Hey everyone, Andrew back again with another wedding recap. It’s been a hot summer, and not just because of those heat waves we’ve had. The beats and dance floors have been scathing all over Lancaster County!

On July 16th I had the privilege of celebrating the wedding and reception of Russ and Jacqui Maxwell at the Historic Poole Forge in Narvon, just a couple miles down the road from Shady Maple, who provided delicious food for the reception. We love getting referrals from past ProVolve couples, and Russ is the uncle of past ProVolve groom, Charles Maxwell, who recommended us six years after his wedding!

I talked with Russ on the phone and got some details and then met him and Jacqui out Poole Forge a couple of weeks before their wedding to get a lay of the land and work out some logistical details. If you want to have your wedding at Poole Forge, it’s a gorgeous place, but you’re gonna need extension cords…long ones. I knew right away that this wedding was going to be different from a lot of others. Russ and Jacqui were really laid back, free spirits who wanted a lot of that personality to show. They both also had wicked senses of humor that that were evident from the beginning and would play big roles in the wedding.

The day started with Scottish/Celtic music playing during their prelude to celebrate Russ’s family’s Scottish heritage. We had worked at the rehearsal on the timing of the groomsmen and bridesmaids walking in, but Russ and the officiant were going to walk in together and Jacqui’s mom was to be the last to sit before the wedding party started their procession. We hadn’t picked songs for these entrances, but sometimes at weddings things just work out through serendipity. Russ and the officiant made their entrance in the final minute of a song called “The Wedding” that is from the soundtrack to the show “Outlander.” The song ended as they took their positions and the next song “Tonight My Sleep Will Be Restless” was a beautiful Celtic violin piece. It hadn’t been planned out, but the majesty of the moment couldn’t have been any better.

Then came the grand entrance of the bridal party to the main theme from Game of Thrones (spoiler alert: unlike GoT, no one dies at this wedding.) Next Jacqui prepared for her walk down the aisle. She made her way from the house to the ceremony site, hidden behind a tapestry that had been hung on a frame. She walked down the aisle to “For the Love of a Princess” from Braveheart, as the music swells around the 20 second mark, the attendants holding the tapestry and it made another magical moment in this wedding, and we haven’t even reached the ceremony yet!

The ceremony itself was very personal and eclectic, like Russ and Jacqui. It included many different traditions, including Christian scripture, a Celtic hand fasting, and an Apache wedding prayer. Several friends and family members also read their favorite love poems.

I said that Russ and Jacqui’s sense of humor was apparent from the first conversation I had with them, and it played out during their reception. It started with their first dance, where Russ asked me to start playing “Let it Go” from Frozen until Jacqui realized that their actual first dance song (“All of Me”) wasn’t playing. Later, during the parent dances, Russ dedicated “Wrecking Ball” to his mom as a tribute to his younger, wilder days. Later in the reception, Russ, Jacqui and some of the wedding party sported fake instruments and rocked out on the dance floor to “Rock and Roll Band” by Boston and “We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad.

It was a hot night in the air and on the dance floor. It had a very laid back, relaxed feeling, just like the couple as they decided not to do any of the other traditional wedding events.

Thanks to Russ and Jacqui for having ProVolve Entertainment at your wedding. It was a great night and I wish you many, many years of happiness!