WEDDINGS!

Katherine and Aaron - October 2011

The Unitarian Congregation of Guelph promotes freedom of choice and welcomes members of the larger community to explore the unique ceremonies we offer to celebrate life's milestones. In order to facilitate these services the Unitarian Congregation of Guelph is served by our Lay Chaplains, who are appointed by the congregation, provincially licensed and trained in the provision of meaningful, personalized ceremonies.

Lay chaplains consider the learning and service they offer to be part of their own spiritual development. They are committed to the inherent worth and dignity of every person and the Unitarian Principles will speak to you of openness, acceptance, sensitivity and generosity of spirit.


 

Creating a personalized ceremony

Since freedom is a basic principle underlying the beliefs and practices of Unitarian Universalists, we encourage the creation of ceremonies that are as meaningful as possible to the participants. The marriage service is one of the most important of these. Unlike other ceremonies such as those at birth and death, in marriage the principal participants are able to be actively involved. Because they are asked to make a lifetime commitment, they should be involved in creating a ceremony symbolizing that commitment. The couple is encouraged to develop a ceremony that meets their own needs. We are a welcoming congregation, and accommodate all couples. Each couple will feel free to personalize their ceremony, including friends and relatives as readers, and ceremonies from other traditions.

Meet Our Lay Chaplains

Aspen Heisey and Janice Canning

ASPEN HEISEY

Aspen has been a Lay Chaplain with the Unitarian Congregation of Guelph for 6 years. She  is also a founding partner Floworks Training, Inc.  Her ability to wear many hats and keep grounded is a gift to everyone who gets to work with her.  In addition to her role in Floworks, she is an active community volunteer, and spends whatever time she can skiing, hiking, canoeing, or playing her flute and accordion in the woods. 

Aspen will partner with you to create a ceremony that honours your needs, values and wishes. Whether a wedding, a memorial, a baby welcoming, or indeed any occasion important to you, she will take  the time to hear you.  She is a nurturing listener with a genuine interest in asking the right questions to help unearth your story. 

JANICE CANNING

I am honored to represent the Unitarian Congregation of Guelph as lay chaplain and thank them for their trust as I carry the responsibilities of this office into the wider community of Guelph and region.

This is my declaration of service to you: 

·       to be present during times of transitions, marking them with ceremony created in concert with those who seek meaningful and respectful rites of passage.  

·       to bear witness and celebrate together, honoring the diversity of culture, gender and sexual orientation, philosophy, belief and expression of those who choose to declare their joys and sorrows in community.

·       I bring over 30 years of experience, having walked with many in diverse paths, keeping an open mind and heart, being fully present to the spirit of the moment we find ourselves in. 

I was raised and baptized a Christian (United Church) and discovered the divine feminine of the Goddess traditions in the feminism of the 70’s.  Seeking to honor the Earth, I sought teachings with native elders, respecting the ways of the First Nations peoples traditions and give deep gratitude to those teachers.  I have walked in community with those of the pagan path, learning about the ways of honoring the Gods and Goddesses of many pantheons whether based in Greek, Norse, and Germanic, Celtic or African tradition. Most recently I have been exploring the Buddhist path and the practice of mindfulness in daily life, seeking a contemplative experience in a hectic world.

Hearing a calling to practice as a natural healer and a trained scientist with curiosity about the plant world and the human body, I studied herbal medicine and privately practiced Shiatsu for over 20 years.  Most recently I apply my skills of deep listening and solution focused problem solving as a trauma specialist and disaster manager in a corporate setting.

Testamonials...

"When we decided to have our wedding in our backyard, it was because we wanted it to be as personal as possible.
Aspen was recommended to us from a friend.
The whole process was so much fun, and so meaningful, as she interviewed us about our journey together, how we met etc.....
When the day came, we had no doubt that our ceremony would be just what we wanted it to be.
It exceeded any expectations we had.
Our friends and family are still talking about it, as the most touching, relaxed, fun and intimate wedding they have been to.
Leading up to our vows (which we wrote) was our story as a couple, how we met, etc.  It gave everyone a real picture of who we are and how we feel.
There wasn't a dry eye.  There was also lots of laughter, timed perfectly.
We felt relaxed, and surrounded by everyone's love and attention.
Just thinking about it makes us smile;  when we have seen people since then, we love hearing which parts touched them.
Our ceremony set the tone for a wonderful, relaxed and special day, that will never fade from our and our guests memories."
Alison and Kerry

"There are some people you meet who you know immediately are perfectly suited to fulfill a particular role. This is how we felt about Aspen. As a celebrant for our wedding, she could not have been a better fit for us. Early in the process we felt confident.
What we were not prepared for was just how good Aspen is at her role. She prepared us for the interviewing process by giving us material to read and questions to answer. This revealed more clearly our motivations to marry and refined our vision of how we wanted our day to unfold. The interview - and later the writing and editing of the ceremony - then brought us further along this path.
Aspen was very open to “our way” to ensure that the process and the ceremony was meaningful to us. Her calm, loving and reassuring nature allowed everything to flow smoothly.
Our day was pure magic. It makes my breathe catch just thinking about it. But it wasn’t the magic of a fairytale. It was our story, told in a way that was truly authentic.
Thank you, Aspen for your beautiful contribution to a day that was very important for us."           Katherine and Aaron

"Aspen was an amazing officiant.  In meeting with her, it became obvious that she truly wanted to get to know us, and to learn all about ourselves and our relationship with each other.  By getting to know us, she was able to weave a ceremony that was personalized to match our backgrounds.  Aspen was able to incorporate many traditions from my Filipino heritage in the ceremony.  Our guests loved the ceremony and were extremely impressed by Aspen's approach.  She provided us with a bound copy of our ceremony, which is a lovely keepsake and something that we will cherish."
Janice & Mike

Dear Aspen,
We want to thank you so very much for everything you did to make our special day magical!  You truly crafted our ceremony to fit us perfectly both as individuals and as a couple!  We couldn't have asked for a better day and hope you enjoyed the process as much as we did.  Your warmth, kindness, and attention to detail certainly did not go unnoticed by both Adam and I as well as our guests - we're still getting compliments from friends and family about how beautiful the ceremony was.      Andrea and Adam

"When chosing an officiant, it was important for my husband and I to find someone that would be able to provide us with vows that would be diverse enough to speak to our audience and reflected who we are. We appreciated that we could customize every aspect of the ceremony.
From our the first time that we met Aspen, my husband and I knew that she would complement our big day and be able to put us at ease.  During our wedding rehearsal and ceremony Aspen exhibited grace, class, and compassion. We have had several wedding attendants ask us if we could provide her contact information because they too were so impressed."  (Colleen McDuffe)