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23 décembre 2014

Real Alabama Weddings: Intimate ceremony united animal lovers Carolyn Mathers and Joseph Lulue

Press-Register highlights two of the year's most interesting weddings each month as part of Real Alabama Weddings. If you have a spectacular wedding to suggest for this feature, email mmatthews@al.com.

MOBILE, Alabama -- Carolyn Mathers waited a long time to find her Prince Charming - and Joseph Lulue had waited a long time for her to come along, too. They were 40ish when they married, both for the first time, on Oct. 4, at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, where Carolyn leads the singing as cantor on Saturdays.

"It's so beautiful, quaint and homey-feeling," she said of the church off Ann Street in the Oakleigh Historic Garden District.

Carolyn, who owns Queen G's Café in midtown Mobile, and Joseph, a stonemason who works at Bellingrath Gardens and Home, met several years ago when they were introduced through a mutual friend. "I wasn't serious about anybody," she said. "But then I got real serious with him." After dating for about five years, they became engaged on Valentine's Day of 2014.

When they met, Carolyn and Joseph had seven dogs and a cat between them. Becausethey're both such animal lovers, and fall is their favorite season, Oct. 4 - the feast day of St. Francis, patron saint of animals - seemed like the perfect day for their nuptials. They set the time at noon, because Carolyn "wanted to be at the beach by sunset."

In the past 15 months, Carolyn said, three of their dogs have died - including her beloved Stanley, a rescued Chihuahua-Dachshund mix she held in her lap when Joseph proposed to her. Sadly, Stanley passed away just a couple of weeks after her wedding.

How they met: "We were all out one evening, and Queen G's came up. I thought he was kind of snippy," said Carolyn. "But within an hour or so, I thought, 'He's cute, and he seems really sweet.' By the end of the evening, he was smitten."

How he proposed: "We had looked at rings last winter and had talked about it," Carolyn said. "I'd seen a locket I liked at an antiques store, and on Valentine's Day I saw a wrapped box from that store. He cooked me dinner that night, and he was acting weird. I thought, 'Is he trying to break up with me?' And then he knelt down and said, 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you.'"

The ring: "He had his grandmother's ring, which was very vintage, and it fit! We used the stone from it, and my wedding band is adorned with diamonds from a ring my father gave my mom. (He died in 2006.) My dad's always on my hand."

The dress: "It's been hanging in my closet for 10 years or more. I found it at Parisian, when I was invited to a Mardi Gras ball. I saw the dress, and when I put it on it was gorgeous. It cost more than I wanted to spend for a Mardi Gras gown, but I thought it would be such a great wedding dress. I went back a couple of months later, and it was on the clearance rack! It looks like something that was designed in the 1930s."

Something blue: Carolyn wore blue satin shoes with a bow, and Joseph's tie and her nieces' sashes matched.

Wedding cake by: Pastry Shop

What made it special? "It was vintage with a spin. It included all the animals we've had since we've known each other, and two vintage rhinestone pins in the center. It was a beautiful cake."

Groom's cake by: Pollman's.

What made it special? "It was red velvet with cream cheese icing and was sports-themed. If the TV is on, it's always on ESPN or a crime show."

Special touches: Carolyn's friend Jenny Hogan Watson, who was also the photographer, made several signs, including the one held by the flower girl that read "Here comes the bride" on one side and "Happily ever after" on the other.

"My niece, the flower girl, carried two bouquets, one for each mother. And we had a candle lit for my dad, in front of my mom."

First dance: "I Love You" by Climax Blues Band. "We gave the DJ a laundry list of 1980s love songs, from Air Supply to Kiss. When we first met, we used to sit up and listen to old records. I still have the 45 of 'I Love You,' and it became our song."

Most memorable moment: "Joey and I had talked about cake time, and we didn't want to smear it in each other's faces. I had bought the cutest forks that said 'I do' and 'Me too.' But Joey ate his own first bite. The look on his face was priceless. Then we fed it to each other."

Funny/unexpected moments? "I locked my keys in my car at the rehearsal. I've never done anything like that. I was a nervous bride!"

Honeymoon: Spent three nights at a condo in Gulf Shores; honeymoon pending in February, when they're renting a cabin in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

Advice for other couples planning a wedding? "Do not overspend. The most important part of the day is the 45 seconds when you exchange vows in front of God. You don't remember a lot of it. Expect the unexpected and go with it. Don't take yourself too seriously."

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