Joanna and Garnetta Celebrate their Rainbow Love with a Heartfelt Commitment Ceremony

You would be hard-pressed to find a happier couple, or one with more joie de vivre than Joanna and Garnetta. They met five years ago when Joanna attended a karaoke show and Garnetta was the DJ. Their mutual interest was immediate and a friendship began that quickly became a deepening love. Within a few months, they were a couple and they have been happily together ever since.

I was so pleased when they decided to work with me for their wedding. I could tell they were going to put their hearts into their ceremony so it was going to be very special - and a lot of fun. I was right on both counts. There are so many things to share about them but I would need a book instead of the space of a blog post, so I am going to have to touch on only the highlights. All the photos here are from their talented photographer, Steve Rubin, of Steve Rubin Photography, who has graciously allowed the use of his photos. He is a kind and caring man and he took a lot of pleasure in capturing for them the true emotions of the event. If you would like to see more of his photos from Joanna and Garnetta’s commitment ceremony, here is a link.

The ceremony and reception took place in their home and, because the weather was rainy all weekend, they had to put up a tent in the yard. As much as they had wanted the ceremony to be under the stars, the weather just wouldn’t cooperate, but it turned out that the tent added a sense of intimacy they hadn’t expected. It was like all the love got bounced back down from the ceiling of the tent and just made everything more.

Joanna’s father had passed away, sadly, so her brother came to town to walk her down the aisle.

She still had her father with her, though, because she carried a small urn containing some of his ashes. I have never seen another bride do this before and it was very touching.

During the ceremony, Joanna and Garnetta included a Memorial Candle to honor Joanna’s father and Garnetta’s grandmother, who would have been 100 years old that day. She was the reason they had chosen to have their ceremony on that particular date and in their home they have a grandmother clock that never runs anymore, being set at the time she passed. The Memorial Candle was beautifully embossed with the names of the loved ones.

Both ladies wrote their vows to each other and read them from cards. Happily, Steve got some shots of their faces as they were listening to the other read their vows.

They also wanted to include a Sand Ceremony, which is a beautiful symbol of lives joined together. The sand was all set up in beautiful vases, awaiting the proper time in the ceremony.

But something none of us had thought about was how sand holds moisture - and that sand had been sitting out in the damp air for a few hours waiting for the ceremony to begin. As they began to pour and some of the sands started to blend into a lovely pattern, most of the sand was damp and became stuck in the vases - and would not pour! Eventually, after determined perseverance, they got all the sand out but it made for a few funny minutes while they worked together to make it happen.

There were multiple musical interludes for songs that are special to Joanna and Garnetta. Through every one of them, Garnetta sang quietly along and Joanna and all of us were charmed by such an honest and sincere display of love.

Eventually it was time for the ring exchange and the kiss.

Joanna was quick to wipe off her lipstick smudge. Very thoughtful.

After the ceremony, as the guests were lining up to blow bubbles around them for their first dance, they hid out beside the house, away from the guests, for a few private moments and some photos.

I came to join them for photos and Steve took this wonderful shot of the three of us together. What happy faces! I really love this photo.

Then they went out on the dance floor for their first dances. I say dances because they actually did two first dances - the second was to an Elvis Presley song that Joanna’s father had recorded before he passed. Deeply moving.

From that point on, the partying began and they put on one heck of a fun party. Garnetta had chosen the whole playlist of wonderful tunes for eating, dancing and having a great time in general. With Garnetta’s expertise as a DJ and she and Joanna’s shared love of music, you can bet they are going to have a grand musical backdrop for the rest of their lives.

Here is a picture of the Best Man making a toast. Check out the expressions on their faces - you can see already the kind of celebration that was coming.

Because this was a commitment ceremony, Rainbow Pride was in the decorations. Joanna made the Flower Girl basket and the Ring Bearer pillow,

the napkins were printed with the rainbow,

and the adorable guest favors were these cute bubble gum machines with hand made tags. “Taste the Rainbow” is a great tag line!

Joanna’s garter was even the rainbow.

On the table by the guest book sat these beautiful wedding goblets and this lovely engagement photo, taken by Steve.

Speaking of the guest book, I have never seen one like this before... it was perfect for a fairy tale wedding.

There were so many fun moments between them and their guests, not to mention everyone thoroughly enjoying themselves out on the dance floor. Here are a couple cute shots with the Flower Girl and Ring Bearer.

And this is a photo of the happy couple with Garnetta’s children. A very nice family, indeed.

Before I left, Steve was tapping guests to help him with a photographic experiment. He had Joanna and Garnetta stand together and lined four of us up to their left. Then he gave the four of us small flashlights and told us to make a specific letter in the air, but make it backwards. (Huh?) We did what we were told, and this is the amazing result - WOW! (I was the E.)

