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I went down to the Abraham Staats House, in South Bound Brook, New Jersey, to officiate the wedding of Stephanie and Gordon. (You may remember their awesome wedding invitations!) They were married in this amazing historic home, built circa 1740. The Staats House doesn't normally do weddings, but for Stephanie and Gordon (two history buffs and members of the Friends of the Abraham Staats House) they were able to pull it off!

Photo courtesy of the bride & groom

It was a very intimate wedding, with only about 25-30 people there. There was no bridal party – Gordon and I entered first, then Linda Russell played music as Stephanie entered, wearing an amazing black cocktail dress and a beautiful bird cage veil! They were married in front of the fireplace, filled with flickering (LED!) candles, in the South Parlor.

Gordon's Vows

Gordon wrote the more traditional “I do!” vows for the ceremony, but then they prefaced the vows with personal ones of their own – where they cited private jokes and expressed how much they truly love each other. Though there was a ton of laughter and a light air to their ceremony, there was not a dry eye in the house! After their vows, they both leaned forward to kiss – and immediately stopped themselves! But you know what – if you want to kiss during your wedding ceremony – kiss! It was a sweet, romantic, and spontaneous moment!

I always bring tissues but I had only brought one to their wedding. Thankfully, family members in the front row had some more to share!

Stephanie and Gordon's young friend Lilli was their ring bearer, and brought the rings to the front of the room tied to a book (the theme of their wedding).

The rings, on the ring-bearing book.

Stephanie and Gordon also incorporated a handfasting with a bright red ribbon.

The Handfasting

This was my first wedding of the spring, and one of my favorites, hands down!

A selection from their Love Story:

On their first date, Gordon decided to do something a little different, and asked Stephanie to attend his monthly amateur astronomer's club meeting. Afterward, they made their way to a blues club, where, with some good music and a few drinks, our couple was able to loosen up and get to know each other. Stephanie left the next day to go up to Albany for the weekend, but it didn't take long for her to hear from Gordon – “Instead of following ‘the rules' and waiting several days to call, I really liked that there was a message on my machine when I came back Sunday night,” she recalls.

Our bride and groom have proved their love for each other in a million tiny ways, every single day. When Stephanie threw a coat over her pajamas to rescue a stranded Gordon from the side of Route 22 on a rainy Friday night – when Gordon scrapes the ice and snow off of Stephanie's car on cold mornings – every simple action that they do shows the other how important they are, how treasured, and how much a part of their lives they have become. It is on that note that we have come together today – not to validate a relationship between these two people, but to expand on the wonderful relationship they already share.

If you'd like to see some more photos, check out Stephanie & Gordon's extended gallery!