Rob and Monique - August 2007

We have had so many beautiful weddings at the Canby Wedding Chapel, but one of our favorites was the August 4, 2007 wedding of Rob and Monique Weber. This couple was absolutely delightful, and their story of love so inspiring.

Rob waited all his life to fine “the one.” He didn’t date much, preferring quality time with his family, whom he’s very close to, devoting his time to the family business, and cultivating his close friendships that meant so much to him. In his mid-30’s, he was ready to settle down and devote himself now to a wife and family.

Monique was a single mom, having come out of a sad and difficult first marriage, she was the mother to two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. She worked for a law firm in Portland as support staff, and dreamed of someday meeting Mr. Right.

Along comes eHarmony–Rob and Monique both became members and set out to see if love would find them! Before long, they were matched. After exchanging e-mails and phone calls, they agreed to meet for a date. What was to be a dinner date ended up being an eight our conversation that neither one wanted to end. Rob wanted to meet her children and their connection was instant–the months went by and to his family’s delight, Rob proposed to Monique–another eHarmony success story!

This delightful couple was so much fun to work with when it came to planning their wedding. Rob was such an engaging, kind man, obviously devoted to the love of his life and Monique kept saying over and over how blessed she was to find him. The focus of their wedding was the family that was forming–the children played a part in the wedding and a special time was set aside for the children to be given a special gift during the ceremony–beautiful necklaces with parents wrapping their arms around two children, a symbol of Rob’s acceptance and love of Monique’s children, and a visible sign of their acknowledgment of Rob in their lives and his love for them.

The day of the wedding, neither Rob nor Monique saw one another until just shortly before the wedding. Andy McDaniel of Front Street Photography captured the wedding on film and the highlight for Rob and Monique came with Rob standing at the alter, with his back to the front chapel doors. The Chapel was empty of guests at this point, and Monique was in the brides room right next to the front door. As Andy called to Monique, breathtakingly beautiful in her wedding dress and bouquet as she stepped out of the room and positioned herself at the end of the aisle. With Rob’s back still turned to her, Andy motioned her to walk towards Rob slowly as Rob was asked to turn around and see his bride. The look on Rob’s face was magical as he saw her for the first time–she was stunning! His wife-to-be walked towards him, there wasn’t a dry eye in the Chapel–we were so blessed to see this moment!

As family and friends arrived, the Chapel quickly filled and the ceremony began. Angela Grimm officiated the ceremony–she’d come to really adore the couple she was uniting. During the ceremony, Monique’s children were called to the alter and given their gifts–the necklaces depicting a family with the parents arms around the children. That brought down the house–kleenex were flying everywhere! They were soon pronounced man and wife and honestly, I have rarely seen two happier people–Rob’s life was complete and Monique found her Mr. Right.

The reception was held on the Chapel grounds with family and friends sitting under the tent at tables with a beautiful buffet for dining. Rob and Monique hung back to watch their guests enjoy the day and greet those that came up to hug them and wish them all the love they could ever hope for–truly, they were magical and at peace. Rarely have I seen a couple so calm and peaceful during their wedding. Monique later said her face hurt from smiling so much! The colors of red, black, and white made for an elegant reception, and guests were given a CD of songs special to the couple.

We are so blessed at the Canby Wedding Chapel to be part of beautiful days and this day remains a very beautiful memory to us. Rob and Monique welcomed a baby in May 2008 and their family is close and loving. Rob and his parents have played a huge role in the lives of Monique’s children and Rob’s parents welcomed them with open arms and hearts as their grandchildren and rejoiced over the birth of little Olivia.

We love weddings!