Angela and Marvin Wed at The Butterfly House!

I introduced myself to Angela and her mother at an open house at the Museum of Life and Science on March 8, 2019. When they told me that Angela and Marvin's wedding was on May 25th, just a couple of months away, I was surprised that they did not have an officiant. Fortunately I was available for their date and time and so we met on March 18th to start planning their ceremony. Marvin was deployed in Japan and I did not meet him until the rehearsal but we communicated by email for his part of the ceremony.

The day was beautiful when Dave and I arrived from another wedding that day. The chairs were artfully curved in a semi-circle in front of the stunning glass wall of the butterfly conservatory. Our DJs had a mobile unit and speaker set up on the far side.

The tables were all set and ready for the chairs to be added after the ceremony and cocktail hour. Southern Harvest was the caterer. The florist for the wedding was Pine State Flowers. (The wedding cake which had not been brought out from the cooler was by Groovy Duck Bakery.) Becky Chapman with Lily Rose Events was our director and our photographer was Morgan Henderson.

At the entrance to the butterfly house is this lovely terrace and the stairs that lead up to the area where the dinosaurs are! Cocktail hour will be here.

Nina and Garrett were on duty for All Events DJ and I got plugged into their system and did a sound check. Always wonderful to work with!

A beautiful spray of flowers for the ceremony area. 

Putting the finishing touches on our gorgeous bride! She is one of the most beautiful brides I've ever officiated for. 

Becky gets us all lined up for the processional. I entered before the others and made the unplugged announcement then the wedding party filled in around me.

This is Angela's beautiful sister and Maid of Honor! 

Angela and her dad Randy begin their walk down the aisle. 

Rounding the corner to the middle of the chairs as the guests stand in Angela's honor. 

Angela and Marvin have known each other since they were teenagers at Sanderson High School in 2011. 

In a sense they grew up together and their love for each other was sustained through years of college and military service separation. Finally they are having the wedding of their dreams!

After a welcome and prayer, it was time to honor their parents and tell them how much they loved and appreciated their support all their lives.

Then I had the good fortune to tell their love story. There were definitely some humorous moments and there was lots of laughter.

And so here they are today, ready to join their hearts in marriage surrounded by the people they love the most.

Angela gets to hear for the first time what Marvin told me in confidence what he loves about her and what he is looking forward to. Then Marvin gets to hear for the first time what Angela told me in confidence.

They said their vows and then exchanged rings. 

A closing blessing was next.

Making the pronouncement of marriage at last and inviting them to kiss! 

Happy to do so!!

And they step into their new lives! Off to Japan too! 

Photo-op with the butterflies in the butterfly house is a post wedding ritual. 

I stepped in to get a shot with the couple as a butterfly is resting on Marvin's thumb! Congratulations, Marvin and Angela. Wonderful wedding for a wonderful couple! All the best always!

Christmas Bells Ring for Kelsey and Daniel's Beautiful Wedding!

Kelsey and Daniel love Christmastime so they picked a wedding date of December 8th, 2018 and chose Market Hall in downtown Raleigh for their venue. 

The day was cold and snow was predicted later on but for their wedding, the bad weather held off!

The wall was draped and of course a Christmas tree was their "altar." Next to the tree is my little table with a bell on it which would be part of the ceremony. 

 Whitney Davis with C&D Events was our wedding director. She had everything under control!

Our team of photographers with Cor Photography are ready for the processional.

I entered first followed by Daniel and his groomsmen.

The bridesmaids then entered one by one and too their places. Time for our Bride!
  (All the photos above were taken with my camera. All the photos below except for the last one, were provided by our professional photographers for which I am so grateful!)

 Kelsey and her father, Mike, float down the aisle!

  All the guests are standing in her honor.

I don't remember what was so funny but he answered my question, placed Kelsey's hand in Daniel's, then joined the guests who were taking their seats. 

 A surprise tribute to their parents!

 Then to tell their story from the day they met to this, their wedding day.

 Good humor in their secret paragraphs from each other!

 Saying their vows.

 Exchanging rings.

I had found the Celtic Bell Ceremony earlier in the year and thought it would be really appropriate for their Christmas-themed wedding so I adapted it as follows:

Kelsey and Daniel’s favorite season of the year is Christmas and so it was an obvious choice to have their wedding this time of year.  At Christmas we hear the joyful sounds of bells ringing and well-wishing.  Bells have long been associated with weddings as their joyous tones announce good tidings and are said to bring good luck. Bells are also commonly used to get attention, as a signal or an announcement of a significant event. Kelsey and Daniel have chosen to include the Celtic Bell ceremony that reminds us not only of the happiness they share today but also of the practice of compromise inherent in strong marriages.  

