A Mystical Dawn Wedding

To the Washoe Indians, Cave Rock is a sacred place. When you are at the tippy-top of the rock, you can feel it. I was excited when my couple told me they wanted to marry at the top. There is a very easy trail to the top that only takes seven minutes to walk. The sky was rosy with dawn light. I love dawn weddings, because the new day brings a new life to the wedding couple. From the top of this sacred rock, still waters stretched before us, and coves were just beginning to emerge from shadow into the rosy light.

My groom raised pigeons, and he’d brought a beautiful, decorated wooden box that held a dazzling white pigeon. She seemed startled by the cold of the morning, but she trusted her handler implicitly. She was the purest, whitest white, with big gentle eyes. My groom was tender with her, and he told us that after the ceremony, he would release her. Most likely, he said, she would return to him.

My bride had made flowers of felt that she’d sewn charms to; each charm sewn to a felt flower held a meaning that was sacred to the two of them. The flowers were very colorful, and the charms made her bouquet stunningly spiritual. There were bird charms, and one elephant charm. Each charm signified a special moment between them.

The marriage ceremony was special, for they were a very special couple. I recited the Native American Wedding Blessing in honor of the Washoe Indians and their sacred place. When it was time, the beautiful white bird was released. She circled around us, then returned to us and landed very near us on the ground. The couple lived two hours away, and her handler said he expected her to fly there. My son was able to capture a photograph of her flying into the sky above the lake. Walking down the trail to our car afterwards, we both agreed it had been an amazing beginning to the day.

Happiness to all!

Pamela Camille, Reverend

http://www.laketahoeminister.com

 

 

Spiritual-Adventure Wedding Venue in Lake Tahoe: Cave Rock

Many of my couples tell me they are very “spiritual,” and they want a spiritual wedding. Other couples want to marry in an outdoor setting that matches their adventuresome spirits. The top of Cave Rock is a great place to satisfy both spiritual and adventurous cravings.

Cave Rock is a sacred spiritual site for the Washoe Indians. The rock is seventy-five feet of solid stone. It was once the “throat” of an ancient volcano. Cave Rock was a sacred burial site, and the Washoe Indians held religious ceremonies in the larger of the caves. The “Lady of the Lake,” precious to the Washoe, is a woman’s face naturally created in the rockit is easily seen in early morning light from a boat just to the north of Cave Rock.

“Tahoe Tessie”—Lake Tahoe’s beloved creature who’s been sighted a thousand times (and, as God is my witness, I have seen her; she is adorable)—lives in a cavern below Cave Rock. Tessie is very old, and revered by the Washoe. She could well be a big old sturgeon. She is long, and I can tell you that her face on the day I saw her was a happy one. I sighted her in the water just twenty yards out; the beach was packed on a summer day, and I shouted to everyone, “Look at her! That is Tahoe Tessie! Does everyone see her?” They saw her, and many people jumped up and photographed her. I did not have my camera, but it was very exciting. Tahoe Tessie exists, whatever she may be, and the Washoe consider her sacred.

The good news about Cave Rock is that reaching the top is an easy walk-up, so even my brides in strapless gowns (albeit, with sneakers on beneath their gowns) could walk up without mussing their hair. Wheelchairs with thick tires could take the elderly and infirm members of the audience up this easy trail. There’s not much incline.

The view from the top of Cave Rock is beyond breathtaking. All of Lake Tahoe lies in spleandor beneath Cave Rock. Rock climbers have scaled Cave Rock, but the Washoe hate that; they feel it’s a desecration of sacred space. They are OK with people using the non-invasive trail.

I urge my spitually inclined couples in love to consider this awe-inspiring venue for their wedding. Happiness to all!

Reverend Pamela Camille

www.laketahoeminister.com