Ashley and Matt's wedding on November 1st, 2014 was my first wedding at the lovely historic
Merrimon-Wynne House in downtown Raleigh. This house was located a few streets away and was moved onto Blount Street a few years ago. It was in bad shape but you could see that it had once been spectacular. A couple of years ago some a wise couple bought the property and restored this beautiful house to its former glory and then some!
It was a rainy day so the wedding had been moved indoors from the garden. This wedding was the first one to be indoors in the house but it did work well although a bit tight.
The view of the tent from the side porch.
Inside the tent
Catering by Design had set up all the servers for the delicious food for the reception.
The tables and chairs were ready and the staff is putting the finishing touches on the space.
Bride and Groom table.
Had to get a photo of Kaila, the event manager for this gorgeous new wedding venue!
Sally Oakley of
Sally Oakley Personalized Weddings is our wedding planner and director for Ashley and Matt. Love doing weddings with Sally. And she was wearing the cutest little apron filled with all the things needed last minute at weddings and could put her hands right on what was called for--like needle and thread, safety pins, matches, etc.
NC Strings with Molly Olah (center) provided the beautiful music for the ceremony.
The topper on this one layer cake was the cake topper from Ashley's great grandmother's wedding cake. How special!!
The wedding party was stowed away upstairs while the guests arrived. The girls had one side of the house and the guys the other. Sally has all the bridesmaids lined up and is cueing them in. The groom and his men and I entered from a side door instead of walking down the aisle.
The sweet little flower girl, Rachel, and ring bearer, Andrew, made their way down the aisle.
We are all waiting for the music to change for the bride's entrance.
And here comes Ashley with her grandfather, Jerry.
Ashley's dad, Jim, joined them when they got to the front row. I asked them both
"Who has the privilege of presenting this young woman, Ashley, to be married to this young man, Matt?"
Jerry must wait until the bride's train is pulled out of the aisle so that he can get to his seat.
And so we began this cozy wedding with a warm welcome to all and a prayer based on First Corinthians, then paid tribute to loved ones who could not be with us. (Personally I have found that weddings where the guests and wedding party are packed in tight creates a feeling of comeraderie and intimacy that is not there when the guests and wedding party are spread out. I like the coziness!)
Then I got to have some fun telling their story. They met back in 2009 through mutual friends and dated some. But Ashley was working on her degree and did not move back to Raleigh until 2011 when the relationship took a more serious turn and they soon became a couple.
Ashley knew there was something special about Matt because her beloved dog, Miley, did not care much for men but warmed right up to Matt. Hmmmm. They got engaged almost a year ago on November 25th and started planning this wedding.
Then I revealed to them what the other had told me in confidence about what they loved about each other and what they are looking forward to in marriage.
The vows......
The rings.......
I asked them to look into each other's eyes and feel the happiness of this moment. Then to close their eyes and let that feeling really register in their heart and mind.
Now they open their eyes and gaze around them as their friends and families surround them as they honor them on their wedding day.
The pronouncement of marriage........
At the rehearsal I joke with the bride and groom about making the kiss long enough to get a good photo! The best man, Kyle, was counting out the seconds to make sure. Funny guy!
The "after kiss" moment!
The presentation of the newlyweds to their guests......
And out they go in a blur......
Grandfather, Jerry, and Grandmother, Anita, make their way out....
And we convened on the porch for photos and refreshments. What a beautiful wedding, Ashley and Matt. My congratulations to you both. You were wonderful to work with and I wish you the best of everything!
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