A Gorgeous December Wedding for Alison and Daniel!

Alison and Daniel chose the historic Merrimon-Wynne House for their December 30th, 2017 wedding. They had great weather for their big day. It was my last wedding of 2017.

Greeting the guests by the front porch. 

When I arrived, our photographer, Ginny Corbett, had our couple on the side lawn for the first look which had taken place. I jumped in to get a photo with the guests. Alison's blush wedding gown was absolutely stunning!

Also stunning was her bouquet by Anna, owner of Meristem Floral! 

Ginny Corbett and her second shooter! They were good sports at allowing my husband, Dave, to take these photos for my blog. 

Ryan Pflumm owner of Spin DJ helps me put on the microphone he furnishes for me. Love working with Ryan!

The couple also asked me to make the "unplugged" announcement before the processional began. 

Pretty flowers and floating candles flank the aisle. The flames of the candles, although recessed in the glass containers, got a bit close for comfort to the clothing of one person sitting in the seat next to him as I watched him move them a bit further from his chair!

The alcove has been draped and lined with white lights and florals. 

Back inside the house, the photos of the couple are on the old fireplace mantle. 

Upstairs in the groom's room, the guys are playing bumper pool. 

The best man signs the license for me. 

Then the maid of honor does the same. 

I took this opportunity to sit down on the chaise and review the ceremony script. 

View of downtown Raleigh from the window behind the chaise lounge. 

The bride is getting a touch up on her hair and makeup by Joanne Maye. She admitted that she was feeling quite nervous about the ceremony and so I assured her that all would go well and she should just focus on Daniel during the ceremony. 
Daniel's hands were ice cold! He was equally nervous about the ceremony. They are both shy people and don't relish being up in front of people! He was telling me here how much he appreciated my calmness and assurance that all would go well--which it did, of course!

Ashley Cakes makes the most gorgeous wedding cakes! This one matches the bride's wedding gown!

Ryan has changed into his tux now and we are chatting about the ceremony. 

Making the unplugged announcement before the processional begins. 

Daniel's parents, Lynn and Lars, entered first.

Then father of the bride, Ed, escorts in the mother of the bride, Carol. He then circled back to bring in the bride!

Daniel entered and took his place beside me. Then his 4 groomsmen entered.

Then the 4 bridesmaids entered. 

Lynn Scott with Happily Ever After was in charge of this wedding and always does a spectacular job sending the wedding party in right on cue. Love working with her and her daughter Jessica.

Here comes the bride! 

Ed placed Alison's hand into Daniel's. Alison gave her father a little kiss then he carefully made his way to his seat without stepping on her dress as I invited the guests to be seated!

Some words of welcome to all our guests. Alison and Daniel relaxed, let their anxiety melt away and truly enjoyed their ceremony.

A surprise tribute to their parents was next. Then I got to tell Alison and Daniel's love story which began in downtown Raleigh almost 3 years ago. The attraction was immediate and soon blossomed into love. Neither of them was expecting to meet their future spouse when they did and had to rethink their futures!

At this point I am telling Alison what Daniel told me in confidence that he loves about her and what he is looking forward to in marriage. Then Daniel heard what Alison had told me in confidence.

They made their vows to each other then it was time for the ring exchange. 

They placed their rings on each other's fingers. 

A closing blessing followed. 

I was delighted to then pronounce them husband and wife and invited them to kiss! 

Now that was easy!!

I presented the newlywed couple to the guests as they stood and joined me in congratulating them. (Wish my photos were better but the light level was low and my little camera struggled.)

The wedding party followed the couple into the house for cocktail hour and since they had a done a "first look" before the ceremony, they were able to join their guests.

Inside the house I congratulated Alison and then Daniel. They both told me that they had been just fine during the ceremony because of my calming presence and because we had written the ceremony together and they loved hearing the words. So happy to hear that! 

Alison and Daniel, your wedding was spectacular. So happy you found each other and honored to have joined you in marriage. Congratulations and I wish you the best always!

The Glamorous New Year's Eve Wedding of Allison and Michael at The Cloth Mill at the Eno River!

What an amazingly beautiful "BLING" wedding for New Year's Eve 2017! Aly and Michael chose The Cloth Mill at the Eno River in Hillsborough as their venue and it was absolutely decked out to the ultimate degree. 

Greeting everyone was this lovely sign. 

The area for the ceremony was in the center and draped off. Michael and his best man are checking their messages!

