On a full moon and at the gateway of summer, I married my sweetheart, Robert. We gathered with our families and a handful of friends, and were wed in a meadow alongside our favorite river. From the outset, I knew I wanted tea to be at the heart of our ceremony. And it was. The day before our wedding I collected wild leaves and flowers from the river's edge and Emily helped me make tea bundles tied with bits of string. The bundles contained pink rose, mint, red and white clover, yarrow, young horsetail, and lavender. I also brought pearly everlasting and wooly blue from our home in Malibu. In addition to the special ingredients gathered, Emily made the most exquisite clay cups for the occasion and just before the ceremony a tea bundle was placed in each cup. Robert built a hearth from river rock to heat the kettle and we harvested water from a freshwater spring, just feet away from the wedding site. As the ceremony unfolded, Robert and I moved around the circle serving the tea to our family and friends, placing a vessel in the hands of each person. Throughout the ritual our officiant and dear friend, Carly Jo, spoke about the transformational power of union. In her words, "All one needs is fire, water, a vessel and time, and transformation is inevitable. Individually and together, you choose the material you bring to be transformed through this sacred container."
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