Their beautiful wedding cake was made by Once In A Blue Moon Bakery in Cary. (Don’t you just love that name!) It tasted every bit as good as it looked, which is unusual for so many wedding cakes.

Joanna and Garnetta, thank you so much for your happy, caring approach to life. It is infectious and fun, touching and unforgettable! I LOVE the beautiful, engraved bookmark you gave me and it will be with me forever. Every time I look at it - which will be all the time because I am a big reader - I will think of you and your giant hearts. You deserve all the grand things Life is sure to hold in store. May all your dreams come true in unique and wonderful ways.

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Marrying on September 9 Continues a Century-long Tradition in This Family

Staff Sgt. Kyle Ray and his lovely bride, Angelynn, were married in Cincinnati on September 9, taking their place in a long line of family generations who have also married on that date. For a hundred years, Angelynn’s family has had a tradition of marrying on September 9 and because of that, some of her family in attendance were celebrating their own anniversaries that day. What a day of happy celebration that must have been for everyone and how proud the older generations must have been as they watched with pride while the next generation followed in their footsteps.

It was important to Kyle and Angelynn that they be a part of this honored tradition and they both say they hope their children (when they come along) will decide to marry on September 9 as well. What a unique and special family tradition!

Here is a great article about it from The Cincinnati Enquirer, sent to me by my daughter, Sarah. Thanks, Sarah. It’s a heartwarming story and I would have never known about it had you not sent me the link.
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Make A Rosary From Your Bridal Bouquet Flowers or From Any Flowers That Are Special To You

photo courtesy of KeepsakeRosaries.com

Jessica, a lovely bride whose wedding I ministered yesterday, carried a beautiful rosary down the aisle with her bouquet. When I asked about it, she told me that it had been a gift from her mother and was made of the flowers from her beloved grandmother’s funeral. Jessica’s grandmother had not lived to be a part of her wedding but Jessica was making sure she was there with her all the same with a quietly beautiful and heartfelt showing of her love. Even more touching was the fact that her grandmother had known her funeral flowers were to be made into a memorial rosary and that Jessica would be carrying it with her when she married.

I was so incredibly touched by that rosary that I wanted to share it here with others. I was not even aware that one could make beads from flowers, much less turn flowers into a beautiful rosary, so I went online later that night to see what I could learn about it.

It turns out that there are a few companies online that do this sort of work and the flowers can be any flowers - wedding flowers, christening flowers, funeral flowers - any flowers that have been special to you. The bead colors matched the colors of the flowers used and all sorts of flowers were used, not just roses. What a beautiful and touching gift this would be for yourself or for anyone else you care about and what a wonderful keepsake it would be to commemorate those special moments and connections in a life.

The photo shown above is not of Jessica’s rosary, although it is very similar. Her beads must have been made from deep red roses as they were a deeper red than are shown here. When the wedding photos are posted, I will include a photo of Jessica and her rosary.

If this is something you might like to research further, here are some websites of companies that specialize in turning flowers into rosaries and keepsake jewelry;

Rosaries From Flowers
Keepsake Rosaries
Floral Rosary
Heaven Sent Rosaries
Rosary Shop
Heart Keepsakes
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Carmen and Tim Marry at The Highgrove Estate in Fuquay-Varina

 Carmen and Tim are a quiet couple who really live life to the fullest, enjoying everything that comes their way. They have a great slant on the world and are sure to have a wonderful time together as husband and wife. They have a black cat they got on Halloween and named “Thirteen.” They took swing dance lessons to surprise everyone for their first dance at the reception. And Tim surprised Carmen by proposing to her at a Hurricanes hockey game, complete with the full proposal photographed on the jumbo tron and the team’s mascot, Stormy, standing beside him. The audience was cheering for her to say, “yes” and her parents were hidden in the stands, making a video of the whole thing. (I wrote a blog post about it and you can read it here.) Yes, I’d say this is a couple who intend to have a rich, full life.

During their ceremony, they wanted to honor Tim’s dad, who had passed, and they did a beautiful Candle of Remembrance for him, with a globe that had been engraved with his father’s name and a memorium. It was beautiful and very touching.

They also included a Unity Candle during the ceremony to indicate the combining of not only their lives, but also their families. Their Unity Candle was very unique in that it appeared to be stones of rock that were actually stones of wax, layered in a black and white pattern. Very pretty.

Because it was a hot summer day in July, the Groomsmen all wore lightweight tan suits - which surely must have been a Godsend to them in that heat - and the Bridesmaids wore these lovely purple, polka dot dresses. First time I’d ever seen polka dots used for Bridesmaid dresses but they were perfect for the day and the ladies will surely be able to wear them for many more special occasions to come. Great choice, Carmen!

