Chris and Katie, Nathan and Tiffany, Matt and Erica, and Scott and Meredith Light Up This April

This has been a busy spring and I haven't had the time to write a blog about the wonderful couples I  married in April.  I love writing a blog about each couple if I can.  A blog about a ceremony brings back the joy I've felt with a couple as they begin their marriage with the love and support of their families and friends.  I'm very happily married and I love helping launch their marriage in a way that celebrates their love.

However the other side of our journey of life has required attention from me this spring.  My 91 year old mother-in-law has entered hospice.  I am reminded how time passes oh so quickly.

A quote  by Andre Maurois speaks to this:  'A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.'    I wish each of these beautiful couples below many long and rich conversations.

In early April I got to marry Katie and Chris at the NC Botanical Gardens.  We are lucky that the rain had stopped the day before and the day was cool.  They had their reception inside at the large banquet room but in a private corner of the gardens they held there ceremony for about 100 people.  Chris graduated this May so there were many joys to celebrate.  They wrote their own vows  and had a unity candle to honor their joining.  It was a sweet and loving ceremony.

 I officiated Nathan and Tiffany's ceremony at The Cotton Room in downtown Durham.  I've done many ceremonies there and Michelle Aldred and her staff at Triangle Catering are always great.  May 2012 was their 6 years anniversary.  Nathan proposed at the Old Well all decked out with lights with a 100 yard extension cord and a generator that a friend had provided.  He pretended it was a photo shoot so it was a surprise to Tiffany.  They are a fun loving couple who are grounded and solid in their love.  I wish them much joy.

 I married Matt and Erica at the Bryan Courtyard of the Carolina Inn.  A favorite place for me.  And now that they have finished their remodeling, they have much easier parking and the courtyard is still the same lovely classic wedding site it always has been.    They met in Seville, Spain during their Junior year abroad for UNC and began dating the fall of their senior year.  They've known each other for eleven years and had a long distance relationship for 4 of those years.  They're delighted to now be in one place together.  We offered an Irish Wedding Blessing in honor of Matt's heritage and welcomed Erica's family who came from Peru to share this day with them.  They are both generous spirited people who have large loving families.  I was so glad to be with them to celebrate their love.

 I had the joy of marrying Scott and Meredith at The Sutherland in an elegant ceremony in mid April.  Thank you to Ashlee, owner of The Sutherland, for her wonderful coordination of the event. Their ceremony music was provided by Save the Date musicians with a saxophone and guitar duet.  It was very unique.  Scott's 90 year old mother was there.  Both sets of their parents were still married so we honored that between the two couples they had more than 70 years of wisdom about love and marriage that still inspires Meredith and Scott.  In our prayer of blessing for their marriage I said, 'May the love that warms our hearts today and the love that flows between Scott and Meredith always be strong.  God grant them the inner gifts of trust, compassion. forgiveness, and truth that they may live and grow together in love and peace.  Amen.'

Some couples I marry request that I don't blog about them.  So I will just wish them many many blessings.  For some couples I never get pictures.  I send love to Elizabeth and Bruce, Alex and Kim, Tom and Carol, Christina and Eric, and Jean and Santiago, who I also wed this month, one couple in the backyard of their new home, one in the pergola at Duke Gardens, one in the Stone Chapel in Wake Forest, one at Spruce Pine Lodge, and one in my living room.

May they all find happiness in their love for each other.  May their love bring out the best in them as they bring our the best in each other.  May they have love that lasts a lifetime!

Elio and Marie Wed at The Sutherland

On September 18th I presided over Elio and Marie's wedding at The Sutherland. I'd heard about it for a long time but had never been there. Then was pleasantly surprised that it was only 45 minutes drive from my home in Hillsborough.

Elio and Marie planned carefully and the elegance of their wedding showed the fruits of their labor. This was aided too by the wonderful staff at The Sutherland, led by Gayle. One thing especially to note, and Gayle helps you remember, is to follow the directions on The Sutherland website instead of relying on GPS or online maps program because the directions are tricky. Marie and Elio even put this on their invitation.

The home and grounds are elegant. The pictures you see are mine. I took them with my Droid. That's why they're not the best. Glen Ho was their photographer. I'm sure his are wonderful. Most times, I need to drive to another ceremony or want to drive home to be with my Sweetie, so I capture a few pictures is possible after the ceremony. Before the ceremony I'm making sure that all will go as planned, rereading the ceremony so it's fresh in my mind and heart, or finding a moment of pause, to become centered and focused on the couple and their love.

The day was unseasonably warm and the sun was in Marie and Elio's eyes at the beginning of the ceremony but with 2 small steps back we got them into the shade. The only problem was that those two steps took them farther from their families, but I could see the relief in Elio's eyes to be just a little out of the heat. I always encourage couples to see their site at the same time of day as their ceremony. The position of the sun can make the difference between enjoying your ceremony and roasting through it.

But the heat didn't mar the loving and low key ceremony that Marie and Elio had crafted. We shared the sweet poem, 'Falling In Love Is Like Owning a Dog,' by Taylor Mali, which was a big hit, especially for these two dog lovers.

The Sutherland site is lovely. The flower petals adding just the right hint of color.

This is a shot after the ceremony. I was upstairs gathering my belongings to leave the couple to their guests and their celebration when I noticed photographer Glen Ho taking pictures outside.
What a wonderful setting, as you can see. Because then I went downstairs, too, to capture my own picture of Marie and Elio and their families against this beautiful backdrop.

Elio and Marie chose a blessing which goes 'May yours always be a shared adventure, right with moments of serenity as well as excitement. Play together, laugh together, and walk together for a lifetime.' I wish them all the best, and hope that their marriage brings them much joy.