how do you get from wall street to wedding ceremonies?
Bethel would tell you life should be about doing what you enjoy, not just making money. After leaving the Wall Street life behind (made up of nine years in Tokyo, New York, and London working for two large investment banks), Bethel came back to San Diego and joined her family's business. And although working with family was great (usually), she began to realize it still wasn't her passion.
One day, when having trouble deciding on who would perform their interfaith wedding ceremony, her brother and future sister-in-law asked Bethel. Although not afraid of speaking to a crowd, since she has a background in public speaking, and immensely honored that they asked, Bethel was a little nervous knowing what a big day this was for the couple, their family, and their friends. But, as usual, that didn't stop her from saying yes.
Although Bethel knew she had to figure out how to become ordained or certified, to make the marriage legal, it was more important to figure out what makes a beautiful, meaningful, touching, and memorable wedding ceremony - plus, how to truly celebrate a relationship - and thus, the research began.
She spoke with many married couples about their ceremonies, bought multiple books, and took the time to get opinions from people who performed wedding ceremonies for a living. Bethel also researched the traditions of the religions involved, and, most importantly, spent a large amount of time working with the couple to find out their vision of their perfect wedding ceremony.
As you can guess, the ceremony was wonderful and very well-received by both the couple and their guests - and Bethel had found her passion.
In quick succession, Bethel created and officiated wedding ceremonies for multiple friends, making sure to follow the formula of spending time getting to know the couple and making sure the ceremony was personal, representing the couple and their values. She realized that no matter how well you think you know a couple, even when a it's a sibling or close friend, you still don't know, cannot truly know, what is "behind the curtain" of that relationship until you take the time to find out (and they really allow you behind the curtain as well).
Bethel now follows that same formula with other couples, be it for their wedding, their commitment ceremony, or their renewal of vows - and still greatly enjoys doing so, hundreds of ceremonies later. She gets to know them, and finds out what makes their relationship unique, in addition to what they are looking for their ceremony to be (and not to be). Together they create that ceremony, reflecting the couple's feelings for each other, and celebrating their desired traditions.
As a warm and caring person, with a passion for what she does, Bethel looks forward to the opportunity to be an integral part of your most important day.
