Vendor Spotlight: Grace Ceremonies

Valley Wed is a curated style of wedding show; one that focuses on real relationships with the best wedding vendors the Pioneer Valley has to offer.  We want to connect you with the top wedding professionals in Western Massachusetts to help you plan one of the most important days of your life. 

November 1st   12-4pm   Quonquont Farm

---

You're not cookie cutter.  Neither are we.

Get to know our hand-picked wedding pros
in our Valley Wed Vendor Spotlight.

---

Meet Rev. Hannah Grace, an ordained Interfaith Minister, wedding officiant, owner of Grace Ceremonies and co-coordinator of Valley Wed.

Is there one picture from your own wedding you couldn't live without?

Yes!  It’s of me and my *almost* husband embracing during our wedding ceremony. We made the unconventional choice to stand together, rather than having the officiant in the middle between us.  I think it allowed us to experience the ceremony together…to feel really connected with each other and our guests throughout the entire ceremony.

Chattman Photography

I always remind my couples to “live their relationship” on their wedding day – to touch, hold hands, kiss, make lots of eye contact, take deep breaths…  It may sound simple but if you've had a wedding, you know how important that is to remember. In our case, nothing could have made my own advice easier to follow than being together, side by side.

If you had your wedding to do over again, what would you do differently?
What would you keep exactly the same?

Chattman Photography

If I had it to do over, I would worry a lot less.  The zipper on my dress broke at the last minute and so I literally had to be sewn into my gown.  Then the ceremony had to start about 45 minutes late so that pushed the dinner back, which shortened the music, etc. 

I spent way too much time worrying our guests would be bored and starving, that we wouldn’t have enough time to dance…and then, of course, thinking about how much money we’d spent on each of those elements which were now different than we’d planned. I wish I'd been able to let it go.  Everyone was just happy to be celebrating with us.

---

I would keep our ceremony exactly the same.  It was my favorite part of our wedding; the part I remember best because it was the part I was most present for. It was long – probably close to an hour – but it had so many elements that were very important to us and we designed it in a way that was engaging to people.  Many, many of our guests told us it was the most beautiful wedding they’d ever been to.

[Check it out Rev. Hannah's wedding on Style Me Pretty!]

As a vendor, what's your favorite moment when working with a couple?

There are so many moments.  When I first meet with a couple they invariably tell me they don’t know what they want for their ceremony but within a short conversation, they’re getting excited about ideas and beginning to really envision their day.  It feels amazing to help facilitate that process.

I like doing wedding rehearsals because couples are often more relaxed and receptive to each other.  The "big day" nerves aren’t there yet.  I think my most favorite moment has to be witnessing a couple exchange their wedding vows. It’s hard to describe how meaningful it is to stand beside them as they declare such loving and powerful words.  It’s an honor to bear witness to such a significant moment.

Richard Getler Photography

Tell us what you love most about your work.

I love getting to know people.  It is pretty incredible to be let in to someone’s inner world and to see inside their life and relationship.  To be entrusted with telling their story and conveying the love they have for each other, their hopes and dreams, and to create the space for such a momentous event…it’s an exceptional responsibility and one I absolutely love!

Sandra Costello Photography

At 9am each day, you are...

...just putting my 15 month old down for her morning nap.  We’re usually up at 6am so by 9, I’ve already had a full morning with her.   It’s my chance to sip coffee, answer emails and get a little work done...and hope she has a good, long nap!

_

What's your last great read?

This might sound funny but my daughter loves books and since we spend so much time reading to her, I've gotten really into children's books!  Some of my favorites are the Piggie and Gerald books by Mo Willems and pretty much anything by Todd Parr.

What’s one piece of advice you would give your 18 year old self?

At 18 I was on a cross-country road trip, going all the way from Massachusetts to Alaska.   I remember feeling this sense of wide-open possibility and purpose yet to be revealed.  But there was also a ragged sense of angst there, too.

Now I would tell myself that things unfold in their own time, in their own way.  My advice would be to enjoy each experience, moment-to-moment, rather than looking into the future for the “What if?” or “What next?”  I think that’s one of the best things I bring to my couples from my own life experiences: the encouragement and space to be truly present with their whole selves on their wedding day.