Full Monty Mountain Style ~ Religion, Nature, Family

Alison + Loren | Full Monty Wedding | 9.27.14
Squaw Valley, CA

Alison Lynn Ross & Loren Sean Powers married on September 27, 2014 at 3:00 pm outside of Squaw Valley at a private home rented by the couple.

Both active outdoor enthusiasts with many hobbies and passions, Loren and Alison envisioned a festival celebration where their large circle of friends and small circle of close family members attending would all feel connected and inspired.

To weave in family, long time friendships traditions, nature, religion and music we worked together to create a ceremony that was inclusive, inspiring and uplifting. In Tahoe style, Loren made a grand entrance to the wedding site, paddling down the river in his kayak. Although due to the low water, his “ AKA “ Groomsmen carried him most of the way to meet his bride.

Their wedding, occurring on the last day of the Jewish High Holy days, took place under a canopy created by Loren. This beautiful piece of art and wedding safe keep represented the Jewish Chuppah incorporating in Alison’s Jewish Upbringing.

For the ceremony, guests gathered in a circle. During the couples vows each guest held on to this giant flower garland to further signify everyone’s connected to Alison and Loren.

To weave in the ceremony Loren’s Buddhist upbringing, the mother’s, step mothers and aunts were invited up to place a flower in a vase as part of the Ikebana ceremony.

A dear friend shared the passage the “THE ART OF MARRIAGE” by Author Wilferd A. Peterson to remind us all of the little things…..

“The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
it should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual, and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
”

— The Art of Marriage by Wilferd A. Peterson

Sand was added to the center vessel by the immediate family members to signify two individuals and two sets of families now joined into one family.

Lastly to announce the end of the ceremony and kick off the celebration, the groom stomped on a wrapped glass signifying that the have stepped over the threshold and nothing can be reversed. And then in true New Orleans Wedding Parade style the musicians lead the way for the bride and groom to head to the party.

To learn more about how you can incorporate some of these ideas into your ceremony, be on the lookout for additional blogs posts focusing on each of these individual components.

Ceremony Components: