Tied for life

Sir Christopher Rhodes and Lady Lucy Twilley brought a taste of medieval times to Jacksonville this weekend.

Rhodes and Twilley exchanged vows as Robin Hood and Maid Marion on Saturday in a medieval-themed ceremony, complete with a wedding party and several guests dressed in period-appropriate garb and Friar Tuck officiating in archaic language.

"I'm having a blast, I know my fiancee is having a blast," Rhodes said. "It was awesome; I can't think of a better way for this to turn out, it's been amazing."

Rhodes has been a longtime fan of Robin Hood. His mother sewed his very first Robin Hood costume when he was in kindergarten.

"My son has always been interested in that era," said Connie Colley. "I think it's wonderful. What a great way to start your marriage - having fun."

Colley handmade the wedding attire for Twilley and Rhodes.

"I said, I made the dress for my girls when they got married and I would be honored to make yours," Colley said.

Twilley was not initially on board with the themed idea but came around in the end, she said.

"It was his first wedding, so I was all about what he wanted," she said.

For Rhodes, the theme was about more than just the attire.

"Back in that time, everything was taken at face value ... what you saw was what you got. It was just a grand time," he said.

During the ceremony, the bride and groom took part in a handfasting, where colored cords are wrapped around the couple's hands as the officiant asks them questions. Handfasting takes the place of the statements of intention that are found in most marriages today.

Grandmother of the bride, Gracie Slawski, had the privilege of walking Twilley down the aisle and liked the idea of the handfasting.

"I love it. I think it puts more emphasis on the marriage," she said. "Tradition is getting so stale; this is going to add a lot of meaning there."

Contact Jacksonville/Onslow government reporter Molly DeWitt at 910-219-8455. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment.