Wonderful Wedding Ceremony for Sarah and Nirav at The Butterfly House!

After the wedding at 4:00 at Duke Gardens on April 23, 2011, Marty and I scooted on over to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. It was a short drive and so we arrived with time to spare for Sarah and Nirav's wedding just outside the Butterfly House. The weather was gorgeous and Marty got so many good pictures it was hard for me to leave any out so this post is really filled with photos not only of the wedding but of the venue as well.

I have done several weddings inside the Butterfly House but the area outside the facility has been recently landscaped creating a beautiful setting for an outdoor wedding. Sarah and Nirav had told me about it when we first met in March of 2010 to plan their ceremony but I just could not picture it.

Here is the view from the tent down the aisle. After the ceremony, the tables will be spread out and the chairs put at the tables.

This is the view from the "altar" area to the tent. 

Through the tent and to the right is the terrace of the Butterfly House in front of the main entrance where the guests will have cocktails after the ceremony. Durham Catering was busy setting up for the reception.

This is the view of the entrance from the hill above the Butterfly House.

Sarah and Nirav are both geneticists and infused the scientific theme by pairing the pretty colorful Gebera daisies with various size beakers and graduates from the lab filled with colored water. How clever and symbolic! Sarah and Nirav did not want a religious ceremony but they did want to include some of the customs of their diverse backgrounds--Hindu and American. So, we set about designing a ceremony to be exactly what they wanted. The result was a very unique ceremony rich in symbolism and meaning for this couple. I'll explain more later when we get to the ceremony part of this post!

 

Sarah's father, Joe, is a graphic designer and made all these fabulous wedding programs. They are some of the best I have ever seen! You can see that the color scheme was teal and yellow which made a stunning combination.

One of their guests baked their wedding cake. She is with Tier Bella . The colors followed their theme and there was a pair of butterflies on top!  

Lenny Fritts with Touch of Class DJ was on hand at both the rehearsal and the wedding and helped direct the wedding party in for the processional. I love Lenny! He is such a big help for me at weddings. We have done so many together I can't count them all. Thanks, Lenny!

Sarah and Nirav decided to see each other before the ceremony. I am sure they did the "First Look" ritual that is becoming so popular now. The photographer sets it up by having the groom in a private setting facing away from the direction the photographer will then bring in the bride. This way they have their first moments of seeing each other on their wedding day in private and the photographer gets some terrific photos this way. I saw them in one of the Museums electric golf carts going up the hill into the wooded area so I decided to follow a little later after setting up my microphone with Lenny. I discovered a whole new world back there! I felt like I was walking in Jurassic Park or something. I expected a dinosaur to pop his head over the trees at any moment. Thankfully the only ones I saw were inanimate objects!

On down the wooded path was an overlook of a beautiful lake I had no idea was back there. There was a winding wooden walkway going down and around.

Their photographer, Riley MacLean, and his second cameraman, Elliott, were there with the couple taking some amazing photos. I am sure he will get some awards and make some covers of wedding magazines! Can't wait to see them on his blog when he gets them posted.

Riley moved to the Triangle last year from the Reno/Lake Tahoe area where he was a very sought-after wedding photographer. So, why did he leave? Well, his fiance started school in Chapel Hill and he followed her here. We are so fortunate. I met him when he was photographing a wedding of a couple (Danielle and Chris) who are friends of Sarah and Nirav for whom I was officiating last summer at Duke Gardens. I was not surprised that Sarah and Nirav also chose him for their photographer.

Now it is time to begin the processional. Lenny started the music "Bella Notte" and cued us in.

It was Canon in D for the Bride and her parents. That is Kelly Taylor watching in the background. She is the event manager for the Museum. She was so helpful and on the ball making sure everything was going perfectly.

 

We started the ceremony with a warm welcome to everyone. Then the Mangalsutra, a ceremonial necklace which the groom gives the bride symbolically similar to the wedding ring, was passed among the guests for them to infuse with their blessings.

Then we had a prayer followed by a blessing for the parents of the couple. We also remembered family members who could not be with us.

About this time in the ceremony I recounted the story of how Sarah and Nirav met while at graduate school in Ithaca NY.  There were some funny stories leading to their move to North Carolina to get "real" jobs!

The couple then lit a sacred fire representing the Hindu tradition of Phere. They took their marriage vows while walking around the fire four times. Each round had a specific significance.

