Barbara Densmore - Contemporary Minister/Celebrant & Wedding Officiant

Meaningful.Memorable.Unstuffy.Truly You

  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • The New Thought Community
  • Weddings
    • How We Work
    • The #1 Wedding Ceremony
    • Weddings with History
    • Same-sex weddings
    • A Wee Wedding Ceremony
    • Elope to Vancouver Island
    • Vow renewals
    • Ceremony/vow writing
  • Memorials
    • Ash scatterings, memorial plantings/dedications
    • Celebrations of life
    • Predesigned memorials
  • Other Ceremonies
    • New Motherhood
    • Baby Welcomes
    • Moves
    • Divorce
    • Women’s Rites of Passage
    • Retirement
  • Blog
    • Weddings
    • Memorials
    • Other Ceremonies
  • Contact Me
    • Wedding Enquiries
    • Enquiries For Other Ceremonies

Predesigned memorials

 

WEBbasiccolor-35

“Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.” Joseph Campbell

Death happens to other people, to older people, to the people in the obituary section. But not to us. We have plenty of time left. We deny our own mortality. We pretend as if time (and life) will continue forever.

Then we discover that life has other plans for us. The diagnosis of a terminal illness brings us face-to-face with the finite. Time takes on a whole different meaning. It stops. The messages are clear and simple. Time is limited. Death is real. Unavoidable. There will be pain. For you. And for those around you.

As much as terminal illness marks an ending, it also serves as a beginning. A time for re-examination. “How do I embrace living? How do I prepare to die?” So many questions, and the feeling of being adrift in deep and uncharted water. It is important to keep living, and yet anxiety about death cannot be ignored. Death has moved from outside you to inside you.

When time is finite, it takes on a whole different tone. The normally predominant “chronos” (clock time) moments wane, replaced by “kairos” moments, where time stands still, you are totally engaged. You begin to ask profound questions about your life. “Have I lived it well? What do I want to do with what remains?”

Some people find that learning to dance with their own ending (vs. having it overtake them) gives voice to their own sorrow, provides a sense of control while swimming in deep water, offers comfort to those around them, and provides a greater sense of peace.

Such a bittersweet journey. How to travel?

Intentional planning

You may have the courage and longing to hold your own advance “Celebration of Life”…where you can share life’s sweetness and sorrow with those you love, and offer a final farewell. Although it may seem like an odd concept, when you stop and think of it, it’s actually a beautiful idea.

Or perhaps you want to plan your own memorial, as a final gift to your loved ones. You can tell your real story: your proudest moments, your regrets, the lessons learned, and the messages you want to share with those you love. It can help you relive your life, while smoothing the path of grief for those you will be leaving behind.

Either way, the process of intentionally planning for our own passing is a powerful way to create grace and harmony in a transition often overshadowed by logistical details. As a counterbalance, let’s remember what truly matters: who we are, who we love and how we live and love.

Image taken by Agnes Mitchell Photography

 

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




Read our reviews in  

Recent Posts

  • Celebrating Pete the Pirate
  • Mature Weddings
  • Weddings with Kids
  • B&D: Surprise Us!
  • Heather and Erin: it’s Gonna Happen

Testimonials

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
“The words and the actions were all Mum. People commented over and over that this was the most meaningful Celebration of Life they had ever attended. And mum would have loved it…from the stories right through to the symbols, it was her to a T.”   Lauren and her family hosted their celebration of her mother’s life in a comfortable home setting.
MF's Celebration of Life
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
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’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
So that was without a doubt the best day of my life, and I can’t tell you how many people have commented on how great the ceremony was. Many folks told us it was the best wedding they had ever been to! The ceremony was so us, and how we look at the world.  
we managed to fit most of their passions into Eli and Megan’s very organic ceremony…no hand sanitizer..
“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
If you ask anyone that attended our wedding they would all agree that our ceremony was their favorite part! The process of writing our vows with her we will never forget. It made our ceremony one that people will not forget. It was 100% us, personal, humorous, and emotional with surprise twists that everyone loved.  
Isa and Neal, funky hippy wedding
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
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

Recent Comments

  • Gwen on Margaret and Jamie: Introverts Unite!
  • Michele Davidson on Handfasting 101

Copyright © 2018 · Barbara Densmore