From our very first meeting I knew Wendy and Mike were going to have an entertaining wedding ceremony. We all exchanged pictures of our fur babies and laughed a lot as we talked about what they envisioned for their special day. Their dogs Olive and Louie were going to be their ring bearers in their micro wedding (only a couple guests) in Duke Forest. While they initially envisioned a business casual dress style, they ultimately decided on flannel as the dress code instead, so I happily wore my best flannel and my “Ask me about my dog” shirt.
Mike was inspired by a script he found on reddit which they made their own by adding cute inside jokes and geeky/nerdy references. Among my favorite parts included my using the power vested in me and the power of their love to vanquish Thanos (and also pronounce them wife and husband), and yodeling to celebrate their union. I’ve never yodeled before but anything a couple requests I’m excited to try! I watched quite a few both impressive and funny yodeling videos in the week leading up to the wedding.
After a couple cold miserable rainy days, the afternoon of the wedding arrived unseasonably warm and sunny. Myself, the couple, their two dogs, and their few guests trekked through beautiful Duke Forest trails with crunchy leaves underfoot laughing and talking until we reached the spot near where Mike proposed. The dogs scampered between the trees kicking up leaves and chewing on sticks as Mike and Wendy gazed adoringly at each other. I read a quote from Carl Sagan which included the sentence “Our little planet floats like a mote of dust in the morning sky” and I personally reflected on the wonder and beauty of the universe, that beautiful spot in the woods, and this couple’s amazing love. The ceremony was full of love, laughter, beauty, and light and despite (or maybe because of) having to pause for some tears and a random jogger, it was a perfect day.
Wendy and Mike promised each other to enjoy piggy back rides in their vows and wasted no time in fulfilling this vow after the ceremony was over!
Mike and Wendy had the following kind words to say in regards to their day: “Carly was great and the perfect wedding officiant for us! We decided to be married in Duke Forest with close family and our dogs, and Carly made sure everything went smoothly and delivered a wonderful experience from start to finish. She was very responsive, flexible, understanding and helpful from the first time we reached out to her. Carly provided great ideas of how to personalize our ceremony and food for thought as we planned our special day. We highly recommend her for a wonderful and organic experience. As her business name suggests, she really did make our wedding magical!”
