Lonna and Clay's Wedding at the Barn at Valhalla!

Lonna and Clay contacted me last July for their wedding June 13, 2009 at the Barn at Valhalla in Chapel Hill set way back from Hwy 54. I did a really fun wedding there last fall and was excited at the prospect of doing another in that unique venue. The Barn at Valhalla is owned by Duffy Gilligan It is quite pastoral with many acres of rolling hills, a pond, an elaborate decking trail to a huge fire pit. The barn itself is two stories tall. The upstairs is living space that can accommodate 18 people, so often the wedding party spends the day and night before the wedding there. Then there is a big tent that can be filled with tables and chairs for dining. The first floor of the barn is open space for dancing with a wrap around deck. It is a great place out in the country.

Clay and Lonna chose a spot on the property in front of a big pine tree wrapped with lights and hung spherical paper lanterns and topiary balls of flowers. They had two pedestals bedecked with fragrant flowers and those were all the decorations needed for this natural setting. They put out luminaries in the grass to delineate the walkway for the processional.

Clay wrote me last July: "We found you via The Knot, and thought you might be a good fit for our ceremony. Hopefully, our service will be, like us, family oriented with a blend of secular and traditional elements." When we met, I explained that I wanted them to put together exactly what they wanted for their ceremony since they are the ones getting married, not me! They loved the idea and dug right into the ceremony material when I sent it to them. They are really busy people and they live in the Washington DC area--Clay is in law school and Lonna is a publicist.

True to form, they crafted a unique ceremony and made it theirs. First of all, Lonna did not want to do the traditional entrance of the bride by being escorted in and "given away" by her father. She wanted to come in all on her own, and so did Clay. (Usually the groom comes in with the minister.) So they hired Erin McLean for their wedding planner (a smart move for couples not living locally and cannot do all the footwork needed) and came up with a processional where the grandparents and parents entered as usual, then I came in alone, then each groomsman, then Clay. The bridesmaids came in next, then Lonna made her big entrance. They had six attendants each. Keela, sister of the bride, was her maid of honor and she sang two songs during the ceremony. Clay's father, Robert, was his best man and Curtis, Clay's brother, was the first groomsman. They chose a wonderful reading for their ceremony by C. S. Lewis entitled "The Four Loves." Their parents and stepparents received a surprise tribute. The ceremony ended with me presenting them to their guests as "wife and husband" which caught the guests by surprise and generated laughter and much applause--especially from the women! Lonna loved it! As the wedding party and parents exited, I announced that "the deed has been done, so let's have some fun!" The guests took off for the barn as the wedding party started posing for photos while the lighting was perfect.

Clay put together a talented string quartet and flutist to provided the ceremony music. They were great! Nancy Thomas was our photographer and although I have not seen her photos yet, she must have gotten some fantastic shots of the couple and the wedding party out in a field of unmowed grass about thigh-high beyond the parked cars. There is a photo here of them coming back from the field. I will be checking her blog to see her photos of this wedding! The wedding ceremony began at 7:00 PM and the sun was just setting as we ended. Great lighting effects. (I am excited to work with Nancy at another wedding in two weeks.) Erin, their director, was a trooper and got their large wedding party organized and all lined up to go in right on time. She has even posted this wedding on her blog, go check it out! While waiting for the ceremony to begin, I spoke with Chris Kingsley of K9 Entertainment who was the DJ for the reception following the ceremony. The folks with Home on the Range were catering and had their grills smoking and cooking. It smelled delicious! Although I did not stay for the reception I know they ate well and had a great celebration.

Many congratulations on a wedding well done, Clay and Lonna!