Taking Vows Amid the Virus:

My life’s work is to gather people in meaningful ways. Now that we all find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, ‘gathering-in-meaningful-ways’ looks a whole lot different than it did in our pre-corona world. The past couple of months, I’ve been doing a lot of research and brainstorming on how to achieve authentic, heartfelt connection in ceremonies, even when we can’t gather physically.

Priya Parker has been one of my go-to sources for inspiration. Priya is the author of the must-read book The Art of Gathering and host of The New York Times’ new Together Apart podcast, which explores how to gather meaningfully while apart.

One of this month’s Together Apart episodes considers weddings in the time of coronavirus and features the creative solutions of two couples who went ahead with their weddings despite having to drastically change their plans due to the pandemic.

Priya shows my article some love in New York Times Events livestream!

When Priya Parker’s newsletter announcing the episode landed in my inbox, I thought of all the couples I’m working with right now — and all the other couples across the world — who are wrestling with the decision of what to do about their weddings. I had recently written an article for couples who’ve elected to postpone, offering them simple ritual ideas to mark their original wedding date so they can begin to gently (and joyfully) shift their energy toward their new wedding date. I thought this might be something that would interest Priya, so I sent it to her.

I was delighted to receive a response with a last-minute invitation to join Priya and journalist, author and editor, Elaine Welteroth, on a New York Times Events Live at Home session on the topic. Elaine and her fiancé were one of the couples featured in the podcast episode. There was a lot of symbolism tied up in their chosen wedding date. Come hell or high water, they were going to get married on 5.10.20! They completely reimagined their ceremony and the end result was something magical — physical distancing and all! (Check out pictures from their stoop wedding on Elaine’s Instagram feed: @elainewelteroth.) If you or someone you know are looking for ways to make lemonade out of lemons in these times, I highly recommend you listen to their conversation. I guarantee you will be inspired!

In their exchange, Priya describes my article as a beautiful resource for couples who would like to mark their original wedding date with intention when they’ve had to postpone. (Sadly, I was away from my email for a couple of hours and missed the chance to join them on the livestream - dang it!) You can access the interview by clicking on The New York Times Events Live at Home poster above. Listen for their discussion of my article starting around 14:30.

Harnessing the power of creativity and technology to connect us

There are all kinds of ways that gatherings can connect and inspire in spite of the global pandemic forcing us to stay physically apart. With a whole lot of creativity (and usually the help of some technology), important life transitions can still be marked in community in a meaningful way. These are the kinds of creative challenges that energize me and get my creative juices flowing!

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AUTHOR: KARLA COMBRES

I’m a Life-Cycle Celebrant and multilingual officiant who creates and performs meaningful ceremonies for weddings, funerals, births, and many other life milestones. I’m based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.