As a Ceremony Guide, Chris creates story filled wedding, funeral and life-cycle ceremonies Welcome! I endeavour to grow a green business.
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My name is Christine Lafazanos and I am a Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant and Officiant based in Guelph, Ontario. I handcraft custom wedding and funeral ceremonies that are either secular, spiritual or multi faith. I do this work because I believe ceremony holds an invitation; it creates an opportunity for mindful reflection on the important connections and events in our lives. Gathering together,
we strengthen our relationships, stand grounded in meaning, and foster gratitude and ultimately personal and community resilience. As a trained speaker, theatre artist and actor, I would be thrilled to lend my talent and experience to help you bring your non-traditional theme wedding to walking and breathing life (or to stumbling undead, in the case of a zombie wedding!). I always seek to be an inclusive and welcoming celebrant, sensitive to people’s needs and experiences based on age, race, ethnicity, ability, religious or spiritual beliefs, sexuality, gender identity/expression, socio-economic status or political beliefs. As a q***r-identified person, I’m an active ally to folks who identify as q***r, le***an, gay, trans, gender nonconforming, two-spirit, kinky, and polyamorous. Wherever possible, I will:
• purchase needed materials second-hand or from ethical and sustainable sources
• travel by foot, bike, or public transit
• minimize energy use and waste
• support other local, independent businesses
Learn more about me and my work by visiting my website at www.woven-threads.ca
Lavender harvest day! Ask permission, leave an offering (this time it was a song), say thank you.
Grateful to have this plant as a friend. Always excited to watch them grow in the garden. Thankful that we've partnered; I often use lavender as an offering when I go to new places. A gentle ally in my personal ritual work.
Throwback to the first time I officiated at Langdon Hall in 2015 for A. and C.!
A. and C. have an epic love story, that began with them living oceans apart! A. was at med school and travelled with a group of students to New Zealand, visiting where C. was going to school. During a 2 week stay the sparks flew between them and against all odds, they found a way to make it work! (Their adorable young baby was somewhere out of frame.)
Somehow I got added to the Langdon Hall list of recommended vendors early on, and it’s probably the location I officiate most often now. To be quite honest, at first I wondered if I’d be comfortable officiating at a high-end venue. I worried that it would feel like a stuffy, judgy, shallow environment where people would be making a grand spectacle of their weddings. As someone focused on the heart and connection of a wedding, I worried it could give me a big ick feeling. But it didn’t at all. I found it to be a relaxed, welcoming space, with weddings that are simple and elegant. And I’ve officiated numerous intimate, 16 guest weddings composed of a heartfelt ceremony and delicious meal. I’ve met so many kind hearted staff over the years there, and by the end of this summer I will have officiated at the weddings of (or done the legal signing for) three of the staff there. It was only in the last year that I had the pleasure of having a full meal there, and wow, now I see what all the hype is about!
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Celebrant origin story! Theatre edition! There are many threads that make up the origin of how I got into this work, and one of them is definitely my background in theatre and performance. My undergrad degree is in theatre from University of Guelph where I focused on acting. And I've dabbled in drag, burlesque and slam poetry over the years.
My background as a performer is front and center in theme weddings like the creepy clown Halloween wedding pictured where I step into character. It's also there when I use my vocal training to be heard clearly without a mic (the number of times people have complimented my diction! Didn't expect that!). It's there in my strong sense of how a written thing will feel when it's up on its feet--both managing the logistics of rituals and the emotional journey of the storytelling. And allows me to easily improv when something unexpected happens during a ceremony (crying babies, boats speeding by on the lake).
The origins of theatre and ritual are one and the same. The shift from my theatre degree into Woven Threads felt like, "Of course!" I'm a celebrant/bard/priestex/ritualist/storyteller/shapeshifter/actor.
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This ceremony was on the ultimate pi day: March 14, 2015 (the mathematical constant pi starts 3.1415)! The groom had a pi pin on, and they had a wedding pie as well as a wedding cake!
This was my first time officiating at Cambridge Mill, and I love the glass sided ceremony space because it’s just a stone’s throw away from the Grand River. The whole ceremony, loved ones are looking out on the river and sky. Most of the ceremonies I officiate are in Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, and the Grand River is the watershed that unites them all. I hold great love for this watershed.
