Jamie and Marc's Fabulous Wedding at The Sutherland!

The Sutherland in Wake Forest is a beautiful wedding venue. The owner, Ashlee Adams, has carefully restored this old plantation estate to its current splendor. Jamie and Marc fell in love with it and booked it for their wedding on July 15th, 2017. 

This is an original cabin on the premises that is used for a place for the groom and his groomsmen to hang out in while the bride and her ladies are in the big house getting ready.

 It is a blazing hot day and the sun is as bright as it gets! But not untypical for a July day in North Carolina! 

 Inside the manor house here is an original fireplace in the old dining room that has been preserved. 

Off the dining room is a sun room where the cake is on display. The cake is by Ashley Cakes.

 The ceremony took place in the Walled Garden. 

 The Unity Candle ceremony is set up. To protect the flame, the Unity Candle is inside a glass lantern.

A new addition to the premises a few years ago is the Pavilion. This past year doors were added on all sides so that now it is climate controlled for the comfort of the wedding guests and wedding party.

Very spacious beautiful light-filled space to celebrate inside! The caterer, Donovan's Dish, is preparing for the reception.

 All is ready! 

We delayed the start of the ceremony 15 minutes due to an accident on Highway 1 which delayed one of the shuttles from getting to the venue. And now it is time to begin the processional.

 The guests are seated under the parasols to shade them from the sun.

Marc and I, followed by his brothers, Robbie and Andrew--his best men, enter from the side gate. I want to thank Alex Choi with Vox DJ for the music and for letting me plug my mic into his system. The sound was perfect! 

 The groomsmen and bridesmaids entered as couples followed by the Maid of Honor, Jamie's sister, Dena.  

They had six children in the wedding party and the last little girl, Emily, entered with a sign that said "Uncle Bubba, Here Comes Your Bride!" 

 Jamie and her dad, Ernest, entered around from the front door into the garden.  

 The guests are standing in their honor. The videographers  were Zach and Ethan with Bowtie Films. 

 Everyone is seated now for the ceremony. 

A welcome to all who traveled from near and far to be here. All of Marc's family came from New York for the wedding. We remembered those that could not be with us then began with a prayer.

Next was a tribute to their parents: Ernest and Francine, Robert and Mary Ellen. This is kept a secret so that it is a sweet surprise for them on the wedding day.

Then I got to tell the story of how Jamie and Marc met. Having no good way to meet people in person, they met on line, liked chatting with each other and decided to meet in person on July 11, 2015. The attraction was immediate, the dating began and they soon became a couple.

They found they had a lot in common, especially a love of football and their favorite teams. Marc supported Jamie in preparing for and running a marathon which showed her how supportive he was of her. Marc surprised her with a proposal of marriage on October 22, 2016 and Jamie of course said yes. Being a big Pinterest fan, she already had a lot of ideas compiled for her wedding so this wedding came together quite naturally.

Then it was time for them to hear for the first time what they each told me in confidence what they love about each other.

Their photographer was Ashley with Bowtie Collaborative. 

 They chose some funny questions for each other like:  

"Marc, do you promise to go to Target whenever Jamie wishes and even go towards the back where the seasonal section is located?"

 "Jamie, do you promise to let Marc buy Jeep parts on a regular basis?" 

 Then they made more serious promises of marriage to each other. 

 Jamie promises.

 Talking about the symbolism of these rings they will exchange.

 Marc: "With this ring, I give you my heart." 

 Jamie: "With this ring, I give you my heart."

 I invited the parents to come forward and light the individual candles for the bride and groom. 

 Then Jamie and Marc brought their flames together and lit the Unity Candle inside the lantern.

 Time for the closing blessing before the pronouncement of marriage.

 I asked them to close their eyes and feel the happiness and let it register in their hearts.

 Then they opened their eyes and I placed my hand on theirs to make the pronouncement of marriage!

 The customary kiss--long enough to get a good picture! Yay! 

