Leap Year 2012 - marriage proposal by the Ladies

So, ladies, have you been waiting for your shy bloke or boi to 'pop the question' so you can say yes?

But sadly, the question hasn't been forthcoming from your desired partner?


Well, 2012 is a Leap Year and that means, we ladies may, without appearing forward or indelicate, 'pop the question' to our desired bachelor instead!

The tradition of marriage proposals by women to their beloved in a leap year, comes from a number of folk beliefs.

Saint Bridget was said to complain to Saint Patrick that men took way too long to propose, he replied, well let women have the the leap year to propose to the men.

In English law, February 29th was not a real day in law, therefore old traditions, such as women being unable to propose could be put aside and women could, and did, propose to their desired partner.

In Scottish law, in 1288, women were supposed to have been given the right to propose in a leap year. If the gentleman declined, he had to pay forfeit with a kiss, or a pair of gloves or a silk dress.

I was taught by my mother that I could propose in a leap year and if the gentleman was so rude as to refuse, he had to buy me a pair of white gloves as an 'I'm sorry'.

However, in Greece, marriage in a leap year is considered unlucky!

Do your family have leap year traditions, if so, share in the comments box below.

Adventure weddings

You bushwalk, rock climb, canyon, canoe, explore caves, or cycle tour as often as you can, you love the wilderness and want to celebrate your wedding vows away from the “Madding Crowd” incorporating your favourite activity.

I am a bush walker, cyclist and sustainability campaigner who would love to work with you to create a ceremony that rejoices in your particular way of living lightly on the earth. Marking your marriage is important and you need someone who is as passionate about the outdoors as you, I bring my passion and knowledge of wilderness and celebration to your ceremony.

I am willing and able to walk into wilderness areas with you to celebrate your marriage vows. I am happy to indulge in activities I haven’t done before and will do anything that is legal, safe and at the same ability as your guests.

If you have guests that can’t get to the wilderness with us, Offbeat Ceremonies can create two ceremonies to cater for everyone’s abilities.

Making your commitment valid - the Quaker wedding certificate tradition

How can your same-sex commitment ceremony have an element of legality, when in Australia we can't get married by law? 

I use a tradition that comes from the Quakers, using a wedding certificate to validate your ceremony.

Quakers were considered an outlaw religion in the 17th century, the State did not recognise their marriages as legal because they weren't sanctified in the Church of England. If a spouse died, the State claimed the estate and the spouse and children were left destitute. 

To ensure that the state would recognise the Quaker wedding ceremony and all its spousal and inheritance rights, a Quaker tradition arose where everyone at the ceremony signed the marriage certificate as witness to the act. If the state disputed the inheritance at the death of a spouse, this wedding certificate was used as proof of their commitment, with so many witnesses to the wedding ceremony and the couple’s commitment to each other; it was hard for the state to dispute their marriage.

The Quaker wedding certificate tradition can be used today by same sex couples, or couples who do not want to engage with the state for their vows. The Quaker wedding certificate is a way to formalise your commitment and include your guests in your ceremony and while it has no status in law, it does show your commitment and can be used as such if required.

Offbeat Ceremonies can provide you with access to a Blue Mountains artist who will create a beautiful and personalised wedding certificate to use at your ceremony.

Handfasting

The term is derived from the verb to handfast, used in Middle to Early Modern English for the making of a contract of marriage. The term is originally from Old Norse hand-festa "to strike a bargain by joining hands”. (1)

Today a Handfasting can be used to signify an engagement, betrothal, or commitment to a life partner. Laws being what they are today, a Handfasting is an excellent way for a gay or lesbian couple to make their commitment known. Additionally a Handfasting can be added to any wedding ceremony, regardless of religion, as "tying the knot" is a universal wedding theme. In fact, Handfasting is the original ‘tying the knot’.

The Fasting of hands symbolises your coming together: I, or a person you choose, wrap your joined hands with special ribbons, forming a circle of infinity and lasting love and tying you together.

The Handfasting is a ceremonial statement of a feeling, which binds two people together. It is not a marriage that binds, but the Love, respect and enjoyment which two people share, the Betrothed invite all their family and friends to show their public statement that they are in love, and wish to commit to each other openly. And for all the guests to witness this statement that they have found the fun, pleasure and opportunities of their lives enhanced by being together. They wish to spend the rest of their lives growing together, helping each other develop their potential and gathering shared moments and memories by learning about life in general with each other, together they are sharing with their guests and witnesses their love for each other.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handfasting

Aromatherapy ~ what’s in it for Brides to Be?

