Morgan Wolfe and Michael Toomey were married in Wellesley on June 25, 2023 at the Gardens at Elm Bank, which are part of the state’s Elm Bank Reservation and tended by the Mass. Horticultural Society.
“We chose it partly for the peonies,” said Morgan, whose mother is known for the peonies she grows in her Wellfleet garden. The gardens blushed pink behind the couple, as snapdragons, roses, and peonies were all in bloom on their wedding day.
They also chose the gardens because they would be an easy convergence for family coming from the Cape and points south.
The bride’s cousin, Andrew Pippin, from Mint Hill, N.C., officiated. “We tried to get Ken Roscoe, who had married my mom and stepdad at the Congregational Church in Wellfleet, to come out of retirement for us,” said Morgan. But her cousin enjoyed the one-day duties, she said.
Though Morgan was born in Charlotte, N.C., she grew up in Wellfleet. So did Michael, whose mother, Lisa Toomey, has Souza family roots in Provincetown. The two met at Wellfleet Elementary School and were in school together until they graduated from Nauset High — Morgan in 2016 and Michael in 2017.
“It wasn’t love at first sight,” Morgan says.
“She didn’t like me,” adds Michael.” How he went from being “that annoying boy on the bus, like my brother,” to “a dream,” required persistence, Michael says.
Michael and Morgan went their separate ways after high school. While she was at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., he stayed in Wellfleet, working in Wellfleet’s recreation dept. — he had run track at Nauset — and at Atlantic Spice Co., and doing landscaping. But Michael was good at staying in touch long-distance and kept their connection warm, she says.
They rekindled their relationship over Christmas break in 2019 when they were each spending time with their families in Wellfleet. “As you get older,” Morgan says, “you realize a lot of people don’t prioritize being with family,” something that’s important to both of them. “My stepdad and my dad both walked me down the aisle,” Morgan says.
Soon after that Christmas visit, Morgan decided to move back to Cape Cod. She and Michael moved to Orleans and then, a year and a half ago, found a place in Biddeford, Maine. “It’s hard to get started on the Cape these days,” Morgan says. But the two are happy to be living on the coast. The inland woods and rivers — Michael has taken up flyfishing — are things they both enjoy.
Among many other family members gathered for the wedding were Michael’s parents, Lisa and Michael Toomey, of Wellfleet; Morgan’s mother and stepfather, Angela and Thomas Keer, also of Wellfleet; and Morgan’s father and stepmother, Bryan and Lara Wolfe, who live in Staunton, Va. Morgan’s niece Kaia Wolfe and Michael’s niece Mia Campbell were flower girls.
“Leaving our hometown was the best decision we could’ve made as young people to get out of our comfort zones and learn and experience new things,” Morgan says. But Wellfleet will “always have our hearts.”
And Maine’s not so far away. Morgan and Michael were in Wellfleet last weekend. “It’s great being with our families here,” Morgan says. “We brought our dog, Bear, went to the ’Comber, and went fishing with my stepdad. We didn’t catch anything but there were dolphins in the harbor.” —Teresa Parker
