Heather and Keith wanted their ceremony to be "short and sweet." I can't tell you how many times couples tell me that! What they are remembering are wedding ceremonies they have attended where the ceremony lasted 45 minutes to an hour! So, a 15 to 20 minute ceremony sounds perfect to them. I believe the ideal length of a wedding ceremony is 20 minutes. This is long enough to have substance and meaning and for your guests to feel like they have witnessed a wedding ceremony but not so long that they get bored and lose interest. 
Both Heather and Keith get really nervous in front of people and just wanted to get married and get it over with to have fun with their guests so the ceremony they put together was about 10 minutes max. They really meant short and sweet. Heather and Keith had no bridesmaids or groomsmen, no seating of the parents, and no processional except for the bride being escorted in by her younger brother, Gareth. He was so cute as Heather was rushing him down the aisle. They told me they expected 75 to 80 guests but Caffe Luna was packed with over 100 guests, and they all got there on time. Amazing! Ryan, the events manager at Caffe Luna had set up a relay system to cue the DJ when we were ready to begin. (Ryan and I are looking forward to this next weekend when she will be the matron of honor in a wedding I am officiating for her goo
d friends Krista and Chad at the Renaissance Hotel.)Heather looked gorgeous in her stunning gown with her hair up in curls. She is a beautiful woman anyway and Keith was handsome all spiffed up in suit, tie and boutonniere. His friend Jeremy held the rings and got up and handed them to me when I called for them. As I read the poem by R. Davies they wanted in their ceremony because it meant so much to them, the tears started welling up in Heather's eyes despite her resolve not to cry! I whipped out the hankie and the guests chuckled a bit.
Keith was so soft spoken when he said "I do" that I said "Excuse me, I didn't hear your answer" to get him to speak louder. The guests chuckled more and the ice was broken. 
The energy shift that occurs during a ceremony when the guests find something funny is so distinct. It's like they relax and feel comfortable when they realize that this wedding ceremony is not going to be formal and stodgy, but personal and interesting. I told Heather and Keith to "breathe" before I made the pronouncement of marriage because they looked like they were holding their breaths. The guests thought that was funny, too! The photographer had told Keith ahead of time to prolong the kiss so they could get a good shot of it--and he did!After I introduced them to their guests as Mr. and Mrs. they recessed out to the patio and grassy area in back of the restaurant for photos and had me invite all the guests to join them for a large group photo. Nancy and Mark Lane were the photographers. I have worked with them before and they are fun. Their business is Simply Creative Photography but apparently their website is down so I cannot link to them here. Clint Clayton was our DJ.
Congratulations, Heather and Keith!
Addendum on 6/5/09: I received the sweetest thank you note today:
Dear Kayelily,
Keith and I want to thank you for our beautiful ceremony. For your soothing voice, heartfelt words, and calmness, we are forever grateful. You helped us create a ceremony that meant so much to us and our guests were all touched.
With heartfelt thanks and warmest appreciation,
Heather and Keith
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