My daughter, Natalie, married her long-time love, Kevin in July of 2023.  This wedding was two years in the making partly because of Covid and the many impacts it had on scoring the right venue and the backlog of the nuptial pipeline.  They became engaged in a cemetery in Portland, Oregon, Kevin has an October birthday and both Natalie and Kevin are devotees of costumes and all things spooky. The engagement itself represents something important about them as a couple, they follow their hearts and easily shun the conventional. They knew what they wanted and they made sure that everything from the engagement to the wedding aligned with those desires.  

Here are the 6 elements of a magical wedding:

Location. Natalie and Kevin were married on a lavender farm in Sequim, on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State.  Not only was it a lavender farm but it was in the height of bloom. The Sequim Lavender Festival was two weeks after the wedding. Being surrounded by lavender (and many other flowers on the property) was a magical backdrop.  I’m not sure you could take a bad picture anywhere on the grounds and you certainly couldn’t at the golden hour when the sun is a glow at around 8:30 PM.  Not only was it beautiful but every slight breeze wafted up an enveloping fragrance.  I’m pretty sure that for the rest of my life, the smell of lavender will kick off memories of this lovely, magical union.

Food.  Kevin is a born and bred Georgian and a big fan of BBQ.  They were able to have a great BBQ joint out of Seattle supply the BBQ, Collards and Mac and Cheese.  Having authentic southern BBQ in the Pacific Northwest is no small feat from a BBQ place in Southern Seattle.  Instead of the classic wedding cake, they had cupcakes from a bakery in Seattle (Sequim is over 2 hours from Seattle), red velvet, lavender and creme brulé were the flavors offered.  I was fortunate enough to have the last creme brulé cupcake which is probably the best cupcake I’ve had in my life. They selected soulful food that connected them with their southern roots.  Enjoying this delicious food in ambiance on a farm was magical.

Music. Natalie and Kevin’s friend and previous neighbor DJ’d the music.  They had selected the processional music for the ceremony which was upbeat and fun. I remember them saying before the wedding that they had a specific list and order to all the music and that if someone had a request for a particular song well…they would need to go elsewhere.  There were many times during the reception when the dance floor was full.  The mix was eclectic and fun and it appealed to practically everyone but most especially the happy couple. Music creates magic.

Family. Natalie’s cousin, Megan officiated the ceremony with a generous but firm presence, her daughter, Jude was the flower girl although I think she felt more like a cat-lion as she meowed while dropping petals. My brothers, sisters in law, my mom, my great nieces, and Kevin’s parents and many aunts and uncles were all in attendance. Natalie and Kevins’ brothers, Brian and Benson were best man and groomsman respectively.  Family flew in from all parts of the country from Florida, California and Georgia to be a part of this magical event. I’m not sure I’ve met such authentically nice folks as Kevin’s family and the joining of all of us together felt like people I had known all my life. My brother dancing with his young granddaughters on the dance floor and my son and daughter dancing together are memories I won’t soon forget.  The most memorable moment will be Brian, the best man’s, speech during the ceremony when he brought out of his pocket on a red heart…” because it was from the heart”. It was so heartfelt, his brother Kevin had to comfort him in order to get through it. Magic is in the family.

Friends.  Natalie and Kevin have the strongest friend group I’ve ever met.  They’ve been together for over 8 years and have friends from Duke, NC State, U of Georgia and from the greater Seattle area. If someone is a friend of Natalie’s they are also, if not equally, a friend of Kevin’s and vis-a-versa. Perhaps it’s because they have moved together or because they have known each other so long but there are strong bonds between them and their friends regardless of where the friendship started.  Kevin and Natalie are deeply loved by their friends and it was pervasive throughout the week leading up to the event and during the event.  Upwards of twenty different friends helped set up and bring things to Sequim for the wedding.  Each person in the bridal party was helpful and pulled their weight whether it was steaming someone’s gown, finding one more bobby pin or lugging coolers full of wine and beer. There was more than one friend that told me how much they love this wonderful couple. Lauren, the person of honor and a roommate of Natalie’s from Duke gave both a heartfelt speech during the ceremony and a memorable toast during the reception. Friends create the magic.

Love.  One of the most memorable aspects of the ceremony is that both Natalie and Kevin spoke twice. They wrote their vows and passed the microphone back and forth.  It’s the first time I’ve seen that. It felt like a conversation that we were all a part of.  That the end of the ceremony wasn’t the end of conversation but that it would continue on for a lifetime. Kevin brought up taking Natalie to the emergency room on Christmas Day last year. She was having an issue after a surgery and Kevin sprang into action immediately. He was there for her.  We also lost power on the coldest day in Durham, NC and he took charge by getting wood and candles as we huddled around the fire playing Uno. Natalie was in charge of the wedding plans from the start and had a clear vision of what they wanted and knew exactly how to make it happen. She loves Kevin and she wanted it to be a memorable wedding.  It was.  It was memorable and magical.

I had the greatest honor to guide my beautiful, precious daughter and her infectious smile and spirit down the aisle surrounded by love, acceptance and belonging by all those loved ones on a picturesque, magical Saturday evening. She will always be in my heart and the memory of that wonderful union will live with me forever.