Meriah here.
Ok, when my “little” cousin… ok, grown up cousin Morgan asked me to photograph her wedding I was so happy to oblige, but I’m a bit in DENIAL. I have literally know this girl since she was in her mom’s belly! (Her mom Lisa and I are pretty close!) So as Morgan grew up she felt more like a niece than a second cousin. And because of her close relationship with our two boys (she helped her mom watch them quite often!) she asked them to be in her wedding as the ring bearers! We were honored and a bit worried at how that 4 year old with the stick would do. But they crushed it. *insert proud mom smile.
Let’s back up to the beginning of the day and let the pictures tell the story a bit.
We loved Troy’s ring with the wooden inlay. This wedding was a family affair. Morgan’s cousin, Savannah, did Morgan’s hair and helped do her makeup. Morgan’s sister, Leah, and I helped paint her nails. Morgan’s mom Lisa helped Morgan get dressed.I didn’t have to beg to get Morgan to twirl for me. She made such a pretty bride! Oh Troy. We do love that hair!The wedding was held at Haywood Community College in the Rhododendron Garden. Morgan’s aunt Michelle had her work cut out for her in making this bench (which was falling apart) look gorgeous. She did a marvelous job!Onward to the ceremony with the two cutest ring bearers EVER. Note… that box our older son Ezra is holding actually had the real rings in it! They forgot to grab the rings from him after he walked up the aisle. However our sweet Ezra patiently held that box throughout the ceremony till it was needed for the ring exchange. Morgan’s dad Kevin not only walked her down the aisle he also officiated the wedding. It is always fun to know SO many people at a wedding. A lot of our family and friends were there to celebrate with us.We love sweet moments with happy tears.Even my mom was wiping tears away. This venue was so fun and allowed for us to get some great angles. (During the prayers we like to sneak around!) This is absolutely one of our favorite moments from the day. The “after kiss, kiss shot” 🙂Congrats Morgan and Troy!Troy carried his Morgan away from the ceremony!These two have SUCH great chemistry. I had a blast getting to spend some time with them just the 3 of us!Quick! Lets get photos with these two boys before they get dirty. 😉 I’m not gonna lie, we were kind of hoping that the bench would not crumble beneath them. It was SO old! And of course bolted to the ground so they couldn’t move it. But it provided a really fun place to do photos! The reception was at the gorgeous Lake Junaluska. Morgan is so lucky to have some amazing and talented family! Aunt Michelle did all the floral and Morgan’s mom Lisa made the cake!We do love Morgan’s family so much. Troy’s family was a hoot as well!These two have a goofy side and we LOVE it. First dance love.Pretty sure she accidentally caught the bouquet! She didn’t even know it was being thrown!This is the part of the evening when Troy lit Morgan’s dress on fire by accidentally dropping a sparkler on it. Whoops.
Now enough from us, here is a bit more from Morgan and Troy!
A bit about Troy:
How did you meet?
Describe your first date?
How long have you been together?
A little over two years ago as friends and a little over a year as a couple.
What are your favorite hobbies and activities to do as a couple?
We love to talk, to spend entire days hiking/exploring out in the woods, camping, cuddling while watching TV, playing guitar together, driving, listening to music and talking music, reading to each other, finding coffee shops, and watching sunsets.
Who popped the question and HOW?
You know those movies when the guy gets on a knee to propose to his girl multiple times before she ever says yes? That is our story. Troy has been proposing the question to me ever since just a few moths after we fell in love. There is one time I remember him proposing that I consider as the first time he asked that I didn’t instantly say no, I don’t know, or that he was crazy for asking. We were walking under a tree path late at night close by my house when the moon peered through and lit us up.I started saying yes every time after until the day he had a ring when he asked. We were celebrating our one year anniversary together by kayaking down the same river we fell in love on. He picked a place to ask me on the side of the river (I had no idea). After hours of paddling, he got me off the kayak and had me stand on this massive rock by a swimming hole ready to ask, but by accident kicked my sunglasses into the water and dove for them. I stood on the rock a while and he never came back up from the water. I decided that he was most definitely drowning. Under the water at the same time as almost drowning he was contemplating if this was the time to propose. Just as I almost dove to save him, he splashed out of the water with the rings and asked his question. I said yes of course, got him out of the water, and he put the rings on my finger.
Why did you pick the Rhododendron garden at HCC and Lake Junaluska?
After looking at many venues, we decided we’d get married where we met at the very start. Before we were even dating we were walking and getting to know each other in that garden.
What adjective best describes your spouse on your wedding day?
Troy says “Gorgeous”
Morgan says “Happy”
What tangible detail of your wedding day did you love the most? (Cake, dress, special item?)
Troy loved the sparklers
Morgan loved the lights everywhere
How many guests attended the wedding?
Around 100
What did you and your guests eat at the reception?
BBQ, chicken, corn, beans, bread and brownies and cake for dessert
What was the flavor of your wedding cake?
Vanilla cake
What is the one of the funniest things that happened on your wedding day?
What was your first dance song and why did you pick it?
We chose Come Rain or Come Shine by Ray Charles because it and him are huge favorites of ours. We’ve spent many evenings star gazing and slow dancing to his music.
What stood out to you the most when you think of your wedding?
Troy- My brides smile and the look of happiness she had.
Morgan- How significantly happy Troy was and how he beamed with joy.
What is on your “bucket list” to do together as a married couple?
– Be awesome parents
– Drive to Yellow Stone National Park
– Do the sling shot by the beach
– Binge watch both The Hobbit trilogy and Lord of the Rings trilogy
– Hike a volcano
– Visit a coffee plantation (outside of the U.S.)
(And much more)