What an honor it was to travel to the infamous Homestead resort in southern Virginia for this spectacular wedding.  This one was truly sentimental on so many levels.  First of all, I’ve known Ashley & Matt since they were in high school (the two of them actually met in middle school).  They have been close friends of my daughter’s for many years, and I suppose there was a part of me that always knew they’d end up together.  What made this wedding even more sentimental was that it was the first time I had performed more than one ceremony for the same family.  Years ago, I officiated Fallon’s (Ashley’s sister) wedding at Airlie Plantation.  Fallon is pictured above - the Maid of Honor - with her daughter, Faith, at her feet. I had known many members of the bridal party for a long time, so it was hard to contain my emotions (or my enthusiasm) for this one!

The Homestead is a legendary resort, and I’d heard a lot about it, but had never been there.  Ashley’s family knew it was too far from where we lived for me to travel back and forth to attend both the rehearsal and the wedding, so they generously provided us with a suite for the entire weekend!  What a treat! 

Before we left, Ashley, Matt, and I had worked on the ceremony.  They insisted that they didn’t want to know exactly what I was going to say until the very moment they were on the altar - which is rare, indeed.  Knowing that they had dated off and on since middle school, I thought it would be fun to share their “love story” on the wedding day.  I created a sort of questionnaire for each of them and asked that they complete it without sharing their responses with each other.  I asked questions like, “What was your first impression of Ashley/Matt when you met in middle school?” What resulted was a one-of-a-kind “love story” that I read just after Ashley’s father gave her away, and just before they took the altar to be married.  In fact, that moment became the effective “end” of the story.  It was really beautiful, and everyone there enjoyed remembering them together all those years before.  Click here to read their love story.

The ceremony was equally unique to this amazing couple…  As you can see in this shot, Ashley isn’t shy, and she didn’t hold back her excitment after they were introduced for the first time as husband and wife!  Before they made their way back down the aisle together, she thrust her bouquet in the air and cheered while most of the guests were drying their eyes.  I love the expression on Matt’s face!  It’s clear that Ashley’s enthusiasm is no surprise to him - in fact - it looks to me like it’s one of the very qualities he admires about her!  Below, you’ll find a transcript of the words spoken on that memorable day: