Raleigh Wedding Blog: North Carolina Strings

Showing posts with label North Carolina Strings. Show all posts

Sunday, November 16, 2014

A Wonderful Wedding for Ashley and Matt at the Merrimon-Wynne House!

Ashley and Matt's wedding on November 1st, 2014 was my first wedding at the lovely historic Merrimon-Wynne House in downtown Raleigh. This house was located a few streets away and was moved onto Blount Street a few years ago. It was in bad shape but you could see that it had once been spectacular. A couple of years ago some a wise couple bought the property and restored this beautiful house to its former glory and then some!

It was a rainy day so the wedding had been moved indoors from the garden. This wedding was the first one to be indoors in the house but it did work well although a bit tight.

The view of the tent from the side porch.

Inside the tent Catering by Design had set up all the servers for the delicious food for the reception.

The tables and chairs were ready and the staff is putting the finishing touches on the space.

Fresh Affairs provided the beautiful floral arrangements.

Bride and Groom table.

Had to get a photo of Kaila, the event manager for this gorgeous new wedding venue!

Sally Oakley of Sally Oakley Personalized Weddings is our wedding planner and director for Ashley and Matt. Love doing weddings with Sally. And she was wearing the cutest little apron filled with all the things needed last minute at weddings and could put her hands right on what was called for--like needle and thread, safety pins, matches, etc.

NC Strings with Molly Olah (center) provided the beautiful music for the ceremony.

Ashley's Cakes did this elegant cake.

The topper on this one layer cake was the cake topper from Ashley's great grandmother's wedding cake. How special!!

The wedding party was stowed away upstairs while the guests arrived. The girls had one side of the house and the guys the other. Sally has all the bridesmaids lined up and is cueing them in. The groom and his men and I entered from a side door instead of walking down the aisle.

The sweet little flower girl, Rachel, and ring bearer, Andrew, made their way down the aisle.

We are all waiting for the music to change for the bride's entrance.

And here comes Ashley with her grandfather, Jerry.

Ashley's dad, Jim, joined them when they got to the front row. I asked them both "Who has the privilege of presenting this young woman, Ashley, to be married to this young man, Matt?"

Jerry must wait until the bride's train is pulled out of the aisle so that he can get to his seat.

And so we began this cozy wedding with a warm welcome to all and a prayer based on First Corinthians, then paid tribute to loved ones who could not be with us. (Personally I have found that weddings where the guests and wedding party are packed in tight creates a feeling of comeraderie and intimacy that is not there when the guests and wedding party are spread out. I like the coziness!)

Then I got to have some fun telling their story. They met back in 2009 through mutual friends and dated some. But Ashley was working on her degree and did not move back to Raleigh until 2011 when the relationship took a more serious turn and they soon became a couple.

Ashley knew there was something special about Matt because her beloved dog, Miley, did not care much for men but warmed right up to Matt. Hmmmm. They got engaged almost a year ago on November 25th and started planning this wedding.

Then I revealed to them what the other had told me in confidence about what they loved about each other and what they are looking forward to in marriage.

The vows......

The rings.......

I asked them to look into each other's eyes and feel the happiness of this moment. Then to close their eyes and let that feeling really register in their heart and mind.

Now they open their eyes and gaze around them as their friends and families surround them as they honor them on their wedding day.

The pronouncement of marriage........

At the rehearsal I joke with the bride and groom about making the kiss long enough to get a good photo! The best man, Kyle, was counting out the seconds to make sure. Funny guy!

The "after kiss" moment!

The presentation of the newlyweds to their guests......

And out they go in a blur......

Grandfather, Jerry, and Grandmother, Anita, make their way out....

And we convened on the porch for photos and refreshments. What a beautiful wedding, Ashley and Matt. My congratulations to you both. You were wonderful to work with and I wish you the best of everything!

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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Adrianne and Joey's Fun and Creative Wedding!

Adrianne and Joey knew from the get-go that they wanted a unique wedding ceremony that reflected their personalities and their commitment to each other. They chose the Brooks Avenue Church of Christ in Raleigh for their wedding ceremony on February 15, 2014. It is a gorgeous sanctuary as you can see. The musicians from North Carolina Strings are setting up their ensemble down front. We had had a major snow and ice storm a few days prior to the wedding and everyone was happy that the weather had significantly improved so everyone could get to the wedding. Their reception was held at the University Club.

They included a sand ceremony and before the wedding, they had their mothers pour in sand to symbolize the coming together of their two families.

Nicole Conder with Premier Party Planners was on hand to get us all organized and down the aisle. She is good! I have worked with Nicole many times and highly recommend her. She goes above and beyond.

Our groomsmen are hanging out in the lobby ready to escort in the guests arriving. They had handsome white suits, white shoes, white hydrangeas for boutonnieres, and Joey got them all mirrored aviator sunglasses to wear.

First in was Joey's grandmother and grandfather. Adrianne's grandmother was pre-seated with the guests because she needed a walker and preferred not to be part of the processional.

Joey's mother, Marianne, was escorted in followed by Joey's father, Joe.

Mother of the Bride, LaMae, was escorted in followed by Adrianne's father, also named Joe!

Time for the bridesmaids and Nicole has them all lined up to go. Teal is such a pretty color for a wedding and the white hydrangea bouquets really pop the color. Adrianne's mother was our florist and she did a beautiful job.

Now time for the couple's "children," Wiley and Sweetie! They were really such well-behaved dogs and quite friendly because as they walked down the aisle they wanted to greet each person lining the aisle!

Sweetie's wreath of flowers did not bother her one bit. It was like she had done this all her life!

And now we all are in place waiting for the bride! Note that the groom and groomsmen hung their sunglasses on their pockets. That was the plan all along!

Adrianne, a strong, independent woman, chose to walk herself down the aisle.

Joey stepped down from the altar and together they ascended the steps to be married. Great symbolism.

A warm welcome to all followed by a prayer and remembrance of those who had passed on, then the couple honored their parents who then gave their blessing for the marriage.

Laura, a friend of the couple, regaled the guests with a reading of Taylor Mali's "Owning a Dog is Like Falling in Love."

The story of how Adrianne and Joey came next. Knowing these two, it was filled with humor and the guests (and Joey) really enjoyed it.

Adrianne made her vows to Joey. Then it was Joey's turn. It was a surprise for Adrianne.

He walked over behind the groomsmen and retrieved a stack of poster paper on which he had written his vows in very large letters with some illustrations too. They were funny.

While he was showing the posters, he had an Elvis Presley song playing too. Adrianne was moved to tears!

The rings came next...

They poured their sand together.........

Nice layers of pretty colors......

The very moment they legally become husband and wife!

Sealed with a kiss!

Looks like they are pretty happy to be married!

And off they go amidst the applause and cheering!

Adrianne and Joey, you did it! All your hard work and planning paid off and the wedding was beautiful and with a few surprises that make it YOU! I am honored to have been part of your special day and wish you all the best forever!

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