We included a candle lighting unity ritual in the ceremony. The couple wanted to honour the faith traditions of their family, so we included the candle lighting, which comes from Christian tradition, but framed it in a more secular light (see what I did there?). We did a version of it where each of their parents also participated.
A few years later I had the honour of doing a Child Welcoming Ceremony for K. and C.’s first child! It was so lovely to be with their families again.
I’m a big fan of choosing meaningful numbers to plan a ceremony around. Whether that’s aligning ceremony dates with anniversaries or using Vedic, Chinese or Western astrology. It’s also common for folks to draw on numerology or cool numbers—like the chilly outdoor elopement I did on February 22, 2022 (2/22/22), or to start a ceremony at 11:11am. I’ve long loved the elegance of math, so a pi day ceremony brought me joy!
Photos by
PS, If you’re a past client and have changed your mind about me using your photos in public, feel free to reach out and let me know.
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My headshots through the years! Marking my ten year anniversary has me looking back and reflecting. Watch me get older through my photos! Ha!
Each photoshoot was done outside as per nature q***r standards. The 2014 photos were taken by Andrew Goodwin, , around downtown Guelph with some classic limestone backgrounds and pockets of green. The 2018 photos were a fun session done in a Toronto park by Maxwell Lander, . And the 2021 photos were a ritually focused session by Ema Suvajac at the Old Growth Forest Project at Ignatius in Guelph, .
Fun fact, I stopped wearing glasses every day because my distance vision actually improved through the years (although now in my 40s I have multi focal lenses!). By the 2021 photos I purposely wanted to shed the blazer, in order to shed the rigid definitions of what constitutes a “professional” look. Screw professionalism. It feels too akin to hustle business culture that I want nothing to do with. Ceremony is a spiritual practice, a service to my community, a creative collaboration. I’m less girl boss these days, more .
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Throwback to one of the first weddings I ever officiated! This year is my ten year anniversary of guiding ceremonies!
Joss and Liz got married on Snake Island north of Midland, among a community of people Joss grew up with on that island. It’s one of the few times I travelled to a ceremony site by boat! I was so nervous about my hairy legs that I wore tights under my skirt on a warm August day (I don’t bother covering the hair anymore!). I remember some of the family assuming I was the “Minister” and refraining from swearing around me (something that continues to happen. If they only knew who they were actually talking to!).
We included the Walt Whitman poem “Song of the Open Road” which includes the lines:
“Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money,
I give you myself before preaching or law;
Will you give me yourself? Will you come travel with me?”
Joss and Liz finished the ceremony by circling the arbour and crossing through the threshold of the arch. Then the movement from ceremony to reception site was a long a short wooded trail, and they had musicians leading the way, and encouraged loved ones to join in with small percussion instruments. Liz and Joss loved how that little procession mirrored rural European traditions of their heritage where partners would move as a community from their house to the centre of town for the wedding.
Photo by
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Fun news! Name and pronoun update!
Please migrate to using Chris for me and they/them pronouns.
Christine is still my full, legal name, yet Chris makes me feel so much more seen and free!
The CBC morning show spoke to KW Art Gallery curator Darryn Doull about the Death Cafe event happening tonight.
Sign up for my email list on my website to be notified of future Death Cafe events in the area.
A group of strangers will be sitting together tonight, with a warm cup of tea in one hand...having a casual conversation about death. Darryn Doull is the curator of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, where they'll be hosting a Death Cafe Thursday.
With the Storehouse 408 Wedding Open House coming up, I’m remembering how great Nate and Sarah’s wedding there was!
We included a handfasting, and invited their parents, grandparents, and siblings to each come forward and wrap a ribbon they brought; symbolizing how Sarah and Nate’s strength as partners is upheld by the community of loved ones who surround them.
And when Sarah’s veil fell off just before her exit, I knew I could help out and get it flowing in the breeze as it should.
Photography by
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Come check out the Storehouse 408 space in Cambridge and meet all the other lovely folks on their recommended vendor list.
Happening on Thursday, February 23, 2023. Drop in from 6 to 9pm. Free tickets are available through bio.
There will be snacks!
Uplift the joy and resilience of indigenous peoples.
Rage against the injustices, learn the true history.
Hold government and institutions to account and demand meaningful reparations.
Seek to decolonize your mind.
Say thank you to the ancestors whose wisdom and relationship with the land made your life as a settler possible.
Posted • 5 ways to meaningfully engage before, during and after — from your friendly neighbourhood treaty partner and allies at OCP✊🏾
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Ritual tools can be simple. As we head into spooky season, be wary of anyone who makes you feel like in order to be a veritable witch, mystic, pagan, spiritual person, etc that you need to have a certain aesthetic, or need to buy this must-have tool. Or better yet, the must-have starter kit! Or while you’re at it, the must-have advanced practitioner kit.
My most reliable ritual tool is my body. Full stop. Through my body I am guided by my emotions and intuition, I connect to the elements, to the energies of place, I journey to connect to the messages of my dreams, I dance, sing and meditate.
I’m not anti-ritual tools. Not at all. Just be cautious when spiritual authenticity is trying to be sold to you.
Stay weird and spooky, friends.
Ticket giveaway! I have two tickets to giveaway for Baby Ready’s upcoming 2SLGBTQ focused virtual baby show! $25 value each!
Launching Sept 24, the show is a collection of interviews Sam has done with Q***r identified providers serving q***r families, as well as interviews with q***r families.
I do an interview with Sam where I talk about creating beginning of life ceremonies to support q***r families.
To win, send me a private message by the end of this weekend, by end of the day on Sunday, Sept 11 and then I’ll do a draw of names.
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Tonisha and Matthew told me how their secure base of safety and trust let’s their goofier selves out, to joke around and poke fun at one another—okay, more like consistently roast each other. 😂
The roasting comes from a place of admiration, truly. Tonisha told me that she loves how smart and kind-hearted Matthew is. She cherishes how safe she feels with Matthew; she knows that no matter what, he’s always there for her. Matthew told me he admires Tonisha’s intelligence. He admires how dedicated and hardworking she is, and says she *might* even be funnier than he is.
Congratulations Tonisha and Matthew!
After officiating her sister’s wedding a few years ago it was so joyful to be back with the family for Maura and Austin’s wedding! Congrats you two!
There’s nothing like a pandemic to test and accelerate a relationship! After dating for a few months the pandemic hit and the real question between them was “Do you want to bubble with me?” Like many couples, it was a choice point about how “in it” they were. They hopped in with both feet, now have an adorable 6month old baby, and today got to marry their best friend.
Many blessings to you and your family!
ceremony
I got to officiate for my parents! We celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a vow renewal ceremony back where it all started in Kinkora, PEI.
It was really lovely to share with my family some of my parent’s stories—to reflect on how they met, what they admire in each other, and what they are proud of in their 50 years of marriage. Sitting down and asking them questions helped me get to know them and their relationship a bit more, which I cherish.
After the dinner following the ceremony finished we went outside to bask in a double rainbow in the sky. Good omens. 🙏✨
I had a chance to tour Barn Swallow Fields for the first time! This is Dana, the highly capable, very kind and caring person who dreamed up and built this new local events venue. 😊
It’s the modern rustic vibe we can’t get enough of. Except this barn-feel space isn’t a fire hazard 😬 and has accessible all-gender washrooms and so many other carefully designed elements.
I’m excited to have my first few weddings here already booked!
Check them out at and show this local small business some love. 💕
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What looks like a “one person business” never is! Individualism is a harmful myth, a narrative that props up ableism and capitalism. We exist in networks of community, in relationship with the land.
Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings. By living with you, I want to learn to love everyone and all species. If I succeed in loving you, I will be able to love everyone and all species on Earth. This is the real message of love.
- Thich Nhat Hanh
May we all be blessed with loving relationships of many kinds. And may that love ripple out to All. ♥️
Today is my 8 year anniversary officiating ceremonies! Thank you to everyone who has trusted me with your stories and milestones. Thank you to all those who have supported me in various ways (there are many!!).
