Avalyn and Stephen Wed in the Jasmine Courtyard at Brier Creek Country Club!

I want to thank and credit Tosha with Story and Rhythm (a husband wife duo of photographer and DJ) who took ALL these beautiful photos and let me have them for this blog. I am sure you will enjoy them in contrast to the amateur photos taken with my point and shoot camera that usually populate my blog posts. Thank you, Tosha!

Avalyn and Stephen's wedding was at Brier Creek Country Club on October 2nd, 2016 which was a beautiful day. Sunny and pleasant temperatures for which we were all grateful. The ceremony was held in the Jasmine Courtyard which had been set up by the staff and The English Garden florist. The guests have arrived at this point and we are ready to begin the processional.

Kimberly Myer is our wedding director. Stephen and his guys and I stand ready for her cue for us to walk in.

First in are Stephen's parents who are so happy for this day. 

Time for us to walk along the side and take our places up front. 

The color theme is navy blue--always a good color on everyone.

Our lovely Maid of Honor, Sharon, processes down the aisle.

We eagerly await Avalyn's entrance!

She enters solo since her family is not with us today.

Stephen begins walking toward her and they meet at the back of the aisle. 

Together, arm in arm, they enter to take the next step in their lifelong commitment to each other--marriage! 

Welcome everyone! 

After a prayer we remembered those loved ones who were not with us and a scripture reading.

Then their story (an excerpt): "One of the best things about being a wedding minister is getting to know my couples and hearing the story of how they met and fell in love. I asked Avalyn and Stephen to share their story with me and now I will share it with you.

Those of you who know Avalyn know that when she sets her mind to something she is relentless until she accomplishes what she wants. Finding a life-partner was no exception. She joined Match.com hoping to meet someone whom she could vet before meeting in person. She wanted to eliminate the awkwardness of trying to get to know someone by dating. So, while browsing on line, she saw Stephen’s profile and it stood out to her. She liked his clean-cut look. So she looked through all his photos searching for clues to his character. She even took screenshots of a few of his photos and sent them to her friend Vanessa and actually said that he looked like he could be the one. She went through his photos with a fine toothcomb, seeing one with his dog, she figured he was caring. She also noticed some family photos indicating he might be family oriented. She clicked LIKE on his picture and the adventure began.

Stephen saw Avalyn’s profile picture in which she was wearing a dress with Jamaican colors. She was posing with her hands on her hips and he thought she was really cute. One thing led to another and a few weeks later on September 21st, 2014 they met in person at the Cheesecake Factory in Raleigh. They sat and played a staring game for most of that first date, forgetting about eating. At the end of the date they hugged in the parking lot and thought about each other all the way home. After 4 or 5 dates, Stephen introduced Avalyn to his parents and once that hurdle was jumped, he asked her to be his girlfriend on October 18, 2014. Avalyn felt like he had proposed!"  

Then the big reveal: their secret paragraphs! 

Their vows began with a few humorous requests then got down to the serious promises! 

The exchange of rings.

The pouring of sand together is a unity ceremony symbolic of their marriage.

As part of the closing blessing I asked them to turn and look at their loved ones honoring them on their wedding day.

And so they did.  A very sweet moment in the ceremony.

I pronounced them husband and wife and invited Stephen to kiss the bride!

Avalyn and Stephen, congratulations on finding each other and for your diligence in making your wedding ceremony so special. I loved working with both of you in the collaboration. It was 100% you! Thank you for choosing me as your officiant. I wish you the best always!

Beautiful Wedding for Jessi and Sam at the DoubleTree by Hilton!

Jessi and Sam's wedding was at the recently renovated Brownstone Hotel near NC State on Hillsborough now known as the DoubleTree by Hilton. It is now really elegant and plush and a great place for a wedding in downtown Raleigh. The wedding date was December 27th, 2014, the last of 3 weddings and one renewal of vows ceremony on my schedule this Saturday between Christmas and New Year's Day. Their color theme was cranberry, white and gold and the ballroom was decked out in fine fare.

The ceremony took place on the dance floor.  The guests were seated at the tables. The chairs on the dance floor were for the parents and siblings of the couple.

Brian, our DJ with Story and Rhythm, was ready. I hooked into his sound system and did a sound check. 

Brian's wife, Tosha, is the photographer for the wedding. They are a dynamic husband/wife team for weddings! 

 Props for funny photos! 

The couple's mothers collaborated to make the wedding cake out of pound cakes. Bet they were delicious. Sam and Jessi both have a love of the Simpsons and adore quoting obscure Simpson's references to each other--hence the cake topper!

 This is Katelyn Freeman who is the event manager with the hotel.   

There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen so after the parents were escorted in, Sam and I entered and took our places. Then it was time for the bride and her father, Lee, to enter. Their Day of Coordinator, Kathy Caison, gives them the cue to begin walking in.

Lee placed Jessi's hand into Sam's hand and then took his seat. Jessi and Sam then turned and faced each other. 

 We began with words of welcome and a prayer. 

Then we remembered those not present with us. Especially missed was Sam's father who passed away last summer but not before he had met and come to love Jessi and her family and they him. He was a very important person in Sam's life and would have loved to have been at their wedding.

 Then we paid tribute to Jessi's parents, Lee and Elaine, and Sam's mother, Marilyn. I think I saw a few tears fall!

Then it was time to tell the story of how Jessi and Sam met and fell in love. Like many couples, they met through mutual friends and found each other's sense of humor and values attractive. They got to know each other as friends first then began dating and have never looked back. They especially love their rescue greyhound, Stan, who "helped" Sam propose!

 Then they heard for the first time what the other had told me that they loved about each other. 

They exchanged vows, then rings. 

They had gotten a wooden box in which a bottle of wine had been placed. They wrote love letters to each other and sealed them without sharing. As part of the ceremony they placed the letters in the box not to be opened until their first wedding anniversary when they open the box, pour each other a glass of wine, and read their letters to each other. 

 I pronounced them husband and wife and invited Sam to kiss his beautiful wife.  

We had not had a rehearsal where I could tell Sam to make the kiss long enough to get a good photo so, we missed the kiss! I hope Tosha got it!

 They turn to face their families and guests........

 I retrieved the bouquet and handed it to Jessi.......

Family and friends, it is my great pleasure to present to you for the first time, Sam and Jessi, husband and wife!

Before I could get this wedding up on my blog, Jessi posted this review on Weddingwire which I appreciate so much: "I can't agree more with the hundreds of other reviews on Kayelily. She is worth every penny. From the first consultation with her to the dozens of e-mails to personalize our ceremony, she was so easy to work with. Having done so many ceremonies, Kayelily has the process down pat and makes the most important part of our wedding day, the ceremony, a relatively simple process to personalize. We got compliments from almost every single guest about how wonderful our ceremony was - that they cried, laughed and thought it was so fitting for us. Thank you Kayelily for making our wedding ceremony so perfect! "
I thank you, Jessi and Sam, for choosing me to officiate. It was my honor. You are a very well-matched couple and you know what you like and what you want. I loved working with you and sharing your ceremony with your families and friends. I wish you the best life can offer and a long and happy marriage!

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