Love at first flight
By Shelley Stockton | Photography by LunahZon Photography
Posted: Monday, Oct. 15, 2012
ShareAfter dinner at a Calabash restaurant near Oak Island, N.C., Michael Carpenter took Lisa Sutton for a walk on the beach where he had written in the sand, ‘Lisa, will you marry me?’ He got down on one knee long enough for Lisa to say yes.
“We had gone ring shopping and talked about marriage,” Lisa says, “But I had no idea it would be that weekend.” The oval diamond from Diamonds Direct was exactly what the bride dreamed it would be.
Lisa, a lead dental assistant, and Michael, a graphic designer, met through mutual friends while both were attending UNC Charlotte. “We went to Boardwalk Billy’s and instantly hit it off,” says Lisa. “We all went back to my apartment afterwards to watch a movie, and we ended up making out like we were in junior high!”
The couple planned the wedding themselves and decided to enjoy being engaged before easing into the planning. Lisa began with the location and had heard about Magnolia Glen from one of her bridesmaids. “She and I had looked at pictures of it before Michael and I were even engaged, so I kind of already had my heart set on getting married there,” she says.
Next on the list was a photographer. Since Michael is a graphic designer, the couple wanted someone with artistic flair that would capture all the details in a unique way. LunahZon Photography delivered just that. “They were so nice and down to earth,” Lisa says. To reflect her love of butterflies, LunahZon shot Lisa’s bridal portraits with live butterflies all around her provided by Lauren’s Butterfly Farm.
The couple originally planned to wed in 2011, but Michael’s mother passed away unexpectedly after suffering from a stroke. The couple postponed the wedding until April of the following year to mourn her loss. On the big day, Lisa and Michael both felt her presence as if she was watching over them. “It was supposed to rain on our wedding day, and instead it was beautiful and sunny,” Lisa says. “We were told the flowers in the garden weren’t normally in bloom, too, and everything was blooming that day.”
For the rehearsal dinner the night before, Michael’s father treated everyone to a fabulous meal at Bentley’s On 27. On the morning of the wedding, Lisa was a bundle of nerves hoping that everything she worked so hard for would go off without a hitch. Her worries were set at ease after she and Michael said ‘I do’ beneath a gorgeous gazebo among their friends and family. Lisa and Michael danced to “Marry Me” by Train while guests blew bubbles all around them. Michael’s dad, a drag car racer, surprised them with a 1955 Chevy so they could ride off in style as Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter.
Now settled in to married life, the two get a kick out of little things like calling each other ‘Hubby’ and ‘Wifey.’
“I like looking down at his hand and seeing his ring,” says Lisa. “It feels so good. I just love it.”
Featured vendorsCeremony and reception locationMagnolia Glen
704-888-2581
www.magnoliaglenweddings.comPhotography
LunahZon Photography
704-658-5747
www.lunahzon.comRehearsal dinner location
Bentley’s On 27
704-343-9201
www.bentleyson27.comWedding rings
Diamonds Direct SouthPark
704-532-9041
www.diamonds-direct.com Continue reading real wedding stories! Up next: “The thrill of the chase”
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