A Sunny Warm January Wedding for Emily and Daniel!

I met Emily and Daniel last June. At the time, they were living in the western part of North Carolina at a university where Daniel performed as a percussionist in the orchestra and Emily an actress in theater productions. Daniel told me that he remembers after every performance for the past 4 years, Emily would come down into the orchestra pit and thank all the musicians. He always looked forward to that special moment but Emily did not remember any individual musicians until the theater group went on tour to the Roanoke Island Festival Park to do several musicals in 2010. It was then that Daniel caught her eye! She noticed that Daniel was always around helping unload the sets, costumes and instruments and came up to thank him. After this, she began to notice him frequenty and soon they were spending more and more time with each other. At some point they became a couple and eventually decided to marry. Since then they have moved to a small town outside of Elizabeth City where Daniel teaches college and it was from there they planned their wedding in the Triangle because Emily grew up in Durham. They chose the historic All Saints Chapel with its warm dark wood trimmed interior and roomy chapel. It is a wonderful setting for weddings and especially charmed Emily whose creativity in designing the ceremony was evident. She grew up in the Baptist Church and Daniel is from Michigan where he grew up Catholic. So they had a traditional structured ceremony with both traditional elements like the Unity Candle and the non-traditional like Handfasting.

When Marty and I arrived for the wedding on January 7, 2012, the bride, bridesmaids and man of honor were outside having photos done by Neil Boyd, their photographer. It was an unseasonable warm and sunny day!

Inside, the chapel was ready to go. 100 chairs had been removed from the 250 that were there during our rehearsal the night before for a wedding that evening. Sarah told me it was the largest wedding they have ever had there.

There were hanging candles on stands along the aisle and lots of floating and votive candles on the altar including a unique Unity Candle holder in the center. Baby's Breath made a wispy and frilly floral spray for the center. The florist responsible was Flowers by Design.

Neil in action as the light streams in the windows on the south side of the chapel as the  processional begins.

After the rest of the wedding party and parents and grandparents entered, our flower girl, Grace, and the ring bearer, Dylan, made their way down the aisle. They were so cute and did their jobs perfectly! The lady in the magenta dress behind them is Lisa, friend of the mother of the bride, who was our wedding director. Thanks, Lisa, you did great!

Then it was time for the bride. Her father, Craig, proudly escorts her in. She is carrying a lovely bouquet with very special meaning with the couple's hope that these meanings will translate to their new adventure of married life. The Myrtle is for love; Ivy for friendship; Holly for domestic happiness; Stock for bonds of affection; Stephanotis for marital bliss; Statice for loyalty; and Baby's Breath for happiness. Sounds good to me! Emily is also wearing a gorgeous gown. The long sleeved lacy bolero jacket can be removed and the strapless bodice underneath is lovely. Emily also made her very fashionable "fascinator" headpiece and flower. Who would have guessed. She looked so pretty and her wedding dress and hat implied "vintage" which fit the ambience of the chapel so well.

I believe Emily has the tiniest waist I have ever seen! Her train was beautiful as it flowed behind her.

After the Welcome, the Invocation and the Presentation of the Bride, Emily and Daniel stepped up onto the altar for the rest of the ceremony.

The guests were invited to stand and sing the Doxology together then we remembered those not with us and then two special readings. Emily's sister, Kaitlin, read one of my favorite poems about two trees whose branches and roots become so intertwined that many see only one tree. Author is unknown. Then Daniel's sister, Lori, read an excerpt from Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Gift From the Sea."

 

 

After the Prayer and Charge to the Couple, it was time for the Blessing of the Hands and the Handfasting ritual in which the couple's left hands are bound by a cord the couple made symbolizing the intertwining of their lives and the lives they have chosen to lead together.

 Then they said their vows to each other. 

The cord was then removed and they exchanged rings which symbolically replaced the cords.

 

The Unity Candle was next and they joined their candles to form the new and greater flame of their marriage made up of their unique individual expressions of light continually sustained and renewed by their connection to the eternal and inexhaustible Light of the universe.

During the light of the candle, "Morning Has Broken" was sung by a trio of bridesmaids, including Daniel's sister, Christina, who has a beautiful voice. A very special moment for their family!

 

 After a prayer for the couple, the pronouncement was made followed by......

 

 

 

What very happy people you are, Emily and Daniel! Congratulations! I am so happy for you and I wish you all the happiness in the world! And have a wonderful honeymoon to the tropics!

Professional Photos by Neil Boyd of Emily and Daniel's Wedding!

 

Kristie Boyer at Neil Boyd Photography just sent me some photos of Emily and Daniel's wedding on January 7, 2012 which I wanted to post here. Neil is such a great photographer and I am so happy to have these. Thanks Kristie and Neil!

 

What a great wedding! Emily and Daniel, I am sure that by now you have returned from your honeymoon, settled into marital bliss and happily pursuing your dreams. I wish you the very best life has to offer! 

Tom and Colleen Danced Down the Aisle at Their Wedding!

