Carolyn and Mike Have an Intimate Ceremony at the Garden House in Fearrington Village

 Carolyn and Mike have known each other for many years, having met through their work, but about two years ago their friendship took a new turn when they began to train together as running partners. It was during their training for the Charleston Half Marathon that the friendship deepened and blossomed into a romance.

Running is such an important part of who they are that I wrote their wedding ceremony with a comparison of how training for marathons can correspond to living a life and creating a marriage. There really are many similarities, when you think about it.

Their wedding took place in the first week of January but you would have never known it by how beautiful the day dawned. Bright sunshine and temperatures in the 50s made it feel more like a spring day than the middle of winter. Indeed, as I was walking into the courtyard where the ceremony was to take place, I noticed one little daffodil was blooming already. In January?! I took that as a most auspicious omen for this marriage and the cherub sitting nearby seemed just as perfect.

The ceremony took place in the lovely little Garden House in Fearrington Village. I love this little cottage with all the sunlight that streams through the windows, but it was the first time I had ever done a wedding there. Fearrington Village has many beautiful settings for a wedding but for an intimate ceremony, I must say this is my favorite.

When I arrived, two grandmothers were waiting on one side of the Garden House for the ceremony to begin and the musicians from North Carolina Wedding Music were playing the Prelude music on the other side.

North Carolina Wedding Music always adds an elegant, professional feel to the ceremony and they are first rate musicians. I love working with them.

Carolyn and her mother had taken a trip the previous year to walk in the footsteps of St. Paul and one of the cities they had visited in Greece was Corinth. Paul had written letters to the Corinthians - what we now know as First and Second Corinthians in the New Testament - so those books of the Bible have an even greater meaning to Carolyn and her mom. Carolyn’s sister, Elizabeth, who was the Matron of Honor, read from First Corinthians.

Carolyn and Mike also wanted to include the Wine Ceremony, where love letters are written to each other and sealed in a box, unread, with a bottle of wine - to be opened and read on their first anniversary. In their case, though, Carolyn and Mike plan to write new letters and place new bottles of wine in the box every year on their anniversary, thereby creating a beautiful time-capsule of love through the years. What a special touch this is going to add to their anniversaries!

Mike’s father had already made a beautiful box for them and they decided to use it for this purpose, not letting Mike’s dad know this until it was shown at the wedding. You could tell he was deeply touched they had honored his gift in such a special way. Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of the box but when the photographer’s photos are online, I will be sure to add one.

Speaking of which, their photographer for the event was Krystal Kast of Krystal Kast Photography. She was all over the place taking what are sure to be stupendous photos. Can’t wait to see them!

Carolyn’s dress was simple and elegant, just like she is, and her bouquet was simple elegance as well.

Here are Carolyn and her sister, Elizabeth, chatting after the wedding.

I had married Elizabeth and Scott a few years ago and it was great to see them again and to meet their adorable little daughter, Alexa.

Soon it was time for lunch over at The Granary, also in Fearrington Village. They have a lovely room downstairs for intimate receptions and it is also full of light, with a great, inviting feel.

Here is their beautiful wedding cake, provided by Fearrington Village. So elegant.

 Carolyn and Mike had set up three photos on the cake table, two were their parents’ wedding photos and one was an engagement photo of them. It was perfect.

To start off the reception, Carolyn’s mom gave a beautiful and touching speech. Carolyn’s dad had passed away the previous year and her mom had found the speech he had written for Elizabeth and Scott’s wedding so many years ago. She used those words to welcome Mike into the family and it was touching beyond words. Later, Mike’s dad gave another speech welcoming Carolyn into the family and it was equally touching. Their parents could go on the speaking circuit!

Fearrington Village did a wonderful job of creating an excellent feast for the reception. Their wedding coordinators, Cheryl-Ann and Gilda, made sure the whole day went off as planned.

Carolyn and Mike made their rounds to the various tables, welcoming the guests and sharing stories. Here is Carolyn with the Junior Bridesmaid. Mike’s brother and sister-in-law are in the foreground and a young cousin is behind. The kids all had a table to themselves, which they LOVED.

Here is Mike speaking to his brother and sister-in-law, while their photographer, Krystal, is being a photo ninja. She was everywhere and managed to seem invisible, which is why I am sure the photos are going to be fantastic.

The guest favors were a chocolate bar with a cute wrapper, “The Perfect Fit.” Yes they are.

Carolyn and Mike, you are such a special couple and I know your perfect fit will be with you forever. I wish you many happy days, running your marathons and triathlons and living your lives to the fullest. You are best friends, running partners and partners in life. It just doesn’t get any better than that... until the children come along. (Just look at Elizabeth and Scott!)

Have a wonderful life together.
___

Carolyn and Geoff Celebrate Their Marriage with a Zombie Jamboree at Artspace in Raleigh, October 23, 2010

I first met Carolyn and Geoff when they were the photographers for a wedding I did last year. Being an amateur photographer, I find it interesting to watch what the photographers are doing when I can and in the case of Carolyn and Geoff, they were all over the place, in the strangest of positions, going for unexpected and interesting angles for the shots. I knew without a doubt that the photos would be spectacular because of this and I was right. (Here is a link to their professional website, Carolyn Scott Photography.) So when they called me to be a part of their wedding, I knew it was going to be a fun time. I was right about that, too.

Halloween-themed weddings are always fun and Carolyn and Scott put together quite a special event. Held in Artspace in Raleigh, it was a perfect accompaniment for the unique and creative evening they had in mind. There are so many good photos to showcase their creativity so I will include a lot here and let them speak for themselves. Many of the photos are by their photographer, David E. Jackson.

Here are the cute aisle markers,

and the greeter at the guest book.

Loved this fun shot they had taken earlier in the year.

The ceremony was very touching in so many ways and Geoff brought out an even bigger smile on Carolyn’s face when he read his vows.

They decided to include an Anniversary Box ceremony. Both had written secret letters to each other to be placed into a box that would be opened on their first anniversary. Into the box would also go their favorite drink ingredients (rum and Coke) and the box would be formally sealed with their signets until their anniversary. Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall when those letters are read a year from now!

After the ceremony, everyone headed upstairs for the celebration. The bar was appropriately appointed with a huge cauldron and the seating chart was titled, “Your Final Resting Place.”

A cookie table is a tradition in Pennsylvania, where Carolyn and Geoff hail from, so all kinds of Halloween cookies awaited our pleasure at that table;

and the cake, made by Geoff’s Aunt Leah, was just perfect - spiders and all.

Sprinkled throughout the tables were fun decorations. Here are just a few.

Geoff designed Carolyn’s ring and isn’t this a clever shot of their rings together.

Here they are during their first dance.

Followed later by Carolyn’s choreographed-on-the-fly dance with her dad. The song for their dance was written and recorded by her dad specifically for that moment. They wowed everyone.

And Geoff’s sweet dance with his mom touched every heart in the room.

Their exemplary DJ for the night was Stephen Scott, who was having as much fun as the rest of us.

This is a photo of their VERY tall photographer, David E. Jackson, taken after the wedding. He flew in from out of town to photograph their wedding.

As the evening progressed, the guests had a few surprises of their own for Carolyn and Geoff.

So the Zombie Wedding Jamboree was a huge hit and all the zombies partied into the wee hours of the night. Carolyn and Geoff went off into their own crypt later, and the guests retired into theirs with the sights and sounds of a good time had by all.

Carolyn and Geoff, I hope your life together is every bit as fun as your wedding!