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In Yoda voice: “Enter marriage, do you agree? Do. Or do not.” To which Christopher and Melissa obviously answered, with enthusiasm, “I do!”
May the Fourth be with you! Happy Star Wars day! May the fourth was already Melissa and Christopher’s anniversary, and the day Christopher proposed, so it only made sense to also get hitched today! They told me they cherish how safe they feel with one another; safe enough that their silly, nerdy selves are out in full force.
Find partners and friends who celebrate you for exactly who you are! Nerds unite!
This Earth Day I’m recommitting to running my business in a way which remembers I am inextricably linked to and interdependent on the life giving systems of this earth. There is no business “success” without the earth.
And there is no environmental justice without social justice. An eco minded business is also one which actively supports indigenous solidarity, is one which is mindful of how choices impact people, animals and earth systems the world over. These are also collective choices, at the level of governments; individual actions are an insufficient focus.
I love this earth so much. I want to see ALL of life thrive and be in balance.
you are needed
the time is now
let your role be peaceful, joyful and slow
go to your teachers to show you how:
deep waters, open skies, swaying trees, nighttime fires
A ritual I am drawn to over and over again in creating ceremony is tree planting. You could say I have a deep rooted connection to trees. They teach me about moving through cycles of change with grace and patience. They show me how to both root strongly and flex with the winds. And ecology teaches us how trees live in community, communicating and sharing resources between themselves.
Their wisdom lends support to so many kinds of ceremonies—birth, honouring the changing season, weddings, and memorials.
You can plant a tree to honour a new child in a family, watching the tree grow as the child does. You could bury beneath the tree symbols of your intentions for the child’s life, or bury the placenta if you gave birth to the child.
Trees can be planted as part of ceremonies which honour the turning of the seasons or express gratitude for the interdependent web of life that we are a part of. Like tree planting at Earth Day celebrations.
I’ve done tree plantings at weddings, drawing on the metaphor of how you care for a tree and give it the conditions it needs to thrive just like you tend to the thriving of a partnership. Sometimes loved ones at a wedding are invited to add soil or pebbles to the tree as a way to recognize that each of us thrive because of the networks of relationships we are in.
Trees are also a common ritual practice to honour a loved one (human or beyond human animal) who has died; symbolizing the way their love and memory lives on in our lives even after they are gone. A memorial tree can be a place to return to over the years to connect with that loved one, maybe adding small decorations or notes to it on birthdays, anniversaries or holidays.
What elements in nature are you drawn to? How can they support your ritual practice?
Beginning of life ceremonies offer so much opportunity for support into your role as a parent including squishy heart feels as your community of loved ones show you so much care.
If you’re curious about how ceremony can be a support for you, be in touch for a free 30min chat to explore your options.
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👏A weddings👏is not👏the most important👏ceremony👏 of someone’s life.👏
That’s just what capitalism would have you believe.
If you choose to celebrate partnership through ceremony you have options! Question expectations and traditions!
And let’s reclaim the role ceremony has in other important relationships, transitions and milestones of our lives.
P.S. Now it’s on my celebrant bucket list to do a Platonic Nested Life Partner Ceremony because that’s the first time I’ve said that out loud as a type of ceremony.
Challenge white supremacy. The occupation isn’t about workers rights, freedom or unity. It’s white supremacy.
Posted
I had a past wedding client comment that she could tell that ceremony work was a real calling for me. It’s so true.
I believe that each one of us deserves to be lovingly held in community and have our major milestones, transitions and events witnessed. We each deserve to be supported and/or celebrated through those milestones and events.
Who you are matters. Your stories and experiences matter.
I listen deeply to the stories people share with me as we create ceremony because I care deeply. I write people’s stories in a way that feels authentic and reflective of who you are/who your loved one was because I see you; you matter.
I bring a genuine joy and enthusiasm to the celebratory ceremonies I help create. I bring a genuine warmth and care to the ceremonies where a person or community is in grief.
It’s an honour to be trusted with your stories. It’s an honour to be a witness and a support through the milestones that we mark with ceremony. It’s an honour to be with you and your community as we touch into the meaningful moments of ritual.
I begin all ceremony processes with a free, 30min video chat. If you’re curious about how ceremony could be a support for you, please be in touch and I’ll help you explore your options.
