Celebrate May Weddings!

Did you know that May and October are the most popular wedding months in NC? I had three weddings May 3rd--two small private ceremonies in homes and one large one. The day was beautiful and all the weddings went smoothly!

Dan and Muneeba's wedding was in NE Raleigh. Peggy, mother of the groom, hosted a warm gathering of friends and family of the couple including Dan's grandparents and Muneeba's father and brother who traveled from Canada and England respectively for the occasion. Peggy provided quite a spread of delicious food and a beautiful wedding cake. Muneeba was radiant in her lovely wedding gown. Dan was pretty radiant too!

Then Marty (my "roadie") and I traveled across the Triangle to Durham for the wedding of Lori and Jimmy out in the countryside. They had created a sweet spot in their backyard garden for their beautiful ceremony which Lori had written almost entirely by herself with just a few suggestions from me. They were married surrounded by family and dear friends and later, Ginger, their sweet rescue dog joined us. I could not get her to pose with the bride and groom as she was so eagerly saying hello to all their guests!

The last wedding of the day was at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs, a wonderful setting chosen by Kevin and Valerie for their wedding celebration. There was a wonderful breeze on the deck with a backdrop of scenic Bass Lake. During the ceremony the youngest flowergirl proceeded to play with her basket of petals on top of the bride's train! You can see her if you look closely in the photo below. I could hear the other flower girls shushing her but she was having so much fun! Things like this do not bother me as long as they do not bother the couple and besides, it was entertaining to the guests on that side! Valerie's Grandmother Alice and Kevin's Uncle Jim presented two readings but Ethan, Valerie's 10 year old son, took the mike and held everyone in rapt attention with his reading of A Fairytale Potion for a Wedding. This special poem was written by Sean Brosnahan for his wedding ceremony that I officiated at Johnson Lake in 2004. I cannot resist publishing it here:

This wedding is, as stories are,
exquisite, warm, and bold.
A fairy-tale of love so strong,
it beckons to be told.
This couple here before you is
a testament you see,
that how to find love found in books,
is no real mystery.
If you’ll allow me, I will tell,
the recipe they’ve found
on how to mix a potion that will
spread true love around.
First take two individuals,
whose sense of self is sure.
And add a dash of thoughtfulness,
to keep their comments pure.
A pinch of warmth, a dash of smiles,
both grated fresh from stick.
But if you’re short, a spoonful
of compassion does the trick.
A willingness to give and take,
a penchant not to sulk,
should be added in large doses
(You should buy them by the bulk)!
Forgiveness is a quality found almost everywhere.
A pinch or two should do quite well,
to keep you from despair.
And last, not least, this recipe
needs flavoring does it not?
Two quarts of passion ladled in will surely hit the spot!
And now you know the recipe
that brought our lovers here.
If you follow it precisely
your own fairy tale we’ll cheer!
If this potion finds you love,
and marriage comes your way,
the only payment that they ask:
pass it on someday!

We followed the readings with the wedding address, vows and rings, then had a sand pouring ceremony including Ethan concluded by the pronouncement and introduction of the newlywed couple. Congratulations, Valerie and Kevin!

Ah, one May weekend of weddings down, 3 more weekends and many more weddings to go before June!