Erica and Anthony - Paradise Gardens

Here is one of the fun couples I was lucky enough to be involved with in 2009.  One day in June, as I was traveling in New York, I got a voice mail from a somewhat panicked bride -- they were getting married in less than two months and their officiant just canceled on them!  Well, luckily for us both, I happened to have that date open, so we set up a meeting for the next week.  At that first meeting with the three of us, it was clear that we were a great match for each other!  And we started working on creating their ceremony immediately!

Erica and Anthony had been together since high school, and just truly enjoyed each other.  Nine years later, they were finally getting married!  And, her Dad wanted to make that point clear - after bringing Erica down the aisle, he wanted the traditional question of who gives this woman, so that he could answer, "I do!  And it's about time!"  Too bad he froze when it came time to answer, and only answered simply, "Her mother and I do."  Erica and I looked at each other, waiting to see if he'd come out with the rest...  He didn't, so we chuckled and just carried on!

A few ways that they made their ceremony unique.  First, they wrote their own vows, and didn't share them with each other ahead of time.  Secondly, they shared great things with me about their relationship, allowing me to share a lot of it with their family and friends, helping everyone there know more about the couple they were there to witness and celebrate.  But most importantly, they paid tribute to his Hawaiian heritage with all of the men wearing custom leis from the start, and then they presented their mothers and step-mother with their own beautiful leis after the procession and as the beginning of the ceremony.  Not a dry eye as the guests saw both Erica and Anthony give such a personal honor to each of their soon-to-be mothers-in-law!

Thanks again, Erica and Anthony, for making me a part of your special day!

Cheers,
Bethel

Location:  Paradise Gardens, Oceanside