I’m truly honoured to welcome a rad lady to Wedding Skulls today. Elizabeth Fournier is visiting us as part of a blog tour to promote her new book ‘All Men are Cremated Equal’, which I recommend you all go and pick up as it looks tremendously funny.

After fleeing the not-quite-man-of-her-dreams at the age of 35, Elizabeth embarked upon a unique experiment, attending and rating 77 blind dates over the course of 12 months, in her search for Mr. Right. Her unusual job as a mortician makes for some awkward and humorous moments.

I especially love this quote from her FAQ page:

Did you always want to be a mortician?

After I got over my dream of being a Solid Gold Dancer, I promptly headed into my local funeral home and asked for a job, any job. I became the live-in night keeper. I resided in a trailer in the far reaches of a large, hilly cemetery and slept with a shotgun near my bed. It was the scariest summer of my life.

Tomorrow Elizabeth will be posting over on the Divine Miss Mommy blog. You can find out more about the her other tour dates, and purchase All Men Are Cremated Equal. In the meantime, I’ll hand you over to Elizabeth:

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When I worked at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos, California, USA, many newlyweds would opt for a wedding day portrait on the stunning bridge cresting the duck pond. A white limo would occasionally roll in around closing on Saturdays and a blissful couple would spill out for photos. We would stare out the office windows in awe of their random, but breathtakingly beautiful choice.

Marriage is exciting. It’s a new beginning, and for that alone I love weddings. I’m particularly intrigued by couples who pledge their undying love among the dearly departed. A cemetery is a fantastic choice for the joining of two hearts. I was married in a colossal palace in New Jersey, and we did it again in a cathedral downtown Portland, Oregon, but I am a true fan, nonetheless.

I witnessed an amazing wedding a few years back. The bride walked down a rose-strewn path to Trans Siberian Orchestra’s “Wizards in Winter” played on the viola. She met her groom who was waiting by the graves of her parents and little sister. She wanted to make the wedding a family affair. I respected and adored her sentimentality.

The bride stood near a huge bush of bubblegum pink hybrid tea roses and wore an off-white silk gown, complete with flowing train. A funky gargoyle loomed nearby. It was all so charming and was indeed a simple wedding at a historical romantic place, as the bride wanted. The ambience was solemn, but the mood was festive. They exchanged vows in
the aptly named Garden of Hope.

Numerous couples love the graveyard idea due to the variety of breathtaking canvases for wedding day photography. Older burial yards offer majestic crypt building, centuries-old headstones, and even some gorgeous stained glass. Many contain a wide variety of trees, natural vegetation, as well as other colorful and cool flowers. Lots of cemeteries have chapels, and a memorial chapel is the perfect size for
a smallish wedding.

I walked up the aisle to Alison Brown’s haunting banjo solo “Saint Genevieve”. So many times I thought about how incredibly perfect it would have been as its luscious melody filled the air of a cemetery.