Raleigh Wedding Blog: Thrills from the Grill

Showing posts with label Thrills from the Grill. Show all posts

Friday, November 21, 2014

Reganne and Scott's Beautiful Fall Wedding at The Oaks!

November 9th, 2014 turned out to be a beautiful fall day. Perfect for Reganne and Scott's wedding day! The leaves were in their glory! Especially this beautiful oak tree that has sheltered so many weddings at The Oaks at Salem in Apex.

About 150 guests were expected and the chairs were all in place and runners down each side of the aisle made of fabric petals pre-attached to a strip of netting that simply had to be unrolled and put in place. Nifty!

Across the lake under the tent over the terrace, the orange and purple linens were on the tables.

Their signature tree for the guest book was ready for the guests to write their names on the leaves.

Joslin, the director at The Oaks, was having a brief meeting with the groomsmen and groom.

Meanwhile, Marty was in the bar area photographing this amazing cake. It was made by the mother of the bride with sparkling sugar frosting, purple and orange flowers and topped by a blown glass topper of a dragon and a phoenix!

Back across the lake, our violinist, Udeshi, was all set up and playing while the guests were getting seated.

When it was time, Joslin gave us the signal to begin our trek around the lake to the ceremony site.

Come on, gang!

So, now we are in position and awaiting the bridesmaids!

And here they come, making their way around the other side of the lake.

Our Maid of Honor, Colleen, escorts the "dog of honor" Rory, the 4-legged child of our couple.

Here come William and our first flower girl, Sara...."wait up, don't walk so fast!"

Trailing right behind them is Ally, the other sweet little flower girl!

Reganne's parents, Beth and Charles, have the privilege of escorting their beautiful daughter around the lake and down the aisle.

Welcome to everyone!

A blessing for their parents followed.

Then I got to tell their story! They met freshman year at Clemson when Scott arrived late for physics 101 class and took the first seat he could find which happened to be right next to Reganne! All she could think was "why did the nerdiest guy in the class sit next to me?" They ended up being study buddies their first two years of school and then lab partners their junior year. They spent an enormous amount of time together but Reganne never saw herself dating Scott, much less marrying him!

One evening while taking a dinner break together while working on a robotic dragon for class their junior year, Reganne had the first inkling that there might be something more to their relationship than just friendship when Scott shared his brownie with her! But Scott was oblivious until they went back to finish up their project when he worked up the nerve to put his arm around her and she did not push him away. And that was all it took to break through the "only friends" barrier and they soon became a couple.

I am revealing to Reganne what Scott told me in confidence he loves about her and wants to marry her. And then I told Scott what Reganne loves about her and why she wants to marry him.

They chose the hand fasting ritual in which their hands are bound by a cord that represents their love. I was quite impressed to find out that Scott learned seven-strand braiding and made the cord!

And then they exchanged their vows while their hands were joined in the configuration of the infinity symbol.

The rings were exchanged.....

I asked them to look around them at all their loved ones who were there to honor them on this day.

Then the pronouncement of marriage.....

The kiss and the "after kiss" moment!

I don't remember what we were all looking at right then--maybe Rory who was waiting patiently on the bride's side?

After the guests headed over to the terrace for the reception, the wedding party hung out for photos. John Carter with Perfect Day Images provided the photography, videography and DJ for the event. Rick was the DJ, Caroline Z was second shooter to John, and Robin Crews was videoing. Thrills from the Grill was catering the event.

Reganne and Scott, you are so perfect for each other! I am honored to have joined you in marriage and I wish you the best of everything throughout your marriage!

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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Jessica and Brent Wed at The Oaks at Salem!

Weddings at The Oaks at Salem are so wonderful! A truly gracious Southern setting with spacious facility and well-groomed grounds conveniently located in Apex. April Maness, the owner, knew what was the perfect venue for weddings when she purchased the property and built the beautiful manor. Jessica and Brent fell in love with it and had their wedding there on Sunday May 18, 2014.

Valet parking service is routine for weddings at The Oaks.

A view of the back of the manor house from the side of the lake. The tent on the terrace serves as protection for both rain and intense heat of the sun. April even has lighting and speakers installed within the tent.

Plenty of room for seating of guests for the reception and the ceremony.

Jessica and Brent had large cookies as wedding favors for the guests and they are all laid out for the taking!

Just inside the terrace is the bar, food bar and the wedding cupcakes! This lovely configuration is by Bitty Cakes. Thrills from the Grill was catering. Yummy! A Ming Rose was the florist.

DJ Mel Manning was in charge of the music for both the ceremony and reception. Jessica and Brent chose to have their wedding under the tent from the very beginning to avoid everyone sitting out in the sun. Turns out it was seasonably cooler that day with a cloud cover and forecast of scattered showers--which did not happen!

Okay! It is time to begin. Joslin, the wedding director for the venue, cued the music and the processional. You can see her in the background. The seating of Brent's grandmother was first, then his aunt, then the parents of the groom and mother of the bride.

Greg and Justin, the groomsmen entered after Brent and me.

Here comes the bride and her father!

Jessica bids farewell to her father and joins Brent.

The tree in the background is the popular spot for some weddings but serves as a nice backdrop for weddings under the tent.

Our lovely bridesmaids witness the ceremony. The maid of honor is Jessica's sister, Lillian. I did not get the other two girls' names but I know the middle one is engaged to Justin, one of the groomsmen.

It is unusual to get a photo of the guests but it is so telling of the feelings they have for Jessica and Brent. That is Brent's aunt wiping away some tears of happiness. Note up just above Brent's parents' head are a couple--he with glasses and she a blonde with an aqua top. That is Jay and Alyssa whom I married last July at The Cotton Room. I had no idea that Alyssa and Jessica were college roommates. It was so good to see them again. You can view their wedding here.

The blessing of the parents.......

The telling of their story: Jessica and Brent met at work where a lot of love stories begin. Jessica had just been hired and her cube was right next to Brent's so he was the go-to person for all her questions. She said he had immeasurable patience with her. He said he relished in the opportunity to be with her the questions afforded! They never tired of each other and decided to go out to a basketball game after work. Even though Jessica's alma mater UNC beat their opponent, Brent's alma mater NCSU, they had so much fun that the die was cast and there was no looking back.

Brent proposed to Jessica three years later and since then he has earned a graduate degree, they moved to a new city and bought their first house together, all while planning this wedding!

This is where I reveal to each of them what their partner told me in confidence they love about each other. "Brent, along with always letting her try a small bite of your food, killing spiders for her, and many other things, Jessica knew you were a keeper. She loves the way you cackle when you laugh and the way you make her smile...."

They read the vows they had written for each other from my book where the words were printed facing them as they exchanged their rings.

I pronounced them husband and wife and told Brent he could kiss his beautiful wife!

Off into the world, they go!

Photos after the ceremony were on the front lawn. Their photographer, Francis Wong, was getting the family photos so we waited our turn. The couple with Brent's parents, Jane and David.