Barbara Densmore - Contemporary Minister/Celebrant & Wedding Officiant

Meaningful.Memorable.Unstuffy.Truly You

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About

In almost every culture in history, momentous events were observed with great fanfare. Vibrant rituals marked rites of passage. Colourful ceremonies helped people prepare for life’s journeys. Communities held close, sharing both the joy and the pain that comes with change.

Some of these historical practices remain today. Others have faded away.

“Any action that speaks to the soul and to the deep imagination, whether or not it also has practical effects, is ritual.” Thomas Moore, The Education of the heart

Modern ritual?

“To be human is to keep rattling the bars of the cage of existence hollering, ‘What’s it for?’” Robert Fulghum

Some people deem that ritual makes no sense in our modern world, and is therefore irrelevant. Even the terminology has suffered bruising. Today, “ceremony” is often equated with “nap time” or “obligation.” The word “ritual” creates images of dancing wildly in the forest with wood chips in your hair.

No wonder that many choose to skip over major life events today without a second thought. Yet, we’re now experiencing more change than at any other point in history. Our lives are longer, fuller, and faster. There’s no time for wood chips in the forest (even if you wanted them).

It’s true we have (and juggle) so much. Yet for many of us, the bigger questions nag.

Our search for meaning

“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” Joseph Campbell

For some of us, there’s a growing search going on. A search for new ways to deepen our connection with life itself. This search often peaks at life’s turning points.

During our times of thirst, we want to burst our chains of isolation and step out of the everyday hubbub. We want to make sense of what’s happening in our world. We crave more relevance. We seek connection, and ways to express ourselves authentically. We want to slow things down. To mark the turning point and honour the people. To capture the moments like a camera captures images. Sometimes parties don’t quite take the cake (although they are a nice ingredient).

Ceremony and ritual, when relevant and well-fitted, do all of these things. They help us mark our journey, to stay in the moment, and deeply experience the threshold upon which we are standing. Ritual empowers us, because it gives us some sense of control in the midst of change. It expresses who we are to the community around us, so that it can hold and share with us the joy and the pain that change inevitably brings.

Our lives become richer and more vibrant when we celebrate in meaningful ways. And then, of course, we eat cake.

Barbara Densmore, Celebrant & Officiant Reviews
 
WeddingWire Barbara Densmore, Wedding Celebrant & Officiant Reviews, Best Wedding Officiants in British Columbia - 2015 Couples' Choice Award Winner
 
Weddings, Wedding Venues Barbara Densmore, Professional Celebrant & Wedding Officiant, Best Wedding Officiants in British Columbia - 2014 Couples' Choice Award Winner
Weddings, Wedding Venues Barbara Densmore, Professional Celebrant & Wedding Officiant, Best Wedding Officiants in British Columbia - 2013 Bride's Choice Award Winner




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Testimonials

Having Barbara perform our ceremony was probably the single best and most important decision we made about our entire wedding process!  
Kirsten and Ian, family and friends ceremony
We didn’t know what we were looking for or exactly how we wanted our ceremony to be but we knew we wanted…a ceremony that resonated with us, was “us”. We wanted our ceremony to be the “heart” of our wedding, not something to just “get over with” as we have heard others say.  
Lisa and Eddie, and it was
We’re so grateful for the great job you did in pulling together our lives and making our ceremony so personal, so thoughtful, so us. The good feelings and emotions that blossomed that day continue to linger in our every day lives and you played a really important role in that, so thanks. You were great and able to go with the flow, which was so important to us.  
Jackie & Sylvie's 4 year old son helped to marry them
Everyone was talking about it for the rest of the night — how different and heartfelt it was — even a few of the guys said it was, by far, the best wedding ceremony they’d ever been to… THE GUYS… I think that says it all. 🙂  
Wedding Photographer A
We have had so much positive feedback regarding it being the best wedding ever!  The ceremony was even more memorable and meaningful than I could have imagined! I don’t think there was a dry eye there!  
T&D, mature couple with kids and awesome stories
Throughout the journey of co-creating, Barbara deeply listened, guided, and supported us to make meaningful creative choices that honoured ourselves, invited guests/witnesses, and our new home.  
J&J's House Blessing
“I am SO very happy that I did the ceremony. I feel like my work with you cauterized what would have otherwise been an open wound. I can’t thank you enough…”  
A's Divorce Ceremony
“All 90 guests shed tears of laughter and joy, and walked away knowing and loving us as a couple that much more. We have been receiving nothing but extremely positive comments – stating it was the best wedding ceremony ever attended.”    
Jeff married Ashley in one of the most jubilant ceremonies ever, with a surprise blessing from their dog Lua
Our day was more than we could have asked for because of Barbara – the ceremony was the perfect mix of funny, touching, meaningful and memorable.  
Wedding Photographer J
We are unique in our own way and nothing we do is cookie cutter. We are looking for an officiant who can do things a little differently. We pride ourselves on putting in the effort that others won’t.  
Shereen and Matt, high tech, high standards

Recent Comments

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