 I think Marc is feeling a little sheepish about that kiss in front of everybody! Awww! 

 "Honored guests, please stand and join me in congratulating our newlyweds!" 

The music began and out they went! 

 Cheers! 

A kiss for the videographer! Christy Ethridge on the porch is our wedding director from The Sutherland. Great job, Christy! Enjoyed working with you!

 A photo of the Unity Candle after the ceremony. All the flames are still lit! 

Marc and Jamie! Congratulation on your marriage and a wonderful wedding! I wish you all the best! 

Heather and Zack Tied The Knot at The Cotton Room!

Heather had her eye on Zack from a distance years ago when they were in high school, but he was a senior and she was intimidated by upperclassmen back then. So, she "semi-stalked" him until one day in the parking lot when her car wouldn't start. He happened to walk by on the way to his car which was conveniently parked next to hers and she asked him if he would help her with her car. He did not of course tell Heather that he knew practically nothing about cars and lucky for him, it started on first try. At that point he became a bit suspicious that this pretty girl maybe liked him? Soon afterwards they went on their first date on January 13, 2007. It was not long before they became inseparable. Many years later, after both finishing high school, college and grad school, they could finally marry and reap the benefits of all their hard work and dedication to school and careers. They chose their wedding date of June 8, 2014 at the fabulous venue, The Cotton Room in Durham. They are such creative people and loved the opportunity to write their own ceremony with my guidance so we were a great fit and soon after our meeting in December 2013, began crafting their sweet and funny ceremony.

The beautiful wedding day arrived and Marty and I feasted on all the artistic touches for this wedding. It of course was a given since Heather is an art teacher! And then there is Pinterest!

Triangle Catering provided the food, the decor, and their director, Amalie Sarnecki-Ackley, who also did the pretty florals for them.

 Shannon of Maxi B's Bakery in Greensboro made this pretty cake. 

 Love the topper of the bicycle built for two with their names on the front wheel!

 Their story in brief--details to be filled in by the ceremony! 

 Wishing tree....

Guest book!

Ran into the guys at the elevator. They were in fine spirits! On the left is Justin, our best man. On the right are the two fathers, Mark and Jeff. Standing with me is Zack! They are ready for the festivities to begin! 

Isn't this simply gorgeous? Love the fireplace filled with candles and the strings of large hanging bulbs. These all belong to Triangle Catering/The Cotton Room. The chandeliers too. In fact they also have black ones that go with black chair covers.

Michelle Allred, owner of Triangle Catering and The Cotton Room, has thought of everything a couple needs to have a fabulous wedding at The Cotton Room. 

Alex Choi with VoxDJ Company provided the sound for me and music for the reception. 

Udeshi Hargett, a very talented musician, provided the heavenly music for the ceremony. She also wrote up the story of Heather and Zack on her blog!

 Amalie got us all lined up to process in. The bride is hidden away in the hall. 

Our Best Man, Justin, and Maid of Honor, Hannah, and our flower girls, Anna Grace and Rachel are ready to go. 

 Jeff, Father of the Bride, transferred Heather's hand into Zack's hand and we began! 

After the ceremony, drapery is pulled open and the tables and chairs arranged around a dance floor. You can see Thomas Whited with It's Pronounced Films videoing the wedding in the back. 

 The story has begun!

 The story of the proposal.....

 Looks like they are having a good time and really enjoying themselves, as they should be on their wedding day! 

 "Although it sounds corny, Zack, Heather is so ready to be called your wife!"

 They read their vows to each other and exchanged rings. 

 Probably the only real traditional part of their ceremony was the Unity Candle.

 The big moment.....

Our photographer, MaryBeth Clouser, led us through the second floor hallway of the building out around behind onto a platform next to the railroad tracks for photos. Heather and Zack, you had your dream wedding and all your hard work, artistic ability and diligence really paid off. Thanks for letting me be part of your big day! Congratulations!

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