Nicole and Jon Wed at The Merrimon-Wynne House!

This wedding was years in the making! Nicole and Jon met way back in 2011 during spring break in Panama City Florida! Little did they know then they had met their future spouse! 

They chose the beautiful historic Merrimon-Wynne House for their wedding venue. The wedding was May 31, 2019. It was a beautiful day. Whitney Davis with C&D Events was our wonderful director.

Getting my microphone on and plugged into Frank's DJ board. Frank is a DJ with Bunn DJ Company and we have done many weddings together.

The Cupcake Shoppe provided the cutting cake and cupcakes. Later on ice cream from Two Roosters would be served. Beau Catering was serving the food.

Their parents' wedding photos! 

Getting Courtney to sign as a witness on the marriage license. 

They had done a First Look earlier so the bride did not have to stay hidden away. The main object before the wedding was to keep their adorable little boy Thomas entertained and happy. He was 2.5 years old and a curious and active little chap! Unfortunately Thomas had a meltdown just prior to the processional and had to be kept in the house with a babysitter during the ceremony. It was really disappointing for Nicole and Jon not to have him at the ceremony but Thomas could not be consoled and they did not want to further delay the start of the ceremony.

Checking in upstairs in the man cave to see how everyone is doing and get the best man's signature on the license. They look all calm and laid back!

Jon loved this gift from one of his guys! 

I am really good at pinning on boutonnieres! Lots of practice so I offer to pin them on or straighten them to be sure they are secure.

When it was time to begin the ceremony, I entered first and requested the guests to put away their phones and cameras and be present with the couple without the distraction of technology.

Then the mothers were escorted in and took their seats. Both fathers circled back--Bill to enter with the groomsmen and Thomas to bring in the bride. Both dads served as groomsmen. 

Then Jon and his groomsmen entered and took their places up front. 

Then our pretty bridesmaids. 

And now our beautiful bride and her proud father. 

Whitney watches as Nicole and her father begin their walk down the aisle. 

The guests were standing in their honor and when they reached the altar area, Thomas transferred Nicole's hand into Jon's hand. took his place with the groomsmen, and the guests were seated.

As the bridesmaids and groomsmen faced the couple,  we joined together in prayer and then I welcomed everyone to this wonderful occasion. 

We remembered their loved ones who were unable to be present with us except in spirit. 

I stepped out front to honor the parents which was a sweet surprise for them and always invokes a few tears

Then I began telling the sweet story of how Nicole and Jon met and fell in love. and their journey to their wedding day. 

There were many humorous aspects to their story and we had fun laughing a lot. 

I stepped back in position and revealed their secret paragraphs to each other. They were each hearing for the first time what their partner had told me in confidence they love about them, why they want to marry and what they are looking forward to.

After a few words about love and marriage, the vows came next. 

They each made their promises to each other. 

Then it was time to exchange rings. 

Jon said his promises after me as he put the ring on Nicole's finger. 

I handed Jon's ring to Nicole. 

Then she placed it on his finger saying words after me to him. 

A closing blessing preceded the pronouncement of marriage. 

I placed my hand on their joined hands and declared them husband and wife. 

They were happy to seal their vows with a kiss! 

Now! Doesn't Jon look like the cat who just swallowed the canary? Such a funny expression!

Happy! Happy! 

Jon and Nicole! What a great wedding! I loved working with you to come up with the perfect ceremony for you and the guests loved it too! Thanks for everything and I wish you the best always!

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 

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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.