I went to see a Michael Buble concert here in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Arena recently. It was a birthday present from my husband. A night out for a change, a few moments to celebrate my life here and now.

I have not been to an arena concert in a long time. This one is big, not gigantic, in fact there’s not a bad seat in the house, and Michael’s tech crew had a beautiful way of using high def projection to make you feel like you were very close to the singer and the band. You could see facial expressions; you could see the gestures. It created a sense of intimacy with the performers. Sitting amongst a few thousand, seats are close and getting to know your neighbor tends to occur no matter how one might try to keep it all within an acceptable social distance. To stay and enjoy, everyone has to drop their own personal boundaries on some level just to be comfortable. It’s an odd sort of social contact that occurs in this kind of space. 
One of the things that drew me was a lifelong love of big band music coupled with the chance to hear extremely fine renditions of classic wedding songs. The themes are timeless; the lyrics speak with nostalgic clarity to the awesome power of love and the way it changes our lives. I can’t help it, I like spending time appreciating the sense of wonder and awe that happens when two people connect deeply with each-other.  I guess that’s why I am a Celebrant.

Michael started the concert by saying that his perspective is that every concert is a party, he encouraged people to stand up, speak up, move and celebrate life. He also took a little time to apologize for postponing this long standing event by 24 hours in order to allow himself and fellow Canadian and Boston locals to watch the last game of the Stanley Cup. For the inconvenience, he was openly boo’ d by a large number of people in the audience.  I wasn't  sure this was going to be the party Michael was hoping for. But he sang, and the band played, and some time passed and the energy changed. By the end of the night, much of the crowd was on their feet, Michael sang his hit “I Just Haven’t Met You Yet” which he described as an “homage to hope”. It is also inspired by one of the best contemporary love songs ever, “All you need is Love” by the Beatles (and played nicely in a wedding scene in the movie "Love Actually"). When Michael got to the chorus, the whole arena sang in unison “love, love, love, love… love, love, love” (that part of my blog conveys best if you have at least heard this song once in your life). At that moment, the Celebrant in me woke up and watched as all around, people were inspired to connect in song. Virtual strangers, who clearly knew that Mr. Buble could likely not see them or hear them as an individual, broke into song. I admit that for me, part of the poignancy of the moment was that they were singing with much joy and abandon about the cornerstone of my personal belief system… LOVE, but that was not what made me sit up and take notice. It was an awareness of how often we become so moved by the experience and the joy and the power of connection, that we just have to let it out. It happens often at weddings.  We come as family and friends to witness a union, and we watch the connection between the couple, and we feel the love and support of those around us, and the chemistry of connection sweeps through the room.  People shake their heads in agreement to words spoken or gestures imparted, we laugh without being told to, we touch the person or people we share a connection with, we cry.  Ever heard someone talk about a great wedding-they say something like "it was so beautiful I sobbed like a baby, best wedding I have been to in a long time".   The beauty was in that overwhelming sense of feeling connected.  It's a powerful thing, and it's a true gift to create a connection in a community even for a few minutes or a few hours, and to share it amongst those you love and care about.  We take it for granted, but think of the times that the connection moved right through a group and before you knew it people were caught up together singing or dancing, or moving in unison. I was reminded that this is part of why we celebrate, why we need to celebrate, and why we should look for ways to bring celebration to our lives. Your wedding ceremony is a chance to bring one of your life moments to light, and to share the power of connection with each-other, and with your family and friends.  A personalized ceremony that shares your story, your love, and your hopes and dreams for your future is a powerful catalyst to a deep, rich, valuable connection experience. 
This sense of celebration and connection was driven home for me at the very end of the Michael Buble concert (which was fantastic by the way). Michael was saying his goodbye. He thanked everyone quite graciously for being willing to forgive the delay and for making the choice to celebrate life for a couple hours. And he thanked the crowd for being candid enough to BOO him earlier in the show. He said it was scary to hear so many people openly upset with him, but that in hearing and sharing their response, he felt truly alive. That awareness brought him a tremendous sense of gratitude. They shared and he connected and the connection had a powerful impact on him. And that’s the truth of it.

A certified Life-cycle celebrant can help you catch the moments in your life that are meaningful to you, embrace the opportunity to share them with others, and create a ceremony both heartfelt and meaningful that will become a beautiful gift of connection to a room full of people you love and care for.  It's powerful on so many levels.  When it happens, (and it will happen) your guests will go home and say "It was beautiful, best wedding I have ever been to in a long time".