Bobbie Sue and Brandon, Finally Married After 13 Years!

Bobbie Sue and Brandon have an amazing love story. They met in 1997 when she transferred into his freshman class in high school in Virginia. He was smitten with her and she with him but it took them a long time to realize this (teenagers!) but by the time they were Juniors and Seniors, they were a committed couple. After graduation in 2000, Bobbie Sue went to college out of state and Brandon felt he was holding her back. Although he still loved her dearly, he broke up with her. They lost touch for many years during which Brandon married and joined the military. It was not until his wife died unexpectedly a few years later that they reconnected briefly. They both were in love with each other but Bobbie Sue felt Brandon needed time to heal and did not divulge her feelings for him. She agreed to contact him again in one year. When Bobbie Sue contacted him on Facebook, she found out that Brandon had become involved with someone else and was not available. However, the other relationship did not last and once again Brandon found Bobbie Sue. Finally she revealed her feelings for him after all these years which had kept her from marrying anyone else. They both told me they thought they were crazy to still be holding on to these feelings all these years later. It is obvious that they were meant for each other and destined to be together. Ten years from their break up in 2000, they are finally together again and Brandon is not going to let Bobbie Sue get away again! It was my pleasure to join these two in marriage, finally and forever!

 

On Saturday January 15, 2011, Marty and I arrived at the Wyndham Hotel in Durham for the wedding. The dining area had been beautifully transformed into the reception area complete with dance floor and DJ.

This very charming wedding cake was provided by Blue Moon Bakery. What pretty colors!

Kelsey Bennett, our harpist, was set up and ready to start. She told me that she used to live in an apartment above Bobbie Sue and Bobbie Sue would hear her practicing the harp. She was thrilled to be playing for her wedding. Our photographer for the wedding was Mario of Mario Watts Photography.

There was a delay in starting the ceremony but it was not the bride's fault! The hairstylist that was supposed to do the girls' hair had emergency gall bladder surgery the night before and the replacement stylist was late arriving to do their hair. We ended up starting 40 minutes late.  Thankfully I did not have another wedding scheduled after this one! Above the groom, best man, two groomsmen, and parents of the groom and I are hanging out in the hallway as the guests enjoyed Kelsey's music. After 30 minutes, I had Kelsey take a break and rest her hands. She was beginning to lose the feeling in her fingers!Her husband, Tim, primarily the "harp transporter," was standing by to warm up her hands.

 

I am conferring here with Kathleen, a friend of Bobbie Sue and their wedding director, about the delay. Kathleen handled it so very professionally. Thanks, Kathleen!

Finally we are ready to begin. The guys and I went in after the parents were seated. Then the bridesmaids processed in.

Our Father of the Bride had a rough time but was a real champ, having broken his ankle the day before the wedding and missing the rehearsal. After elevating and icing his ankle before the wedding, he put on a smile and escorted his wife Arlene in and then came back for Bobbie Sue. He hardly limped at all but I know he was in pain.He was to have a cast put on the following day.

 

 

 

Well now they are married! Brandon and Bobbie Sue were just beaming and somewhat in disbelief that this was really finally happening. Their dream was becoming a reality. Wow, it was something to behold!

 Bobbie Sue and Brandon, I am so happy that you got back together.I wish you a lifetime of happiness!

Barbara and Wolfgang's Fabulous Wedding at the Siena Hotel!

I felt so privileged to be part of Barbara and Wolfgang's wonderful wedding. One of the perks of being a wedding minister is getting to hear the stories of how couples met and fell in love. Barbara and Wolfgang's story is certainly amazing. They were both born and grew up in Austria. They came to the US to work as young adults. They both ended up working in the Triangle area of NC but never met each other. They are both highly intelligent and responsible people who established their life paths before pursuing love and marriage. When they were ready they both signed up for e-Harmony and that is how they met! And they are so perfectly matched! Their compatibility just emanates from them. (As an aside, I have noticed of all the couples who have taken my Marriage Optimization course, those who were matched up by e-Harmony have been incredibly compatible in all areas. This has convinced me that e-Harmony does a very thorough job matching people up. Better than all the others around because others I have worked with who met through other online matching services do not match up as well. Although Barbara and Wolfgang did not take my Marriage Optimization course, I have no doubts that their core values are the same--and that is the key to a happy and satisfying partnership.)

