A Wonderful Wedding for Nastassia and Luke at Caffe Luna!

I loved working with Nastassia and Luke! We met last May to begin designing their wedding ceremony which took place on Sunday October 6th 2019 at Caffe Luna in downtown Raleigh.

Nastassia is so beautiful and so ready to be married.......as well she should be! She and Luke met way back in 2008 when they were both undergraduates in college in New York. Their relationship has stood not only the test of time but also long distances that lasted for years while Nas attended medical school, residency and internship and Luke his graduate degrees. Finally they chose North Carolina to settle down in together and make home--and get married at last.

Meanwhile Cinda, the owner of Cinda's Creative Cakes, was on the job putting the finishing touches on her beautiful creation. It is rare when I see her as she has usually been on site and gone by the time I get to the wedding.

The finished product. Simple and classic! And delicious! 

Taking a quiet moment to review the script before I deliver it! 

Willis is a frequent DJ at Caffe Luna and, as usual, he did a great job providing my amplification and the ceremony music. Tre Bella Flowers did the arch up front and the bouquets and boutonnieres.

After persuading the guests to move forward and fill in chairs up front with Michelle Gunton, our wonderful photographer, we are ready to begin the ceremony. (Empty chairs--especially on the aisle--don't look good in the wedding photos. Often venues put out more chairs than the number of guests expected which makes it look like a lot of people did come to the wedding.)

When it was time to begin, I walked in first--past the empty extra chairs in the back. 

Luke and his parents, Donald and Laurel, enter next.

Luke joined me up front as his parents took their seats. 

Then the attendants came in as couples. Kareem and Daniela first. 

Todd and Melissa next.

Adam, best man and brother of the groom, and Shawnett, maid of honor, make their way down the aisle.

Their friend Jewel, our honorary director, cued Nastassia and her mother, Sharon, to begin their walk down the aisle.

They sweep past the guests standing in their honor. 

"Sharon, do you bless and support Nastassia as she comes to join in marriage to Luke?" Of course she answered "I do!" and took her seat as the couple turned and faced their guests.

I stepped out and began telling their guests the story of how they met and fell in love and their journey to their wedding day. It was a sweet story. They were smitten with each other from the very beginning when they were fixed up with each other to go to a party.

And there were some comical moments also and we all laughed a lot. In fact, their guests laughed in places I was not expecting laughter. Couldn't have been better! Always love that the guests are having a good time and enjoying the ceremony.

The story flowed into a welcome to everyone and a tribute to their parents. 

They turned and faced each other as I stepped behind them and revealed what each of them had told me in confidence they love about each other. Then they made their vows to each other. When it was time to exchange rings. I asked Adam for the rings. He placed them in my hand and as I looked at Nastassia's ring, I said "This is the tiniest wedding ring I've ever seen!" (NOT in the script!) Everyone laughed including the couple.

Handing the tiny ring to Luke as Nas wiped away tears of laughter! 

And more laughter as I asked Nas to take the substantially larger ring and place it on Luke's finger! 

I retrieved the hankie from her hand so she could place the ring on Luke's finger while saying the words after me.

They wrote love-letters to each other and sealed them without sharing. The Anniversary Box was brought forth by Adam's wife, Lisa, and they placed the letters in the box with the bottle of wine and locked it. I invited them to open the box on their first anniversary, pour each other a glass of wine, then read the love-letter from their spouse. Have a conversation about the wedding day and the year that has passed. Then write new love-letters, place in the box with the old letters and a new bottle of wine and repeat on every anniversary.

A closing blessing for our couple who were going to finally be pronounced married. 

The pronouncement was made and I invited them to kiss!

Sealed with a kiss! 

That sweet "after kiss" where reality that they are really finally married at last sinks in. 

Introducing them to their cheering guests! Willis starts Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You!"

And they step into their new married life together! 

What a happy couple! 

Luke and Nastassia! What a wonderful and fun wedding! I loved it and I thank you for choosing me to join you in marriage! I wish you the best always!