Rob and Jocelyn Marry at Elodie Farms in Rougemont

I had the pleasure of marrying Jocelyn and Rob on May 19 at Elodie Farms which is a comfortable, quiet, lovely laid back goat farm and B and B setting in Rougemont.  It's not far from Durham, though so check it out.  It's such a peaceful yet festive atmosphere, I just love to go there.  Rob and Jocelyn were married on the lawn until an arch.  I'd only married folks on the steps to the house before.  This provided another beautiful setting.

Thank you to Jason Arthurs, our wonderful professional photographer, for his wonderful photographs.  Jocelyn created her own bouquets from hyacinths.  Whole Food provided their cake, Smokey Dave's barbecue catered their reception and Swift Creek was the Blue Grass band that played for their reception which began with their recessional, 'May The Circle Be Unbroken.'  It was a beautiful late spring day, even cool for NC, and the band started the very relaxed joyful outdoor reception.

Rob and Jocelyn had an especially unique and lovely Declarations of Intentions section of their ceremony:     ‘Bind me as a seal upon thine arm, As a seal upon thine heart; For love is as strong as death, Mightier than the grave. The darts of love are darts of fire, furious flames; Many waters cannot quench love, Nor floods devour it.’ 

Marriage is not a condition to be entered into lightly or unadvisedly, but with due reverence, and a sense of ultimate concern for the welfare of each person involved, and with a spirit that transcends the bonds of the past. Now is it with such an intention that you both come here to celebrate your marriage? [Both together: "It is."]

We also created a wonderful and very personal thanks to their parents:

'I invite the parents of Rob and Jocelyn to stand.  Jocelyn and Rob have special words of appreciation for you.  Between you, both sets of parents have 72 years of good marriage as a guide for Rob and Jocelyn’s lives.  And Rob’s grandparents have been married for 64 years.  These are powerful examples of love that grows and matures in marriage.  Jocelyn and Rob are grateful for your love and appreciate all you’ve done for them.  Without your love and unstinting support, they wouldn’t be who they are, and they wouldn’t be here today. Thank you.  Please be seated.'

A friend read “Mysteries, Yes” by Mary Oliver:

Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous

to be understood.

How grass can be nourishing in the

mouths of the lambs.

How rivers and stones are forever

in allegiance with gravity

while we ourselves dream of rising.

How two hands touch and the bonds

will never be broken.

How people come, from delight or the

scars of damage,

to the comfort of a poem.

Let me keep my distance, always, from those

who think they have the answers.

Let me keep company always with those who say

"Look!" and laugh in astonishment,

and bow their heads.

And we wrote a special blessing for their marriage that also included a Blessing for the banquet that would take place for their reception.  

Jocelyn and Rob, we celebrate your marriage and offer blessings that your love, joy and friendship is renewed daily.  May you continue to turn to each other, appreciate each other, and grow together in the dynamic process that life offers us.  May the flow of your love help brighten the face of the earth. May the source of all love touch and bless us and grace our lives.

We thank you, God, for bringing together this beautiful and wonderful company of family and friends to share your wedding and your upcoming wedding banquet together.  May you begin your future as one family, blessed in the abundance of your love for them, and the love they have for you.  We thank you for the food (abundance) that has been brought and prepared for this day.   May it nurture us in body and in spirit, so that we may live your love all the days of our lives.  Amen.

I loved taking their ideas and framing them into words that expressed all the love they share.  They are a grounded mature loving couple.  They make my heart smile.

I so appreciated their Thank You note to me:
Hi Robin,  Rob and I are so appreciative of how special you made our wedding day. We've gotten our photos back from our photographer and are glad to attach two here for your blog and other purposes.   Thank you for your advice and for all of the time that you put into making our ceremony meaningful.  All the best,  Jocelyn

Allie and Erik at Elodie Farms

Erik and Allie chose well when they chose each other, and when they chose Elodie Farms.  One thing in choosing each other - they both are in the field of healthcare and understand each other's work stresses.  If we had a medical emergency at their wedding we wouldn't have had to worry.  Luckily we didn't.  And in choosing Elodie Farms, they chose a comfortable, beautiful location with lots of personality and sweetness.

Patricia Suzanne, of Patricia Suzanne Photography, captured both the sweet spirit of Allie and Erik and of their wedding.  Thank you, Patricia!

I know it was a little hard for Patricia to get pictures on the porch since we weren't in the sunlight and she had to shoot upward.  Thanks to her for these great shots despite the difficulties.

They raise goats at Elodie Farms, and classic frame house fits right in,  Here's a picture before the wedding of Allie centered against the upstairs front hall window.

Allie and Erik wanted a friendly warm and intimate ceremony with their 50 family and close friends.  They told me that they were delighted that they could rent Elodie Farms for the whole weekend with a lighted tent for $1800.  And that they were going to have Foster's Market cater the hors d'oeuvres.  Most of the couples I marry are on a budget so I always want to pass on good ideas and information when I hear it.


This shot of Allie and her attendants shows the beautiful soft colors she chose for her day.

It was a beautiful October day.  Allie and Erik chose classic music that a friend managed from their IPOD. They really worked to minimize stresses to their day and weekend.  Here is Allie entering on the arm of her father.

One lovely touch they had was the Unity Candle Ceremony that was perfect on this breezy day under hurricane glass.   And it was nice that Patricia had such a great shot of this since it was on the side of the porch.

Although you can't see her gorgeous bouquet, Ninth Street Flowers did all their flowers, and Simply Cakes, their wedding cake.  The reception was held in the tent behind the house to the right.  You can just see it in the picture of the house.

I wish Allie and Erik all the happiness in the world.  I got to know them a little and in that time came to respect their intention and commitment to growing their love.  In their ceremony we had the following... 'You are entering a sacred covenant as life partners.  As in tending the flowers in a garden, the quality of your marriage will reflect the effort you put into nurturing this relationship. You have the opportunity to go forward from this day to create a faithful, kind and tender relationship.  We bless you this day.  It is up to you to keep the blessings flowing each and every day of your lives together.'

I have no doubt they will nurture their garden and their relationship well.