After many wonderful entries and some time praying about it, Ed and I have made our decision on our three finalist couples. Every entry we received was deserving, and we wish there was a way for us to give to all of them, but sadly we cannot, and we wish them all the very best. I would encourage EVERY wedding vendor to donate their services at least once every year to a deserving couple. That couple will be blessed by your gift, but you will be even more blessed by giving of yourself. TRUST ME ON THIS. With that said, let me introduce you to our finalists. There are three couples and they will be listed below in no particular order along with details of their wedding, their love story, and a photo.

[HOW TO VOTE: After reading their stories, scroll to the bottom and leave a comment with your choice. I will only count one vote per IP address. Your comment must await my moderation, so please wait for your vote to appear after I approve it. Thanks for your patience!]

Eventually Chris and I started talking again and we hung out a few times. Once, we went to a store and he just took over the stroller for me so I could help my sister. He was being so nice.In April 2010, I invited him to the zoo with my family, my daughter, and my Grandma. We had so much fun and he was helping so much with my daughter. That made me happy. A couple of days later, he showed up on my doorstep with my favorite flowers, daisies, and asked me to be his girlfriend. Of course I said ‘yes’ and I could not have been any happier to finally be with a genuine, nice southern man who loves me and is head over heels in love with my daughter.

I first knew I was in love with him when he took over bath time. I just sat there thinking how amazing this man is to accept my daughter and I into his life. He showed so many signs of being a fantastic father too. He has shown me what true love really is. I know that’s corny but it’s so true. I’ve never known what it was until I felt all the things I feel with him. In July of 2010, Chris was shipped off to basic training for the Navy. I knew before going into this relationship that he was joining and I knew we were both strong enough to deal with the hardships that come with it. He finished training and he is now currently in school for his job. Long distance relationships are not easy at all. It is so hard not seeing the face of your other half every day, let alone not being able to just BE with each other. I miss how we could just lay down and watch t.v. or hold hands and walk without saying a word. We love that. I also miss being completely silly with him. We both have a great sense of humor, so we are always laughing, having fun, and teasing each other.

Chris took leave over Christmas and was able to come back and spend some time with his family and mine. He proposed to me on December 22nd at La Vecchias steak and seafood downtown in a private room. His friend was the head chef and prepared all of our meals with Chris’s custom menu he made of my favorite and his favorite foods. Right before dessert, he got up, came to my side of the table, got down on one knee and asked if I would be his wife. I said yes and put on the most beautiful ring. He even did this with his dress blues (his Navy uniform) on! After dinner, we made a stop at Chris’s mom’s house and shared the news, with my parents as well, and of course everyone already knew! We then went to catch a showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. We waited months to see the movie together and it was the perfect ending to that night. Chris has really shown me what it’s like to be happy. Along with my daughter, he has changed my life. Being a teen mom is not easy and by having someone there for me, who doesn’t judge me and accepts me for who I am is truly wonderful.

Soon after, we convinced ourselves we could do better than those gray Seattle skies, so we up and moved to the South, site unseen. Andy now works for a global non-profit here in Chapel Hill that supports health workers in Africa. I’m an executive assistant for UNC in a research clinic for children with autism – and I still take pictures too. We’ve even photographed a few weddings together. Almost 3 years ago, we rented a tiny car and drove from Seattle to San Francisco for Thanksgiving. It was along the winding Highway 1 of the California coast that we first realized that we were an excellent pair on adventures. It couldn’t be a more perfect place for us to be married…”

I wrote that four weeks ago to our beloved wedding planner in sunny California.

Confused?
Allow me to explain.
Andy and I were just putting the finishing touches on our cliff side Big Sur wedding – a day we dreamed up together one rainy day on the floor of our apartment. We found a breathtaking cliff for the ceremony, a classical guitarist who could play Zepplin tunes, a sensitive and sincere officiant to marry us and a loving woman who would open her home and kitchen to us for an Italian-themed reception, complete with a tower of cannolis for the cake! Piecing together our income without credit cards or help from family, we found a way to make it work on our modest salaries and we couldn’t have been more excited.

Two weeks later, I lost my job unexpectedly. After taking a long, hard look at our budget, we realized our California dream was no longer feasible, no matter how we sliced it. All of that effort and emotional investment would evaporate. I was devastated. But it was in that pivotal moment that Andy reminded me of what matters most; that we will be marrying each other and that it will be amazing no matter where we are. He inspired me yet again to chase what I love, and instead of signing up with another temp agency to find an office job, I would put all of my efforts back into my photography business. We called our vendors and regretfully, reluctantly canceled our plans, ordered our wedding bands and hoped for the best.

We consider ourselves lucky. We’re healthy, we have a warm place to call home and food to nourish our bodies. We make enough money on Andy’s salary to pay our bills and feed our dogs. We are not battling any serious illnesses and no one is being shipped overseas. But we’ve had an almost laughable time trying to get married. By the time we exchange vows in September – whether it’s in the parking lot at Food Lion or a chateau in Italy – it will be over two years from the date we were engaged. This is our third attempt at planning a wedding – the first squashed by displeased family and the second foiled by job loss. The third time’s a charm, right? We sure hope so.

We found a very special place – a renovated pharmacy built in 1890 in the heart of Savannah, GA. As God as my witness, we will ride the train there together come September and beneath the Spanish moss and the midday sun, we’re getting hitched.

