Great Wedding for Marissa and Aaron at North Hills Club!

Marissa and Aaron are both elementary school teachers and they met when they were both first time teachersl in Cary. It did not take long for them to gravitate toward each other and soon they were spending their lunch times together. They discovered conversations were easy and comfortable and their relationship soon developed into love. Aaron proposed while they were on a trip in Savannah--another good story. I met these two in Augst of 2010 to begin planning their wedding scheduled for July 9, 2011 at the lovely North Hills Club. They wanted their ceremony to focus on their love and commitment to each other, be warm and welcoming to their guests and honoring of their parents whose role-model marriages are securely intact. It was a delight to work with them and they gave me some great material to write their story. In fact, their DJ, Jill, with All the Right Grooves, commented after the ceremony that she had been listening from the reception area adjacent to the ceremony area and that all the laughing sounded more like a fun evening at the comedy club rather than a wedding ceremony! There was some crying too, I can assure you. Both the bride and the groom choked up as they said their vows to each other.

 

Marty and I arrived and set up my sound system and did a sound check. All was good. The club has two very spacious rooms for weddings and receptions. Last wedding I did here we used the other room for the ceremony but I really liked the one Marissa and Aaron chose because of the natural light from the windows. Lauren, the events/catering manager was on hand to help. She is always so thoughtful and accommodating. Thanks, Lauren! Then I was off to find the witnesses to sign the license. Signing above is Aaron's father, William, who also served as his best man.

Playing for the ceremony are Anne and Nate Leyland. They were contracted by Mark Snow of Elegant Ensembles out of Winston-Salem. I have done weddings many times with Nate but had not met Anne. They provided really wonderful ceremony music!

On the table with the guest book there were photos of Marissa and Aaron's parents' wedding photos. Aaron's parents, William and Mary, were married in 1977. John and Kathy, on the right, were married in 1978. Their photos were really fun to look at and see them 33 and 34 years later at their children's wedding!

In a room nearby, Marissa and her bridesmaids were hidden away. Jenn Smith from Winston-Salem was their photographer. She was snapping some good photos. Marissa's dress was absolutely stunning!

Come on, guys! It is time to make our entrance! A friend of the couple, Katy, did a wonderful job directing for them.

 

The bridesmaids were ready to go. John was standing by to bring in Marissa after he escorted in his wife, Kathy. She told him not to be so nervous because he did the same job for their daughter Rachel a couple of years earlier! Rachel was our Matron of Honor.

  

I believe at this point I am talking to Rachel. "Rachel, the oldest sister, you have always given Marissa an example to look up to. From you she learned to never spill nail polish on new carpet and to never venture into the basement alone." Marissa and Aaron had endearing humorous things for me to say to all their siblings and we laughed a lot!

 

Marissa's aunt, Kris, read the Taylor Mali poem, "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog." Then it was time for the couple's wonderful and entertaining story which was followed by the vows and rings.

I made the pronouncement of marriage and as you can see, the kiss is one big blur, literally!!

Marissa and Aaron, I know you will go far in life together and be very happy. Thank you for your professions and taking care of our children's education. I wish you all the best!

Danielle and Chris' Wonderful Wedding at North Hills Club!

Danielle and Chris planned their wedding at the North Hills Club on August 7th, 2010. I had not been there in years and the original clubhouse has been transformed into a beautiful and spacious facility. It is a good place to have a wedding, in a very convenient location, and you can have both the ceremony and reception there. Their catering and events manager, Lauren, was very helpful and made sure we had everything we needed. We had their rehearsal the day before and Danielle's Aunt Kathy who was our honorary director learned her duties cuing the wedding party in. My husband, Dave, who was my assistant this weekend (because Marty was in Nantucket), and I arrived for the wedding and got my personal microphone plugged into the DJ's system. Our DJ was Mitch Woodard with Joe Bunn DJ Company. He is great to work with. He also set up a microphone for the two readers and did sound checks. When all the guests had arrived, we began the processional.

The groom and groomsmen and I came in from the door to the left in the front after the seating of the mothers and Chris' grandmother. Then the bridesmaids came in and took their places. Next was the flower girl, Bella, 3 year old daughter of one of the bridesmaids.

Since Mom was one of the bridesmaids, Dad was in charge of getting Bella to walk down the aisle. Walking down a long aisle with lots of people watching her sprinkling flower petals is not a natural activity for a 3 year old. They are too young to understand the significance of what they are being asked to do. It is like asking her to dress herself without help or tie her own shoes! Here she is getting a pep talk from Dad because she is obviously hesitant to do what is asked.

Despite Daddy's pleas, Bella sat down on the job and kicked the basket in anger and frustration. Daddy was persistent though!

Having been persuaded at last to walk down the aisle, she is having trouble because she kept stepping on the front of her dress which frustrated her even more. Notice who is holding the basket!

And the obvious solution is to pick her up and carry her down the aisle and sprinkle the flowers for her. Yay, Dad! We cheered him on! (My opinion: Small children in the ceremony can sometimes be amusing and provide comic relief depending on what they do which is totally unpredictable. On the other hand, laughing at a child's anxiety and frustration can be shaming to the child. So, think twice about asking a small child age 4 and under to be in your wedding, no matter how much the parents would be honored to have their child in your wedding.) 

I don't think Danielle saw Bella's entrance but she is surely smiling and looks eager to get down the aisle and join Chris. I tell the fathers at the rehearsals that it is their job to keep the bride from galloping down the aisle so Gary is holding on to her. Gary, Danielle's father, did double duty at his daughter's wedding because he is also a professional photographer with GJH Photography.  Once he brought her down the aisle, he was up and working behind the camera. When we came to the parents' blessing in the ceremony, he was missing but quickly ditched the camera and joined Joanne, Danielle's mother, and Vickie, Chris' mother.

And so we began. Danielle and Chris designed a beautiful ceremony and included the story of how they met on e-Harmony. Danielle said that in his photo he was not smiling and so she was determined to get him to smile when they met. She succeeded big time because during the ceremony he was grinning the whole time (and making a few funny faces at Danielle too--yes, I saw you, Chris!)

My little camera did not get real good photos of the ceremony because the light was low and the flash only goes a few feet. I have brightened these photos to give you an idea of the events of the ceremony.

They chose to have the Unity Candle ceremony in their wedding. 

The pronouncement of marriage! 

Sealed with a kiss! 

And out they go to celebrate! 

Chris is glad the ceremony is over and he can relax!

Bella is glad the ceremony is over, too, and she got a lollipop--definitely age-appropriate! 

Danielle and Chris, you are such a well-matched couple and I am so glad you found each other. (I have all the confidence in the world in e-Harmony because all the couples I have counseled that have met that way have been incredibly compatible.) I know you will be so happy together!  Let me know if I can be of service to you in the future such as a baby blessing ceremony, renewal of vows, etc.