Trish contacted me last September by email about officiating her wedding downtown Raleigh at
The Stockroom on April 26, 2013: "
We live in NY state but my family lives in NC. We are getting married at the Stockroom in downtown Raleigh. Your wedding blog has been instrumental in my wedding planning due to the list of vendors and venues you provide. We haven't really looked into who will marry us yet but I felt like it was a sign when I saw that Andrea is your daughter. I haven't seen or spoken to her in quite some time but I used to work with her at Michael Dean's many years ago. We'd love to get some additional information from you, primarily if you are available on our wedding date. We look forward to hearing from you."
Of course I was tickled to reply to her that I was available and would love to officiate for her and Colin. They completed the contract I emailed them and mailed it to me with their check and we got started on their ceremony. I did not meet them face to face until Monday 4/20 when we did a run through rehearsal with just the 3 of us. I appreciate them being so understanding of my having to miss their large rehearsal due to a memorial for a family member I had to attend out of town. Thankfully their wedding planner/director,
Sally Oakley, was happy to conduct the rehearsal the night before their wedding without me present.
Dressed in my charcoal gray dress and shoes to match the bridesmaid's dresses and "armed" with my wireless theater microphone outside the entrance to The Stockroom!
Mahlers Fine Art Gallery is such a lovely space.
Libby and Ethem's wedding was in this space last October. For Colin and Trish's wedding the gallery was the "holding area" for the bridal party prior to the ceremony then the site for the cocktail hour after the ceremony while The Stockroom was being converted into the reception area.
The Stockroom configured for the ceremony....
View from the windows......
Trish and Colin had seen this arrangement of vine wreaths, draping fabric and florals in a photo of a wedding here and so they shopped around at Michael's and JoAnne Fabrics and duplicated it.
Sooooo glad Sally Oakley,
Sally Oakley Personalized Wedding Planning, was heading up the wedding vendor team! I always look forward to working with Sally. I can rest assured she has taken care of every little detail.
Kevin Majoros, DJ, was on hand to handle the ceremony and reception music! Thanks, Kevin, for plugging in my microphone and monitoring the sound for the ceremony! I know you must have rocked the reception later!
Rocky Top Hospitality was the caterer of course, since Trish had worked at Michael Dean's which was one of their restaurants. Kevin DeHimer was there, of course, and although he told me he was a guest, I caught him working!
The guest book was a lovely tree image upon which the fingerprints of the guests were imprinted and signed.
A trip downstairs to the gallery to see the bride and get her sister's signature as witness on the license.
Our photographer, Ashley with
The Story Photographers, was on hand to get pictures of the bride while her counterpart, David, was busy with the groom and groomsmen upstairs.
After the parents were escorted in, Colin and his guys followed me in to the front. Then the bridesmaids entered.
I invited the guests to stand as Trish and her father entered.
Colin and Trish have such a wonderful love story. Even though they lived more than 3000 miles apart, the universe rearranged itself so that their paths would cross in Atlantic Beach NC one fateful evening in 2009. Their lives were forever changed and distance was only a trivial obstacle that their love for each other overcame with victory and celebration! Their guests loved hearing their story and Trish wrote me after the ceremony: "I can not tell you the number of compliments we received about our ceremony. Everyone was so impressed with you. Not only did we get multiple comments, they thought you had known us for years. Many also stated that it was the best ceremony they had ever witnessed. Others said they have been to many weddings and yet they will never forget this one due to how personal it was. We were beyond pleased but it meant so much to us to know how much our guests enjoyed it as well. So, thank you for your professionalism and attention to detail that made our ceremony and commitment to one another truly unique, memorable and so special for us."
They couldn't stop kissing!
Trish and Colin, you are a very special couple. Trish, since you are a friend of my daughter, I feel like you are my daughter too. And, although at times I felt like a midget standing between the two of you tall beings, it was my great pleasure to get to know you and I am honored to have been part of your wonderful wedding and sending you off into marriage on a firm footing.
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919-345-4608
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