Alex and Laura Wed at The Fearrington on July 3rd

July 3rd was surprisingly cool. I've been grateful for this summer weather, and we were all especially grateful that day. It was awhile back because I had some delicious vacation in August and am now catching up. On that balmy evening I had the pleasure of marrying Alex and Laura at The Fearrington, in Chatham County on 15-501 just south of Chapel Hill.

The elegance of their wedding was matched by the elegance of their photographs taken by Logan Jarrard, of Logan Jarrard Photography. You can see more of his work for Laura and Alex on his blog. (Click on 'blog' to go straight there.)

The ceremony was held in the gazebo under the old huge Pecan tree which provided lots of welcome shade. As you can see there were chairs for two-hundred guests. Alex and Laura had grown up in Chapel Hill. Our DJ Gino, provided a microphone so that all the guests could hear every word. We also wanted to hear every note of the music played by Alex's dad and his Aunt Mary.

And Cheryl, from The Fearrington was essential in helping the day go smoothly. Thank you!


The only drawback was the pesky mosquitoes that love moist summer lawns in NC. But Alex and Laura planned for this by having small spray bottles of herbal insect repellent at a table near where guests entered. We all bathed our ankles liberally before the service.

(TIP: As a minister, I keep a bottle of this in my 'kit bag' at all times. No one wants to be distracted by mosquito bites during a ceremony.)

It was a perfect day. It was unseasonably cool on Friday July 3rd and we were all grateful. Even with this advantage though, all the guests were grateful for the wedding programs that doubled as fans. I can't speak highly of the advantage of this small hand-made breeze in our hot muggy summers. Even the famous Fearrington cows were content. We could hear them lowing now and again in the field nearby.

Alex and Laura were radiant and at ease as their ceremony approached. They'd been together for years and were surrounded by all their friends of long standing. They had met on the track team in high school and had been together ever since. And in the next month would be moving to Pennsylvania for Laura to begin medical school.

They incorporated several unique elements to their ceremony. Both Laura and Alex's parents spoke words of blessing to them in their own words. They had written love letters to each other and put them, unopened, in a box with a bottle of wine, sealing the box as part of the ceremony. It was to be opened when they needed to be reminded of their love for each other or on their twentieth anniversary, whichever came first.

I laud Alex and Laura for their relaxed manner during the ceremony. Even though I knew they were excited and eager for this day, they were surrounded by those who loved them, and they knew that nothing could go wrong that would spoil the intent of their day. They truly enjoyed their day.














Their attendants, Lisa and Nicholas, signed the licenses in the Garden Room at The Fearrington while everyone was cooling down a moment before pictures. During this time the guests made their way down to the barn.

After the ceremony, and after pictures of the wedding party, Logan Jarrard Alex and Laura to another of the wonderful lawns at The Fearrington for some pictures while all the guests enjoyed the cool of The Barn and refreshments before the reception.

Don't let the name confuse, you. You can tell by the elegance of the setting that the barn is now anything but a barn. But the stalls for the dairy cows are still intact in the hall as you enter this elegant setting.


I wish them many blessings as they begin this new adventure in their lives together!