Jami and Nic contacted me in March to see if I would officiate their wedding on June 27, 2009 at the
Rock of Ages Winery in Hurdle Mills NC. I had never heard of this place so I googled it and found out that it was only 25 miles north of Durham. So, we met and signed a contract and started on their ceremony. On Friday the 26th I drove through beautiful country in Northern Orange County then into Person County to get there. My GPS got me on the right road but did not seem to know where it was. I kept going and there on the left, among acres of beautiful vineyards was the stone winery. It was spectacular! A hidden treasure!
Nic's Aunt Dawn was our wedding director and we got everyone rounded up and practiced for the wedding. It was hot and we were standing in the archway right in the sun with the winery behind us. All the guests would be sitting right in the sun. I was delighted to arrive for the wedding to find that they had flipped the ceremony around so that the guests would be sitting inside the portico with ceiling fans cooling them and viewing the couple and me in the archway with the green vineyards in the background. It was a great re-arrangement.
This was a beautifully color coordinated wedding. See the lovely bridesmaids in those gorgeous dresses in varying shades of latte, champagne and taupe. Their bouquets were ivory.
The groomsmen, groom, and father of the bride wore light beige suits and shoes. Their boutonnieres were ivory with greenery.
Here comes our beautiful bride escorted in by her father who was beaming!
Look at Jami's fabulous wedding gown and how the bridesmaids' dresses reflected the same design! Jami is a kindergarten teacher so we incorporated some "words of wisdom on marriage" from some of her students. Here is one: "Marriage is to be happy and face the world and you get a baby or two. You wear fancy clothes and they play violins and blow bubbles!"
We also included a reading of "The Art of Marriage" and words from Daphne Rose Kingma. The couple wrote their own vows and read them to each other from my book. It was a sweet and touching ceremony and several guests commented to me how much they loved it.
The deed is done!! Jami and Nic are married and so happy!
After the wedding ceremony they wanted a group shot with all their guests. So, our photographer and my assistant, Marty, climbed up the stairs to the balcony and got some great shots. Notice the vineyards and lake in the background.
Jami and Nic, your hard work planning your wedding really paid off.
Go forth in joy, peace and love!
I discovered this wonderful place for weddings this past weekend when I officiated the wedding for Jami and Nic here. (See the post below about their wedding.) The Rock of Ages Winery was built on the Moore Estate in Person County in 2006. The winery sits on the top of a hill that gently slopes up from the road and is practically hidden from view by the acres of grape vines. It was designed with wedding ceremonies and corporate events in mind. The owner, Kevin Moore, told me that the current vineyards were planted 7 years ago on 26 acres. The estate has been around since the 1900s and Kevin's grandfather made communion wine for local churches back then. There is a 4 acre lake as well. And--plenty of parking!
As you can see, there is a lower level covered portico with an open balcony above it. There are smaller rooms on each side of the central room which is a very convenient arrangement for the bride and her attendants on one side and the groom and his guys on the other.
Inside the winery, the cathedral ceiling has a wrap around balcony on all 4 sides. It is very spacious and resembles a lodge. The winery has their own fully staffed kitchen complete with their chef.
There is lots of room for guests to enjoy themselves including a wooden floor which is great for dancing.
There is the stone bar in the background. Kevin told me that although they are a winery, they host many non-alcoholic events. He said the guests don't have to drink their wine but he sure hopes they buy it! Even though the winery is almost 50 miles from my home, I look forward to doing lots of weddings here!
