More Tiny Weddings & Redefining "Friends with Benefits"

I had a trio of little weddings recently-- January 2012 is going down in my personal history as Tiny Wedding Month. One was super teeny-tiny-- just me, the couple, a pair of witnesses and a couple of passersby. That one was held at the Hotel St. Cecilia over on Academy Drive, a totally rocking boutique hotel run by Liz Lambert. That was my second wedding at HSC and I just love it over there under the massive Live Oak Trees.

Another included bride and groom's family and was held out at Chapel Dulcinea the night of that wicked storm last week. Though the ceremony started before all the lightning kicked in, the weather had gotten kooky enough that traffic was nuts on the way out, and I was further hindered by a fog that got thicker the closer I got to the chapel. By the time I arrived, it really was a dark and stormy night and the chapel was shrouded in a thick mist. This is something I just love about Chapel Dulcinea-- no matter what it's like outside, that place is always a beautiful setting. Freezing cold, blinding sun, creeping fog-- beauty in all of it.

The third small wedding I did recently had about forty guests and was held at a Mexican restaurant, the couple's favorite. Intimate and festive were the keywords for that ceremony and I was delighted to see that bride and groom both decided to wear bright red. Their rings were made from a Texas tree and we did a hand fasting, too.

In two of those three weddings, the couple had been through some serious health issues and scary diagnosis. I see this often enough-- couples that get officially married long after they've already started living that "in sickness and in health" vow, and it moves me every time. In February, I have a wedding coming up with an 80+ year old groom and his seventysomething bride. They're getting married so she access better health benefits through his carrier. This is not unlike my own union-- we got a domestic partnership so I could access Ori's insurance. It's a whole new way to define "friends with benefits," and this might sound funny, but when I was having a dire health situation, nothing seemed more romantic than a shot at affordable health care.

Cheers to my latest round of newlyweds. May you live long and prosper and enjoy your health and marriage for decades to come.

If you'd like more information about my Austin and Hill Country wedding officiant services, please check out my website Custom Hitches Weddings.