The ceremony took place under the pergola in the back of the wonderful Highgrove Estate in Fuquay-Varina. All of us who do weddings in the area are in love with Highgrove and their staff. It’s a great location for weddings and other celebrations and the staff and food are always first rate. They have their own wedding planners there and for Carmen and Tim’s wedding, Angela Wright was at the helm. I always enjoy working with Angela and know she will make sure everything goes perfectly for the couple. (I also learned that Angela is expecting her first child in November of this year. How exciting! My hearty congratulations - motherhood is the best job in the world.)

Here are the front of Highgrove’s main house and the brick patio in the back. The pillars are the front entrance to the new ballroom.

This is the entrance to the new ballroom with its neat chandelier in the front and the equally charming post light that leads down the stairs to the pergola.

Inside the ballroom, where the reception was to be held, everything was in readiness for the celebration to come.

Unfortunately, I was not able to stay and see Carmen and Tim’s first dance but I am sure they must have wowed their guests with their swing dance routine.

As I was leaving, I noticed the sun shining on the gift table in the front dining room of the main house and couldn’t resist getting a photo of it. It struck me that it perfectly matched the feel of the happy, sunny wedding and the hopes and dreams of this special couple for their future.

Others on hand to help make this wedding day so special for Carmen and Tim;

DJ - Aaron Kinne of Anything Music
Photographer - Dustin Naderhoff of Halo Photography
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Carmen and Tim had a great idea for their wedding programs; they included a Celtic design entitled, “What Tree Did You Fall From?” and it showed the name of the tree for each birthday and the symbolism of that tree. I, of course, had to look up myself and all my family members to see if it was accurate and it was - uncannily so.

Carmen and Tim’s wedding date was symbolized by a fir tree and in reading the meaning of it, I found this;

“extraordinary taste and dignity, sophisticated, loves anything beautiful, cares for those close to them, rather modest, very ambitious, talented, industrious, many friends, very reliable”

Yes, I’d say that about covers it.

Carmen and Tim, I loved being a part of your wedding day and know you are going to have a fun and amazing life together.
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Andrea and Warren Celebrate Their Love at Their Raleigh Home

 Andrea and Warren wanted their wedding to be a fun, casual celebration at their home, surrounded by their family and friends. They both have a great sense of humor and that was going to come out in the celebration for sure... starting with the wedding entrance music. Warren is a member of a Barbershop Chorale group and many of the other members were guests, so the wedding processional was an a capella rendition of “Here Comes the Bride,” or as Andrea describes it, “the dum-dum-de-dum” version. I knew right away I was in for a fun time at their wedding.

They have a lovely home with a lush yard and the ceremony took place out in the yard under an arbor decorated with flowers and ribbons. Tables and chairs were set up in another part of the lawn and as I was leaving later, I noticed kids playing in yet another area. It was all very sweet and Norman Rockwell-ish and it was wonderful being a part of it all.

After the ceremony, Andrea and Warren had a very nice welcome for their guests, followed by a toast. 

After the toast, and as all the mingling began, there were some photo ops over by the arbor. Here’s one of me taken with the happy couple.

Over by their deck was a display of plastic pink flamingoes. I grew up in Florida, where plastic flamingoes are common, but in NC? And not even by the beach? I had to ask. Turns out that the flamingoes are an inside family joke that relates to Warren’s mom, who has now passed on, and the flamingoes were there in her honor. I’ll bet she would have LOVED that.

Before the wedding was to take place, some renovation work was going on at their home and it was supposed to have been completed by the wedding date but, of course, it began to look doubtful as the wedding date got closer. The workmen, God love ‘em, worked almost around the clock to get the walls up and painted and things finished enough to have the festivities take place in the addition, but there were some nail-biting moments to be sure for Andrea and Warren. I loved getting Andrea’s update emails about the progress. She could write a humorist’s column, she is so witty.

Inside that dining room renovation was laid out a splendid buffet of all kinds of delicious treats. Overseeing this sumptuous feast was the Chef, Kevin Ingram, of KSI Catering, proudly and ably being assisted by his son, Gregor. What you see here was just the beginning. Much more was to come later but I was not able to stay and see what that was to be. It was sure to be just as amazing, though.

 Their absolutely beautiful cake was created by Simply Cakes and with that pedigree, I am sure it tasted every bit as good as it looked.

In a corner of their living room sat this magnificent old jade tree. For those who don’t know about jade trees, they can live to a very ripe old age with care and this particular one is very old. When I asked about it, the tree had belonged to Warren’s mother and they had taken it into their home to love and care for it when she passed. How touching that is.

Andrea and Warren, I wish you all the many special years you see ahead for yourselves. May your family jade tree be a perfect harbinger of the friendship, luck and prosperity it portends and may your love thrive as well as has this tree.