Kathleen and Matt's Gorgeous Wedding at the Merrimon-Wynne House!!

What a spectacular wedding this was! Kathleen and Matt and I met in April of 2018 to plan the ceremony for their wedding on May 18th 2019 at the beautiful Merrimon-Wynne House in downtown Raleigh. 

The wedding day was clear and sunny and a bit on the hot side so Kathleen thoughtfully called for the ceremony to be inside the carriage house which is air-conditioned and comfortable.

Meantime the reception was planned for outdoors on the lawn. The white parasols provide some shade although by the time the ceremony and cocktail hour are over, the temperature will be very comfortable outside.

Snap Pea is our caterer. They create very unique and original cuisine that is based on the time of year and available delicious foods. The menu is never set and the couple allow Snap Pea Catering to use their own creativity in the offerings for the wedding.

The table setting are bright and simple. Meristem Floral provided the centerpieces and all the florals for the wedding including the spectacular florals in the carriage house for the ceremony and the bouquets for the bridesmaids and bride.

One table is now completed and the others are in the process of being florally enhanced! 

Meantime, Bronwyn Duffield, our photographer, is getting photos of our lovely bride on the side porch. 

Elegant Ensembles is tuning up in the carriage house for the prelude music and processional. They hired Island Sound to provide the microphone for me and one for the reader. 

While the guests are being directed to the carriage house for the ceremony, the wedding party and I are assembling in the parlor from which we will process.

It is a full house! 

Kaila, the event manager for the Merrimon-Wynne House, is also our director for this wedding. She is going to get the wedding party started processing in.

The bride's grandmother then, Matt's parents, then the mother of the bride enter first. 

Then Matt and I took our walk down the aisle together 

His groomsmen joined us.

Then it was time for the bridesmaids to process in. 

And now Kathleen and her dad begin their walk down the aisle! 

The guests are standing in honor of the bride. 

Kathleen and Matt turn and face each other and we begin with a warm welcome to everyone. We remember loved ones who are no longer with us.

A sweet surprise for their parents is next as I tell them how grateful our couple is for their love and support all their lives.

Their friend Christine then shared the words of The Key to Love by Robert Millay with us. 

Then I had the great pleasure of sharing the story of how Matt and Kathleen met 7 years ago in college and how they got to their wedding day today including Matt's proposal in 2017. It has been a wonderful journey.

There were some humorous moments in the story too and we loved laughing. 

Then they each got to hear what the other told me in confidence why they love each other. 

They exchanged their secret vows by reading them to each other from my book. Some humor here also! 

Then it was time for the rings as Matt place the ring on Kathleen's finger. 

Then Kathleen put the ring on Matt's finger. 

After a closing blessing, I pronounced them married and invited them to kiss! 

We missed getting a photo of the kiss but here is the beginning!

This is Bronwyn's spectacular shot of the presentation of the newlywed couple! 

Please stand and join me in congratulating Matt and Kathleen, now married!

And away they go1

So happy to finally be married!

As I was removing my microphone, this nice gentleman came up to me to find out who I was since I was not listed on the program, and to tell me that was the best wedding ceremony he'd ever heard!

While the guests were enjoying cocktails inside the house, the wedding party gathered in the garden. Snap Pea servers brought this delectable plate out for Kathleen. It looked fabulous and she enjoyed every bite while Kaila bustled up her train. Also please note the bodice of Kathleen's incredibly beautiful wedding gown!

Meanwhile Matt and his best man and groomsmen were digging up the flower bed to find the bourbon they had buried upside down to ensure nice weather on the wedding day. It worked.

It took a bit of digging to locate it. Kaila told me that many bottles have been buried there and she wouldn't be surprised if he found more than one!

Matt and Kathleen!! What a spectacular wedding! Thank you for giving me the honor of joining you in marriage! You are a great couple and I wish you the most happiness ever!
Thank you for this wonderful review too!

Kathleen , married on 05/18/2019 

 5.0 View more

Unique, Personalized and Professional

My husband and I chose to have Kayelily officiate our ceremony about a year before our wedding. We first found her based on the phenomenal online reviews and then scheduled a time to meet in person. At this meeting Kayelily walked us through her entire process for creating each ceremony and she also gave us helpful information on obtaining our marriage license and getting a name change after the wedding.

