Angela and Marvin Wed at The Butterfly House!

I introduced myself to Angela and her mother at an open house at the Museum of Life and Science on March 8, 2019. When they told me that Angela and Marvin's wedding was on May 25th, just a couple of months away, I was surprised that they did not have an officiant. Fortunately I was available for their date and time and so we met on March 18th to start planning their ceremony. Marvin was deployed in Japan and I did not meet him until the rehearsal but we communicated by email for his part of the ceremony.

The day was beautiful when Dave and I arrived from another wedding that day. The chairs were artfully curved in a semi-circle in front of the stunning glass wall of the butterfly conservatory. Our DJs had a mobile unit and speaker set up on the far side.

The tables were all set and ready for the chairs to be added after the ceremony and cocktail hour. Southern Harvest was the caterer. The florist for the wedding was Pine State Flowers. (The wedding cake which had not been brought out from the cooler was by Groovy Duck Bakery.) Becky Chapman with Lily Rose Events was our director and our photographer was Morgan Henderson.

At the entrance to the butterfly house is this lovely terrace and the stairs that lead up to the area where the dinosaurs are! Cocktail hour will be here.

Nina and Garrett were on duty for All Events DJ and I got plugged into their system and did a sound check. Always wonderful to work with!

A beautiful spray of flowers for the ceremony area. 

Putting the finishing touches on our gorgeous bride! She is one of the most beautiful brides I've ever officiated for. 

Becky gets us all lined up for the processional. I entered before the others and made the unplugged announcement then the wedding party filled in around me.

This is Angela's beautiful sister and Maid of Honor! 

Angela and her dad Randy begin their walk down the aisle. 

Rounding the corner to the middle of the chairs as the guests stand in Angela's honor. 

Angela and Marvin have known each other since they were teenagers at Sanderson High School in 2011. 

In a sense they grew up together and their love for each other was sustained through years of college and military service separation. Finally they are having the wedding of their dreams!

After a welcome and prayer, it was time to honor their parents and tell them how much they loved and appreciated their support all their lives.

Then I had the good fortune to tell their love story. There were definitely some humorous moments and there was lots of laughter.

And so here they are today, ready to join their hearts in marriage surrounded by the people they love the most.

Angela gets to hear for the first time what Marvin told me in confidence what he loves about her and what he is looking forward to. Then Marvin gets to hear for the first time what Angela told me in confidence.

They said their vows and then exchanged rings. 

A closing blessing was next.

Making the pronouncement of marriage at last and inviting them to kiss! 

Happy to do so!!

And they step into their new lives! Off to Japan too! 

Photo-op with the butterflies in the butterfly house is a post wedding ritual. 

I stepped in to get a shot with the couple as a butterfly is resting on Marvin's thumb! Congratulations, Marvin and Angela. Wonderful wedding for a wonderful couple! All the best always!

Clare and Carter's Wonderful Wedding at the Rand-Bryan House!!

Clare and Carter are such a fabulous couple! They took my Marriage 101 course and honed their communication and conflict resolution skills. I am confident that their marriage will be a grand success with much happiness and satisfaction! 

Their wedding day was May 5th, 2019 at the Rand-Bryan House in Garner. It was a beautiful day to start out with but right before the wedding a quick storm with a lot of wind blew in but was over in a matter of minutes then the sun came out again.

The tables were all set for delicious BBQ by Long Leaf Swine and were crowded together into a side room while we did the ceremony in the main room.

Our couple with their beloved fur companion, Penny! Our photographer for the wedding was Keith Marwitz. Our wedding planner/director was Becca Taylor with C&D Events. Becca is the best and I love working with her!!

Our wonderful DJ was Ross Merle. Ross and I have worked at weddings together for 20 years and it was good to be together again. He is fabulous and I can always count on fabulous sound for the ceremony! 

I am doing a sound check with Ross here to make sure every guest can hear the wonderful and funny words of Clare and Carter's ceremony! The florals for this wedding were by Pine State Flowers.

I like to find a quiet place to review the ceremony script ahead of time. 

The guests have arrived and are seated in the ceremony space ready to get this couple married! 

One of our younger guests is ready for the ceremony to begin too! 

Carter escorted his parents in and joined me and his groomsmen, John and Brian, already up front. Then our bridesmaid Cameron entered followed by Kaitlyn, our maid of honor, pictured above. 

It is time for Clare and her father, Guy, and her mother, Leslie, to enter down the aisle. 

I invited the guests to stand for the bride and her parents. 

Clare and Carter turned and faced each other, ready to get married, at last! 

I told the guests how important they are to Clare and Carter and thanked them for being there. 

Then I asked their parents to stand for the Parents' Blessing which is a sweet surprise for them. 

I told them how thankful Clare and Carter were for all the love and care they had given them all their lives. Then I asked each set of parents for their blessings for this marriage.

Now the really fun part of the ceremony--telling the guests the story of how Carter and Clare met and fell in love, and their journey to the wedding day.

I included what attracted them to each other in the beginning and here is where the laughter comes in. 

Their paths crossed in Greensboro in a chemistry class. When Carter first met Clare she was wearing red cowboy boots and a cheetah print top. He thought this was a fascinating, yet somewhat strange combination. This outfit coupled with her incredibly cute short haircut was very intriguing. After their first meeting he couldn’t get over how cute she was, and used this as the main descriptor as he kept John (best man) informed about their first few interactions.

Clare thought Carter was HOT. He was exactly her type--thin, dark haired, and dressed like he was always ready for a hike. As she got to know him, she discovered he had a great sense of humor, was a deep thinker and clearly passionate about doing good in the world. She loved that he never seemed flustered and was always ready to have a good time. 

Their first date was an impromptu dinner at a nearby Chipotle after a lab session when Clare declared she was starving hoping Carter would take the hint. Carter was nervous about asking her out on a real date, afraid she was not interested in him. He finally asked her out to a movie but she had to work so they rescheduled for a walk together and it was then that they shared their first kiss.  

After that their relationship became fast and furious. Then it became long distance when Clare returned to school in Winston-Salem and Carter started a job in Raleigh. But the relationship survived and grew even stronger.

Clare is listening to me tell her what Carter told me in confidence about her--what he loves about her, why he wants to marry her and what he is looking forward to in marriage.

Carter's turn to hear what Clare told me about him! 

They exchanged their vows of marriage. 

Time for the exchange of rings. 

Carter places the ring on Clare's finger as he repeats words after me. 

Then Clare said the same to Carter as she placed the ring on his finger. 

Following a closing blessing I placed my hand on theirs and pronounced them married!!

Sealed with a kiss! 

That sweet "after-kiss" moment as reality is sinking in! 

Celebrate! Clare wasted no time in raising her hands to rejoice! The camera caught Carter starting to do the same! 

Kaitlyn handed Clare the bouquet and I announced them to their guests who applauded and cheered! 

And away they go into their new married life!!

Clare and Carter! What a fabulous wedding! I loved every minute of it and I loved getting to know you better. I have no doubt you are basking in wedded bliss and still celebrating your marriage! I wish you the best always.