Krista and Chad's Wedding at the Regal Renaissance Hotel!

Krista and Chad wanted their wedding to be uniquely theirs with their "stamp" on it. And so they did. First of all they picked the Renaissance Hotel, the newest hotel in Raleigh, located at the upscale North Hills complex for their wedding venue. It is a beautiful Marriott hotel with all the amenities and a view of Raleigh. One particular thing about the hotel for which I am so grateful is that you can park underneath and take the elevator up without ever having to get rained on! Very convenient. This was my first wedding here and I hope to do many in the future at this wonderful site. I got to meet Megan Brewer, the events manager, and gave her some of my business cards.

Krista and Chad's wedding was June 6, 2009 at 6:00. I was cutting it close with the wedding at Duke Gardens at 4:00 and that wedding ran late. Krista and Chad were aware of the situation and had told me that it was okay with them if we did not start their wedding until 6:15 if I needed the time. Marty and I arrived by 5:30 in record time and I got my microphone and receiver hooked into the DJ's system. Damien Maas of Joe Bunn DJ Company was our fabulous DJ and quickly got me plugged in and we did a quick sound check. The sound was perfect for the ceremony which took place in one section of the beautiful ballroom. The room was filled to capacity for this wedding. Everyone was looking forward to seeing Krista and Chad get married.

When Chad and Krista and I met last March, Chad asked me if I had ever done a wedding in which the best man was deceased. I had not and wondered where this was leading. Well, they had an unusual request and that was for Chad's father who had passed on some time ago to be the best man and represented by putting a portrait of him on an easel in the place the best man would traditionally stand. I told him I had never done this before but I certainly was willing to do this for them, no problem. So, that was the plan.

Krista and Chad put together a wonderful wedding ceremony and in it we remembered those who had passed on and those would could not be with us due to health issues. Seems that Scooter, Chad's cat, was so near and dear to Chad's heart that he rated being mentioned in this section and I was happy to have that in the ceremony. It was a humorous reference too and I am all for humor in a ceremony. One day before the wedding though, Chad emailed me that Scooter had died. His cancer had recurred and he just couldn't keep going. So, we needed to change the wording in that reference in the ceremony--again, no problem with that. I also suggested that they add Scooter's photo to the easel with the best man which they had already decided to do. So, you see here in the photo that both Chad's father and his beloved Scooter were his best "men!"

Another stamp they put on their wedding was the aisle runner. The carpeting in the Renaissance Ballroom is bold and contemporary and Krista's mother, Jenna, thought it was too bold for a wedding so she hand constructed a 75 foot aisle runner out of sheeting fabric with an overlay using a 50 foot commercially sold runner on which she had hand written "Krista & Chad." I was afraid it was going to be a problem with getting it laid out before the entrance of the wedding party but I am happy to report that I was wrong! You can see it in the photos.

Then there were the groomsmen's shoes!! I noticed that they were all wearing black Crocs clogs when we were on our way from the bar where they were sequestered to the ballroom. Afterwards I asked Chad about this. He had on black Crocs too, no socks! He told me he loved his Crocs and had about 13 different pairs in different colors. He wanted to wear them at his wedding and so he got some for all the groomsmen. See photo of his feet as he and Krista were recessing out after the ceremony. I wonder how many guests noticed??

Krista wanted a black and white wedding. She even chose pretty bridesmaid dresses in a black and white print. The beautiful wedding cake by Donna Ford of Sweet Memories matched!

Krista's Matron of Honor was Ryan Mason Hill, someone I have delighted in working with for many years at Caffe Luna as their Events & Catering Manager. This wedding she got to be a participant rather than a director and as she processed in, she carried the portrait of Chad's father, handed it to him to put on the easel. Speaking of directors, Jennifer Barnette Davis, formerly a wedding director for the Carolina Inn but moved to South Carolina, is a good friend of Krista's and was supposed to be her wedding director. About 2 weeks before the wedding, Jennifer found out she could not come to Raleigh that weekend. So, Krista and Chad hired Adams & Events to handle their wedding. Saundra Carmichael, Tracy Adam's associate, was their capable director and we started right at 6:00! Their wedding photographer was Nila Garriga and the flowers were from Ninth Street Florists in Raleigh.

The ceremony was memorable and sweet with humor. A great combination that expressed Chad and Krista to a TEE. Their guests loved it! The parents shed some tears at the tribute to them. When Chad began reading his vows, he was looking at me and not Krista. I signaled him to look at his bride, he said "I want to start this over." Everyone laughed and so he started his vows over looking at the woman he was marrying instead of me!

Krista and Chad, I hope your wedding fulfilled your dreams! I wish you all the best forever!