Kristina called me first then sent me a note on September 18, 2014 about her wedding a year later on September 19th, 2015 at
Top of the Hill Great Room in Chapel Hill. Her note said:
My fiancé and I are hoping for a simple non-denominational wedding. We live in Durham and met at Top of the Hill after a basketball game. He is from Maryland and I was born and raised here. I was one of Jacqueline Rice's bridesmaids as I mentioned on the phone today. We are looking forward to meeting you on Tuesday. (Jacqueline and Tom's Wedding at The Carolina Inn) And so we met and found we were a great fit. We signed the contract, they filled out some wedding details for me, gave me a check for my fee and I reserved their wedding and rehearsal on my calendar for 2015. Kristina and Michael were great to work with and have a great story that I was looking forward to telling their guests at their ceremony.
The centerpieces by
Flowers by Gary were ready to go on the tables once the Great Room was turned after the ceremony.
These tables in the Franklin Room adjacent to the great room were set and ready. This is the room where the groom, groomsmen and I hang out before the ceremony and enter from.
They were doing the wooden wedding box which holds a bottle of wine, letters from their parents, and love letters to each other. The letters from their parents are to opened and read on their first anniversary. The love letters to each other are not to be read until their 5th anniversary in 2020! Will they be able to wait?
Will, our ring bearer (not quite 3 years old!), was much happier with the iPad before the ceremony than hanging out with the flower girls!
Kaitlin signs the marriage license for me.
Then Ryan does his legal duty signing the marriage license too.
Our director was the amazing Danielle Olcott with The Great Room. Danielle does a fabulous job helping the couple find and book vendors, coordinating them all, and directing the wedding. For this wedding she directed the rehearsal because I could not be there due to another wedding. I met with Kristina and Michael earlier the week of their wedding to rehearse the ceremony with them.
The guys and I got our cue to emerge from the Franklin Room and take our places up front.
The flower girls were the last to enter before Will and then the bride.
Carolina Media Star photographers Terry and Sarah were covering this wedding. Love working with them and it was so good to see Terry again his having miraculously survived a very serious health crisis. He looked healthy and was getting his usual fabulous pictures.
They were so cute!
Kristina and her proud daddy, Marty, started their trip down the aisle!
All the guests stood in their honor.
Black and red weddings are so striking! Love the girls' fire engine red shoes!
Welcome to all and thanks for making the journey to be with us!
A blessing for their parents brought forth some tears!
Sarah got a good shot of the parents receiving their blessing.
Friends Lauren and Kendall share a funny poem "She's His Soulmate to the End," author unknown.
Then their wonderful story! They met at this very place, Top of the Hill, back in January 2013 following a Maryland-UNC basketball game. Mike had come to Chapel Hill for the game with some of his friends. Kristina was there with some of her friends.
The friends began interacting and Mike challenged Kristina to get the bartender's attention and he would buy her a drink. Little did he know that Kristina happened to know the bartender. He was impressed with her VIP status.
They danced the night away and Mike asked for her phone number despite living hundreds of miles away so before giving it to him, she made him promise to use it! And of course he did and the rest is history!
The big reveal of what they love about each other and what they are looking forward to in marriage.
They made their vows to each other then exchanged rings.
After Kristina place the ring on Michael's finger, the letters from the parents and from each other were placed in the wooden box with the wine.
The legal element of the ceremony!
Then the fun part!
That sweet "after kiss" moment!
And away they go!
I snagged Jacqueline and Tom for a quick picture. They live in Texas now. It was so good to see them again and I think they are happier than ever! It has been almost 3 years since their great wedding!
Kristina and Michael, wow! Great wedding. It was so perfect for you. Loved working with you and am honored to have been the one to join you in marriage! I wish you the best forever!
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