Local Biz Limelight: Ceremony owner starts second business venture

Candace Dalmagne-Rouge’s local company, Ceremony, offers alternative methods of celebration and healing to the community.

Dalmagne-Rouge developed Ceremony, a local guided-ceremony box kit company, from her and her husband’s own need for healing after a miscarriage in 2019. 

“I was just absolutely crushed and devastated and looking for a way to heal it," she said. "I was searching the internet for everything, calling different people, calling healers, looking for a different way to help people that go through this. And I honestly came back with not much. I really couldn't find anything for it.”

Instead she created her own ceremony to grieve, heal and honor their loss. She said their personal ceremony was transformative, providing both immediate and long-term relief.

It wasn’t until January 2021, that Dalmagne-Rouge found family and friends reaching out for a guided ceremony of their own for different events in their lives. Feeling she had found her purpose, "Ceremony" was officially created.

Dalmagne-Rouge learned to balance running Ceremony alongside the responsibilities of raising her year-old twins, while dealing with the challenges of the pandemic.

This summer, Dalmagne-Rouge launched her first box — the summer solstice box. Her second box, the Autumn Equinox Box, launched in September. Between the two boxes, Dalmagne-Rouge sold 70 boxes between five countries.

“(The ceremony boxes are) spiritually agnostic, meaning it's not affiliated with any one religion,” Dalmagne-Rouge said. “It's really meant to be for anyone from any religious background or with zero religious affinity.”

Dalmagne-Rouge plans to offer a subscription service for her seasonal boxes. Each box currently sells between $85-$100. The Winter Solstice Box is currently open for pre-order.

Starting in 2022, she will offer her first life event box focused on pandemic-related healing, as well as a death and grieving box.

“We've all had a different experience for what we've had to face during the pandemic, but I don't think anyone got out of the pandemic scot-free,” Dalmagne-Rouge said.

Boxes are made-to-order with each box including a guide booklet and several products intended to deepen the ceremony experience and ignite each of the senses. The ceremonies can be done alone or in groups at any time and participants are encouraged to find ways to make each ceremony their own. Life event boxes are expected to cost around $100.

Before starting Ceremony, Dalmagne-Rouge ran Redspark, a local marketing research and business strategy company which helps business owners and entrepreneurs with products and investors with investment choices.

While Dalmagne-Rouge sees a lot of demand for her services in Red Spark, she has put the company on a temporary hiatus due to time constraints between her children and efforts with Ceremony. She plans to hold a class in November to share her expertise rather than taking on formal assignments.

Ceremony

Founded: 2021

Owner: Candace Dalmagne-Rouge

Ceremony Website: https://www.holdceremony.com/

Service: Ceremony boxes for life events