Melissa and Terri Tie the Knot in The Portofino Horse Barn!

April 9th, 2016 was a beautiful sunny day but the wind was so strong that Melissa and Terri wisely chose to move their outdoor wedding from the piazza into the beautiful immaculate horse barn at Portofino in Clayton. I loved working with Melissa and Terri. They have been together many years and are a perfect match for each other. They recently located to North Carolina to be close to family and because Terri has a passion for horses they chose the beautiful estate of Portofino which started as a horse farm to begin their new life and to get married there. 

They did a First Look with their esteemed photographer Jason Martin of Veritas Photography. This is a view from halfway down the corridor towards the ceremony area. Cleanest horse barn I have ever seen (or smelled!). All the horses had been moved into the pasture except Terri's horse, Rebel.

Terri checks in on Rebel who seemed inordinately excited!

He has been decked out with flowers interwoven into his mane and tail and senses something special is going on. His name is "Rebel Enough!"

Jason puts down his camera to tie Terri's errant shoelace. 

The amused Melissa watches!

The brides had matching tennis shoes to which they had affixed strips of bling which gradually fell off the shoes leaving bits of bling behind as they walked!

They are so happy on this day. They chose their dresses separately and make such beautiful brides. 

This is the only photo I have of me with the brides because Dave, my husband/photographer, thought we would get more after the wedding. Not so!

A great picture of Melissa and Terri with the Portofino staff. Sandra, right, is the owner and creator of Portofino--an amazing estate of beautiful homes, spectacular grounds, and of course the horse barn. It all started with a horse farm!

The upstairs of the barn has a gorgeous villa for guests. Melissa and Terri stayed there the night before and after their wedding. The wedding party all gathered there before the ceremony as the guest arrived.

 Waiting! So much time at weddings is spent waiting! 

The two beautiful bouquets are by MEWS Floral Design. 

Getting the witnesses' signatures on the marriage license ahead of time. Greg is Melissa's brother and Heather is Terri's sister. Greg escorted Melissa in and Heather was our Maid of Honor.

They are so ready for this! 

Jim Unger with Ninety-Nine Entertainment is our wonderful DJ. Jim really knows what he is doing and everything went smooth as ice! It is always good to work with Jim again.

The upstairs apartment has a Juliet balcony overlooking the barn. This is a photo of the ceremony site as the guests are being seated. The white runner has been firmly affixed to the rubber tiles--Yay!

Back downstairs it looks like the guests have arrived, and we are ready to get the processional underway!

So we got all lined up in the office. Sally, Terri's mother, is ushered in by Chris and Justin and Terri's stepfather, John, followed.

Then it was time for the wedding party as I led them down the aisle. 

Tammy enters. 

Then Heather....

Melissa with Greg, her brother, and her mother, Kathleen, are ready to go! 

The guests are standing in honor of our two brides! 

And now Terri and her father, Tom, begin their walk. 

There they go! 

And so we began the ceremony which the brides and I had collaborated on to make it truly theirs. They have a wonderful sense of humor and the ceremony reflected that, generating sweet laughter during the ceremony. 

I introduced Heather's reading and as I did so, Rebel let out a loud neigh as if he wanted to do the reading! Perfect timing, Rebel!

After telling the story of how Melissa and Terri met and fell in love and all their many adventures together, followed by what they love most about each other and what they are looking forward to in marriage, they made their vows to each other and exchanged rings. 

 The moment their marriage became legal!

 Sealed with a kiss--their first as a married couple!

The horse and carriage awaited them to carry them over to the clubhouse for the reception! 

And away they go! Veils whipping in the wind! 

Around the side of the lake with the photographers running behind them getting some great photos I am sure. 

"JUST MARRIED!" Melissa and Terri, what a fabulous wedding you created and carried out. It could not have been any better. I loved working with the two of you. Congratulations on your marriage and best wishes for the two of you as you begin the same journey you have been on for years, now sealed, signed and delivered!

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