Often I have the opportunity to officiate the wedding of a close friend or family member. I was very excited when my ‘sister friend’, Sharon, asked if I would officiate her daughter’s wedding. I have known Anna for many years and was honored to be part of the celebration.
Anna, Sharon and I met to talk about the details of the wedding ceremony. Anna and Albert decided to get married on Earth Day, April 22nd and wanted to include a tree planting as part of the ceremony. I immediately began to offer suggestions on how this could be incorporated in their ceremony. After talking with Anna I had a good idea of what she would like included in the ceremony. Once I received her vows, I knew exactly what to do. I sent her a ceremony draft and asked that she make desired changes. No changes needed, the ceremony was perfect!
Anna and Albert’s wedding took place at Rocky River Vineyard in Midland, NC. This was my first visit and I was very impressed with the facility and staff. I would highly recommend this site for a wedding or wine tasting. (My favorite was Scarlett, a blend of several red grapes) I understand the vineyard schedules other events too, bridal showers, bridesmaid luncheons and family events
This wedding required a little more effort than most. Since I am a family friend, I helped with setup and cleanup as well as officiate the ceremony. The wedding was scheduled for 6:00 pm but we could not start setting up until 4:00. If you’ve been involved with wedding preparations, you know that this is not much time at all. We had tables to decorate and flowers to arrange. Everyone worked hard and everything was ready as the guests began to arrive. I excused myself and went to the main house to change clothes and collect my thoughts.
Anna really wanted to have the wedding outside but the weather did not cooperate. It had rained considerably during the day and the ground was saturated. Ken discussed options for getting as many photos as possible.
The drizzle also prevented the tree planting but we symbolically added our love as we poured small containers of soil around the tree, which was planted at a later date.
Once again, I didn’t get many photos. Hopefully, Ken Myers, her photographer will send me some photos to post.
I did get a nice shot of Anna and her mother.
And it wasn't too hard to get Anna to kiss her husband.
Congratulations to a happy couple!
