Tag Archive | splashy elopements

A Poignant Zephyr Cove Beach wedding

zephyr cove

Zephyr Cove Beach is a magical place; I become a fanciful child each time I go there, because there are so many boulders that look like castles and horses and lighthouses. It is a place to dream and be powerful. It is a place for powerful, imaginative people to wed and plan a long and wonderful future together.

I was contacted by a bride who told me she was in love with a man who suffered with stage four liver cancer. She sounded incredibly upbeat, and she must have read my mind as I thought that, for she spoke as if answering my unspoken thoughts.

“No, it’s not like that! He’s amazing and joyful, and he is positive he will beat this! This is a happy day we’re planning!”

I felt there was no better place than Zephyr Cove Beach for their wedding. Those rocks have withstood every trauma for eons; my brave, fierce couple would get strength from this place.

The wedding day arrived, and honestly, I’d never seen so many jolly people. The groom did not look too good. His disease had eaten away at his flesh; even his bald head looked tender. His eyes, however, revealed a spirit that could never, ever be felled by mere disease. I felt incredibly honored to preside over such a magnificent couple’s wedding.

I would be lying if I said it was an easy ceremony to perform. This beautiful man’s body had been ravaged by his disease, and my voice choked up a couple times as I watched his beloved hold him up for the ceremony. Their kiss was what can only be called an eternal kiss. Everyone cried.

I don’t know if he made it, but it doesn’t matter. Whether he left this Earth shortly afterward, or lives to this day, he loves much, and he is loved much. The world is a better place for having him in it. The world has been blessed by this couple’s love, no matter how long their bodies were or are on this Earth together.

Happiness to all!

Pamela Camille, Rev.

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

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