Real {Charlotte} Wedding: Cletise + Michael

You know that moment when two forces collide and powerful energy is emitted as a result? Well, that’s what happened when Michael and Cletise collided (figuratively)…not knowing that they’d meet, oblivious to the existence of each other, and suddenly meeting to create a relationship that would produce a love so deep that they’d decide to spend their lives with each other.

This gorgeous North Carolina wedding was captured by the amazing M. Clay Photography. Want to meet the couple? Here’s your chance…

Bride: Cletise M. Ligon
Groom: Michael D. Ussery
Occupations: Cletise: Funds Management Analyst at Bank of America; Michael: Electronic Technician at AT&T
Date of Wedding: August 13, 2011
Location of Wedding: Ballantyne Country Club in Charlotte, NC

The Meeting…..”We met in June 2007 outside a club in Charlotte. I was arriving at the club and Michael was leaving. He asked if he could talk to me before I went inside. We talked briefly and he gave me his business card.  I went inside with my girls, and called him the next day. The rest is history.”

The Proposal…. “Michael proposed on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2010 at my house. We were just hanging around the house and out of the blue, he asked me, “Are you ready to spend the rest of your life with me?”, and he pulled out a beautiful solitaire diamond ring…Of course, I said “YES”.”

{Beauty is in the Details}

The Planning Process…. “The planning process of the wedding was very easy. Michael and I planned the wedding in 3 months. We had selected everything from the venue to the bridesmaids dresses to the florist by March 31 without the help of a wedding planner. Michael and I went to several bridal shows within those 3 months. We found our wedding cake designer, florist, and our wedding stationery designer while attending these shows. The first thing we needed to do was to find a venue. We selected 10 venues to see in two weeks. We initially wanted a church wedding but after seeing the Country Club, we decided to have our wedding ceremony and reception at the same location. The Ballantyne Country Club is a beautiful facility which made decorating very easy. The Country Club landscaping was awesome, it had a lot beautiful trees and nice plush greenery for a outside wedding. Selecting the colors of the wedding was very easy: with purple being my favorite color, Michael chose yellow as the second color. I knew right away that I wanted the girls to wear purple dresses and I wanted colorful flower bouquets. When picking the bridesmaid dresses, I decided that my girls could pick out their own style of the dresses. I picked the fabric, the color and designer, and they picked the dress that was most flattering to their body type. The girls bouquet had to be colorful and pop againt the purple dresses. Michael chose the yellow lilies flower for the bridesmaids bouquets and I picked the rest. I believe the reason why our planning process was so easy was because we chose thoughtful and professional vendors who actually cared about making our wedding memorable.”

The Photographer…. “Cletise had M. Clay Photography in mind from seeing his work through a friend of one of our bridesmaids.  I liked the photos, but [with] me being the frugal one of this union, the price was a little out of spec. We actually met Mike and his wife at the first bridal show [and] we hit it off instantly. They were so cool and down to earth, which was the basic theme of our ceremony. So we took his card, set up a meeting and hired Mike as our photographer. It seemed like a match made in heaven; we clicked so well, it was a no-brainer that we picked Mike for his great work and professionalism. And it didn’t hurt that his name was Michael also.”

{The Most Unforgettable Moment For}

Her: “When I said, “I Do”

Him: “When I first saw her walking down the aisle.”

{Loving You is Easy}

Cletise loves much about her beau…”There are many things I love about Michael. Where do I start? I love Michael’s self-confidence and his ability to adapt to any situation. I love his take-charge attitude.“

Michael loves his super-woman….”She is a very strong woman – almost too strong (lol), but a great partner. She has challenged me from the day we met in that parking lot. [That] is what a person like myself needs in order to become the best man I can be.”

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