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Margaret and Jamie: Introverts Unite!

July 7, 2016 By Barbara

052-m-j-sooke-harbour-house-victoria-wedding-photography More quiet/introverted by nature, both Jamie and Margaret are drawn out with humour and a relaxed atmosphere. They wanted to get married right next to the ocean with only immediate family present, and when we met, had some specific requests. They wanted:

  • to walk to the ceremony site with their families rather than having a specific entrance for the bride/groom.
  • to have their families gather around them rather than having the feeling of being on display.
  • to feel comfortable and to enjoy getting married.

2.101-m-j-sooke-harbour-house-victoria-wedding-photographyAll quite do-able. And the joy of creating your ceremony along with me, if you are an introvert, is that you get to both dig deep into the process and spread it out, too, so when we get to the ceremony, you are less likely to feel overwhelmed and go into “tilt” mode.  You can be more present.  And you can feel more like the “do-er” than the “done to.”

 

130-m-j-sooke-harbour-house-victoria-wedding-photography

 

 

And how they dug right into the process! One of Jamie’s stories was of surprising Margaret as she got off a flight with a crantini he had created in the men’s washroom at the airport. Too good to pass by, it went into the ceremony.  Then we decided to have some fun carrying it further. So, at the ceremony’s end, staff at the Sooke Harbour House appeared with crantinis hidden in Tim Horton’s cups, just as in the story.  Whoops of delight from everyone turned into extensive toasts…:)

133-m-j-sooke-harbour-house-victoria-wedding-photography

The rest of the ceremony…well, yes, the couple were totally surrounded by their families in many different ways in this interactive ceremony. (The joy of a small group is that the dynamics are totally different… I can explain how if we talk.)

 

Photographer Gwen Thurston from Funkytown Photography captured the relaxed, casual, and heartfelt sense of the day so exquisitely. Much of her work was catching the moments that mattered most. Lovely lovely job.  You can see more images here.

M&J left me a wonderful review on Wedding Wire:

We knew Barbara was the one! From the get-go, we could see her genuine passion for her work as a Celebrant- she loves people and really understands others- and brings a wealth of career experience. Barbara met with us in person to discuss our wishes for our ceremony (and perhaps most importantly, what we didn’t want). Throughout the whole process, Barbara was always incredibly insightful, flexible, supportive, and fun. She gave is an extensive ceremony questionnaire to complete and used this to guide the development of the ceremony. Barbara wrote an incredibly personal ceremony that captured who we are, what we wanted to say, and how we wanted to say it. She was totally open to our feedback, changed what we wanted, and offered excellent suggestions when we felt stumped. Barbara wove a funny story about us into the ceremony and suggested that we incorporate a special toast at the end- it was a special surprise for our guests & brought much laughter! She always remained sensitive to those who would be in attendance and made sure our guests felt welcomed and included. Most importantly she helped us make our wedding ceremony meaningful to us, staying true to ourselves and our values, while marking a very important transition in our lives. We feel so fortunate that we found Barbara. It is an unforgettable day. We cannot recommend her enough! Book her already! 🙂

 

Filed Under: Weddings Tagged With: celebrant, family wedding ceremony, Funkytown Photography, small wedding, Sooke Harbour House, Victoria BC, wedding ceremony, wee wedding

Comments

  1. Gwen says

    July 7, 2016 at 2:22 pm

    Thanks Barbara! It was great working with you again! I always love your ceremonies 🙂

