Changes are afoot at Creative Living Media, not the least of which was when my friend and co-worker, Ben, recently told me that he was going to propose to his girlfriend, Nikki. He spoke of the dreams he has of spending the rest of his life with her, and the road upon which they will travel as a couple: from becoming engaged through to the big day; the hope of one day becoming parents; and all the shared amazement along the way. This confiding of deepest wishes filled my heart with joy and it led me to think about my own wedding and those of my treasured friends since.

The ceremony of becoming husband and wife is indeed very special; it is the moment in your life when you will publicly declare your love and devotion to one person, in front of all your family and friends. It is a truly intimate experience – the intensity of which often cannot be recreated by other occasions in life. If you have ever been to a wedding you may have witnessed how tears flow (either stifled or freely) and there is often the exchange not only of vows, but also of tissues.

After your own wedding day, when you attend a wedding as a guest, be aware of your own emotional reaction to witnessing your friends marry. Having been through the process, it is very likely that their raw outpouring of love will touch you much more deeply than before. Why? Well, this time you may relive some of the almost-overwhelming feelings you experienced on your own wedding day – the love, passion, devotion, hope and trust that all great marriages are built upon. Only this time you are on the outside, looking in. You get to view their exchange of vows differently to some other guests … not only will you be looking through the eyes of someone who sees the magic of the moment, but also as one who has already experienced the gamut of emotions, stood in their place and shared in their dreams.

On another note, I have had a fabulous time launching and creating this wonderful magazine over the past few years, but the time has come for me to hand over the reins to yet another veteran of all things connubial, Gail MacDairmid. As for me, the free time will allow me to continue to contribute to Creative Weddings and also work as a wedding stylist, one-on-one with brides, creating wonderfully themed weddings at Pink Peony.

Thank you to all our readers who continue to support our very special magazine. And welcome to the Creative Weddings family, Gail!


Lauren Marks Crennan