Natasha and Shawn's Beautiful Wedding at JC Raulston Arboretum!

Natasha and Shawn's wedding day was Sunday October 7, 2012 at the JC Raulston Arboretum White Garden in Raleigh. Their rehearsal was the Sunday before. The minister they had arranged to officiate for them was a "no show" and unable to be reached. Panic! Their proactive wedding planner, DeVonda Manning with Simply Lavish Weddings & Events, called me the next day to see if I could step in and officiate for this couple. I had a wedding at 2:00 that day at Duke Gardens and this one was at 4:00. It was tight and I would have to forego my policy of arriving on the wedding site one hour prior to ceremony start time, but I agreed to do it. I did not meet the couple or DeVonda or anyone else in the wedding until the wedding day. I wrote a ceremony and emailed it to the couple for them to review and make any changes to and they loved every word. I added some personal touches from what DeVonda had told me about Natasha and Shawn. About mid-week, the weather forecast for Sunday was looking pretty doubtful for an outdoor wedding and DeVonda and I wondered if the wedding should be re-located to the Royal Banquet Hall where the reception was to be. Natasha held out for her dream of an outdoor wedding and as it turned out, the rain miraculously held back. DeVonda was really on the ball and did a wonderful job organizing and "rescuing" this wedding! Thanks for making me part of this wonderful wedding, DeVonda!

The pretty bridesmaids and their parasols (instead of bouquets) are all ready to go. The wedding colors are described as "Sangria and Oasis blue with Hot Pink" which is a lovely combination. 

Marty and I arrived on the scene about 3:15, earlier than expected, and we set up my sound system, checked with the harpist, Carlota Reyes, and flautist, Alma Coefman, who were set up inside the gazebo, and checked on the sand ceremony set-up. The bride's limo arrived a bit late so the wedding ended up not being rushed at all. 

The guys are all lined up. First in was Mother of the Groom, Diane, followed by Father of the Groom, David.

Then it was time for the Mother of the Bride, Mary, to be escorted in by a groomsman.

 We are next! 

We had two little boys, Chase and Cody, next. Chase held the rings and Cody was the bell toller! DeVonda helped get them down the aisle.

 Now for Little Miss Iyanna, our flower girl. 

Here comes the bride--with her father, Ernest--as DeVonda straightens the train.  We had a full house and still no rain! Just amazing! Our photographer, Robert Christopher Watson was there taking photos for David's Bridal.  

Shawn and Natasha have known each other practically all their lives. In fact, Natasha's mother was one of Shawn's elementary school teachers. He always had his eye on Natasha but things just did not work out back then. However, he did not give up and years later they finally connected and his dreams came true! A sweet story for both!

After the vows and rings, they stepped up to pour their sand together symbolizing their unity.

Look at that smile on Natasha's pretty face! Shawn is ready to head over to the reception to celebrate!

 

Natasha and Shawn, I am honored to have officiated your wedding. Do you know that one of your guests, a minister himself, came up to me after the wedding and told me that was the most beautiful wedding ceremony he had ever heard? He asked me if there was any way he could get the script so I simply took the ceremony pages out of my book and gave them to him. He handed them to his wife who tucked them in her purse! So happy he loved it so much and so honored that he wanted the words. Hope he uses it in his own wedding ceremonies! I wish you two all the very best! 

Allyson and Graham Have a Fabulous Winter Wedding!

Allyson and Graham came to see me on January 18, 2009 and hired me to officiate their wedding on January 2, 2010 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship sanctuary on Wade Avenue in Raleigh. At that time, I had no idea how resourceful this young couple would be in creating their dream wedding. But, I found out at their wedding that they did a lot of very careful planning to make their wedding affordable. As Allyson told me herself, it was a DIY wedding! Brian, Allyson's father, told me that she has been a take charge, innovative person since she was a little girl.

Their reception was held at the Royal Banquet on Hillsborough Street across from the Meredith College campus. Marty and I stopped by there before the wedding to get a photo of the wedding cake the bride's mother made. It is a lovely space. We talked to Callie who was in charge of this event for Carla Towns, the Events Coordinator. The caterer furnished the dishes and silverware but Allyson purchased the linens and she and her friends and family set up the tables the night before. Her caterer was Visions Catering of Thomasville NC. I asked Graham how they came to use a caterer that far away. He told me that Allyson expanded her search beyond the Triangle and found Visions and there was no charge for travel within 200 miles and their prices were right.

Allyson's mother, Becca Lipscomb, is a cake baker. She owns the business Cakes for a Cause.  They donate part of every cake purchase either to fund research for childhood cancer or to  your charity. What a wonderful and generous enterprise! This is a lovely cake and I bet it tasted fabulous. It is missing its cake topper which was with the groom over at the church. The cake topper which I never did get to see is a replica of their two dogs!

Here you can see photos of the couple and their Labrador retriever, Huckleberry Finn, and their beagle, Bailey.  

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I was most impressed with their centerpieces! Allyson found these beautiful tall vases herself and filled them with the crystal pebbles. The florist, Madelyn's Flower Shop, from Nashville NC, topped them off with white mums. They were stunning! Good job sleuthing out your vendors, Allyson.

 

The attendants, groom and I are in place waiting for the entrance of the bride and her parents.

Here they come!

The sanctuary of the Unitarian Church is such a beautiful contemporary setting. The acoustics are amazing! Bo, the person in charge of the sound system there, was helpful in getting my microphone plugged into their system and the sound was perfect. The couple saved money by using CD music for the prelude and burned a special CD of the processional and recessional music and it worked very nicely!

The ceremony was sweet and simple, just the way they wanted it. They found a great reading I had not heard before that fit their beliefs and feelings about love and marriage. It is titled: "When a Man and a Woman are in Love" and the author is unknown. They read their vows to each other from my book and after the exchange of rings, I pronounced them husband and wife. They really took to heart my homework assignment to practice kissing and smoothly executed a great kiss!  Sorry that I don't have a photo of that but our professional photographer, Penny Noell, surely does. Penny is a friend of the family and was wonderful to work with.

Let me tell you the story of Allyson's beautiful wedding gown! She fell in love with it when she tried it on almost two years ago at David's Bridal. But her family found another dress they liked better and she liked it as well and bought it. But, she could not stop thinking about that first dress. Later on she saw it on eBay in her size in perfect condition and bought it for a song! So, she sold the first dress she bought on a preowned wedding dress site and came out ahead. How is that for resourcefulness! The dress was perfect for Allyson. It was made for her figure and not only that, it was soft and comfortable and did not wrinkle when she sat down. A dream come true!

Allyson and Graham, you are young but you have known each other for years and have carefully thought out your decisions. I know you are going to have a wonderful and satisfying marriage! All the best to you! And hopefully I will see you again soon because Allyson's grandparents have been married almost 50 years and told me they were thinking of doing a Renewal of Vows ceremony! Just call me!