Alison and James Wed in a Private Family Ceremony!

Alison and James came by to see my wedding garden in May because they were looking for an alternative to getting married by a magistrate at the courthouse--not very romantic! They wanted to have their families present and a courthouse wedding could not accommodate that. They loved my garden and so we got busy designing a ceremony for them. They chose the date of July 6, 2012 and all week we had been having pop-up showers in mid-afternoon. We were all very happy that the rain held off that afternoon until the evening. Alison and most of the guests arrived by limousine and James and his men followed separately.

We hid the bride and her brother, Kyle, inside the house while the rest of us got seated and in position and began humming "Here Comes the Bride" as our lovely bride and her escort entered.

Alison's other brother, Chad, joined Kyle on the bride's side and James' brother, Will, and James' brother's young son, Lucas, whose father is deployed stood in his father's place for him while the mothers looked on. James' father was up and down taking pictures.

"And when you have been together for a long, long time, you will look at these rings and you will feel the impression they have made on your fingers and you will know these rings contain all the memories of your lives together, beginning with this day."

"By the love that has brought you here today, by the vows you have exchanged, and by the integrity of your commitment, it is my pleasure and my honor to recognize you as husband and wife!"

Let's see, how many certified copies of your marriage license will you need? (If you get your license in Wake County, I can include your request for certified copies and check to the Register of Deeds when I send the completed license back in and they will mail out your copies when they have recorded your marriage.)