Are you looking to increase the number of people that reach out to your funeral home and/or cemetery? The answer could be as simple as inviting your communities to experience all you have to offer in new ways.
My family and I recently attended the best wedding ever. My cousin Danielle and her husband Adam married at Camp Kiwanee in Hanson, MA. It was the perfect camp complete with dirt paths, woods, a swimming pond, rustic bunk cabins, campfire pits, and a main lodge/recreation center/hall within a beautiful wood cabin overlooking the water. We got to experience all the fun of being kids at summer camp in a new way as we came together to celebrate the love of two amazing people.
The day started with my nephews and I driving to the camp where we were guided to the parking lot by hand painted signs telling us the story of how Danielle and Adam fell in love. We began meeting our fellow campers/wedding guests as we found the way to our cabins and prepare for a game of kick ball. Day 1of summer camp had begun.
After kick ball we took team photos. Then it was off to find the showers and electricity at the girls and boys bath houses to get ready for the wedding. It felt just like when I was a kid getting ready for a Saturday night dance at the rec hall. Chatting over the wall to each other, laughing, and talking about how amazing the day was and how great the night would be. We just knew this was going to be the best wedding ever!
The ceremony was held on the porch of the main lodge overlooking the water. Guests sat on wooden benches, ushers handed out wedding program guides containing all the norms plus a few fun twists including: a guide on how to have the most fun at Danielle and Adam’s wedding, instructions on how to eat the popsicle push up style wedding cake, and how to play people bingo.
The bride wore a white floor length sundress; the bridesmaids wore short dresses in a multitude of colors, while the groom and groomsmen wore black pants and tuxedo tee shirts adding a bit of fun to the elegant rustic setting. After the ceremony it was off to the barbecue reception. Guests built centerpieces out of the toys the couple bought for their future children: wooden train tracks with plastic trains, legos, log cabins and other fun contraptions. We were kids again ready to dance the night away and we did.
After the reception it was back to the bunk houses to change into our jeans and sweat pants to get ready for the bonfire complete with smores and campfire stories. The perfect ending to the best wedding ever!
You might be asking yourself, am I telling you all this to help you plan your own best wedding ever? What I hope is that you will let Camp Kiwanee’s ability to find new ways of bringing the fun of summer camp to those coming together to celebrate life’s moments will inspire you to find new ways to invite your community to experience what you do best. Bringing people together to celebrate their relationships and grow their connections with one another.
I look forward to your thoughts. Please give me a ring at 781-331-5308 or email kristan@mooneytunco.com. I’d love to tell you about the fun my cousins and I are going to have when we go back for our family summer camp adventure next month!