We left the meeting confident that we'd be able to create a ceremony unique to us and our story, which was very important to us. Kayelily was helpful with input throughout the process, but also let us take our time on figuring out how we wanted the ceremony laid out. It's up to each couple how customized they'd like the ceremony to be.

I can't begin to tell you how many people came up to us after the ceremony, wrote to us afterwards, and are still telling us months later how amazing the ceremony was. I would highly recommend working with Kayelily. She's professional, has a great sense of humor, and really wants the ceremony to be unique to the couple. 

A Gorgeous December Wedding for Alison and Daniel!

Alison and Daniel chose the historic Merrimon-Wynne House for their December 30th, 2017 wedding. They had great weather for their big day. It was my last wedding of 2017.

Greeting the guests by the front porch. 

When I arrived, our photographer, Ginny Corbett, had our couple on the side lawn for the first look which had taken place. I jumped in to get a photo with the guests. Alison's blush wedding gown was absolutely stunning!

Also stunning was her bouquet by Anna, owner of Meristem Floral! 

Ginny Corbett and her second shooter! They were good sports at allowing my husband, Dave, to take these photos for my blog. 

Ryan Pflumm owner of Spin DJ helps me put on the microphone he furnishes for me. Love working with Ryan!

The couple also asked me to make the "unplugged" announcement before the processional began. 

Pretty flowers and floating candles flank the aisle. The flames of the candles, although recessed in the glass containers, got a bit close for comfort to the clothing of one person sitting in the seat next to him as I watched him move them a bit further from his chair!

The alcove has been draped and lined with white lights and florals. 

Back inside the house, the photos of the couple are on the old fireplace mantle. 

Upstairs in the groom's room, the guys are playing bumper pool. 

The best man signs the license for me. 

Then the maid of honor does the same. 

I took this opportunity to sit down on the chaise and review the ceremony script. 

View of downtown Raleigh from the window behind the chaise lounge. 

The bride is getting a touch up on her hair and makeup by Joanne Maye. She admitted that she was feeling quite nervous about the ceremony and so I assured her that all would go well and she should just focus on Daniel during the ceremony. 
Daniel's hands were ice cold! He was equally nervous about the ceremony. They are both shy people and don't relish being up in front of people! He was telling me here how much he appreciated my calmness and assurance that all would go well--which it did, of course!

Ashley Cakes makes the most gorgeous wedding cakes! This one matches the bride's wedding gown!

Ryan has changed into his tux now and we are chatting about the ceremony. 

Making the unplugged announcement before the processional begins. 

Daniel's parents, Lynn and Lars, entered first.

Then father of the bride, Ed, escorts in the mother of the bride, Carol. He then circled back to bring in the bride!

Daniel entered and took his place beside me. Then his 4 groomsmen entered.

Then the 4 bridesmaids entered. 

Lynn Scott with Happily Ever After was in charge of this wedding and always does a spectacular job sending the wedding party in right on cue. Love working with her and her daughter Jessica.

Here comes the bride! 

Ed placed Alison's hand into Daniel's. Alison gave her father a little kiss then he carefully made his way to his seat without stepping on her dress as I invited the guests to be seated!

Some words of welcome to all our guests. Alison and Daniel relaxed, let their anxiety melt away and truly enjoyed their ceremony.

A surprise tribute to their parents was next. Then I got to tell Alison and Daniel's love story which began in downtown Raleigh almost 3 years ago. The attraction was immediate and soon blossomed into love. Neither of them was expecting to meet their future spouse when they did and had to rethink their futures!

At this point I am telling Alison what Daniel told me in confidence that he loves about her and what he is looking forward to in marriage. Then Daniel heard what Alison had told me in confidence.

They made their vows to each other then it was time for the ring exchange. 

They placed their rings on each other's fingers. 

A closing blessing followed. 

I was delighted to then pronounce them husband and wife and invited them to kiss! 

Now that was easy!!

I presented the newlywed couple to the guests as they stood and joined me in congratulating them. (Wish my photos were better but the light level was low and my little camera struggled.)

The wedding party followed the couple into the house for cocktail hour and since they had a done a "first look" before the ceremony, they were able to join their guests.

Inside the house I congratulated Alison and then Daniel. They both told me that they had been just fine during the ceremony because of my calming presence and because we had written the ceremony together and they loved hearing the words. So happy to hear that! 

Alison and Daniel, your wedding was spectacular. So happy you found each other and honored to have joined you in marriage. Congratulations and I wish you the best always!