Tim and Kate's Story

Well Don, I’ve been meaning to jot you a note yet haven’t been able to carve the time to make that happen, my apologies, today is the day.  The days seem to speed by so quickly and its hard to believe its nearly been three weeks since our special day on Holden Beach on September 19.  Your ceremony was just perfect and it mentioned building years of memories and you even requested we check in with you from time to time to share such stories, well Don, I’ve one for you.  This particular story comes about 6 or 7 hours after our fantastic ceremony.

Your ceremony mentioned that we were vested in one another as we shared the same beach that morning.  That we have created a special bond between us and Kate and I couldn’t agree more and are so very thankful to you for giving us such a gift.

Let me see, well, why not start at the beginning.

So as you may recall the ceremony was a sunrise service, the morning was warm and calm, the sun tucked behind a band of clouds as we got under way but was very evidently going to rise for us.  As you proclaimed “as the sun begins to rise now on this couple, let it encompass them with its golden warmth” you then said so eloquently, “as it is now” as the sun had popped over the cloud band and its golden warmth was felt instantaneously as if on cue…it was clear that we had help and a guiding hand that morning.  The evening prior demonstrated that quite clearly as well as we had gazed at the moon from the porch. Kate and I we enjoying the waves crashing and sipping a glass of wine, taking in the salt air when Kate’s mom began operating her video camera and framed us and the moon together in the small viewfinder.  Kate’s grandmother came onto the porch and had us get close together and then instructed us to kiss, which we were pleased to do.  As we did this and Kate’s mom was filming us and the moon she also caught a shooting star behind us and again captured it on that small 3 x 3 LCD screen, just incredible, of the vast expanse of the sky our 3 x 3 frame captured our star.  So, the sun warmed us on cue, the shooting star set the stage and following our ‘I do’s’ two dolphins jumped for us, framed once again beautifully by the three of us…again, simply incredible.  With a few tears on display and still a few others hanging tightly to their respective tear ducts we were officially husband and wife.  Your ceremony again was perfect, beautifully delivered with just the right mix of levity as sincerity pleasing not only Kate and I but all our family members as well.  All of whom commented on what a beautiful ceremony it was and how wonderful you were and again what a great feel and aura that surrounded us all that morning.  The ceremony was followed immediately and again on cue by Kurry and his gang of steel drummers breaking in to the song I’d requested they play (which they had to learn for us), Sunday Morning by Trey Anastasio.  Kate had not known I’d spoken to Kurry about this as it was the first song I’d played for Kate all those years ago…she heard the notes and melted in my arms, what a moment that created.  Mimosas and champagne follow and you exit stage left without anyone really noticing…sadly as we’d loved to have to stay and celebrate with us but we understand…again, professional and I’m sure as you prefer it.  From here the wedding party continues to do as they please, with some still on the beach shooting photos, dancing to the steel drum band, heading back up to the house for food and drink options etc…this continues for another hours or more.

