Danielle and David's Fabulous Wedding at The Carolina Club!

Last May I met Danielle and David while they were in town. They live in DC but were planning their wedding on August 4, 2012 at the Carolina Club in Chapel Hill, since David went to UNC. I was taken with this delightful couple right away and we seemed to have the same ideas about the ceremony. They were excited about writing it themselves with my guidance and loved the sample ceremony I read to them to give them an idea of how unique and personal their wedding ceremony could be. So we got started on their ceremony right away.

When Marty and I arrived for the wedding, the reception room was all set up and looked gorgeous.  

Turns out that their florist, Bea Miller with Floral Dimensions, is a very good friend of David's mother, Vera. She did a beautiful job and it was good to work with her again.

They had a candy bar and a table for the guests to write notes to them and put in their guest book.

This gorgeous wedding cake was baked by the chef at the Carolina Club and matches their multi-colored theme.

Separated from the reception area by expandable walls (later folded up so the reception could expand into this area) was the area for the ceremony. 

Florian Music, a popular string ensemble, headed by Sherry Lattin on the left, provided the beautiful music for the ceremony.

Meanwhile our beautiful bride was hidden away in the conference room down the hall with her beautiful ladies enjoying a champagne toast and having pictures taken by Garry and Emily with Big Star Studios.

The staff of the Carolina Club,Tristen, center, our sound guy and Liz, right, Private Events Coordinator, coordinated and directed the festivities.  Thanks for all your guidance and help!

We delayed the start of the ceremony a few minutes as an unannounced last minute activity in the stadium next door to the Carolina Club made parking a challenge for our guests.  So, rather than starting and having the guests trickle in during the ceremony, we decided to delay about 10 minutes.

The guys are hanging out in the hall as the guests are being seated. David assembled his good friends of many years to stand up with him. His father, John-Henry, was telling me how they had all met and stuck together although their careers took them in many different directions. That is David's brother on the left manning his two cell phone cameras.

After the seating of the parents, David and I entered from the side followed by the handsome groomsmen. Then the bridesmaids walked down the aisle and took their places up front.

"Please stand in honor of our beautiful bride" Danielle's father, Terry, proudly escorted her in as Steve Stowe, our DJ for the reception, watches from the hall! Steve was so helpful getting my microphone plugged into the house system before the ceremony. The sound was absolutely perfect! Danielle's parents are both full Lumbee Indian and of course, so is Danielle.

I learned on Facebook a day after the wedding that Terry had instigated a special father-daughter dance for the reception for which he and Danielle practiced for a week so I copied that photo for the blog! Sorry I missed that!

 

Heart Stone Films videoed the wedding and I can't wait to see the video, especially the Father-Daughter  dance! 

Danielle and David included a sweet tribute to their parents and a reading by Danielle's cousin, Chasity. Then I shared their story with their guests. It included a lot of laughs. They met two years ago and no one was surprised that they met in a gym because they are both dedicated to being fit and healthy. They love working out together and participate in runs. In addition, they are both career-oriented and like to work hard. Danielle moved to DC when David's work took him there. She is following her dream and is in law school and he is a real estate developer. They are very well matched and so happy to finally officially be a family.   

After exchanging their vows and rings, I invited their mothers to come forward and pour wine into two separate wine glasses that represented the bride and the groom. Then the couple poured half of their individual wine into a larger wine glass indicating their coming together in marriage. They did not pour all the wine together symbolic of continuing to be individuals and still connected to their respective families. During the Wine Unity Ceremony, the string trio softly played Ave Maria.

Then it was time for the big pronouncement of marriage, the moment they officially become husband and wife.

 Sealed with a kiss....

 

Danielle and David, it was my pleasure and my honor to join you together in marriage. It was fun working with both of you to create your special ceremony. I know you both will go far in your careers and together in marriage. I wish you all the best life has to offer!

Wonderful Winter Wedding for CJ and Justin!

CJ (short for Caroline Judith) found me on The Knot and called me on 8/13/09 to see if I was available for her wedding date of January 2, 2010. We chatted and decided that since she and Justin, her fiance, lived in Boston, that I would meet with her parents to discuss my services and get to know each other a bit. Her parents, Susan and Gerald, live in Morehead City and it just so happened that my husband and I were going on vacation at Atlantic Beach nearby the following week. So we made all the arrangements and met one afternoon at the beach. I enjoyed meeting with Gerald and Susan and they reported back to CJ and Justin what they thought of me. Apparently I made a good impression because CJ and Justin decided to hire me as their wedding officiant and we got the contract signed and my fee paid quickly.

