Lisa and Jason's Wedding at The Umstead!

Lisa and Jason were married on Sunday October 25, 2009 at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary. They wanted a small wedding with just close family and friends. Lisa and Jason chose to have no bridesmaids or groomsmen. When I arrived from my 4:00 wedding, everyone was gathered. I got my microphone hooked into Jeff Simpson's DJ system which was combined with the house system. We did a sound check and were ready to go.

Jason's parents entered first and then Lisa's mother, Judith, was escorted in by her sons, Stuart and Daniel--can you tell they are twins?

Then it was time for Jason and me to start down the aisle.

Lisa with Ami, The Umstead's Social Catering Manager, standing by for Lisa's cue to begin walking down the aisle. She did not want to be escorted in. She chose to walk about half-way where Jason met her and they walked up to me together. She handed her bouquet off to her mother on the way in.

I don't remember what was happening here but Lisa thought it was funny.

Brian Mullins was our photographer. He really rocks! He sent me some photos before I got around to posting this wedding--in fact he sent them to me the evening of the wedding which was phenomenal. This photo above and the one below by Brian show a wonderful contrast of photos by a talented professional photographer with professional equipment vs my simple point and shoot digital Olympus camera!

The pronouncement. Note the fabulous feathers in Lisa's hair. I will explain more about her dress below.

They're married now! They scooted inside the hotel while the guests assembled then came out and joined them for the group photo. Brian zoomed up onto the balcony for the aerial shot.

My cameraman, Dave, scooted up there too for this shot. Not too shabby for a 6.0 megapixel camera if I do say so myself!

Another great photo from Brian. Lisa and Jason, what a great wedding you planned and accomplished! Congratulations on your marriage and I wish for you all the happiness in the world!

Lisa made her own bouquet and the boutonnieres for the guys. The bouquet was made from many varieties of basil and it was so fragrant I could almost taste it. What a unique idea. Lisa is so creative. She told me the wedding dress and decor all started with her shoes. She fell in love with them and had to have them although standing in them on her wedding day brought about the discovery that they were not as comfortable as they looked! But she persevered. I bet they came off early on during the reception!



She designed her dress around the shoes and had it made. It was very unusual and certainly not traditional--much like Lisa herself. It is my preference to wear an outfit for the wedding that blends or matches the wedding colors. When Lisa told me that the colors of her dress were red, orange and brown, I decided that the best colors for me to wear were black with a red prayer stole. The weather was on the cool side so I opted for a black pantsuit rather than a dress. With Jason's red tie, we all looked quite color coordinated!


About our vendors:

The Umstead is one of the most elegant and prestigious wedding venues in North Carolina and I love doing weddings here. Guests are treated like royalty and Ami Wheeler, Social Catering Manager, makes sure the weddings run smoothly with every attention to detail. Thanks once again for your skill and service, Ami!

Brian Mullins is one of the finest wedding photographers around. He has a blog too. Go check it out for more photos of this wedding and more!

Jeff Simpson of Simpsound DJ and Lighting is always a pleasure to work with. He was in the reception room when I checked in and when I left so I did not actually get to speak to him but we waved at each other! Thanks, Jeff.

Sweet Memories did the wedding cake but Dave and I did not venture in to see it. I don't need to see one of Donna's cakes to know it was beautiful.

Kathy Watkins did Lisa's hair and make-up and she sure looked stunning!