Jaime and Gerald's Fabulous Wedding at Duke Gardens on September 18, 2010!

This beautiful bird was an uninvited but welcome wedding guest! He was at the Duke Gardens amphitheater  while we were setting up the sand ceremony table. We noticed him and got this photo! 

This "bird" was there also when Marty and I arrived and is DJ, Troy Wilson, with DJ Professionals and Video out of Winston-Salem. He is a good friend of Gerald's. He easily plugged my wireless receiver into his system and we did a sound check. He did a great job providing their quite non-traditional music for the ceremony and then moved inside for the reception. Thanks, Troy!

Inside Marty scouted out the wedding cake which was baked by Guglhupf's Bakery in Durham.They make really delicious cakes and this is not the first time I have seen one of their cakes with the replicas of the bride and groom on top. They do a fantastic job with the likenesses. Jaime gave Gerald strict instructions not to look at the cake before the wedding because he would see her dress! The cake was vanilla with mocha mousse and chocolate with white chocolate mousse and raspberries. Yum!!  Another "yum" goes to Durham Catering who provided the wonderful food for the reception.

So, when all the guests were seated and we were ready to begin, the couple's friend, Leah, serving as our wedding director, lined us all up for the processional . When this picture was taken, Gerald, the best man and I had already walked down the aisle followed by the grandmothers and mothers and their escorts to the Beatles' instrumental version of "Love Me Tender." After them was our junior bridesmaid, Gerald's pretty 9 year old daughter, Madison, escorted by groomsman Patrick, followed by the other bridesmaids, groomsmen and maid of honor to the Beatles' instrumental version of "Here, There and Everywhere." 

After the wedding party was in, the music changed to the Beatles' instrumental of "Here Comes the Sun" for our beautiful bride.  At the same time she was walking toward the ceremony site, Gerald was walking toward her so that they would meet at the top of the steps.

What a special moment for the bride and groom as the guests are standing in their honor.

Here is a view of the entire wedding party and guests from across the lily pond. If you look closely you can see tissues in use by two of the bridesmaids and a few of the parents. This is the part in the ceremony where we remembered the couples' fathers who are deceased and a tribute to their mothers.

The bridesmaids were in navy blue. When I told Jaime at the rehearsal that I would wear a lighter blue prayer stole she told me that would be great if it were Carolina Blue because they had some trepidations about having their wedding at Duke Gardens, lovely as it is! 

 

After two readings by friends, I told the story of  Jaime and Gerald meeting in the workplace and how their friendship developed into love.

Then we had a blessing for Madison and the three of them poured their sand together symbolizing family unity. 

 

I have never seen the sand layered in such a beautiful configuration. Jaime and Gerald are the blue and green sand and Madison is the stripe of purple sand! I have the couple pour 1/2 of their sand in first in layers, then have the child's sand next then cover that with the sand of the couple blended together. The symbolism is really awesome. 

 

Gerald read his vows to Jaime from my book and placed the ring on her finger.

Jamie read hers to Gerald as she put the ring on his finger.

A good one!

 

They exited out around behind the guests to a private area with a pretty footbridge for some privacy and a few photos. Jennifer Kidd of Kidd Photography was our photographer and Michelle was her second camera person.  Jennifer referred Jaime and Gerald to me. Thanks, Jennifer!

 

New daughter, new mom! I could tell that Jaime and Madison are really quite fond of each other.

Daddy's little girl!

The new "official" family!

What a good-looking couple! Fabulous together, too!  Gerald and Jaime, congratulations on your marriage. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Heather and David's Wedding at Duke Gardens Amphitheater!

Heather and David live in San Francisco. They are both environmentalists and met at graduate school at Duke. Heather's parents live in Virginia and David's parents live in Massachusetts. So, they decided to have their wedding in North Carolina at Duke Gardens amphitheater. They contacted me by email last fall and we made all the arrangements by email and USPO. I did not meet them in person until their rehearsal. Their wedding day, May 9, 2010, was a gorgeous day, pleasant temperature, and a gentle breeze. The park was quite crowded with folks who took advantage of the nice weather so the parking was difficult for the wedding guests but we managed to start pretty much on time after all.

Dave and I processed in first. 

Then David's parents, Judy and Dave, were next. 

Heather's mother, Susan, is escorted in by Tom, David's brother and our best man. They were followed by the maid of honor, Davids' sister, Lisa..

Heather was escorted in by her proud father, Mike.

Her wedding gown was stunning. I wish the photo did it justice. The detail in the back of the dress was amazing.

Because it was Mother's Day, Heather and David wanted to pay special tribute to their mothers. I carried in two white roses which I gave to them to give to their mothers as I said: "Mothers plant so their children may harvest. Mothers rejoice when their children are happy. Mothers cry when their children hurt. Mothers’ hearts begin to smile from the moment they see their child’s eyes for the first time.  Mothers welcome pain and burden to give their sons and daughters the gift of life. Heather and David will now present their mothers each with a white rose, as symbols of their enduring gratitude for their unconditional love, their unyielding strength in times of hardship, and for the selfless sacrifices they have made for their children."

David's cousin, Mark, read First Corinthians during the ceremony.

Then Heather's aunt, Holly, presented a reading from Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

The Wedding Address was next and we included the story of how David and Heather met and fell in love, what attracted them to each other and what they look forward to in marriage. Then it was time for the vows. David is saying "I do." 

As he places the ring on Heather's finger he said the ring vows to her.

The pronouncement of marriage!

The KISS!

The new Mr. and Mrs.!

