Brenna and Jacob chose the fabulous
Shady Wagon Farm for their wedding and the date was November 8, 2019. The day was sunny and sparkling and the temps were a little chilly, but pleasant.
The gazebo and chairs were in place.
Daniel's Florist had the shepherds hooks lining the aisle with hanging jars of colorful flowers.
First thing I do when I arrive for a wedding is find the DJ and get the sound hooked up and do a sound check.
Our DJ was Bill Freeman of
Freeman Productions. Bill does lots of weddings at Shady Wagon and we made a good team. The sound was perfect!
The couple thoughtfully put out the hand warmers for their guests.
When the guests had arrived and were seated, it was time to start the ceremony. I walked in first and made the "unplugged" announcement asking the guests to put away their phones and cameras and truly be with Brenna and Jacob without the distraction of technology.
Jacob escorted his mom Renee in to her chair then joined me up front.
Mother of the bride, Bethanne, was escorted in by her son, Connor.
Then all the groomsmen made their entrance and took their places up front. Handsome guys!
The bridesmaids come in one by one and filled in the front. Above is our Maid of Honor, Meghan.
Our flower girl Jillian and ring bearer Landon got a ride in the wagon down the aisle!
After their wagon ride, the kids were retrieved by their parents.
Brenna and her dad, Scott, had been waiting in the house for the signal to begin their walk to the ceremony.
What a happy moment!
As they made their way down to the gazebo bridge, our photographer Amy with
Your Still Life Photography was stationed on the bridge and her second shooter, Scott, was covering the aisle.
At this juncture I asked Scott: "Who gives their love and support to Brenna as she comes to join in marriage to Jacob?" He answered "Her mother and I do" and placed Brenna's hand in Jacob's. Brenna gave dad a little kiss and he carefully skirted around her dress to take his seat with the guests.
And so Brenna and Jacob turned and faced each other holding hands centered in front to me. If you look closely, you can see Amy on the gazebo getting some amazing shots!
After a warm welcome to all the guests, a prayer and remembrance of those who were not present, I stepped out from behind the couple to address their parents and give them a sweet blessing from their children.
"And so with this marriage a new branch of the family tree is born and will be strengthened and enriched by the love, traditions and knowledge of their family roots."
Then the storytelling began as I started telling the story of how Brenna and Jacob met. Most couples love adding in some humor here and Brenna and Jacob were no exception!
Reminiscing about their college years and watching Big Brother together at their dorm.
Then there were the challenges of being apart while Brenna went to London for school then after graduation to Disney College. The proposal took place on the bridge where they first fell in love and of course Brenna said yes. The next challenge was to find Jacob a job in North Carolina which was accomplished in May of 2018 and the wedding planning hit high gear!
Next I revealed to each of them what their partner had told me in confidence about what they love about each other, want to marry and what they are looking forward to in marriage.
Next came the vows--their promises of marriage to each other.
I called for the rings which had been brought in on Brenna's grandmother's Bible--a family tradition.
Brenna said the words after me as she placed the ring on Jacob's finger.
They chose the Anniversary Box for their Unity Ceremony. The box was in the gazebo.
They had each written loveletters to each other and sealed without sharing. During the ceremony I handed them the letters and asked them to put them in the box to be opened on their first anniversary.
Now it was time for the closing blessing.
During the blessing I invited them to turn and gaze at their guests and feel the love surrounding them on this very important day in their lives.
The pronouncement of marriage--the moment they become legally married to each other.
Jacob goes in for the kiss as I get out of the way!
I thought the kiss was a bit too brief for their photographers to get a good picture so I asked them to kiss again.
Not a problem at all!
The bride has her bouquet and I introduced them to their guests for the first time as husband and wife and invited them to join me in congratulating them!
As the guests walked over to the barn for cocktail hour, the geese decided it was time to go for a swim!
Chatting with Monica, the venue manager and our very capable and experienced director, about how well everything went. We love working together!
Brenna and Jacob! What a wonderful and beautiful wedding! I loved it and I loved working with you to write our ceremony. Congratulations on your marriage and I wish you all the best forever!
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