 Then they spoke their vows to each other where they were printed in my book facing them.

Nirav retrieved the Mangalsutra and placed it around Sarah's neck. This symbolized the strength of their union: physical, mental and spiritual. Then they exchanged rings in the American tradition.

I don't know what Riley is doing, most likely some sign for Elliott, but I was unaware of him during the ceremony where I have just made the pronouncement of marriage and it is time for the Kiss!

 Here it is!

The newlyweds recessed out to the end of the aisle followed by the wedding party and parents.

Then I asked the guests to turn around and face the back so that Riley could get a group shot. Looks like it worked!

Nirav and Sarah, I loved everything about your wedding! It was fabulous. You did a wonderful job integrating your two traditions into your ceremony and making it uniquely yours. Congratulations and I wish you all the best!

More Amy and Amorn Wedding Photos!

Frank Jin, the photographer for Amy and Amorn, generously sent me access to all 805 photos he took at their wedding. I picked out a few to show you. Thanks, Frank, they are terrific!

Amy and Amorn decided to do what is called "First Look" where they see each other before the ceremony. The photographer sets it up. He places the groom facing away from where the bride will enter. Then the bride enters and taps him on the shoulder. I think it is a terrific thing to do. It does not spoil the groom seeing the bride coming down the aisle for the first time either. It is a moment of private time without all the guests looking at them.

Here is a great shot of the groom and groomsmen. Love it! What action. How did they jump so high?

All in the limo to take some more shots at the end of Fayetteville Street on the courthouse lawn.

Beautiful. What a great looking wedding party, bride and groom!

One of many funny moments in their wedding. It was so much fun! Here Amy finally got the ring all the way on Amorn's finger and everyone cheered!

Their first dance! 

They went outside Caffe Luna to get a breath of fresh air. 

This is the last photo Frank took so it must be at the very end of the reception. Do you know what the sign says? I sure don't. Maybe someone will tell us! Amy? Amorn?

To See or Not to See? Taking Photos Before the Ceremony.

This is a fabulous article by Kimberly Brooke on bridepop.com for brides and by brides on whether or not the bride and groom should break tradition and see each other before the ceremony. The author lays out all the pros and cons and goes into great detail. And she laments that she did not do this for her wedding day.

This fairly new practice of seeing each other before the ceremony is called First Glance or First Look and is set up by your photographer. I must admit that if I were marrying again and having the big wedding, I would choose to do this. I have found that it really does not take away from that first look the groom has of the bride coming down the aisle in all her splendor or the bride seeing her groom waiting for her at the other end of the aisle with all the guests watching. That thrill is still there. Those glances are so different from seeing other in private before the ceremony. The meeting with each other in private with just the photographer present before the ceremony allows you precious  time alone and yields really wonderful photos of your wedding day without all your guests watching you look at each other for the first time.

Craig Carpenter's Great Photos of Melinda and Jeff's Wedding.

Last night I got a notice from Facebook that I had been tagged by Craig Carpenter in a photo so I went to look at it and found all these great shots. (There is an earlier post on this blog of Jeff and Melinda's Wedding which took place on October 10th at the Washington-Duke Inn that tells you more about the actual wedding. It took place in the round with a very creative processional.) So, I thought I would post them here. Craig also has them on his fabulous blog plus many more of this wedding which I urge you to go take a look at. The name of Craig's business is Luster Studios. Here is a link to his blog where you can see the behind the scenes details of the wedding and the reception as well.

I'm on my way in for the ceremony! It was an overcast day which meant great conditions for photographs. No squinting, no shadows. (I must admit, I really like this photo of me!)

Melinda may be saying her vows to Jeff in this picture.

Jeff's cousin, Winn, on the left with his back to us, is reading Taylor Mali's hilarious poem "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog." This was the most popular poem in weddings I did in 2008.

Here we are celebrating that Jeff just smashed the glass! Mahzel Tov!

And out they process followed by their wedding party. It was beginning to sprinkle a little rain. It was a good thing Melinda and Jeff decided to see each other before the wedding ceremony and take most of their pictures then in a custom that is catching fire called First Look or First Glance.

Here is a photo of Craig from a wedding we did together 8/22/09 at The Sutherland. Be sure to see Craig's photos of the bride and groom and read about and see the photos of their great reception. Thanks, Craig! I love to see your wedding photos because they are always so good and you catch the great moments so beautifully. See you at the next wedding!