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Deavon Douglas
2026-09-18
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If you're looking to have fun while getting married, Barbara is your girl! She was absolutely incredible to work with from start to finish. As a lesbian couple, we knew we wanted a ceremony that was somewhat non-traditional, but had no idea what that actually looked like. Barbara's knowledge and experience shined from our first meeting, where she brought so many incredible suggestions. She brought everything together with a ceremony we never knew was possible and felt just like us. We were very impressed by how she weaved our story into the ceremony, and gave us a beautiful keepsake of the ceremony script as well. The ceremony was serious but light, full of laughter and happy tears, and many of our guests commented on how it was the most fun they'd ever had at a ceremony! I cannot recommend her enough! Thank you for getting us married!
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jason poitras
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Barbara was absolutely remarkable from start to finish. She made our wedding ceremony feel so incredibly personal, meaningful, and managed to capture the little details that made our relationship and story so special. You could truly feel how much care and thought she put into every part of the ceremony. She made us feel comfortable, supported, and completely present in such an emotional and unforgettable moment. Our ceremony was everything we could have hoped for and Barbara played such a huge part in making our day so special. We are incredibly grateful to her and would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking for an officiant who genuinely cares about making your wedding feel uniquely yours. Thank you, Barbara, for helping make one of the most important days of our lives so beautiful and personal. ❤️
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Beverly Parker
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An absolutely wonderful wedding officiant — we highly recommend Barbara Densmore! Working with Barbara was, without a doubt, one of our favourite parts of our wedding experience. Over several meetings, she took the time to really get to know us and thoughtfully crafted a ceremony that was completely unique to us. She captured our values, our relationship, and our story in a way that felt authentic, meaningful, and deeply personal. Barbara is incredibly thoughtful and professional, with a warm, calm, and quietly engaging manner. She helped us plan not only the content of our ceremony, but also the flow of the day. On the wedding day itself, she was early, organized, and completely reliable. She even acted as a welcoming host as our guests arrived, helping everyone feel comfortable and settled. She brought a small microphone and speaker so that our guests could hear every word clearly, which was such a thoughtful practical touch. Barbara’s services are not the least expensive option—and in our opinion, they shouldn’t be. If you’re looking for a standard wedding script and the ceremony is simply something to get through on the way to the party, there are probably less expensive options that will suit you perfectly. But if the commitment you are making and the meaning behind it are the heart of your wedding, look no further. Barbara puts real time, care, and thought into creating a ceremony that reflects the two people standing in front of her. We are so grateful that Barbara was part of our wedding. She helped make the most important part of the day feel every bit as special as it deserved to be. If you want a ceremony that is truly about you, book Barbara. You will be so glad you did!
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Alyssa Balmer
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Barbara is absolutely amazing! She truly understood the vision for our wedding ceremony and set the tone for the rest of the evening. We felt grounded and in the moment during our ceremony and her words captured all our emotions. Barbara was so professional with great communication and understanding throughout the whole process. Thank you for everything 🤍
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Karen Calvan
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Barbara came highly recommended to us, and from the moment we met her, my husband and I knew she was exactly who we were looking for. She has a wonderful way of making you feel comfortable, understood, and genuinely cared for. One of my favorite parts of the process was the questionnaire she sent to each of us separately. It not only helped her get to know us as individuals and as a couple, but it also became a meaningful keepsake that we can revisit from time to time. Barbara's approach is thoughtful, intentional, grounded, and engaging. She brought such warmth, lightness, and fun to the entire experience, making every interaction enjoyable. We are so grateful to have had her as our celebrant and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for someone truly special!
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Amazing work, the attention to detail was flawless and the delivery was amazing
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Robert Nugent
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Barbara knocked it out of the park for us. We had a rough vibe we were going for our ceremony and she ran with it perfectly. It was light, fun, meaningful. She put in the effort to incorporate specific details with family and friends which made everyone part of the ceremony. We had many comments from our guest mentioning how wonderful the ceremony was. Barbara was easy to work with and it was obvious that she loves her job. The whole process was a pleasure.
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Rebecca Ruiter
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Barbara captured not only the essence of our relationship perfectly, but also celebrated the absolute chaos of our ceremony with our one and two year old’s interruptions and need of the spotlight ;) Thank you Barbara!
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Charlene & Justis
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We were extremely lucky to have Barbara as our celebrant at our wedding this past March and the ceremony could not have been more perfect! She was so well organized, professional, warm, and friendly. She fit into our ceremony like she had known us for years, you would have never known that we had only just officially met her shortly before our ceremony that day. She worked hard to put together a detailed questionnaire for each of us to fill out so that she could get an idea of our relationship and then put together the most touching customized ceremony that even included vows to our son and community vows to all of our family and friends that were present. I would recommend Barbara over and over again without hesitation!!
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Paula Baker
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We were lucky enough to have Barbara orchestrate our wedding ceremony in December. We couldn't have asked for a more heartfelt, sincere and personal experience. It was an honour to work with Barbara. Her thoughtful questions and wonderful insights helped us create the best day of our lives. Our wedding guests could not stop raving about how amazing the ceremony was! Truly one of a kind. Thank you, thank you, thank you Barbara for the most magical day!
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