After napping, walking on the beach, swimming and playing people reconvene for a raw bar of shrimp and clams, cheese and crackers etc…etc…and general revelry.  As many continued to munch away some of us went to be on the beach again.  My nephew was in the water and my brother and I went down, my sister was down there already and I began throwing the nerf football with my nephew.  He was in the waves and I’d throw it to him with my feet in the surf.  This continued for a bit and as I patted my left hand onto my right to indicate he run a deeper route into the waves I’d throw the ball to him.  On this particular throw I ran one way and stopped, patted my left into my right and threw…immediately I realized my wedding band had been thrown off.  I exclaimed, “its gone!”.  My brother knew immediately what I was talking about as did the others that saw him run towards where I stood.  I was not sure whether it went left, right, back or forward all I realized is that it was off my finger and needed to be back on immediately.  We proceeded to dive into the water that was going out and cupped our hands in the hopes of coming up with the ring.  This ring, not just any ring to me was a family heirloom, my father’s mother’s wedding band.  Kate was given her engagement ring and was so thankful and loves it so much and we has her band as well just didn’t know what to do with it.  We decided to have a band made for me that would encompass her band.  A very renowned artist friend of mine from LA hand pounded one for me and took both to a colleague of hers in Brooklyn to combine the two rings.  They did a beautiful job and the ring was gorgeous.  My mother and father were so happy and excited that I’d done this and said that gramma would be so happy to know it was on my and Kate’s fingers.  She was a special lady to me and to us all and it meant the world to me to carry her with me and to have Kate be able to do the same.  Now that precious ring has found its way into the vast ocean, where did it go??!  Minutes past like days and the waves were crashing upon us all so heavily that it was knocking us over, how could we ever find it?  This was not even a needle in a haystack, I’d have taken those odds, at least you could methodically go through one piece of hay after another.  The ocean and its waves as you had hours before pointed out to us  “…flow endlessly from the depths of the sea”, how would I get this ring back?  As the minutes turned into an hour and then an hour and a half the people searching dwindled…not because they didn’t care to continue but they were recognizing the futility of the search.  Kate went up early in the search sobbing and did not want me to see her so sad, my brother came over and told me that gramma would not be bothered by this and would want me to enjoy the day in spite of the fact and he said that it didn’t symbolize the marriage, that we would still be married and that it wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things.  My nephew came over and gave me a hug and said the sea gives and the sea takes away, I hugged him back and thanked him for his help and requested he go back up to the house, get dry and get something to eat, I’d be up shortly.  I completely understand and appreciated everything they all were saying it was just…well, it was so critical to me, it was gramma’s ring, it was my wedding ring.  I continued to ask gramma for help and strength, I asked the ocean for help getting the ring back onto my finger.  Another half hour I stood with the waves crashing onto my thighs looking out in to the vastness of the ocean, staring, partially in disbelief at what had happened half asking for help and struggling to keep my heart filled with hope and visualizing it back on my finger.  Kate came down as she saw me through the windows of the house staring out into the huge sea and told me the caterers were here and that I needed to let it go for now at least and try and come up to “celebrate”.  When she had gone up prior someone mentioned a metal detector and she had made a call to the rental company searching for one, she called Boomer’s.  They didn’t have one but gave her a name of a guy to call which she did but did not reach him nor did an answering machine pick up.  Once I got up to the house I called him again and got him.  I explained the story and he reassured me a bit saying that it had happened before and that he was in Shallotte and that he could come tonight.  I explained the tide was heading out and I thought at least that time was of the essence. As the wedding party tried to play it off like there was no elephant in the room (what else could they do I suppose, it was after all my wedding and a good time was going to be had at all costs) the pit in my stomach grew bigger.  Salads were served, watermelon martinis (Kate’s signature drink of the evening) flowed and Phillip the metal detector guy arrived.  I took him to the area where I thought I stood when I threw that last pass and told him where I thought the water level was.  He got it and did not realize that this was the wedding day as he told me others had lost their engagement rings and so forth and honestly some of that banter went in one ear and out the other, I wanted him to get to it and find my gramma’s ring, please, find our ring!  I walked with him for a few minutes then walked a couple more minutes down the shoreline as a rolling ring could be anywhere.  I then went back up to the catered meal and sat while photos and smiles were attempted.  25 minutes later Phillip appeared.  My sister saw him first and she stopped him and asked if he had found the ring, he simply shook his head from side to side and softly said no.  My sister asked what he was going to do as he had asked for me and he asked for me again.  My sister said not to go tell him you don’t have it, he knows as much and then she spotted a slight smirk on his face and she asked him again…this time he smiled widely and nodded, “I’ve got it” he said!!  HE FOUND IT!!  Don, he found it.  My sister let out a shriek that turned all our heads and as she embraced him he was surrounded and he handed the ring back to me.  Everyone was a mess, not a dry eye in the house.  My mother and father wept mightily and I grabbed them both tightly.  I thanked gramma and the ocean immediately and hugged Kate as I slid it back on my finger.

The vast, dynamic ocean gave it back.  Gramma gave it back.  Phillip Alexander, sent by the ocean and my gramma delivered that precious ring back to us.

Yet another cue that we had people looking over us on this crazy, joyous day.

Phillip said it was 7 inches under the sand and that he didn’t know whether or not he would have been able to locate it in the morning.  Thankfully the tide was going out or this story could have been totally different.  He placed the sand which he dug into a small plastic sand pail (appropriate eh?) and left it on the beach for us to see.  I took photos of it in fact and as we went to the shore line that evening (every time following in fact) we gave thanks to the ocean to gramma and to the universe in general for heeding our calls.  We had brought shells from over 20 years of collecting in NJ that we threw in to the sea to give back and each took handfuls of sand out of that pail and gave that back as well.  We did take a couple handfuls for ourselves and keep it in another container alongside the sand from our ceremony that you so thoughtfully gave to us.  In fact the ring Phillip found was about 5 paces from our ceremony site – crazy eh?

Needless to say, those watermelon martinis, champagne toasts, salt air breezes never tasted or smelled so wonderful, the moon never looked closer and the oceans never felt finer.  Holden Beach has a part of our hearts for now more than one reason and as this note carries on (I apologize) we are so thankful to you for being a part of it all.  We look forward to returning often and to staying in touch frequently.  The intent of this note was to thank you for your professionalism, for your being and presence, for your spirit, your words and for your gift of it all to us.  We cherish it and carry it with us on a daily basis.  You were part of and helped shape the most incredible experience for us on a most unforgettable day.  We highly recommend you and your services to any and all couples looking for an officiant and are happy to speak to anyone should they like to do so.

All our best and we do hope to chat again soon.

Be well.

Peace.

Tim and Kate Collins