Karen McDonald | Your First Dance & Your Ceremony

An Officiant We Knew … “We always wanted an officiant who knew us beyond the wedding, but were also advised not to have someone too close who might get too emotional during the ceremony! We knew Karen was a Daoist practitioner and we liked her energy, which matched the tone we wanted for our ceremony.

A Dance Instructor Who Knew Us … “Karen is good at identifying our dance strengths and weaknesses and helping us have fun with the process.

Ceremony Joy & First Dance Magic

From the Bride …

“I liked Adam since 7th grade. We met in high school and he asked me to junior prom.  We started dating senior year and through college, dating long distance and spending every summer in the same place. After college, New York made the most sense for our careers. When the pandemic hit, we got our dog, Ginkgo, and Adam recruited her to help propose, surprising me with the ring attached to Ginkgo’s collar!

“We’ve known Karen for many years, as the ballroom dance coach to Adam’s mother. We always wanted an officiant who knew us beyond the wedding, but were also advised not to have someone too close who might get too emotional during the ceremony! We knew she was a Daoist practitioner and we liked her energy, which matched the tone we wanted for our ceremony.

“Karen is good at identifying our dance strengths and weaknesses and helping us have fun with the process. Though we’d mostly seen her working with very experienced dancers, she was very patient and creative with our beginner’s skills. She helped us pick songs that allowed us to look our best and dance better than we actually can! We also did a mother-son and a father-daughter dance; all four of us had very, very different skill levels, and Karen carefully designed choreography that was comfortable and fun for all.

The Photos:
At the Altar … Katie & Adam Colombo, with Officiant Karen McDonald.
On The Dance Floor … For their First Dance, choreographed by Karen McDonald.

“One thing in particular that Karen helped make special for us was the graceful dip at the end of our dance that she taught us! It’s one of our favorite photos from the day and we will never forget it.

“In the hectic days leading up to the wedding,” Katie tells us, “the best wedding advice we got was to find time to sit back and just be excited for yourselves.”

From the Marriage Celebrant …  

To personalize the ceremony, I work with the couple’s ideas about how they want to express themselves,” says Karen, “and what they would like to share with their families and friends. I also want to find out who they would like to include in their ceremony.

“Our first conversation begins with whether they want an individualized or a conventional ceremony, or perhaps part of each. The vows are very personal, whether they prefer to share them in front of their guests as a proclamation, or in private between each other.

“Adam and Katie chose an outdoor wedding with spectacular views. They wanted an homage to their family and ancestors, and to include the color red which is linked to love, success, happiness, honor, and loyalty.

“As the Wedding Officiant, my words are crafted around the couple’s spirituality, their faiths and beliefs, and how they relate to each other, their families, and their friends. While working with them for their wedding dance, there’s an additional opportunity to witness a deeper understanding of the way the bride and groom relate to each other. “

The First Dance …

“To customize the First Dance, I find working with the personalities and temperaments of the bride and  groom helps me create movements and patterns for their individual dance styling.

“With Adam and Katie, one was more inclined to keep in time and get specific directions, the other was more focused on finding the natural movement of the step patterns. They both practiced working to create a comfortable flow through each movement and weave it together for their own style.

“I want to help my dance couples understand the ease with which they can relax into this special time together, and not look like they have taken dance lessons. Practicing at any time possible, spontaneously or perhaps regularly before dinner, helps them become completely at ease and rejoice in their first dance, for the rest of their lives together.

“My favorite part of working with couples on their ceremony and first dance is seeing the nervousness of their first sessions dissolve into the smiles and confidence of their last session.”

Karen McDonald, 315.459.1453, [email protected]
www.truebalancedance.com, www.truebalanceliving.com
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