Celebrating Four Years of Ceremonies!
Four years ago today, on September 29, 2017, I officiated my very first ceremony! I am forever grateful to my dear friend, Patti, and her partner Ron, who entrusted me with crafting their intimate backyard wedding! (p.s. Happy anniversary, you two!)
Photo: Paul Janetzki
Answering the Call…
Patti called me up to see if I would help them craft their ceremony just as I was in the final months of my Celebrant studies. My decision to become a Celebrant was something I was (and remain) very excited about. It is the culmination of years of life experience, trial and error, and soul-searching, and offers a perfect balance of allowing me to - on the one hand - sink into my interests and - on the other - to stretch my learning in new and often unexpected ways.
Ever since I answered my personal call to adventure to work as a Celebrant, opportunities have seemed to come my way at just the right moments. Patti and Ron’s wedding ceremony was the first example of this. She and I had been singing together with the Saskatoon Threshold Singers for a couple of years at that point and I knew her to be a thoughtful, creative person. So I knew that theirs would be a perfect first ceremony experience.
Off with a Bang!
Getting married later in life, Ron and Patti were mature and didn’t limit themselves to conventional ideas of what a wedding ‘should’ look like. Instead, they came to me with several unique elements already in mind, which we wove into a ceremony that was truly personal, heartfelt and intimate.
When Patti and Ron invited their close-knit potluck community around that warm Friday evening in September, no one suspected a thing. That is, until I walked through the back gate banging a gong and inviting folks to gather around the couple, who stood in the centre of the stone circle in their secluded backyard oasis. And so my career as a Celebrant literally started off with a bang!
Photo: Emma Love Photography
Crossing My Own Thresholds
Since that first ceremony in 2017, I’ve learned so much and crossed many more thresholds in my own work. While having little kiddos at home mostly full time over the past four years, I’ve written and officiated:
58 weddings (LGBTQ2S + straight),
1 vow renewal,
17 end-of-life ceremonies (celebrations of life, death anniversaries, pet memorials, pregnancy loss, ash scattering, graveside burials,….),
1 baby blessing, and
2 large community observances of loss.
Through all of this, I’ve gained confidence, honed skills, and compiled a ton of resources. But more than anything, I’ve deepened my appreciation for people, stories, and communities. My desire to keep learning and connecting only continues to grow.
Gratitude + Growing
I believe this work is my vocation, and I am grateful to all the open-hearted people who trust me to help them mark their milestones. You are my teachers!
Here's to many more years of sinking deep and stretching upward!
p.s. The gorgeous photos in the carousel gallery above are courtesy of: Keira + Trevor Sawatzky, Makoi Belen Photography, LeRae Shawn Photography, Nolita Media, Valerie Joy Publishing, Emma Love Photography, mj&co., Katelyn Moore Photography
Photo: Emma Love Photography
AUTHOR: KARLA COMBRES
As a Legacy Guide & Celebrant, I help individuals, couples, families and organizations make the big and small moments in life count, and shape their legacy along the way. I offer:
Drawing on my vast experience as a Life-Cycle Celebrant and in working with people at the end of life, I am uniquely qualified to help people move through transitions meaningfully and to think about how they want to leave this world so they can live better now.
I’m based in Saskatchewan, Canada and serve clients worldwide. Read more about me here.
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