Trisha and Kevin's Stunning "Red" Wedding at Landmark!

Last October I met Trisha and Kevin when they came to see me about officiating their wedding. They had chosen the date of March 30, 2013 at The Hall and Garden at Landmark, an elegant venue in Garner near the intersection of I-40 and Hwy 42. I have done many weddings there and have watched the landscape mature through the years into a gorgeous garden, an oasis in a busily traveled area.

The Ballroom is located on the third floor and is very spacious with elegant dressing room areas for the bride and her maidens and the groom and his men.  

This lovely cake was made by sister of the groom, Dawn Daughtry. 

This is where the wedding party emerges to line up for the processional into the garden. 

And this is what the garden looked like prior to the wedding. Who would ever guess there is a busy street behind that row of trees in the back.

The wedding day turned out to be a beautiful day! The flowers were blooming in abundance under the crepe myrtles who put out their leaves and blossoms later on.

At my recommendation to Trisha, Matt Kanon was on hand to provide the ceremony music.

The start of the wedding was delayed about 15 minutes and then we started. 

After the Kevin's grandmother and the parents and stepparents were escorted in, our bridesmaids carefully stepped onto the grass.

They were so worried that their spike heels would sink and so they put their weight on their toes!

Doing okay! 

The Maid of Honor takes her walk down the aisle. The bridesmaids wore these elegant black dresses and the large red flowers in their hair added just the right touch!

This wedding was filled with children of all ages. I could not resist putting all these great photos of them coming in. Love the red dresses!

They made it fun and were not the least bit intimidated by all the people watching them! We captured our photographer, Erika Sherrell, in the background of this photo! 

Our honorary wedding director, Brooke, had to get into the action to direct them in. 

This is Malachi, our ring bearer. He is Trisha's 6 year old son. 

Our final flower girls! 

Trisha looks so beautiful. Looks like she is taking a big breath seeing everyone standing in her honor as her step-father, Paul, escorts her in.

Welcome everyone! 

"Malachi, your mom and Kevin want you to know that you are very much a part of their relationship and you will always be loved and appreciated for who you are."

Now it is time for their "story!" Notice that we finally got a smile from J.B., best man and father of the groom!

They read their vows to each other from my book. 

"I give you this ring,
as a symbol of my love.
With it, I vow to honor the promises
I have made to you 
today, tomorrow and always."

They all pour their sand symbolic of family unity. 

"...we rejoice to recognize you as husband and wife. May you always hold one another in the light of all light, the love of all love and may all your days together be as the stars in the sky--numerous and bright. Kevin, you may kiss the bride!"



Trisha and Kevin, I am so happy for you! May you be blessed with a lifetime of abundance and happiness!

Gorgeous Wedding for Sarah and Ben at The Hall and Gardens at Landmark!

I did not meet Sarah and Ben in person until their rehearsal the day before their wedding on April 28, 2012, but we met virtually on Skype the October before. They live in Texas, met in Wilmington, Delaware, but are from North Carolina originally. They chose the elegant gardens at The Hall and Gardens at Landmark for their venue. I have not done a wedding here in a couple of years and I was so delighted to see that the landscaping had fully matured and the garden is one of the prettiest gardens in the Triangle. It rivals Duke Gardens as you can see in the many photos below which give you a tour.

The Hall and Gardens at Landmark is located in Johnston County right off the intersection of I-40 and Hwy 42. The address is Garner but the location seems much closer to Clayton. This magnificent fountain is seen on the right as you turn into the property. 

This is the "hall"--an impressive building. The street front office suites are occupied by businesses but the upstairs and rear of this large stately building is the very elegantly appointed reception area and bride and groom dressing rooms. Jennifer with Make-up For Your Day was on hand to make sure the bride and her ladies were coifed and made up to perfection for this beautiful wedding.

This pretty wedding cake was provided by Sweet Memories Bakery. 

The reception hall is in the process of being set up by the caterer, CateringWorks, who also did the floral arrangements and bouquets and boutonnieres.

Back outside we see the north end of the garden flanked by this building which houses a storage room for the audio equipment (there are speakers all over the garden to give us surround-sound) and the well-appointed "necessary" rooms. When the garden was first built, the guests faced this building because the foliage on the south end had not matured enough to block out the view of the street and traffic. But it has now so the guests get to watch the wedding with a beautiful garden with gazebo, stone bridge and ponds full of lily pads in the background.

Before the guests arrived, CateringWorks spread beautiful rows of flower petals on each side of the aisle.

 

 

 

Our photographer, Nicole Faby, gets some shots of the groom and groomsmen. She is good! Bradley Pearce was videoing the wedding. I know everyone got really good images because the weather was on the chilly side with overcast skies--no shadows, no squinting and rich saturated colors. Marty got so many good shots I had a hard time choosing which photos to put in and have ended up with more than I usually have.

 

The groomsmen, Michael and Jon, and I are hanging out with Kathy Moore, director of Landmark, right before the guests are ready to be escorted in. I have not worked with Kathy before although I had met her at wedding networking events. She is a pro and had everything well-planned and under control. The wedding went without a hitch! Thanks, Kathy, and I look forward to working with you again soon!

Ben is hanging out with Taylor, our DJ, with Taylor Pittman of TaylorMadeDJServices. We have worked together before and his experience and fun personality make working with him such a pleasure.

 Kathy brings the grandparents and parents over from the reception hall to the garden to be escorted in.

 Ben's stepmother, Anne, is escorted in by Michael, best man, followed by father of the groom, Kim.

 Ben escorts his mother, Jeanna, in. 

 Jon, groomsman, escorts in Eula, mother of the bride. 

Our bridesmaids, Sarah and Jessica, in beautiful violet dresses wait for the groom, groomsmen and I to enter by another gate.

 

 Proud father of the bride, Cecil, promised to keep Sarah from galloping down the aisle--and he did!

 

 Sarah's dress is simply gorgeous. It fits her perfectly--beautiful, down to earth and fun!

 

I am speaking to their parents here. They were moved by the touching words Sarah and Ben had chosen for me to say to them. The story of how our couple met and fell in love came next and everyone got a good chuckle as well as feeling the sweetness of Sarah and Ben's love for each other.

 

 We had a sudden gust of wind and at one point Sarah's veil covered Ben's head too!

"I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and forevermore."

"Sarah and Ben, by the power vested in me, in the presence of these witnesses and in the presence of God, I now pronounce you husband wife!"

 

This gorgeous wedding will be recorded by Michelle McMurray, the Wedding Story Writer who documents the story of the wedding day for the couple. A very unique service and special way to preserve all the memories of a day that sometimes is just a blur! Thanks, Michelle!  

Congratulations, Sarah and Ben! It was a pleasure working with you and getting to know you since we met via Skype last October. I can feel your love for each other and I know you will have a wonderful marriage. I wish you all the best!