Meanwhile the bridesmaids and Aly are gathered to do some photos on the dance floor which was where we held the ceremony with guests seated on either side. It was definitely unique and imaginative. Chelsey Morrison with Gather Together Events and her staff pulled this whole wedding together. The vendor team was huge! The florals were by Anna with Meristem Floral. She is so talented. The Greenhouse Picker Sisters provided vintage decor and styling.

Our photographer extraordinaire is Riley MacLean. He is flanked by the videographers also getting in on the action. Light Cannon Films out of Wilmington.

Riley is so good at setting up the shots with these sweet kids.

There to help Chelsey were Katherine with Gather Together and Danielle with Mason Dixon Designs. 

This stunning cake was by The Cupcake Shoppe. It was so elegant in its simplicity. 

The Sweetheart Table.  

The glittery tablecloths and acrylic chairs just added to the bling. CE Rentals provided the linens and table tops. The Ghost Chiavari Chairs were provided by Party Suppliers of Wilmington. Themeworks Creative, Make-up for Your Day Artistry and many other vendors were behind the scenes making this happen.

Aly's favorite color is purple.

Outside was an area for guests to gather during the reception for a breath of fresh air. They had the gas outdoor heaters, some table and chairs and lighting.

And of course the corn hole board!

There were two bars, one on each side of the ceremony area. The Cloth Mill and On The Rocks ran the bar.

Isn't that floral swag amazing?

A view of the ceremony area. Note all the chandeliers.

The sideboards studded with greens and flowers with soft candlelight and yellow uplighting. Get Lit Lighting did all the lighting. 

I found a secluded spot to sit down and review the ceremony. 

Donovan's Dish staff were putting out the appetizers.  Our DJ for the wedding and reception was Collin Yarborough working for Spin. 

The guests have all arrived and Chelsey on far left has gotten us all lined up. At this point the parents are entering. 

And now time for Michael and his guys and I to enter and take our places followed by the bridesmaids.

Here comes the bride and her father! 

All the guests were standing in their honor.

Their ceremony was so very unique to them. Because we were flanked on both sides, we turned a quarter of a turn 4 times during the ceremony until we were back where we started so every guests could see.

The pretty bridesmaids were lined up on one side and the groomsmen on the other. 

It was difficult to get a lot of good shots of the ceremony as access was limited due to the seating. 

Shooting through the drapes! 

You can see the groomsmen now. 

Telling the story of how they met one day while snowboarding--their favorite sport. They were intrigued by each other when they met but had no idea what the other looked like because of all the cold weather gear they had on!

Once down the slope, when Aly removed her goggles and beanie, Michael wasted no time getting her number. Turns out they were both students at Western Carolina University.

They officially became a couple about 8 months later, graduated and took jobs together at a ski resort in Colorado.  When the skiing season was over they bravely headed back to NC not knowing what the future held for them. Aly procured a job and Michael went into law enforcement training.

When he was finished they finally got settled down and started planning this magnificent wedding!

The bridesmaids had made a request that when it was time for them to hear the secret paragraphs about what they love about each other and what they are looking forward to, that we be positioned so that they could see the bride and groom's facial expressions. And so here we go!

Everyone especially enjoyed hearing this when I addressed Michael: "Michael, Aly feels so lucky to have met you while enjoying one of her favorite sports—I mean, how often does a girl meet a HOT guy on the slopes who is genuinely sweet too?"

Michael enjoyed it too! 

And so now we are back facing the parents at this point for the rest of the ceremony. 

They chose the handfasting ritual so I wrapped their clasped hands with the purple cord which represented love. 

Then they joined right hands forming the symbol of infinity blessing their marriage in the eternal ebb and flow of the Universe.  They made their vows to each other while their hands were clasped.

I removed the cord for them to exchange their rings which symbolically take the place of the cord. Aly had to help a little bit in getting her ring all the way on.

Then she placed the ring on Michael's hand and said the vows after me. 

A closing blessing before the pronouncement of marriage.

And at this point they legally became husband and wife! 

The kiss that seals the marriage!

They turned and faced their parents as I introduced them to their guests. Then they made an about face and headed off for photos and I invited the guests to enjoy cocktails at either bar while the ceremony area was being flipped for the reception.

Michael and Aly, what a "WOW" wedding! I loved it. You were so great to work with. I know you are so happy to be married and settling into married life. I wish you all the best forever!