Lisalynn and Ron's Wedding at All Saints Chapel in downtown Raleigh

Lisalynn and her mother Carol contacted me last fall about officiating Lisalynn and Ron's wedding at All Saints Chapel which was due to open in 2008. This was the first I had heard of this new wedding venue in Raleigh. The chapel was built in 1875 by the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in the Gothic style with clerestory windows in line with the grandeur of European churches but smaller in scale. Between 1899 and 1914, the chapel was moved from its original location on the corner of Hillsborough and McDowell Streets to Morgan Street to make way for a new building. In 2006, the chapel was moved again to its present location on S. East Street near the corner of East and Hargett Streets.

With a penchant for history and a belief that the All Saints Chapel historical renovation would be a perfect site for their downtown wedding, Lisalynn and Ron became involved and watched the chapel return to an historical 1914 look-and-feel with a front room coupled with 150 year old lumber and materials, by perservationist Greg Hatem. Lisalynn and Ron are one of the first couples to be married in the restored chapel. It was my first wedding in All Saints Chapel and it was terrific. It is quite large and will seat 130+ in the sanctuary and has a full basement with space for receptions plus the parking lot where a tent could be put up. Misty Ash, the event manager there, was on top of everything and very organized and helpful. Thanks, Misty! I have another wedding scheduled there in September and look forward to it.

Ron and Lisalynn's wedding day was Sunday, June 15th, also Father's Day. The reception was held at Caffe Luna and they had their guests park near Caffe Luna and hired a trolley to transport their guests the few blocks from Caffe Luna to the chapel for the wedding and back to Caffe Luna for the reception. What a great way to continue the historical theme of the day!

Now to Ron and Lisalynn's lovely wedding! Lisalynn's father escorted her down the aisle and then transferred her hand over to Ron. The couple stepped up onto the altar and the ceremony began. We welcomed all the guests, making them feel like an intimate part of the ceremony. We thanked their parents for all they had contributed to their lives to this moment and paid tribute to Ron's late father and his influence in Ron's life. Lisa's sister, Lauren, presented a reading The Key to Love by Robert M. Millay.

They chose to incorporate the Celtic tradition of hand fasting into their ceremony--such wonderful symbolism as they joined their hands in the configuration of the symbol for infinity in this historical setting. They said their vows then exchanged rings. Next came the lighting of the Unity candle which proved to be a bit of a challenge since it was taller than the couple and Ron had to get up on the step of the higher altar to join their flames to light the candle but it was finally successfully lit! We had the pronouncement, kiss and in closing their guests read in unison The Irish Blessing to the couple and then they were on their way to their new life together!

Laura Byrne, harpist, and Pam Nelson, flautist, provided heavenly music! It was good to work with them again. Bob Taylor was the videographer. Bob and I see each other often at weddings and other gatherings. Melanie Fitzgerald with Cinema One was the still photographer. Misty, thanks to you and your assistant, Jill, for making this wedding flow so smoothly! I look forward to working with you again! That's Misty and me in the photo here. We really enjoyed working together!

A lovely indoor wedding at Brier Creek Country Club

Tracy and James wisely decided on the Thursday before their wedding at Brier Creek Country Club on Sunday June 8th to move it indoors due to the extreme heat forecast for the weekend. Their wedding party and parents, their guests, musicians, photographers and I thank them profusely for their kind decision. It was 103 degrees that day! We all enjoyed the cool air inside!

The change in venue did not alter in any way their wonderful wedding ceremony. James' father, Norman, wrote a terrific poem for the occasion and enjoyed reading it to us all. Tracy's aunt, Lynn, shared words from Pablo Neruda with us. We remembered those who could not be present and honored the parents. We asked for a community blessing from all present and they enthusiastically offered their support of their marriage. Tracy and James chose to include a handfasting ritual for the exchange of their vows in which their clasped hands and crossed arms formed the symbol of infinity "blessing their marriage in the ebb and flow of the universe."

Their wedding cake by Diane Fischer was one of the prettiest I have ever seen. I don't know Diane; she must be a friend of the couple. Their favors were "green" hearts filled with seeds to grow wildflowers when planted. They also had a very nice wedding program filled with information for the guests. James' brother, David, who is a picture editor with The New York Times, took the wedding photographs. Greg and Ray, fabulous violin/viola duet, provided the beautiful music. I love working with those guys!

It is always a pleasure to do weddings at Brier Creek Country Club. Rebecca Lyons and her staff are really on the ball and ready to do whatever needs to be done. Besides, whether the wedding is indoors or outdoors, the setting is gorgeous!
Another plus for this wedding was the fact that Tracy and James were referred to me by their good friends Jackie and Rob whose wedding I officiated 3 years ago at Brier Creek. Jackie was Tracy's matron of honor and Rob got drafted into directing the wedding! It was wonderful to see them again and see them so happy to be with each other!

"We're going to the chapel and we're gonna get married!"

Yanessa and Preston did just that at the lovely Stone Chapel in Wake Forest April 26, 2008. The Stone Chapel is a great place to get married. Ranee Cloud and her staff are so efficient and think of every little detail. I do use my sound system there so I can speak in a normal tone of voice and put feeling into my voice. Preston's mother commented to me that she "felt my spirit" in my voice during the ceremony and loved every word the couple chose for their ceremony. Since my "roadie" Marty was off duty tonight, I enlisted the help of my husband Dave to help set up the sound system and take the photos you see here--except the one of him! I got the sand ceremony ready to go and we were all set.

The guests filled up the chapel and the ceremony began. Yanessa's two brothers escorted her down the aisle since their dad has passed on. It was very touching and the tears started to flow as I handed Yanessa a hankie. (I collect vintage embroidered hankies to give to the brides--and grooms--who shed tears!) After saying their vows, intermingling their sand, and being pronounced husband and wife, they literally skipped down the aisle and right out of the picture Dave took!

After the ceremony we re-assembled for photos by Diana Beraglia Matthews of Creative Moments Photography. Diana and I did a wedding together at The Umstead in March and she promises to send me photos to post here soon. She is creative and took shots of everyone from the balcony of the Stone Chapel.