Rich and Elle at The Aqueduct Center in Chapel Hill

Rich and Elle are delighted to find each other. You can see that in every interaction they have. And their families and friends are delighted, too. You could see that in the laughter and easy banter at the rehearsal and the wedding ceremony.

And what a ceremony it was. I've never had quite such a musical set of people. We were lucky that April 10th was such a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding at The Aqueduct Conference Center in Chapel Hill. And it was just perfect. I'm especially glad since Rich's friends and family from England were all there in force and our Carolina Blue sky did us proud. Out of town folks stayed at the center, too. Julie Hamilton, the Event Coordinator at The Aqueduct, could not have ordered better weather had she been able to.

The best of these wonderful pictures are taken by their photographer, Michael Moss. My favorites are both the first and final pictures of this blog. He also took the picture of their sand ceremony. That final picture is especially stunning and full of grace. I'm sure Elle and Rich will cherish it forever.


Rich and Elle are both fun, smart, and have the same sense of humor. They love that they can be all the way from silly to serious together without judging each other. And they're both caring and thoughtful people who communicate genuine respect for the others' opinions. I'm glad because I think they really enjoyed their wedding and this foundation bodes well for their marriage.

Elle's mother and sister sang a truly wonderful a capella rendition of 'Amazing Grace' that touched us all. Elle's brothers sang 'I'm Yours' and their friend Alex sang 'Brand New Day.' Musical interludes at a ceremony can feel forced but not this time. These songs were touching, relevant, heart felt, classy, and were beautifully done. Add to this the wonderful ceremonial processional and recessional music of Twin City Trio of Elegant Ensembles.

Elle's Aunt Annette offered us the poem 'Why marriage' by Mari Nichols-Haining, and Rich's Aunt Janet read that wonderful piece about love from Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres speaking of lasting love being both an art and a fortunate accident.

Elle and Rich wrote their own vows to each other, too. Then they each ended their vows with classic vows that were the same. I love the combination of one's own words followed by the timeless words of love that anchor one in the eternal understanding of love and commitment. Then you have both the personal and the classic in your ceremony.

Rich and Elle shared a sand ceremony which was just right for the mood and the symbolism. We blessed their marriage with these wonderful words of reflection: "Oh how our hearts are filled with great happiness on this day. Richard and Danielle have come together here in love, pledging their lives and hearts to one another. ...Help them to be sweetheart, helpmate, friend, guide and together, may they meet the cares and problems of life more bravely." It's a longer blessing in total, with more wonderful words.

We ended with 'Bless this wedding day and this couple as they go forth together.' I add my blessing to that again. It's been fun that Elle are I are now friends on Facebook. I love hearing their news as they start their married life together.

The Wedding of Holly and Paul at the Aqueduct Center in Chapel Hill

I'm going back to the Fall of 2009 - November14, to be exact, to tell you about Holly and Paul's wedding because I want you to see their wonderful pictures and I wanted you to get to know them just a little. They are what make weddings fun for me.

And they seemed to be having fun at their wedding, too. As you can see in the playful spirit of this 'American Gothic like' photo above.

Paul and Holly met through Holly's friend Nadine. Holly teaches yoga and Paul needed a yoga instructor. They immediately liked each other and have shared interests in vegan food, hiking, cooking together, biking and just enjoying life. And they have four cats.

In their wedding they wanted to honor both the public aspect of the ceremony - it is their public declaration of love to their family and friends - but they also wanted to keep the private side of their ceremony and their day. So they made very active choices to do just that.

They invited about forty people the Aqueduct Center in Chapel Hill to share their wedding day. It has this gorgeous view from the deck. We were all grateful for this radiantly beautiful Fall day.


This is the room off the deck where their ceremony was held in front of the fireplace.

High Strung Celtic (919-933-7624, Art and Sarah) were their wonderful musicians whose instruments included a hammered dulcimer and a fiddle.

Holly and Paul wanted their ceremony to be representative of their tastes and to have a participatory and community feel. And it did. Their attendants were their brothers, Scott and Kevin.

Their friend Albert read the poem 'Love' by Roy Croft. Then their friends Wes and Betsy read the Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. It's a gentle and loving piece that begins: 'Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story....' Google it to read the whole thing. It's worth it and will gentle your spirit whatever mood you're in.

We all had a special treat when Holly's brother, Scott, played a gyil (pronounced geel). It's an African instrument (that he made himself!). The song he played was one he wrote especially for Holly and Paul called 'When Walking, We Walk Together.' It was absolutely captivating and had a purity of tone and musicality that was memorable. Holly told me afterward how special the piece was for her.

Paul and Holly's vows are ones I love. Each person's vow begins first with the following question:

'Holly will you love Paul when you are together and when you are apart, when life is peaceful and when it is disordered, when you are proud of him and when you are disappointed in him, in times of leisure and in times of work? Will you provide trust and respect, and gentle understanding, encourage his personal growth and place him above all others? Do you promise to keep an open heart and mind in time so change and growth and to find compromise in times of conflict. Will you honor Paul's dreams and help him fulfill them?'

I love being the minister at weddings because I am reminded every time of the daily art of loving deeply. Wonderful words like these have helped me grow my love for my Sweetheart, Ruben.

After Paul and Holly exchanged their vows and rings, and i pronounced them married, I got to say the wonderful blessing: 'Always remember that we can expect nothing from love except what love gives. We cannot choose what chances and changes may befall us, but we can shape the spirit with which we shall meet them. My prayer for you is that your love will grow stronger and richer as the years so by......'

Robin Lin of Robin Lin Photography took all these wonderful pictures. She always seems to find the shots that are perfect for each couple.











I loved leaving Paul and Holly in the loving hands of their friends and family. My final words in the blessing in the ceremony for them were: May the years deal gently with you, walking together, may you find life richer for journeying through it together.'

They're both people who live life with a twinkle in their eye. They fit well together. I have no doubt that they will continue to find life delightfully enriched in their journey together. Many blessings to them!