Hi All
I hope you are having a wonderful day!
Two weeks ago I had the high honor (!) of officiating the marriage of my friends Rishi & Jackie Jailall at Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain, Georgia (USA).
It was a beautiful and peaceful (mother nature was behaving) afternoon by the lake, amongst the amazing presentation of trees (it's kind of woodsy), and next to a small brown/rusty mill that mills... well, it still mills something from what I'm told (Haha). Picturesque is probably the best word - it was a day filled with love and there was nowhere on earth I would rather have been.
And - yes - I am an ordained minister. I became ordained in 2017 and this was my first time officiating a marriage. Yes, I am (when the situation warrants it) Reverend Broccoli (sic).
During the ceremony I performed a handfasting. Handfasting is an ancient Celtic ritual where the couple have their hands (2 or 4 - their choice) tied together with cord or with colorful ribbon (oftentimes with different colors woven together, as the below photo demonstrates). The officiant (in this case, me) ties the hands and lower arms of the couple together before they recite their vows - the binding together of the hands is a powerful and visual representation of the couple's love for and commitment to each other. The ceremony was beautiful!
Congratulations goes to one of the most amazing couples I've ever known - Rishi & Jackie Jailall - two wonderful friends growing their love every day! ____
Photo: Rishi & Jackie Jailall's handfasting. Officiated by Reverend Jimmy Broccoli (sic) - you can barely see my light blue tie on the left - that's me - and photo taken by Briana Botsford of Bots Media. A special (and HUGE) thank you goes to High Priestess (and amazing friend) Elle Shepherd for assisting me with the ceremony details beforehand.
