utterly clear that dreams were most definitely becoming realities for these beautiful couples.

photo by Caylie Mash Photography

We began with Dominique and Kyle and their Maid of Honor Annie who dare I say came close to upstaging our beautiful bride, which is usually the absolute disaster, but in this case it was the plan all along. Annie has long gorgeous golden locks, a big wagging tail and a smile as wide as the world. Dominique and Kyle chose to say their vows privately and wanted Annie to be part of their ceremony. They made four commitments to each other based on the inspiration that dogs give us about loving.

1. Being our authentic self 2. Loyalty 3. Acceptance & Forgiveness 4. Empathy.

Thank you Annie for being the hit of the whole day and may we all remember to love as simply and deeply as our animals know how to love.

And just to ensure that their celebration was filled to the brim with even more charm, Kyle and Dominique had Sasquatch bride and groom cake toppers. Their guests filled the room and joined in through the video livestream and it was clear that our sweet couple were fully embraced and held by their earth angels and well on their way to their Happily Ever After.

photo by Caylie Mash Photography

photo by Caylie Mash Photography

Shae and Leah were our couple number two, which absolutely just had to be the way it was as they were the ones who specifically chose the 5/22/2022 date. They met at work and it was pretty much love at first sight. Due to their respect for workplace policies, they both kept their feelings under wraps until their employment situation changed and then allowed what they called their “Twin Flame” love to flower into full force. It was so evident being with Leah and Shae, as they stood before their family and friends and declared their vows to each other, that they knew each other at the deepest level possible. They knew that theirs was to be a marriage of spiritual growth, seeing themselves in each other and being willing to help each other be the best they could be. What was also very touching and delightful was to hear their family and friends offer toasts that affirmed the depth and deep, loving power that these two young people hold. What a wonderful inspiration to all of us to see these two choose to learn, grow and deepen their loving with their best friend, life partner and soulmate for the rest of their lives. And that angel blessing part? There truly was an angel present at their nuptials. Leah and Shae’s “baby on board” was most certainly adding an extra benediction and everyone is looking forward to their arrival in the near future. So much happiness to all three of you!

photo by Caylie Mash Photography

Couple number three were Jaira and Quentin. Another absolutely unique and amazing couple. It was so fun greeting each couple that I had gotten to know over zoom as we worked together to create their ceremony. Jaira was glowing and we got to have a quiet moment to settle some nerves while we waited for her guests to arrive. It is these sweet moments of vulnerability and excitement that tell me this is not just a day for dressing up and having a party. These sweet, young people are completely genuine and aware of the significance of what it means to declare their promises publicly and to step on the the unknown path of life long committed relationship. I have such deep respect for them.

I learned that Jaira and Quentin met in high school and had been together ever since. It is rare for young love to survive through teenage hood and the very early onset of adulthood, yet these two stood in front of their family and friends as a testament to “when you know, you know”. What was really impressive about the fact that their young love lasted is that Quentin was required to fill out a Boyfriend Application to Date My Daughter, given to him by Jaira’s mother before their first date.

While it was meant to be a joke, the questions brought forth such powerful responses from such a young, seventeen year old guy, that I asked if I could include it in their ceremony. The first question: Do you own a van? If yes discontinue filling out this application. Quentin smartly answered No. Another question: What does late mean to you? Answer: Something a guy should never be. Another: Please complete this sentence: A woman’s pace is… Answer: Where ever she wants to be.

We did have fun reviewing the application during the ceremony and yet there was something so powerful about how it drew forth Quentin’s wisdom, that I wanted to acknowledge him, his parents for their help in instilling that in him, of course Jaira’s mom for having the wisdom to insist on the application, and especially for Jaira to have owned her power so well and so early in life that she called forth a young man who would be her match. Well done everyone, well done!

Jaira and Quentin you were so at ease with each other as you said your I Do’s, and with such a firm foundation and so much love and support from your families, I have every trust in the world that you will continue enjoying your love for the long haul. May all the blessings of heaven and earth be yours always.

photo by Caylie Mash Photography

One of the fun extra’s that STW’s offers is an extended last slot to include dinner after the ceremony and photos. Our final couple, Grace and Tom had family visiting all the way from Singapore and London and had wanted their wedding to be a celebration of thanksgiving for the support of their family and friends.

photo by Caylie Mash Photography

With the scent of cooking Paella wafting in the background, Tom arrived at our “alter” escorted by his parents. Grace arrived next, on the arms of her parents and joined her Beloved while everyone beamed from their seats. These precious walks down the aisle, especially with parents, always gives me a lump in my throat. I imagined how many such wobbling walks occurred when Tom and Grace were toddlers, and how many other milestone moments their parents had experienced with them during their growing up years. And just to keep the tradition going, Grace and Tom expressed their vows while children played among the seats and a tiny baby dressed completely in white watched from her father’s lap. Making life long commitments to love, honor and cherish is a profound and meaningful moment for sure. Seeing those commitments being played out by the other married couples and their families in the room, made Grace and Tom’s vows even more poignant. Grace and Tom live by the adage that being good, kind people is the foundation of a worthy life. I could feel how deeply genuine these two lovely people are and their goodness and kindness filled the room like they were dispensing their blessing on all of us, even on their wedding day when everyone was there, filled to the brim with joy and eagerness to wrap our new married couple in support and well wishes to last a lifetime.

Blessings to each of our beautiful and unique couples and their precious families and friends. We filled our Cathedral with enough love and joy on one special day to last multiple lifetimes and to spread across the whole wide world. Special thanks to Caylie Mash Photography for capturing all the love and beauty, Dale at marriedlivestream for the wonderful videos to go into the wedding day vaults, hazeldesignscapes for the gorgeous flowers, paellaworks, latavolalinen, and especially Sara and Tosha, the magic makers of Seattle Tiny Weddings and the whole Cathedral team.

photo by Caylie Mash Photography