Photo Credit: Michelle & Sara Photography
A traditionally ordained minister, I officiate weddings of all types. Your wedding should be what you want it to be and I am delighted to provide the ceremony with the personality that you wish it to have.
Serving The Triad, The Triangle, Northern NC, Eastern NC, and The Coast & Outer Banks
A small micro-wedding at The Mims House in Holly Springs, NC – Photo Credit: Live View Studios
Congratulations on your engagement!
I am always thrilled to officiate a wedding. The couple is beginning a journey together as a married couple, and you can see the love and the joy in their eyes. It is an honor to be such an important part of the launching of that journey.
My own journey into officiating weddings began while serving as a pastor of a church while still in college when I was asked to perform my first wedding for a couple in the congregation. Over the next 25 years, I did many weddings as part of my church work, and I realized I loved doing weddings!
When I moved into my role as a college professor, students began asking me if I could do their wedding because they didn’t have anyone. This alerted me to a need, and as I became a part of the wedding industry, the need was larger than I had realized. For more than 15 years as part of the wedding world, I have been doing ceremonies big and small, formal and informal, religious and secular.
Despite the differences in the ceremonies, they all share one thing in common: two people, deeply in love, are committing the most precious possession they have–their life–to be shared with each other. What a joy to be part of that!
It is a great joy but also a great responsibility. They are joining their lives together and creating a lifelong memory. That places the responsibility on me to make the ceremony as perfect for them as possible so that the memory is perfect. How fulfilling that combination of joy and responsibility is!
It is the greatest job in the world!
A wonderful, intimate ceremony by a pond on the family farm in Mebane, NC – Photo Credit: Michelle & Sara Photography
Q: What is your favorite thing about elopements?
A: I love the simple eloquence of it and the simple intimacy of the experience for the couple.
Q: What’s your title/position in your business?
A: Perry Hardison, Owner + wedding officiant
Q: Is there a wedding detail on your bucket list?
A:I dream of a week with a wedding every single day of that week.
Q: Tell us a little about your favorite elopement!
A: It was an older couple having a small ceremony with just their adult children as witnesses a few days before Christmas. Without telling anyone, they came out dressed as Santa Claus and Ms. Claus for the ceremony.
“Reverend Perry was absolutely wonderful and I am so happy we chose him to officiate our wedding. He is so personable, kind and let’s you actually be in charge of things for your ceremony. My (now) husband was behind us and reverend Perry even helped letting me know he was coming around the corner so I could hide behind my father (since we were married on a trail). I let him know ahead of time about our goofy kiss before our actual kiss and he let us enjoy that moment. Not once did I feel like I couldn’t change anything. To top it off we were supposed to get married Oct 31,2020 and since it was (now) going to be so small we moved it to Sept 26,2020 and Reverend Perry still was willing to officiate. I definitely recommend 10/10! Thank you Reverend Perry!”