Then we began the process of creating their special ceremony via email. They really loved the idea of including their "story" in their wedding ceremony. CJ and Justin told me how and when they met, what first attracted them to each other and what they love most about each other, what they look forward to in marriage, what marriage means to them, and shared some of their cute stories and adventures with me. I took their material and crafted it into a running history of CJ and Justin and with their editing and approval, we had the bulk of their ceremony completed. All three of us loved it. It also included some great humor that I knew the guests would enjoy and I really looked forward to delivering the ceremony.  I love hearing the stories of couples and passing it on to their guests. I find the guests love it too and are in rapt attention throughout the ceremony.

CJ and Justin and I met face to face for the first time on December 22nd when they got back to NC for the holidays. We went over the logistics of our ceremony since we were having the rehearsal at a site different from the ceremony venue of the Carolina Club--the UNC Alumni Center. Both the bride and groom are UNC grads and of course this was the perfect setting for them. I had gone by there the week before (the day it snowed!) and met Sallie Sullivan, the events coordinator, and took a good look at the ceremony venue and how it would be set up for the wedding. Sallie was great and gave me a grand tour. I look forward to doing more weddings there! Finally the big day arrived! It was rather chilly with a wind chill factor down in the teens but it was warm and cozy in the Carolina Club and this beautiful wedding began.

After the grandparents, parents, groom, best man and the attendants and I entered, it was time for CJ and her father, Gerald, to make their grand entrance and float down the aisle. Here our photographer, Elizabeth Burgess, has them turn briefly and face her for a great photo.

There were about 140 guests filling this beautifully appointed and richly decorated room. There was a trellis with a floral arrangement on top and a huge fern on each side flanked by the candelabras which you cannot see from here.

A friend of theirs, Melissa Bennett, on the left here, sang a Beatles tune "In my Life" which is a favorite of CJ and Justin's and they were almost singing along with her! She was accompanied by their friend Jeffrey Danielson on keyboard. 

This is an amazing photo because the professional photographer's flash went off at the same time as mine and we got fantastic illumination of the moment I am making the pronouncement of marriage. (You can click on any of these photos and get a larger image.)

It's done! They're married!

The bride and groom and wedding party and parents and grandparents all exited to a private room while the guests went on to the reception. Then we went back into the ceremony room for photos. Here I am talking with Cindy and David, Justin's parents, holding hands, and Susan, CJ's mom. Their kids have been together since high school and they were all so thrilled with this marriage and this wedding ceremony.

Congratulations to the new "Missus!" She is really radiant! I believe all her expectations were met and she is so thrilled. No fussy babies or misbehaving children! On the left is one of our bridesmaids, Sandra, and on the right behind us is Justin's brother, Jake.

The beaming newlyweds. It's off to Jamaica in the morning! Do you think we have a Carolina Blue theme going on here? Just you wait and see!

Just look at that gorgeous wedding gown. It was encrusted with sparkles and beads and was pretty heavy. Once the train was in place, it hardly moved!

See what I mean? Carolina Blue everywhere and a UNC monogram on the glasses. This lovely cake was created by Ronald Johnson of UNC Alumni Club Catering. Our florist was Charles House of University Florist. Our capable photographer was Elizabeth Burgess of Burgess Photography and her assistant was Laurence Lynn with whom I have worked many weddings. What a team they make! I know CJ and Justin will have some fabulous photos of their special day. The make up artist was Jenny Raele of Make-up Art by Jenny.

Our DJ for the reception who also provided the sound for my microphone during the ceremony was Ken Holmes with Joe Bunn DJ Company. It was great to work with Ken again. Cindy Shuford, family friend, did a superb job of directing the wedding.  Thank you, Cindy! Sorry that the photo Marty took of us was not good enough to use--my camera was misbehaving!  

CJ and Justin, you are a wonderful couple and I know you will be very happy together and continue to live life to the fullest! You have such a bright and beautiful outlook on life and your future. I hope you will keep in touch! Have a great honeymoon in Jamaica!