Matt and Ashley Marry at The Barclay Villa With Much Joy

Matt and Ashley are planners and that's good.  You could see the result in their beautiful wedding that not only celebrated their love and their marriage but the family they create with Riley.

Thanks to Justin Cook Photography, our wonderful professional photographer for these images.  He was so good at capturing their fun personalities and their joy.  I had never been to Barclay Villa before.  It's an hour and 20 minutes from my home so I rarely travel that far.  I was glad to experience it.  It's wonderfully elegant inside and out, as these pictures showcase.  It was just the atmosphere that Matt and Ashley wanted.  They also wanted to honor their family who had passed on and have a special ceremony with Riley.  

Ashley and Matt booked me for only the ceremony, not the rehearsal, which is only possible in a venue like that with professionals who will see to every aspect of the rehearsal, and do it flawlessly.  (Thank you, Cindy, staff member at the villa.)

Matt and Ashley did all the flowers themselves.  Kudos to them.

We performed a Celtic Handfasting Ceremony for Matt and Ashley.  Then we customized the sand ceremony to include Riley in a special way and so that Matt said vows to Riley and that Matt and Ashley gave Riley a family medallion as a part of the ceremony.  I'm so glad the photographer got such wonderful pictures of the moment.

Now you can see how lovely the wedding garden is.  And the day was gorgeous and not too hot.  A gift to NC in early September.

After the ceremony everyone relaxed a lot more!  Justin has a quirky sense of humor which made it easy for everyone to smile and relax.

The main staircase at the villa.  What an entrance!

She'll never live this one down.

Their first dance, of course.  I love this aerial view for photographs.

The Villa at night.  Now you can see how lovely it is, too.  And quiet.  I've officiated at other lovely venues where lawn mowers or radios, or even Harley conventions created lots of distracting noise.  This is out in the country and was joyfully quiet.

 I'm so delighted for Matt and Ashley.  They found me because I had married friends of theirs Laura and Matt, in 2007.  It's so much fun when life weaves in weddings from the past and I can hear that couples I've married are doing well.

Thanks to all the other great professionals who ensured that Ashley and Matt had the perfect wedding.  Joe Bunn, of Joe Bunn DJ, and Not Just Cakes in Raleigh for their cake.  

Goeff and Liz and Champagne at The Raleigh Rose Garden

The very warm evening of June 19th, Geoff and Liz married at The Raleigh Rose Garden.  They wisely scheduled their wedding for 7PM and then had their reception under a large tent at the other end of the Rose Garden.  I loved how cool they dressed and how easy they made it for themselves.  They're a couple very much in love with each other, their beautiful daughter, Samantha, and their families.  It made it a very joyful occasion.

They put the small house at the end of the garden to good use with champagne and cold water ready for guests.  Their ceremony included a champagne toast at end end so we wanted everyone to be prepared.

The Rose Garden looked magnificent.  Everything was in bloom.  

The Snyder Trio, always elegant, professional and playing to perfection was a joy to work with.  They played 'Midsummer Nights Dream' for the seating of the families, 'Pachelbel's Canon in D' for the attendants entrance and 'Kiss of Life' for the bride's entrance.  

Liz and Geoff met on a friend's back porch and they've been together ever since.  They love the expression 'Every pot has it's lid,' because Liz feels that she has found the lid for her pot in Geoff.  They're a perfect fit.  As part of the ceremony I had the honor to read love poetry written by Geoff's grandfather to his grandmother.  It's lovely still.

The picture below is Liz's father signing the marriage license after the ceremony.

Thank you so much to Jerry Reed Photography for these fabulous photographs.  He was so kind in sharing them with me and us.  Lake Boone Florist was Liz and Geoff's florist, Not Just Cakes created their cake, The 'Q' Shack did their catering and Davis Messina Band was their band for their reception.  It's always nice to be able to laud such wonderful wedding professionals!


Geoff and Liz are easy and warm and loving people who cherished having their friends and family with them to share their love.  Theirs was a simple, loving, sentimental wedding.  Just what they wanted.  I wish them all the best!