One August evening in 2010 when they were both out with friends in downtown Raleigh on the Glenwood South strip, Tom and Colleen met each other. Tom loved the way Colleen could joke around with him. Colleen was intrigued not only by Tom's mischievous smile and his sense of humor but that he would get up on stage and sing "Ice Ice Baby" with her! They were friends for a couple of months until Tom got up the nerve to ask her out. For that first date he arranged for them to go see a particular musician that evening who sang "Here With You" and during that song, they both knew in their hearts that they were going to end up together. And so, less than two years later, they married on June 10, 2012 at the All Saints Chapel in downtown Raleigh. I was thrilled to officiate for them and we had a lot of fun creating their special wedding ceremony.

Colleen 's sweet mother, Donna, escorted her down the aisle and gave her a little kiss as she placed Colleen's hand into Tom's hand, blessing their marriage.

The bride and groom stepped up onto the altar and the Maid of Honor, Brianne, sister of the bride, fluffed the train. What a gorgeous wedding gown!

We began with a warm welcome and a prayer and remembered those passed on who could not be with us today.

I stepped out from behind the couple to deliver the tribute they wrote for their parents, thanking them for all their love and support.

Colleen's good friend, Laura, very eloquently delivered a contemporary reading of First Corinthians. This version is like a beautiful poem:

"Love never hurries, it is always kind.

It is not jealous, and never boasts of its greatness.

Love is not rude or selfish.

It is always ready to forgive and forget mistakes we make.

Love is no friend of wickedness, but delights in honesty and truth.

Love is strong and never gives up.

It never loses its trust in God or its hope for the future.

Love will survive all things because it is everlasting."

They were so quiet that I was unaware of these two little boys who entertained themselves during the ceremony with the flower petals in the aisle!

 Everyone is having a good laugh at their story! 

At one point I said to Tom: "Colleen treasures all the ways you are different from each other, but with the exception of your unprofitable bargaining skills at your recent yard sale!" They do have a great sense of humor!

 They read the vows they wrote for each other from my book then exchanged rings. 

Their excellent photographer, Neil Boyd, sent me this wonderful photo of the KISS! Thanks, Neil. Thanks to his second shooter, Rebecca too. I believe the last wedding we all did together was here at All Saints Chapel this past January--Daniel and Emily.  

It is my great pleasure to present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs., Tom and Colleen!

And they danced down the aisle! Thanks again for the photo, Neil! 

 

 And the wedding party danced down the aisle too!  

Before the guests headed to Caffe Luna for the reception, we got a group shot! 

 

Colleen was telling me how thrilled she was with the ceremony and that it exceeded her expectations. I am always so happy to hear that! 

Congratulations and best wishes, Colleen and Tom! You are a great couple and I wish you the very best life can bring your way!

Beautiful Sunny Wedding for Rebecca and Greer at St. Mark's Chapel!

Imagine, freezing temperatures one day then 70s the next. That is what has made the winter of 2014 in Raleigh memorable. Rebecca and Greer lucked out and had their wedding on March 1, 2014 which turned out to be a beautiful, warm, sunny day at St. Mark's Chapel.  

It is the sweetest place in town to get married, I think.

Rebecca and Greer's wedding program was OUTSTANDING! Don't you love the peacock theme and the unique design?  

Rebecca ordered these from Zazzle on line and it is an amazing website.  

Instead of a guest book, they had a platter for guests to sign which will later be glazed to be made permanent. It came from amazon.com. 

Checking the boutonniere for Greer. It was a bit wobbly. His dad had pinned it on and so I re-pinned it more securely.

Greer with his two soon to be stepsons, Michael and Daniel. Rebecca's son John could not be with us due to his military service obligations. We thank him for serving our country.

 Rebecca and her friend make their way to the chapel from the building where she was hidden away.

Greer met Rebecca halfway down the aisle and escorted her up onto the altar area and we began. His father, William, was his best man. Ashley with Arioso Strings was our violinist! She was great!

Rebecca's beautiful daughter, Emily, was her maid of honor. Rebecca's parents and sons are seated on the first row. Greer's children, Savannah and Jackson, sat on the other side of the aisle with their grandmother.

We had a blessing of the children in which I spoke to them on behalf of Rebecca and Greer. It was quite touching.

And then came the story! Rebecca is a real estate agent and Greer was looking for a new home to start his life over. Rebecca was the listing agent of the house he bought. It was instant attraction from the beginning which blossomed into true love. The guests enjoyed hearing all about it!

Greer spoke his vows to Rebecca. They had written vows secret from each other heard for the first time on their wedding day.

Rebecca says her vows to Greer. They were written out in my book in large bold font printed facing them but Rebecca almost had hers memorized.

 Then they exchanged their rings......

 A closing blessing then the pronouncement of marriage--I could feel the happiness! 

The first kiss was too quick so I had them kiss again so we could get a picture! 

 Here they are, folks! Greer and Rebecca, husband and wife! 

 Married at last! 

We asked all their guests to move forward to the altar area so that their photographer (and mine) could get a group shot from the balcony where only photographers are allowed. Liz Johnson was their photographer and a delight to work with!

Congratulations, you two! What a wonderful wedding you had. I enjoyed every minute and I could tell you did too! My best wishes for you both for a fabulous marriage and happy life together!

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