What seemed like a wedding disaster – we’re talking a no-show officiant with just 30 minutes before the ceremony – turned into a beautiful metaphor for life’s unplanned moments. Dave and Emily reacted with grace and thanks to a close friend stepping in on a moment’s notice, their wedding turned out (dare I say) EVEN better. Ryan Hinman Films captured their story you don’t want to miss!
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From Ryan Hinman Films… I filmed this wedding last fall at a great private home in Sundance Utah. It was a very personal occasion, friends and family. A small affair. 30 minutes prior to the ceremony, the officiant told the couple she couldn’t make it. Some sort of scheduling mix up. A close friend of the couple stood in to marry them and it became my favorite ceremony of last year. Really personal, heartfelt and amazing. The vows were all “on the fly”.
From The Bride… My vision for the wedding included descriptions such as “ethereal, whimsical, magical….” I wanted everything to be “flowy.” I wanted to be completely comfortable and for everyone else to feel the same. Thus the bare feet, flowing and simple dress, warm weather and soft grass. We looked up the weather on the Farmer’s Almanac and saw that it hadn’t rained in 25 years around the date of June 23.
We did not have an actual wedding planner but several friends and family members offered their “services” to make the wedding run smoothly. My sister’s boyfriend offered to be the “go-to guy” on the day of the event. He heroically coordinated a very complicated and stressful job of handling the shuttle process.
We did manage to get ready in time for the 5:00 ceremony. At 5:30, someone brought a message from David who was asking if I knew where the officiant was. We called the woman who seemed to have completely forgotten about the event (despite several meetings in person ahead of time, multiple emails, confirmations, pre-payment and everything!) We had to think quickly. Tom Murray came to mind immediately. He had officiated for my friends Sarah and Tommy De Angelo at their wedding almost 10 years ago. I knew he was officially “qualified,” but I also share a special bond with Tom and I knew only he could rise to such an intimidating challenge. We nervously discussed the way the ceremony would play out.
My biggest desire was for Tom to acknowledge both of our parents. I assured him that we would take care of our own vows and he assured me that he would know what to do from there. David and I had wanted to write our own vows but never got around to it as it was buried beneath the busy work of wedding planning. We even tried to discuss our vows the night before the wedding but kept getting caught up in all of the things that needed to be accomplished on the wedding day.
Somehow it all flowed together, exactly as it should be. I was so happy to have a friend be the one to preside over our marriage ceremony. It bonded the 3 of us together, even closer, forever. And it bonded David and I to all of our friends and family who were there to witness the day.
Later, after everything was over and we were settling down to go to sleep, I finally had a moment with my husband for the one tradition that I had really wanted to introduce into my wedding day. I had learned about it years before on a trip to visit some artist and creator friends with my Uncle Al, on the Hopi reservation. I had asked one of the women on First Mesa about their wedding customs. She told me that the bride and groom rise together at dawn, wash their hair together in the same bin and then braid their hair together, pieces of the bride’s hair, braided into the hair of the groom. It was then that the couple were symbolically joined. I took the pieces of my long, curly hair and braided it together with David’s long curly hair. Now we were finally married. It was truly one of the happiest days of my life.
Photography: David Newkirk | Videography: Ryan Hinman Films | Wedding Dress: Haroon's | Band: Daniel Day Trio | Venue: Winslow Estate | Flower Crowns: Flowers On Vine | Rentals: Diamond Rental