Real Weddings
Lynne & Jack
Lynne and Jack shared an intimate wedding day with just themselves and three close friends. They married in Jenny’s Garden and then dined at the Fearrington House. This couple was such a sweet reminder of how a wedding can be all the more special when it’s small and simple. Enjoy.
How did you two meet?
Jack was from Boston originally and relocated to RTP. He was divorced after a long marriage and I was a widow after a long marriage. Being from a small town where everyone knows everyone or is related through marriages, divorces, etc was not conducive to dating! I finally had the courage to go to an online dating site since I knew of eleven couples that had met their partners online and were very happy. Jack and I met online and talked for a while before going out. He drove about an hour to my town for dinner and we had such a good time talking and laughing that I invited him to an Eagles Tribute Concert at our local theater the same week. Again, we had such fun although our accents, his lovely Boston accent and my Southern one sometimes created some funny moments! We dated some more and were soon inseparable and had the “exclusive” conversation. We both felt like our prayers had been answered and still thank God every day for finding each other.
Tell us about the engagement.
It was Valentine’s Day and Jack had arranged for us to stay at 21c Museum Hotel in Durham. It was very romantic when he asked me to marry him. We had done things a little unconventionally. I had sold my house of 30 years and we bought a home together; he relocated and we moved in together. It was inevitable that we would marry, we just didn’t have a timeline. We had many jokes about “living in sin” from our family and friends. That shows our age! We felt married and were very happy. The proposal occurred after we arrived at the hotel and were having a glass of wine. We called our families and later posted on fb and the congratulations and happiness from our friends poured in. There was no reason to wait to marry. We had fun deciding how to marry. His grown children and family are in other parts of the country. My sons are local but my dad had just died. How do you decide which friends to invite? There were too many obstacles and did not want to do anything elaborate. We had done that in our previous lives. But we wanted it to be very special, small and meaningful. We talked about Vegas, destination weddings, a wedding for two, eloping, local places. Bald Head Island has always been special to my family but Fearrington was very special, too.
What made Fearrington your place to say “I do?’
My late husband and I began going to Fearrington back in 1986. We visited every year to celebrate our birthdays in July and special holidays up until 2013 when he became ill. We saw it grow from the small inn to the larger one. We saw Jenny’s Garden from the very beginning and all the changes over the years. It was a magical place and one with special memories. Jack was open to the idea of creating our own special memories at a place that had meant so much to me. I had seen many weddings occur throughout the years on the beautiful grounds and knew exactly where we should choose. We also decided that the three friends that welcomed Jack to RTP and had become like his family would celebrate the day with us. They had welcomed me into their family and it felt just right. Ron became certified to perform our marriage and his wife Brenda and friend Ann would be our only attendants. We decided instead of a wedding of two, we would be a wedding of five!
Describe the highlight moment of your wedding day.
So many! Our friends arrived before the ceremony and we had champagne in our suite, more laughter and happiness.
The gorgeous grounds and beautiful weather. We chose Jenny’s Garden near the fountain with its wonderful water sound. The beautiful wedding bouquet was exactly what I had envisioned. My dress was perfect. The cupcake absolutely beautiful and so delicious! Our friends celebrating with us; Ron officiating. Of course, sharing our vows and becoming husband and wife was the highlight.
What was the biggest surprise of the day?
Ann and Brenda humming “Here Comes the Bride”, then throwing pasta after the ceremony from a chef’s hat because Jack is Italian and loves to cook!
What was your biggest surprise about wedding planning?
How easy everything was! I contacted Gilda McDaniel with our little wedding plans and how we wanted to keep things simple. We were treated so special and that our little wedding details were just as important as a big one. She was present throughout the day and saw to all the details. Instead of a cake, we only needed a cupcake since there were five of us. It was beautiful and so good! Our photographer, Krystal Kast, was wonderful and worked to make sure we had photos all through the grounds and that our friends were included. The floral designer understood exactly what I wanted. The dinner at Fearrington was wonderful, as always. We had our own private dining room and extra staff attention.
Anything you want to add about your wedding story?
It was perfect in every way! Fearrington is now our special place and we plan to return on our anniversary in April every year. We are hoping for many years to come!