Meg and Jason Light Up The Cotton Room at Their Wedding

In October I had the joy of marrying Jason and Meg at The Cotton Room in downtown Durham.  They had a lovely exuberant bunch of people there to celebrate their wedding so I knew that their reception would be a lively affair.  And they're both such joyful generous people, it was easy to see why that would be so.  

Before the ceremony I made a request on their behalf, and I've never heard it put so eloquently:  "Welcome, friends and family! Good evening, everyone. Please be seated. Meg and Jason invite you to be truly present at this special time. Please, turn off your cell phones and put down your cameras. The photographers will capture how this moment looks -- I encourage you all to capture how it feels with your hearts.”   And their photographers, Elisa and Jay, of iContrast Images, did capture each moment beautifully.  Thank you to them for these lovely images.

Eric Hodgden, of All Around Raleigh DJ was their excellent DJ and also did the ceremony music.  I love working with him.  He really knows what he's doing!  Danny Hinton or Cleveland Plant and Flower Company provided their flowers.  And Tamara and Janelle, Jason's cousins provided the string music for the ceremony.  This felt like a family affair because everyone was just so delighted with the love that this couple has created.  And I understand why.

In just over three years, Meg and Jason have gone through (collectively) four job changes and two moves. They have bought their first house together, adopted a puppy and traveled as often as possible.  Through it all they find that they can rely on their deep bond of love and support of each other to accomplish their goals and to enjoy it all together.

Meg is forever grateful of Jason’s unending support and patience. She says he is the rock in their relationship.   She loves how close they are, and for the friendship that they have created. Jason is grateful for Meg’s love and passion.  He says that it is the best feeling in the world to know the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with will always be there for you. 

Meg says it best for both of them,  ‘To me, happiness is making a life with Jason.’

When Jason proposed to Meg it was a beautiful, private moment that they shared on the Greek Orthodox Easter last year.  Afterward they had fun celebrating with friends over bottles of champagne and cigars.  They told me that they were pretty much up all night!  And they are still celebrating.  This time it's their wedding.  I hope that they'll be celebrating for many years to come.  I wouldn't be surprised!

Carol and Erik Marry at Brier Creek Country Club With Love All Around Them

Erik and Carol were disappointed at first that they had to move their wedding indoors because of rainy cold weather this October.  But their ceremony was elegant and comfortable in this room at Brier Creek Country Club. As soon as they saw the room they knew that everything would be fine.   Riley MacLean was their wonderful photographer.  I've worked with Riley before and he and his assistant have a wonderful eye for what is just the right photograph.  I was so glad he was here because this room presented some lighting challenges that he was able to overcome.

Carol and Erik experience the divine through their relationships with the people in their lives who are close to them, and the room was full of friends and family there to wish them well, and to bless and support their marriage.

Their friend, Erika, gave the funniest liveliest rendition of Taylor Mali's 'Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog' that I have ever heard.  Everyone loved it.

Over the five years they've known one another they have spent more time together in those years than many couples spend together in a lifetime.  They work together and live together and yet this has brought them closer together than they ever thought possible.  

They've created a strong loyal partnership and a deep and abiding friendship.  We celebrate that, too, in their wedding.

A special part of Erik and Carol's exchange of vows was the Celtic Handfasting ceremony.  Carol had beaded their handfasting cord in the mauve and green colors of their ceremony and it was gorgeous.  I forget how many thousands of beads Carol told me was in it.

With each 'I will' response to the questions I ask them in the ceremony, I tie another knot in the cord, in essence 'tying the knot of their marriage' or 'binding their hands together in marriage.'

Here's a picture of their cord next to the vase that held Carol's bridal bouquet.

When Erik and Carol exchanged rings as a token and symbol of their vows, they said to one another, 'I give you this ring as a pledge of my love and as a symbol of our unity.'

After I pronounced the married with the words, 'You have formed your own union, in friendship, in respect for one another, and in love, and is it therefore my joyful task to pronounce that you are married,'  they shared a wonderful kiss.  My photographer friends ask me to tell the couple that a 3 second kiss is just about right if they want to get a good picture.  And they got a great one.

They're a dear couple and it was a joy to watch them celebrate their marriage in even those very first moments.  As a happily married woman myself who is still celebrating after thirteen years I relish the joy other couples find with each other.

Their mothers signed the marriage license.  Both lovely ladies.  Carol's mother also created her wedding program to look just like a Broadway playbill.  It was very creative and lots of fun.

My favorite picture of them is the first one on this blog, but I love the one below, too. Thank you again, Riley for finding just that calm after the rain to capture some lovely outdoor pictures, too.  Carol and Erik are special people, openhearted and kind.  I'm so glad their wedding was just what they wanted.  And I send them much love for many years of happiness.

To give credit to some other wonderful wedding professionals at their wedding:  The English Garden was their florist, and Eric Hodgden of All Around Raleigh DJ was their DJ for the reception and the ceremony music.  I've worked with Eric a lot, too, in one case where the bride hadn't chosen the music but left it up to him at the last moment and he was wonderful.  It's also a joy to work with him.  Their Maid of Honor, Beckie, made their cupcakes.  Wow!  What a huge and lovely gift for them.

Early and Kaity Marry to Lots of Joy at The Cotton Room

Kaity sent me these pictures of her and Early's wedding at The Cotton Room in downtown Durham.  Thank you to Tanya Odom of T. Odom Photographics for these wonderful pictures.  They are perfect because they show just how much these two like to laugh.   When I asked about her attendants she said she just had lots of sisters - 5 sisters and a brother.  And that this was her family's fourth family wedding this year.   So they wanted something that would be uniquely their own.  They also wanted a short - but not shamelessly short ceremony.  They felt the need to tell me that when we met because of the very long ceremony that another family member had had.  They told me that they felt graced by their love for each other and they wanted to concentrate on that.  And so we did.

They love the life that they have created together since they met in 2007 – filled with laughter, endless conversations and shared interests including dorky computer games, cars, trying new and weird foods, and more.  Kaity loves how Early loves to talk about their future together as a couple and about one day having and raising their children.   And Early loves how life with Kaity holds so many  unexpected surprises. 

To celebrate Early's heritage, we had the reading 'The Key to Love' by a first century anonymous Chinese author.  That reading still says it all.  Then as a part of the ceremony Kaity and Early each drank from a glass of wine tied to the other glass by a red string.  This tied back to an old Chinese legend about the Old Man Under the Moon tying the feet of boys and girls together who are destined to become marriage partners with a red thread.  They will find each other even if separated by a thousand miles.  You can see the glasses on the table behind us.

 The Cotton Company did their catering, their flowers and their cake.  Eric Hodgden, from All Around Raleigh DJ, was his excellent self as always.  I love being able to rely on him and Michelle Alldred at The Cotton Room for her wonderful professionalism, patience and always generous spirit.  

I wish them much happiness all their lives!