Maureen & GeoffApril 18, 2009
At the beginning of the planning process, Geoff was opposed to hiring a wedding coordinator. He told his then-fiancée that they had plenty of time to plan, they could do it themselves, and – since he was a guy, he admits – he had a list of excuses.
Geoff wrote me to share his feelings after the wedding, and to make sure that others didn’t waste a lot of time contemplating this decision. Not only did they entrust me with their wedding planning and direction, we became the best of friends. This would be a first, and probably the only time, that I have had a groom recess the aisle saying to me, “I love you Barb, I really do,” before he embraced his bride in the vestibule.
Maureen and Geoff were extremely decisive and organized from the beginning. However, this was a destination wedding with few familiar contacts in the area. There were many details to oversee, but they had chosen some of the best vendors around, and I could see it was going to come together beautifully. The weather was picture perfect that day as we set the ceremony at the UVA Chapel.
From the gorgeous vistas of King Family Vineyards, to the impeccable tastes and service of 20 South Catering, and the floral design of Amy Webb, the guests were more than impressed with the reception settings. What a treat when Cav Man arrived for a visit during cocktails!
Part of their themed wedding was the rivalry of their schools – Cavaliers and Buckeyes.
The night got even better as one of our favorite wedding bands The Dickens played all of the favorites and everyone was on the dance floor. We sent the happy couple off with a “sparkling” tribute at the end of the evening.
There are many special couples in my life. Maureen and Geoff stay in touch whenever they come to Charlottesville and look forward to moving here some day. I look forward to that as well. And Geoff said: “It’s hard for me to say what I value more, the incredible job Barb did from start to finish – ensuring a flawlessly executed wedding from the rehearsal and dinner through the big day – or the fact that we found someone so incredibly special who we knew from the outset truly cared about not just what we wanted, but about us as people.”
The three of us have continued to be in touch, through Facebook mostly, but also through Geoff’s part-time realty business. He has been helping my friend find property in Northern Virginia. Geoff & Maureen are still the same wonderful beautiful couple they were on their wedding day, but with three gorgeous children to light up their life even more.
I love my couples! – Barb