After the guests had departed for cocktails and refreshments at the Doris Duke Center, the bride and groom and their wedding party and parents returned to the amphitheater for some photos. Here I am congratulating the bride by calling her by her new married name. I am usually the first to surprise her with that!

Heather and Dave, you did a fabulous job of planning your wedding from afar. You even did it without hiring a wedding planner which is amazing. And, it turned out so beautifully. You are a great couple. I enjoyed working with you to create your special ceremony and I know you will have a long and happy marriage! 

Our Vendors who made this wedding so fabulous!

First of all, the venue, the Doris Duke Center and amphitheater at Duke Gardens for a wonderful setting for a wedding. One photo is of the reception center inside and the other is the terrace where cocktail hour takes place. 

Heather and Dave made the most unique and interesting place cards and favors. Here hung on the branches of small trees are medallions that they engraved on one side with the guest's name and on the other side, the name of their table. Each table was named for a flower.

This beautiful cake was made by Guglhupf Bakery in Durham.You can see how it follows their color scheme of pink, orange and white.

Triangle Catering provided all the good eats and drinks. Thanks to Jeff Eisenhuth and Theresa Syros who were very busy making sure everything was perfect.

Elizabeth Myers of Sweet Life Photography and her husband Frank assisting her documented the event completely. It was good to work with them again! Always a pleasure!

Our musicians who provided the ceremony music were the John Brown Entertainment string trio.

Virginia and Kevin's Steel Drum Wedding at Duke Gardens!

When Kevin and Virginia met with me last December they told me they really wanted steel drums played at their wedding. This I had never heard of but they pulled it off superbly. They were disappointed that the original site of their wedding at Duke Gardens had to be moved from the Fish Pool to the Amphitheater because of necessary renovations at the Fish Pool. But, the day and the setting on March 20, 2010 could not have been more spectacular. And, it was such a gorgeous sunny day after a long span of gloomy cold days around here that everyone else decided to take a walk in the garden that day, too. Consequently parking was a major challenge when Marty and I arrived to get my sound system set up. But we managed by double parking to unload and came back and moved the car later without getting towed. The staff was busy setting up the 140 chairs in the amphitheater while the steel drums warmed up.

The ceremony began with the entrance of Kevin, his father, Bob, who was his best man, and me via the side steps. Then the groomsmen processed in one by one down the center aisle followed by the bridesmaids. All to the wonderful music of the Tsunami Wave Riders playing "Spring Wedding Song."  Then it was time for Virginia and her mother, Gillian, to enter and the ceremony began.

Especially for Virginia to compensate  for the venue change from the Fish Pool, the Gardens had steps built to span the tiers of seating at the amphitheater to create a central aisle. So now those steps will be available to all brides who have their ceremonies at the amphitheater. Thanks in advance to you from future brides, Virginia! Here is the center aisle and it is difficult to see the wooden steps because of the over hang of the stone but they are there!

To the right you can see Leah, one of the three readers, presenting her reading as Virginia radiates all over! She was soooo happy!

Virginia and Kevin have a one year old lab mix puppy named Sandbox. (She is named Sandbox because Virginia had always wanted to name her dog Sandbox as a child but was not allowed to.) Sandbox was our ring bearer and when I called for the rings, her designated "handler" brought her in for me to retrieve the rings from her collar. (I really had them with me all along!) It was a sweet moment and Sandbox got her day in the sun!

This was taken after she "delivered" the rings. I know she was wondering just what was going on today! 

Here I am making the pronouncement of marriage which was followed by the KISS!

The new Mr. and Mrs. making their exit amidst much cheering and applause!  They went to the rear of the amphitheater followed by the rest of the wedding party before returning for a large group shot with their guests you will see below.

Just a few minutes for some smooching..........

And it is back to the ceremony site for the big picture of the wedding followed by the wedding party and parents.

And so, here is the big picture being taken from a precarious spot by the photographer, James O'Hayer, a relative of the groom. Thank goodness he was sure footed and did not end up taking a dip into the lily pond!

After the ceremony and the group shot, the guests were invited back to the porch of the Kirby Horton Hall of the Duke Reception Center for cocktails and appetizers.  Dinner was served later in the reception hall. I was told that the wedding celebration was scheduled to continue until 1:00 AM. (The ceremony was at 4:00!)  At 11:00 PM the Burgers Only truck was scheduled to make a special stop for hungry guests who had eaten all the food provided by Durham Catering and were exhausted from dancing the night away!

The wedding cake was prepared by Guglhupf--a wonderful German bakery in Durham. Must be a favorite haunt of Virginia and Kevin who are depicted in their ballgame attire on top of the cake. There really is a remarkable resemblance to the couple! Ninth Street Flowers did the florals.

Brian Darocha with Complete Music was on hand to keep the guests rocking and rolling including karaoke into the wee hours. This is the "before" shot! I did not stay to get the "after" shot!

And these folks are the Tsunami Wave Riders who provided the great music for the ceremony and for the cocktail hour. I was really impressed with their sound and would recommend it for any couple wanting an island sound. They operate out of Charlotte and Wilmington.

 This very talented and organized lady is Angie Wright who was in charge of the whole wedding! Angie and I have been doing weddings together for many years. She is fabulous in creating order out of chaos and making sure everything flows along without a hitch. She has her own event planning company Chic Details. Great job, Angie!

Virginia and Kevin, you are a terrific couple and if this wedding is any indication, you will create a wonderful life together and have lots of fun and adventure! I wish you all the happiness in the world!