The wedding took place on October 17, 2009, at 6:00 in the evening in the Il Palio Ristorante of the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill--an elegant venue for a small wedding. Before the wedding, Wolfgang and I rendezvoused in the bar area where I got the marriage license from him and tucked it into my ceremony book. He was ready to get on with the wedding!

After Wolfgang's parents, Wolfgang and I entered and took our places, Barbara and her father entered the room from the side entrance and walked down the length of the aisle. She took it very slowly and I could tell she really enjoyed the glory of it all.

The altar area was the far end of this room which was filled with about 70 friends and family members.

I stood out in front of the couple to speak directly to the guests. You can see our harpist, Marilyn Wienand, on the left and Shane Snider, our photographer on the right clicking away. The couple were particularly fond of the wine and chocolate ceremony I sent them so they included that in their wedding. They each drank wine which represented both life's bitterness and sweetness. Then they ate chocolate representing the sweetness and fullness of life, savoring every bite.

This was taken just after the kiss. Look at that expression on Barbara's face. She was relishing every moment of her wedding ceremony!

Posing for photos afterward in the lobby.

Not only did Barbara's father come all the way to the United States from Austria for this special wedding, but also Wolfgang's parents, on the left. Present were also other family members and friends who made the trip from Austria to be with these two on their wedding day.


Wolfgang and Barbara, I am so glad you found each other! You are a match made in heaven and I wish you all the happiness in the world!

Marilyn Wienand of Deerhollow Music was accompanied by Kim Allemang, flautist. The harp and flute duo are fabulous and Marilyn and Kim play often together. I love to hear their music and enjoy doing weddings with them.

Shane Snider was our photographer for this wedding. He must have taken a zillion photos...but that is the secret to his award winning photographs. Be sure to check out his blog for the professional photos of this lovely wedding. Always a pleasure, Shane.

Melissa and Chris Marry at 111 Place in Cary!

Once more this weekend, the rain stayed away! Chris and Melissa were thrilled that their wedding was able to be held outside in the courtyard of 111 Place on Sunday September 20th. When it was time, we got started escorting in the mothers of the couple. Then Chris and I entered followed by the best man and groomsman. Here you can see the set up of the photographer, David Gann, and his assistant. In the background you can see the maid of honor and bridesmaid being cued in by a friend of the couple, Rebecca, who served as our director.

Here comes our beautiful bride being escorted in by her proud papa! Her bouquet of red roses is stunning!

We had to be careful not to get too close to the lovely pots of flowers on the terrace because they were buzzing with bumblebees! We had plenty of room though.

Melissa and Chris chose to have the Blessing of the Hands ceremony in their wedding. We also had a blessing for their parents and both mothers and maybe the fathers teared up a bit.

The happy couple, now married!

Chris and Melissa, all your careful planning paid off with a beautiful wedding! Congratulations and I wish you all the best in life!

Our Vendors:

David Gann of David Gann Photography was taking the wedding photos. He brought along his ladder to get some "aerial" shots!

This lovely wedding cake with the couple's names on the clear heart above was created by Good Taste Cake Design in Durham.

The Picnic Basket provided the delicious food for the reception.




Amy Kortus graced us with heavenly harp music for the ceremony. Amy told me that she and her family (husband and 3 small children) moved to the Raleigh area from Seattle a year ago. She loves playing at weddings. If you go to her website, you can hear how beautifully she plays her lovely harp.

Celtic Wedding for Robyn and Tom!

When I met with Tom and Robyn last August to plan their wedding, they told me that they wanted to create their dream wedding in full Celtic regalia on May 2, 2009 at Jones Chapel on the Meredith College campus. And so they did! They put together from my ceremony material a nice blend of contemporary wedding customs and the centuries old Celtic customs including handfasting. As you can see from the photos, Tom and his men were decked out in their kilts and all the trimmings! Even their wedding programs included Celtic images and seals. They had a bagpiper play on the lawn outside the chapel before the ceremony. I am sorry that I did not get his name but I did not want to interrupt his breathing and playing that bagpipe--I just walked up beside him and Marty snapped the photo! Maybe Tom or Robyn will put a comment on this blog post and let us know who the bagpiper is. The Jones Chapel is a regal place to have a wedding. It is so magnificent with the organ and carillon. Marilyn Wienand not only played the harp but switched over to the organ for the recessional. She is certainly multi-talented. Kim Allemang played the flute and the combination of harp and flute was beautiful. Jonathan Young was our capable photographer for the wonderful wedding.

