Avalyn and Stephen Wed in the Jasmine Courtyard at Brier Creek Country Club!

I want to thank and credit Tosha with Story and Rhythm (a husband wife duo of photographer and DJ) who took ALL these beautiful photos and let me have them for this blog. I am sure you will enjoy them in contrast to the amateur photos taken with my point and shoot camera that usually populate my blog posts. Thank you, Tosha!

Avalyn and Stephen's wedding was at Brier Creek Country Club on October 2nd, 2016 which was a beautiful day. Sunny and pleasant temperatures for which we were all grateful. The ceremony was held in the Jasmine Courtyard which had been set up by the staff and The English Garden florist. The guests have arrived at this point and we are ready to begin the processional.

Kimberly Myer is our wedding director. Stephen and his guys and I stand ready for her cue for us to walk in.

First in are Stephen's parents who are so happy for this day. 

Time for us to walk along the side and take our places up front. 

The color theme is navy blue--always a good color on everyone.

Our lovely Maid of Honor, Sharon, processes down the aisle.

We eagerly await Avalyn's entrance!

She enters solo since her family is not with us today.

Stephen begins walking toward her and they meet at the back of the aisle. 

Together, arm in arm, they enter to take the next step in their lifelong commitment to each other--marriage! 

Welcome everyone! 

After a prayer we remembered those loved ones who were not with us and a scripture reading.

Then their story (an excerpt): "One of the best things about being a wedding minister is getting to know my couples and hearing the story of how they met and fell in love. I asked Avalyn and Stephen to share their story with me and now I will share it with you.

Those of you who know Avalyn know that when she sets her mind to something she is relentless until she accomplishes what she wants. Finding a life-partner was no exception. She joined Match.com hoping to meet someone whom she could vet before meeting in person. She wanted to eliminate the awkwardness of trying to get to know someone by dating. So, while browsing on line, she saw Stephen’s profile and it stood out to her. She liked his clean-cut look. So she looked through all his photos searching for clues to his character. She even took screenshots of a few of his photos and sent them to her friend Vanessa and actually said that he looked like he could be the one. She went through his photos with a fine toothcomb, seeing one with his dog, she figured he was caring. She also noticed some family photos indicating he might be family oriented. She clicked LIKE on his picture and the adventure began.

Stephen saw Avalyn’s profile picture in which she was wearing a dress with Jamaican colors. She was posing with her hands on her hips and he thought she was really cute. One thing led to another and a few weeks later on September 21st, 2014 they met in person at the Cheesecake Factory in Raleigh. They sat and played a staring game for most of that first date, forgetting about eating. At the end of the date they hugged in the parking lot and thought about each other all the way home. After 4 or 5 dates, Stephen introduced Avalyn to his parents and once that hurdle was jumped, he asked her to be his girlfriend on October 18, 2014. Avalyn felt like he had proposed!"  

Then the big reveal: their secret paragraphs! 

Their vows began with a few humorous requests then got down to the serious promises! 

The exchange of rings.

The pouring of sand together is a unity ceremony symbolic of their marriage.

As part of the closing blessing I asked them to turn and look at their loved ones honoring them on their wedding day.

And so they did.  A very sweet moment in the ceremony.

I pronounced them husband and wife and invited Stephen to kiss the bride!

Avalyn and Stephen, congratulations on finding each other and for your diligence in making your wedding ceremony so special. I loved working with both of you in the collaboration. It was 100% you! Thank you for choosing me as your officiant. I wish you the best always!

Laura and Jeff Wed at The Arrowhead Inn!

The Arrowhead Inn in N. Durham is a quaint B&B where many couples get married. They offer romantic get-a-ways and many wedding packages. Laura and Jeff fell in love with the place for their sweet family wedding and we met on February 9th to plan their wedding on October 1st, 2016. 

Gloria and her husband, the owners of the Inn, have created lavish flower gardens and meandering paths throughout the grounds. Every time I go there it is more beautiful.

This is the circular drive from the entrance.

 Pathway to the cottage.

 Pathway to the back courtyard and Victorian gazebo.

 More whimsical landscaping! 

 Path to the terrace behind the inn. 

 Cool garden sculptures! 

 The garden cottage.

 The beautiful Victorian gazebo where the guests have gathered.

 The musicians from Florian Music are playing prelude music.

 Jeff and I walk down the path from the garden cottage.

Our photographer is Christine Stock. The wedding coordinator for the inn is Ashley and is directing the wedding processional. Gloria, our gracious owner and hostess, is making sure everyone is taken care of. They have a great staff.

 Laura's father, Ken, is proud to escort his beautiful daughter down the walk.

 The transfer of hands is made and Laura's veil lifted. 

And so we began this sweet, sweet ceremony. Laura and Jeff loved being able to personalize their wedding so that it was meaningful and inclusive.

 After welcoming everyone and opening with a prayer, we remembered those loved ones no longer with us.

Then it was time for the children's blessing and Jeff, who had warned me before we walked in that he was going to have a hard time not tearing up, needed one of my hankies. I invited their kids to step up and join us.

This is a second marriage for our bride and groom and it combines their adult children into a new family configuration. It was very important to Jeff and Laura that they tell their children how much they love them and how happy that they are to be together.  We spent a lot of time and thought putting   their feelings into words. Laura spoke to Jeff's three children first.

 Then it was Jeff's turn to speak to Laura's two children.

 It was very emotional and so I ended up finishing what he wanted to say. 

 Then the children returned to their seats. As you can see many of the guests were very touched.

Then we had a scripture reading from Genesis they chose followed by words on love and marriage the second time around.

Instead of relating their story, they chose to expand the paragraphs about what they love about each other, why they want to marry and what they are looking forward to in marriage. Those are what I call the secret paragraphs. They both poured their hearts out to me in confidence and I took their words and created the paragraphs that their partner would hear for the first time in the ceremony. Their love for each other is very strong and their words touching with a sprinkle of some humor to make us chuckle a bit--amidst all the tears we needed a little comic relief!

 Then it was time for them to read their vows to each other from my book and place the rings. 

 Laura's turn. And a few more tears! I pulled out another hankie!

 A closing blessing was next.....

 The pronouncement of marriage!

 Their first kiss as husband and wife! 

 I introduced the newlyweds to their guests as they were cheering them on.

They made their way across the lawn to a grassy area for photos while their guests enjoyed cocktails on the terrace.

 The new family! 

Jeff and Laura, I am so happy you found each other. A perfect match. I loved working with you to make your ceremony a true reflection of the two of you and an expression of your love for each other and your family and friends. God bless you always.

Shortly after the wedding, Laura left this message for me on Facebook for which I am grateful:

We couldn't have made it through our wedding ceremony without Kayelily. This was the second marriage for both of us and 5 teenagers and young adults involved. Kayelily helped guide us through having the most meaningful, tearful, joyous and memorable event of our lives. Kayelily spoke about us in a way that it felt like she had known us and our family forever. Our expectations were pretty high on how are ceremony would go, but never expected how personal and perfect Kayelily would have made it. Kayelily took her time, kept reminding us to take this moment in and embrace all the love. It will never be forgotten! I would recommend Kayelily Middleton if you want one of the best wedding ceremonies ever. If you're nervous she calms you, if you cry she helps you with your tears and turns them into laughter. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And, again I will say we couldn't have made it without you...... Jeff & Laura