We now realize that if we’re creative enough to dream up three completely different and exciting weddings from $10,000 to $2,000 that maybe, just maybe, anything’s possible. And of course, a few key lessons learned along the way:

1. You don’t always get what you want. Even when as a photographer, you involuntarily gag at the thought of a family friend snapping your wedding photos with a point and shoot and (gasp) on-camera flash.
2. Families can be very, very hard to please.
3. Jobs come and go, but what matters most is that you do what you love and keep yourself hungry for new challenges, both personally and professionally.
4. A five-tier cake, a band and a ball gown does not a wedding make.
5. The key to overcoming obstacles is to have a great sense of humor!
6. We are getting married on 9/10/11 at 12:13 and it will be beautiful because our love is abundant, patient and strong.

The vision for our wedding is to capture the miracle and beauty of relationship and acknowledge God at the center of it all. Being that both Jonathan and I are unconventional we are planning our wedding as a reflection of our unique personalities. Using one of Chicago’s distinctive urban restaurants as our venue we will create a laid-back intimate lounge environment were people can mingle and interact. At the end of the day, we will be left with sweet memories.

The Dilemma: Customarily, families help in financially providing for the couple and paying all or some of the expenses for a wedding. Jonathan and I don’t have that luxury. Our families have been left with financial limits due to the loss of a parent: my mother and his father. Over a year ago, I moved to California and have been working odd jobs that simply cover basic expenses. Jonathan’s income is our sole resource in paying for the wedding as well as covering costs of living, moving into our marriage. Also, Jonathan and I seek to live within our means and don’t intend to spend that which we do not have. In light of this we are working on a very tight budget.

Furthermore, we do not expect a return from our guests on the big day to compensate for our expenditures and cover costs. We are making the giving of gifts optional as we don’t want anyone to feel the pressure to give—we just want them to be present and celebrate with us. Considering that we are not receiving financial help from family, we are trying to live within our means, and we don’t want our guests to feel any pressure to give. We would be richly blessed if we were to receive this gift from you.

Ed, of ZoMei VP is my little brother, videographer and owner of Zomei VP. He started shooting weddings last year and has been booking up weddings this year one after another, and rightfully so! He has a pure, RAW talent, and whether he goes overseas on mission trips documenting the efforts of their missions teams or he’s capturing footage of the first dance at a wedding, he pours all of his heart into his work. To visit his blog, click on the following link: phoenix wedding videographer.

Tomorrow is Bloggers Day of Silence, which is an effort to raise awareness and give respect to what happened to the people of Japan. Please help participate by not blogging on Friday March 17th, 2011.

Also, please donate what you can to help deliver emergency & lifesaving supplies through Shelterbox to the families of Japan. Each shelterbox contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items. A whole box costs $1,000 USD so anything you can give will help! A BIG thanks to Ever Ours and Utterly Engaged for bringing this to my attention.

If you are interested in donating any money, PLEASE CLICK HERE, scroll to the top and click on “Click Here to Donate”. Thanks so much!

And I want to help by giving free wedding photography to one deserving couple this year. Ed, a Phoenix wedding videographer and my kid brother, would also like to help by giving free wedding videography to this deserving couple.

Fine Print (please read):
Wedding must take place during 2011 and can be anywhere in the world. If either or I are booked on your wedding date, and you cannot change it, then you must forfeit the prize and it will be offered to the next qualifying couple. For weddings over 150 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina, travel fees for Caroline Ghetes and her photo assistant must be paid for by the winning couple in advance at booking time. Please email caroline@carolineghetes.com for approximate travel quote before entering contest. This giveaway has no cash value. Your entry/nomination must be received in my email inbox no later than 11:59pm EST on March 31, 2011 in order to qualify. Couples may either nominate themselves for this giveaway, or anyone can nominate another deserving couple, however in order to qualify, the nominated couple must be aware of the entry. Past clients or currently booked clients do not qualify for this giveaway. Family members and friends/acquaintances of Caroline Ghetes also do not qualify. I will announce our top 3 deserving couples here on the blog with their photos and stories on April 4th, 2011 after which the public will have until April 10, 2011 11:59pm EST to vote for their favorite deserving couple. The winning couple will be announced here on the blog on April 15th, 2011. Also, an email will be sent to the winning couple and if multiple unsuccessful attempts have been made to reach the couple or for some reason they are unable to claim their prize, then they will forfeit their winnings to the next qualifying couple. Please do not submit your story unless you intend to follow through with the prize, should you win.

A while back, Ruffled Blog and I held a contest for a free wedding photography giveaway. We narrowed it down to three very deserving couples and allowed the public to vote for their favorite. Rebekah and Michael won and were finally married on July 24th. It was a hot & humid 107 degree summer day in Caret, Virginia at the Historic Kinloch. Let me just say that despite the heat, family and friends still rejoiced in dance. Lots of dancing, as I had expected from a couple who do it for a living. What I also thought was very special was that the cakes were each lovingly made by a different family member as a gift to the Rebekah & Michael for their guests. How sweet is that? The bouquets were also made by her family and friends using flowers bought from a local grocery store, which was so creative!

Anyhow, there were many tears throughout the day (even from myself), and much laughter too. I loved seeing how close this family was. And the way Michael & Rebekah stole glances at each other throughout the day, tells me they are in it forever, no matter what.

Rebekah & Michael, I leave you both with this: Luke 12:22-34. Always remember it.