Julie Nelson of Aromatique Essentials shares her expertise with you to keep you relaxed and beautiful for your wedding day.

Aromatique Essentials specialises in pamper packs and  'Girls Day In' packages, a lovely idea for you and your girlfriends, why not try it as your 'hen's weekend' treat? 

Getting married is a big step in one's life and with it comes many emotions ranging from excitement, feeling on top of the world because one of your dreams has come true! Nothing can stop you now! To feeling overwhelmed as there is much to do and organise, with that in mind we find that then comes stress, tension, anxiety, self doubt and fear that drifts in and out...

Well these are all very common feelings/emotions that most of us experience! Tis quite normal to have a myriad of emotions racing through your mind... Keep smiling! And remember to breathe... as all is good and know that you can get through this with support and the willingness to help yourself deal with whatever comes up.

How Aromatherapy can help you...

Aromatherapy is an amazing and beautiful way of working on ourselves to uplift our emotions, allay fears, anger and frustration, to strengthen our nervous system so we can manage our stress and anxiety levels on a day to day basis when we are feeling under pressure for whatever reason.

Did you know that it is one of the most widely used therapies for treating the emotions, and resulting in the desired outcome.There are very simple and effective techniques available to us that we can use without taking a lot of time out.

I know what you are thinking! ...But I already have too much to do!

Keep smiling girls because I have some fabulous recommendations for you to try...You have nothing to lose and much to gain...your sanity for one!

What scent attracts you?

When it comes to using Aroma as a smelling therapy the most important thing to consider is your smell preference.

What aromas do you prefer to breathe in and be surrounded by? For example citrus, florals, herbies, woods , spices etc.

There are many pure, natural essential oils to choose from and that is one of the beauties about Aromatherapy.

When choosing your favourite oil or aroma take notice of how it makes you feel... does it bring a smile to your face, does it evoke happy memories, and does it resonate with you?

When you take in an Aroma that you truly love it will dissolve any negative feelings and emotions. You will find yourself uplifted, balanced, calm and at peace.

What's the best way to apply your aroma?

There are a few methods of application that you can use and you may choose to use all of them depending on what is available to you and also taking into account your schedule.

One of the most indulgent ways to pamper yourself is Bathing... take the time to relax and enjoy. Having an Aromatherapy bath is so healing on many levels.

Setting the scene...

Gather some candles and strategically place them around the bathroom. Music is essential something relaxing and soothing, and of course your chosen essential oils. Adding rose petals and herbs gives you a more decadent feeling so don't hold back!

When using essential oils in a bath, 6 - 10 drops of essential oil in total is recommended. Add your chosen essential oils just before hopping in and make sure you agitate the water to break up the oils.

Bath recipes for you to try

• Geranium, rose and sandalwood 3 drops of each...
• Jasmine, neroli and rose 3 drops of each this is one of my favourites, bringing out the Goddess in you!
• Rosewood, geranium 3drops of each and finally 2 drops of vetiver.....
• Neroli, petitgrain and frankincense 3 drops of each...

Foot baths

Foot baths are a wonderful alternative to full body baths, especially as we need to conserve our water. They can be relaxing, stimulating and used for many different conditions for example tired aching feet, swollen feet and ankles, softening hard skin, relaxing, anxiety, stress and tension.

Try this for a relaxing, soothing foot soak; fill a heatproof bowl with very warm water not too hot, what feels comfortable for you add rose, sandalwood, rosewood and lemon, 3 drops of each. Agitate the water gently, pop your feet straight in and soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to have a towel handy for when you have finished.

Tip - when getting ready for your foot bath place a towel under the bowl, then pour in your water, add the essential oils and agitate before placing your feet in the bowl, relax and enjoy...

As an extra add some rock salt and fresh herbs.

When you are ready to take your feet out, place them onto the towel, move the bowl carefully to one side, wrap the towel around your feet and pat dry. Apply moisturiser or an oil blend, take your time and enjoy the process.

Use fresh herbs from the garden...

If you don't have any essential oils and feel like pampering yourself with a either a body or foot bath then use fresh herbs from your garden, calendula flowers, rose petals,  rosemary, lemon thyme, Marjoram or lavender. Add half a teaspoon of olive oil and some sliced lemon or lime.

