We finally get to see the ROOM

All photos by Edmund Moon of Daily Thousand Words Photography

Stay tuned.

Our Guest Book

All photos by Edmund Moon of Daily Thousand Words Photography

For our guest book we were inspired by the tradition of the Quaker marriage certificate. We wanted something meaningful and not something that would be packed away to collect dust. Also since we had such a small intimate wedding we also wanted something that would be inclusive of our guests. We had Lauren Brown our stationery vendor design a poster sized certificate which she had mounted and we set it outside the reception room for display. On an easel beside the table we had a large fame of family photos of couples in our family with an explanation of the certificate.

After the wedding we had it professionally framed and it now hangs at the bottom of our stairwell and I see it every morning when I come downstairs. A constant reminder of the commitment Roe and I have made to  each other and the people who witnesses our declaration of love.

Later displayed on an easel in our reception room for the formal signing by Roosevelt and me.

Here is the wording of our marriage certificate/contract.

On September 12th, in the year of our Lord, 2009

Nicole XXXXX XXXXX and Roosevelt X XXXXXXX appeared together, 

and Roosevelt taking Nicole by the hand, did, on this solemn and joyous occasion, declare that he took Nicole to be his wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto her a loving and faithful husband; and then Nicole, did in like manner declare that she took Roosevelt to be her husband, promising with Divine assistance, to be unto him a loving and faithful wife.

And moreover as a further confirmation and declaration of their love they do commit their hand to the following pledge in the presence of God, family, and friends.

To love each other earnestly, with passion and enthusiasm

To love with compassion and understanding and without reservation or judgement

To give the best of themselves and to ask of the other no more than they can give

To strive to achieve their potential as God’s creature and support and celebrate the other’s progress towards this goal

To be open and share with the other their innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams

To stay by each other’s side through times of illness, struggle, and poverty as well as times of health, happiness, and prosperity

To respect the other as their own person and to realize that their interests, desires, and needs are no less important than their own

To be patient with each others differences and to remember that they imbue their relationship with resilience, strength, and humor

To be the others rock of support and champion in the face of adversity, to be each other’s advisor and trusted confidant, and to always believe and trust in the others abilities and dreams

To grow together and be willing to face changes in order to keep their relationship alive and exciting

To do what they can to stay healthy and fit in body and mind so that they may age gracefully by each other’s side

To create a home that is welcoming, inclusive, spirited, and inspiring

To celebrate, cherish, and mark the blessing of their union each day

And we having been present at this marriage, hereby set our hands offering our love and support to this union

[AT THE BOTTOM]

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

1 Corinthians 13 4:7

Bridal Party Portraits

All photos by Edmund Moon of Daily Thousand Words Photography

So as I said in my last post, we did our bridal party portraits during our cocktail hour. We figured with a bridal party of six people they should not take more than 10 minutes, plus neither one of us were a fan of all the formal traditional shots with all the variations. The direction we gave our photographer was that we wanted them to be quick and also a little different. Our photographer has a very Vanity Fair-esque style which we loved and we wanted shots reminiscent of that.

I absolutely LOVE how they turned out.

Our Cocktail Hour - It was all such a whirlwind

All photos by Edmund Moon of Daily Thousand Words Photography

It seems like so much happened during our cocktail hour, that it is hard to believe that we fit so much in that looking back it seems like a whirlwind.

Immediately following the ceremony we were whisked away to the holding room for a private moment. The Four Seasons prepared a selection of hors d'oeuvres from our cocktail hour and glasses of champagne. We were concerned on missing all the yummy food we had selected but we did get a tasting. However, in all my excitement I did not eat much and I still missed out on the fab crab cakes everyone raved about.

Meanwhile our guests were circulating in the Jefferson room enjoying butler passes hors d'oeuvres, a non-alcoholic drink bar,  and butler passed mimosas & bloody marys. For the florals I went very simple and did only garden roses atop in a glass cylinder filled with moss. It was not worth the expense of huge floral arrangements for 1 hour of time. The Four Seasons did a lovely set up of the drink bar, but I don't think the picture does it justice.

I also surprised Roosevelt and had a harpist play at the cocktail hour.  (My husband is fascinated with harp music ever since we saw a harpist at tea at the Four Seasons during our engagement). I booked her the week before the wedding and I think it really added to the atmosphere of the wedding.

While we did get an opportunity to circulate we also took our formal bridal party shots during the cocktail hour as well. So stay tuned because we specifically told our photographer edmund that we wanted some non-traditional shots.

Our Wedding Video

Its been a while .....

Will I finish my recaps? Yes!

However, I am over the moon excited that we got our wedding video today! Courtesy of Well Spun Weddings.

Enjoy

And I will continue my recaps some time this week.

Ceremony Readings

Photo by Edmund Moon of Daily Thousand Words

I had about 10 ceremony readings that were potential candidates for our ceremony. In the end we went with a reading from The Prophet and the book of Ruth. They both resonated what our definition of love and marriage were.

Ruth 1 16:17

 16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God

17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

SPEAK TO US OF LOVE

From The Prophet

By Kahlil Gilbran 

Then said Almitra, Speak to us of Love.

And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said: When love beckons to you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself. He threshes you to make you naked. He sifts you to free you from your husks. He grinds you to whiteness. He kneads you until you are pliant; And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.

All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure, Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor, Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God." And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.

To know the pain of too much tenderness.

To be wounded by your own understanding of love;

And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;

To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;

To return home at eventide with gratitude;

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

Ceremony - The Best Part of the Day

All photos by Edmund Moon of Daily Thousand Words

By far the best part of the day was our wedding ceremony. I have never felt so connected to another person than when I stood before God, family, and friends and declared my love, devotion and commitment to my husband. I was on the verge of full out tears throughout the ceremony so I was so surprised at how many photos showed me smiling from ear to ear.

We discussed with our pastor the ceremony in our counseling sessions and we decided to go with the traditional vows without any alterations. The only thing we added were two readings a biblical and non-biblical reading. I can't wait to get our video back because our pastor did a beautiful job in  officiating the sermon. He said such beautiful words on his message of the meaning of marriage and what it truly means to join your lives together.

My friend from college (who I met in our first week of our freshman year) did a reading from The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. A friend of Roosevelt did our second reading from the book of Ruth. I put together a simple book for each reading made from bronze shimmer card stock and accentuated with a pink ribbon so our readers would not hold a plain piece of paper in front of everyone. A simple quick project.

Look how happy we both were. Aaaahhhhhhhh.

Before we exchanged rings our pastor quietly prayed over them with us. Only we heard the pastor's prayer and it was one of the most intimate moments of the ceremony.

Exchange of our rings.

Our pastor blessing us after our vows and ring exchange. One of my favorite shots from the wedding. Edmund did a gorgeous job.

THE KISS!

And we are officially the Petersons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!