Daniel and Kelsey, on behalf of all gathered here, I ring this bell in celebration of your marriage which begins today. (officiant rings bell) I give this bell to you now and ask you to give the bell a hardy ring while thinking lovely thoughts about each other and happy thoughts of your future life together. (couple rings bell)

Keep this bell in your home to remind you of your wedding day. When arguments arise, put this bell to its best use as an attention-getter. One of you should ring the bell to call a truce. The familiar sound it makes should remind you of your wedding vows and conjure up the happiest memories from this day and help you resolve your differences with love and compassion.

 I pronounced them married and invited them to share their first kiss as husband and wife.

 Sealed with a kiss!

 Presentation of the Newlyweds!

 I invited the guests to stand and join me in congratulating them!

 Another kiss!

 The deed is done! Time to celebrate!

The wedding party! 

Kelsey and Daniel--great wedding! So happy you chose me to join you in marriage! Thanks for being a great couple and working with me to create the ceremony you dreamed of. I wish you all the best always! 

A Hot Hot Wedding for Brian and Antonio at Lake Johnson!

Antonio found my website in February and sent me an inquiry. I was delighted that I was available for his and Brian's wedding on June 13th, 2015 at Lake Johnson. I had just enough time to get there from a prior wedding that day at Duke Gardens. Because finding a parking place at Lake Johnson can be a problem, they solved that by putting a cone in a space reserved for me! Thanks, guys! So Antonio and I met in February and talked about the kind of ceremony he and Brian wanted. Brian could not be with us because he was away at medical school but I met them both later as we finalized all the plans.

The day was blue blazing hot with a heat index of 104 when I left Duke Gardens. A little shower of rain passed over and cooled the temps down a little bit but it was still humid and hot. I was so grateful that they had a tent to at least shield us from the sun.

Jess Dilday was our DJ and she was all set up. She plugged my microphone into her system and we did a sound check.

This yummy looking caramel cake was made by Yellow Bird Baking and topped with characters representing our two grooms. 

The community room at the Lake was decked out beautifully and fully air-conditioned so we hung out there a lot waiting for the guests to arrive and get seated.

Quinton Dyson with Southern Harvest was our director and caterer. Southern Harvest is part of the Farmers Table Restaurant Group dedicated to bringing delicious healthy local food to the table at their restaurants one of which is The Q Shack.

 Our guests were ready so we began. 

 Antonio and his groomsmen and I entered then Brian's groomsmen ushered in the ladies. 

Antonio's Best man is his friend Adam and his groomsman is his friend Matt.  

Karen, our Matron of Honor is Brian's sister-in-law and friend since college. Next to her are Brian's two brothers, Colin and Evan, and Brian's friends, Jonathan, Christopher and Aaron.

 After escorting his mother, Mary Grace, down the aisle to her seat, Brian joined Antonio up front. 

We began with a welcome to all and how important each person was to Brian and Antonio. Then at their request I asked them to put away their cameras and cell phones and truly be present with them at the ceremony. 

We remembered those passed on, especially bringing to mind Brian's father, David, who was such a large part of Brian becoming the fine young man that he is today. No, Antonio is not brought to tears but was wiping the perspiration that was literally dripping down from his head to his face. So hot!

Before their vows, they each had sent me special words they wanted to say to each other which I kept secret. They read them from my book then made their vows to each other. 

So touching and with a bit of humor too! 

 Another mopping of his face. Brian and I were not dry either!  

 Brian places the ring on Antonio's finger as he repeats the words after me. 

 Then Antonio places the ring on Brian's finger. 

 At last the pronouncement of marriage. I can't tell you how happy I am that everyone can marry now! 

I invited them to seal their vows with a kiss, and it was one of those "drive-by" kisses so I knew the photographer did not get it! So.........

 I told Antonio and Brian they had to kiss again and to make it longer! 

 And so they did and we got the picture!!

 Whew, time to cool off, relax, take some photos and then celebrate! 

So they adjourned down to the beach area and I invited the guests to mix and mingle. Then I retrieved my microphone equipment and joined Antonio and Brian and their photographer, Rob Bradley, for a photo of the three of us for this blog! I think we were all so glad we got through the ceremony without anyone getting heat exhaustion. I am sure those jackets came off soon after I left. Brian and Antonio, congratulations from the bottom of my heart. You two are great together and I am so happy you found each other! I wish you all the best!

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