Thank you to John Elkins of John Elkins Photography in Hillsborough for the wonderful pictures. I've worked with John several times and he is always so easy to work with and so prompt in getting the pictures back to the couple and to family and guests. It makes it more fun not to have to wait too long.
And this couple was a treat to marry. They found me because they like the spiritual ceremony that I have on my web site and we took it from there. They wanted a memorable ceremony that honored her grandparents who had raised her and his parents. His father was his best man. They wanted it to be fun and they wanted those who love them to be proud of them.
They describe themselves as down home North Carolina people who wanted something simple, sweet and real. They indeed are just a loving couple who had been together four years and now were ready to deepen their love in marriage. Olivia says that she thanks God everyday for her life and the love she's found with Jonathan. She's very bubbly and talkative and Jonathan is very quiet yet attentive to everything said. They are growing their love intentionally and together. I loved being a part of their wedding.
Carmen, their Flower Girl, is in the tutu. What a great outfit. If only I were young enough to wear one of those. I love the royal blue for this exceptional Spring day. It was so vibrant.
Dylan, aged 3, was their Ring Bearer and also did a stellar job. You can see him in the last picture with everyone in the wedding party.
Olivia and Jonathan chose the poem 'Love' by Roy Croft to be read at their ceremony. One line I especially love is the line 'you are helping me to make out of the works of my everyday not a reproach, but a song.' For some couples this poem holds special meaning, the couples who are intentional in their commitment to grow their love through all that life brings their way. Jonathan and Olivia are that kind of couple. I admire that in them.
Olivia and Jonathan chose the vows, 'I take you to be my wife/husband, to love and to cherish, to honor and to comfort you, to stand by you in sorrow and in joy, to be both your lover and your closest friend.' Then they completed a sand ceremony honoring that their lives are now inextricably joined.
After ending the ceremony with the Lord's Prayer, I invited them to share their first kiss as husband and wife.
Then joyfully presented them to their family and friends for the first time as a married couple.
I loved the way they kept their ceremony simple and low key, yet also elegant and uniquely them. Brandon, Olivia's brother was their DJ, and as I left the food was coming out from the kitchen and the barbecue so that everyone could dig in.
I loved marrying these two and wish them all the happiness in the world.