The wedding started right on time and Tom's sister-in-law, Maura, did a fine job of directing the wedding party and parents in. Robyn was escorted in by her father and then Robyn and Tom stepped up to the top of the altar and we began. After a warm welcome to the guests, our opening prayer was A Wedding Prayer by Robert Lewis Stevenson. We paid tribute to their parents who were beaming--along with their grandparents, too! Following the handfasting, vows and rings, they lit the Unity Candle as harp music wafted softly through the chapel. I pronounced them married and they departed for the Hibernian restaurant for a suitable wedding feast! Congratulations, Robyn and Tom--great wedding!

Elegant Wedding at Second Empire

Weddings at Second Empire may be small but they are elegant in this restored historical home that is now a restaurant. Angie and Sean decided to have their wedding outside on the front steps facing Hillsborough Street on August 9th, 2008. The photos really show the story. They included Sean's 6 year old daughter Reilly as the flower girl and in the sand ceremony celebrating the birth of this new family.

The bride and groom's parents were all in attendance and Angie's father escorted her in. Ina Newell provided the heavenly harp music and Timberly Hill was their photographer. My husband Dave, serving as my roadie today, took these photos for the blog. Best wishes forever, Angie and Sean, and Reilly!

Special Father's Day Wedding for Arena and Chuck at The Umstead

Angie Wright of Chic Details, a wedding planner I have worked with many times in the past, called me one day back in March, I believe, looking for a male officiant. I sent her my list of ministers which included a few men. Then she called me back in a few days and said that the couple and her mother had looked over my website and decided they wanted to hire me to officiate, that they had just not considered a woman officiant until they saw me. Well, I was delighted and later met with Arena and Chuck and her mother 'Lyn to talk about the ceremony they wanted. I sent Chuck and Arena a bunch of material and they put together a short but very meaningful wedding ceremony. So, Angie planned a fantastic wedding at The Umstead on Sunday morning, June 15th. The pedestals topped with large sprays of flowers and pale yellow rose petals generously sprinkled around and between the pedestals and down the sides of the aisle created an elegant setting for the wedding ceremony. Arena's grandfather escorted her down the aisle and "handed her off" to Chuck. We honored Arena's late father, Cary, during the ceremony and how influential he had been in Arena's life. They told me they actually chose Father's Day for their wedding in his honor. In the ceremony Chuck and Arena wanted to reflect on how they had met and fallen in love because most of their guests had not heard their story. So, that was incorporated into the ceremony and the guests loved hearing it. We had a parents' blessing, prayer and then the vows and ring exchange. We concluded with the pronouncement, the kiss--of course, and the closing blessing and Chuck and Arena walked down the aisle together beaming. They sure seemed meant for each other:)




Anita Burroughs Price provided wonderful music for the prelude and ceremony on her beautiful golden harp. Neil Boyd was the photographer and Lenny Fritts was the DJ for the reception. Donna Ford of Sweet Memories provided the beautiful wedding cake. Angie (photo on the left), you sure know how to put together a fantastic wedding team! Thanks!

Sarah and Dustin married at Hudson Manor!

Dustin and Sarah have been together for seven years and created a special ceremony to celebrate their marriage on May 11th. Sarah is a gorgeous bride and her bridal gown was beautiful. In the ceremony we remembered Dustin's father who has passed on and then paid tribute to his mother and Sarah's parents. They asked me to read a favorite passage from The Velveteen Rabbit called "What is Real?" and a lovely poem by Kelly Spehn entitled "The Meaning." They read their personal vows from my book and then we closed with the Rose Ceremony and a prayer. Best of everything to you, Sarah and Dustin!

Hudson Manor is a wonderful location for a wedding. It is in Louisburg, about 40 miles north of Raleigh. Melissa and Glenn Cogliati, the owners, have done a lot of enhancement of the historic estate in the past few years. Melissa has added a reception hall and now has an second outdoor patio just outside the reception hall for weddings with a view of the lake where we were supposed to have Dustin and Sarah's wedding ceremony. Rain was threatening and it was chilly so we decided to have the wedding inside the reception hall where it was elegant, dry and comfortable for everyone.

I was delighted to see Marilyn Weinand there. She is one of my favorite harpists and I enjoyed doing another wedding with her.

It was good to see Rob Seelye again. He was the photographer for the wedding and I see him often at Hudson Manor. He is so easy going and takes a whole lot of pictures!

Lenny Fritts, Touch of Class DJs, is one of my favorite DJs and since we were inside, he plugged my wireless mike into his system and the sound was perfect.