This could be something you do with your girl friends and have a girl's day in! 

Natural facemasks...

You could also have fun by making facial masks with French clays and essential oils apply them leave for 10 minutes, while sipping on French Champaign.

When taking off the mask simply use warm water to compress it off, rinse, pat dry and then apply your moisturiser.

Scenting your home and reception room....

Using the aromatherapy burner is easy and effective 6-8 drops of your favourite oils and that's all you have to do...

Recipes for the oil burner

• Sweet orange, bergamot, lemon and cardamom 3 drops of each
• Rosewood, mandarin, geranium and sandalwood 3 drops of each
• Frankincense, neroli and rose 3 drops of each...

Room and body sprays are fabulous and I am never without them.... I carry them with me where ever I go and have them in almost every room in the house!

Recipe for a body spray

Use purified water or good quality floral waters as your base

5 drops each geranium, rosewood and sandalwood, 10 drops of rose

Recipe for a room spray

Use purified water or good quality floral waters as your base

Lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, mandarin and peru balsam 10 drops each

Remember its possible to be allergic to anything, even natural scents and oils, so always test everything before you take the plunge!

Why I'm a marriage celebrant

Once upon a time....

I was a NSW public servant, working in eBusiness, project managing the development of such things as websites, applications, and at the end, the move to social networking through Twitter, FaceBook, blogs, etc. I commuted from our Blue Mountain's cottage to the Sydney CBD, a three hour return journey for 9 years!

This commute, plus my growing unhappiness and lack of fulfillment in my work sent me searching for another career that would free me from both commute and 'working for the man'.  I wanted something away from technology, I love using it, but was so tired of trying to convince managers that social networking wasn't 'risky'! A friend had become a marriage celebrant a few years earlier and so I investigated the idea and loved it, it suited me to a 'T'. So last year I returned to study and qualified as a registered Civil  Marriage Celebrant and started the journey to my new business of Offbeat Ceremonies.

I see a Celebrant as holding a complex and important role in our secular society. I strongly believe that birth, coming of age, death, menarche,  menopause, marriage and commitment ceremonies are rites of passage that  need to be thoughtfully and appropriately marked for us to fully transition into the next phase of our lives. Being a Celebrant means that I work with people so they can transition between one phase of their lives to the next. As a Celebrant I mark these important stages, I'm a gatekeeper and shaman and ritual maker. Perfect for a woman who has reached her third age.

You can find out more about my passion for marking the important stages of our lives with ceremony from the following videos:

• Why Offbeat
• Rites of Passage

I adore my new career, instead of office politics, I get to be with people who want to reconnect to  community, who take time to mark and celebrate each new season of  life, its a role where I can celebrate important and significant parts of people's lives.

Since I've been working from home, my life is enriched with so many wonderful community ventures, I've started to learn belly dancing and ukulele, get more into my yoga practice, create more in my studio, currently an 1880's 'saloon girl' outfit with a lovely bustle!  I am volunteering with various organisations and loving giving back to my community.

Best of all, I spend time on my business, networking, reaching out, marketing.

I am loving the freedom of my new life, I love my clients who are people in love with each other, with life and the world. I love that I have more time for the things that are important to me, my beloved partner, my friends and my business.

Offbeat Ceremonies - what's that?

You are different and diverse, you love your community and acknowledging your place in the environment.

You desire a rite of passage that has meaning to you, your family and community, a ceremony that sits lightly on the earth, one that symbolises your partnership and love.

You don’t see your ceremony as only glitz, glam, frou-frou and party favours.

You probably prefer vintage clothes to designer gowns, or perhaps you adore to dress up in historical gowns and ceremonial clothes from different cultural traditions.

In fact, you are offbeat and a bit different, just like me, and between us we can can weave a perfect rite of passage for you that symbolises your diversity.

Offbeat Ceremonies offers you a range of celebrations from weddings and hand fastings, vow renewals, GLBTI and queer commitment ceremonies, naming days for children and adults, Wheel of the Year celebrations, pet ceremonies, and funerals.

I specialise in Rights of Passage ceremonies that celebrate your journey through life.

I created Offbeat Ceremonies because I believe that life should be celebrated and that we should mark all the significant events in our life's journey from birth to death.