A Lovely Wedding for Colleen and Mario!

Colleen and Mario came to see me in March to officiate their wedding on May 24th at the Radisson Inn in Durham. They wanted their ceremony to be in the restaurant dining room. I have done many weddings in the ballroom and meeting rooms of that hotel but could not remember ever seeing the restaurant. When I arrived for their rehearsal on Saturday morning I could see how the dining room could be set up for a very nice wedding venue and it was! There is a little stage type of area at the far end that serves as an altar decorated with flowers and the guests sat on the floor level and everyone had a great view of the wedding. We did a make-shift rehearsal in a guest suite since the dining room was in use that morning.

When Marty and I arrived at the wedding on Sunday the place had been transformed into an elegant wedding hall! The tray ceiling really gave it depth and light. Their colors were coral and white and everything, including the wedding cake, was coordinated. They did the sand ceremony with Colleen's color being coral and Mario's being black and as wedding favors they had taken little bottles and poured alternating colors of the sand in each one topped with a cork and ribbon! How clever! As I was standing near the guest book as the guests arrived, I looked up and saw Megan and Trevor, a couple I married in June of 2005! Turns out that Megan had been a long time close friend of Mario. Small world. I won't ever forget Megan and Trevor's wedding because he took Megan's maiden name and the guests thought I had made a mistake when I introduced them at the end of the ceremony! I found out that they now have a 4 month old son, Corvin, and this day was the first time they had left him with a babysitter who happened to be Trevor's parents. It was a delightful surprise to see them. Here is a photo of them on their wedding day.

It was time to begin and Mario cued the DJ to start the music. Mario is a musician and brought his own sound set up and had a friend at the controls. The three groomsmen and I processed in. Then the mother of the bride was escorted in by another groomsman and he took his place with us. Then Mario came in and lit a candle in his mother's honor and stood with me. The three bridesmaids and the maid of honor came in one by one. I had the guests stand as Colleen's father escorted her down the aisle. She looked stunning! When the transfer of hands was made everyone was seated and the ceremony began. The couple included a blessing for their parents, a reading of the poem "To my Friend" by Roy Croft, the vows they wrote for each other and the pouring of the sand. After the pronouncement, closing blessing and presentation of the newlywed couple, they scampered outside for photos before joining their guests in celebration of their marriage. Terrific! A great wedding! Congratulations and best wishes forever, Colleen and Mario!