Looking back at 2021 brings memories of the return to mostly “normal” ceremonies. Memories of rainy outdoor ceremonies and lots of miles put on the car. Memories of happy couples and happy babies. It has been a good year as I officiated 47 ceremonies with one left on the schedule for the coming weeks.
A couple of smaller ceremonies were delayed this year due to COVID outbreaks, but most went off as planned. The return to “normal” is not complete yet as variants and unvaccinated people continue to make scheduling and holding ceremonies a challenge. Holding outdoor ceremonies – always preferred by most of the clients I deal with – helped limit concern of virus spread.
Looking back at 2021 ceremonies, though, it’s clear that the weather was not very cooperative. Three weddings I performed were damp or wet events when the couples chose to continue with outdoor plans despite the weather. One couple did opt to move their ceremony indoors which allowed everyone to be more comfortable… and dry. The weather this year reinforced the need to have a valid bad weather backup plan for any ceremony planned for Minnesota. Equally important, however, is the willingness of the couple to shift to their indoor space when inclement weather strikes.
This year included lots of out of town ceremonies. I’m not sure why that happened, but it certainly impacted the time spent of rehearsals and ceremonies, and the miles put on my car. I did get a couple of overnight hotel stays which helped a bit. So far, all my booked ceremonies for 2022 are here in Rochester, so this year seems to have been an anomaly.
As with every year, the overwhelming impression left looking back at 2021 is one of happy, smiling faces. From the proud parents to the ecstatic brides and grooms, from the tired but proud new parents of a little one to the grandmas celebrating the new generation of their family. All my reasons for offering ceremony services were reinforced once again this year. As I wind down the year, I’m already working with couples planning 2022 ceremonies. And so the cycle begins again.