42 Carden Street
Guelph, ON
N1H3A2
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What looks like a “one person business” never is! Individualism is a harmful myth, a narrative that props up ableism and capitalism. We exist in networks of community, in relationship with the land. #CommunityNotCompetition #CapitalismSucks #IndividualismIsAMyth
Today is my 8 year anniversary officiating ceremonies! Thank you to everyone who has trusted me with your stories and milestones. Thank you to all those who have supported me in various ways (there are many!!). #BusinessMilestone #Anniversary #SmallBusiness #QueerBusiness #Celebrant #CeremonyGuide #GuelphBusiness
Beginning of life ceremonies offer so much opportunity for support into your role as a parent including squishy heart feels as your community of loved ones show you so much care. If you’re curious about how ceremony can be a support for you, be in touch for a free 30min chat to explore your options. #AdoptionCeremony #BabyBlessing #BabyNaming #ChildWelcomingCeremony #parentblessingceremonies #MotherBlessing #BeginningOfLifeCeremonies #QueerCelebrant #Officiant #ChosenFamily #LoveMakesAFamily
👏A weddings👏is not👏the most important👏ceremony👏 of someone’s life.👏 That’s just what capitalism would have you believe. If you choose to celebrate partnership through ceremony you have options! Question expectations and traditions! And let’s reclaim the role ceremony has in other important relationships, transitions and milestones of our lives. P.S. Now it’s on my celebrant bucket list to do a Platonic Nested Life Partner Ceremony because that’s the first time I’ve said that out loud as a type of ceremony.
A New Years dream of rebirth! A beautiful, reassuring dream of hope was gifted to me by Spirit last night that I wanted to share. May it lend you strength during this challenging time of transition. #DreamTime #Rebirth #HapyNewYear #SpiritConnection #FeminineRising
My inner Greek grandmother has a message for you. Listen to Ya-ya! Or face her rath! Ya-ya says ceremony is good for you. #ArtistPermissionCeremony #BusinessLaunchCeremony #ChildWelcoming #AdoptionCeremony #BabyNaming #InfantLossCeremony #ComingOfAgeCeremony #ComingOutCeremony #GenderAffirmingCeremony #RetirementCeremony #ElderCeremony #Graduation #HouseBlessing #PetMemorial #WeddingCeremony #CareerChangeCeremony #CommitmentCeremony #IllnessRemissionCeremony #PersonalTransitionRitual #DivorceCeremony #DecouplingCeremony #BestFriendCeremony #MentorCeremony #EndOfLifeCeremony #Memorial
This insistent cuddler is teaching me my Solstice lessons in embracing delight! Happy Summer Solstice! Our longest day of sunlight of the year. Sing praises to the lifegiver, the Sun! I am but a speck on the surface of this vast planet and still, 15min of direct midday sun can still burn my skin. Such power! Let it help us get off fossil fuels! I come alive in the sunshine. Where winter is my new moon of the year, my season of rest, inward reflection and dreaming, summer is the full moon of the year, my season to connect with others and join sweaty queer dance parties and summer community festivals (longing, longing for those spaces once again). And in the growing cycle of the year, winter is the fertile fallow season, spring is for seeding and beginning, summer is the time for blossoming and fruiting, and autumn is a celebration of the harvest. So I invite you to join me in reflecting on what is fruiting in your life. What is juicy, sweet and pleasurable in your life? When do you experience joy, ease and delight? Amid the challenge, grief and uncertainty of pandemic life, pleasure heals; moments of joy help us keep going. Hence this kitten, Moon, who is a constant teacher in cuddles first! Your summer solstice celebrations and ritual practice can be finding a way to enjoy, to indulge. Set an intention, say a prayer, that your time of delight, creation or connection may be an offering, a ritual act of thanks; adding joy to the collective energy. It could be a living room dance party, time to connect with human or animal companion loved ones, eating strawberries, going for a swim, sex and intimacy, time for art or creating, a slow forest walk, a hammock nap. May your play and joy restore and soothe you. And may we all feel the subtle ripple of that inner smile. Blessings to you and yours.
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