Megan and Jason's Fabulous Wedding!

Megan contacted me last fall about officiating her wedding to Jason in May. She was not sure about the exact date at the time because she had not decided on the place for the ceremony. Megan is the Catering Manager at the Renaissance Hotel which involves scheduling and carrying out all weddings at this wonderful relatively new wedding venue in Raleigh. So, being in the wedding business herself, she knows what it takes to put on a fabulous wedding and pulled together all her favorite vendors.  Jason and Megan decided to have their ceremony at Fairmont United Methodist Church and of course their reception at the Renaissance Raleigh Hotel at North Hills. Fairmont is a lovely older church with a very traditional sanctuary on Clark Avenue near Cameron Village. I have done several weddings there in the past. This is one of the few churches in the area that will rent out their sanctuary space and allow guest clergy to officiate. The wedding was on May 8, 2010 at 5:00 PM.

When Marty (my assistant AKA my "roadie") and I arrived for the wedding, Jason and his groomsmen were in the parlor playing cards. Mike, Jason's brother was winning. The first thing they wanted me to do was pin on their boutonnieres as they had tried and could not figure out how to do it. I am most happy to do this. It is amazing what a bunch of guys can do to their flowers when they try to pin them on! I then put on the microphone supplied by the church and did a sound check. We were ready to go early. 

These are our musicians warming up before the wedding. The pretty blond violinist is Megan's long time friend, Elizabeth Young-Levine, who came all the way from New York to play in the wedding. She called on some local musician friends, Angela Story Watson, and Jacob Daniel Wenger. Yes, Angela did put on shoes for the wedding!

The musicians started playing prelude music at 4:30 and the guests started pouring in. The groomsmen went out front to usher them in. Then at about 5 minutes before start time, the limo with the bride, her attendants and both mothers arrived.

Jessica Santel, our wonderful and capable wedding director and good friend of the bride and director of sales and marketing at the University Club in Durham, went out to check on them and relay some messages. Marty captured this cute shot and I could not resist posting it! (Jessica, if you want me to take it down let me know.)

What a smashing dress, Megan! That train was going on forever!

Amber, the assistant to Cara, our photographer from F8 Photo Studios, was on hand to document this disembarking of the limo.

Here is our beautiful bride surrounded by her lovely attendants and both mothers.

This is Jason's mom, Laura.

Here's a frontal shot of Jessica!

When we are ready to begin, Jessica cued the musicians and first in were Jason's grandmother, Rosemary, and his Uncle Dave. 

Next in was Laura, mother of the groom, escorted in by Jason's stepfather, Stan, who joined me and the guys in the parlor after escorting Laura in. Jason's best man was his brother, Mike, and both his father, Dave, and his stepfather, Stan, were groomsmen. Nice!

The attendants are making last minute touches to Megan's dress as her mother watches just before they walk down the aisle. Megan's younger sister, Laura, was one of the bridesmaids.

Now it's time for Jackie, Megan's mom, to escort her in. Sadly Megan's father died a few years ago. We had a memorial candle at the altar and words in the ceremony to honor him and his influence in Megan's life. Quite a few eyes teared up at that point, including Megan's and her sister's. 

And, down the aisle they go! Jason was beaming as he saw Megan for the first time that day and all dolled up and in that gorgeous wedding gown. She was truly stunning. And, she had on really high heels so she could be taller next to Jason who is soooo tall! I was lucky to have a step to stand on so I could almost be at eye level with Jason.

Mela, a good friend of Megan's, read "The Art of Marriage" by Arlan W. Peterson during the ceremony. 

My little camera did not have a powerful enough flash to get any close-ups of the ceremony. Megan and Jason wrote secret personal statements to each other that they heard for the first time on their wedding day and they included some touches of humor. Jason made some reference to loving the funny faces Megan could make and she referred to being thankful for his way of quietly disposing of spiders! They did so well. Megan completely memorized her vows to Jason and never once looked over at my book where they were printed facing her. That's Cara in the aisle getting some good shots of the ceremony. Up in the loft, the videographer, Raeford Brown, second cousin of Megan, was recording the ceremony. He is a professional photographer from Jacksonville NC.

The pronouncement, kiss, closing blessing and presentation of the newlyweds were made and out they went, a married couple finally!

After the guests departed for the Renaissance for the reception, the wedding party reconvened in the sanctuary for some photos. I think Megan is about to say something funny. She has that mischievous look in her eyes. Jason is just plain intoxicated with happiness, don't you think? Marty and I then drove over to the reception to get some photos of the cake and say hi to the DJ.

Wow! What a sight! A beautiful reception for Megan and Jason. The colors are so brilliant and of course all coordinated with the black and the pink. 

 The English Garden did the flowers for the ceremony and the centerpieces. There were small votives hanging in the branches of the centerpieces and the hotel staff was busy getting them all lit. 

Here is the fabulous cake by Cinda's Creative Cakes! It is a pretty pink color adorned with orchids.Jason told me that Cinda also baked a very special cake for their rehearsal dinner. Wish I had a picture of it.

And here is Ross Merle of Just Music DJ who was so glad to see me, he grabbed me and gave me a big hug for the camera! We work together often and you have seen him many times before on this blog. He is one of my favorite DJs and Megan's very favorite!

Marty and I did not stay at the reception. Megan emailed me this photo taken by cell phone on the stairway at the Renaissance. It was waiting for me when I got home from the wedding. She wrote: "Thank you for being a part of our special day! See you when we get home from Mexico!"  Megan and Jason are such a great couple. They really really love each other deeply and are such a good match.  I know I will be seeing Megan around a lot at weddings at the Renaissance and other wedding networking functions. I hope Jason can tag along with her from time to time too. Megan and Jason, I wish you all the best in your marriage that is sure to be a wonderful one!

POSTSCRIPT:  Megan now owns a wedding and corporate event planning company: A Southern Soiree. Something she has always dreamed of and so she is now on her own with lots of great experience. Megan, I know you will be a big success! 

The Carolina Inn Hosts Wedding of Melissa and Aaron!

Melissa and Aaron met with me in December to officiate their wedding on April 3, 2010 at the wonderful Carolina Inn in the Bryan Courtyard. They are a determined young couple who know what they want. Aaron is in business for himself. His residential cleaning business is Neuse Natural Cleaning and they use all healthy green products and have the latest cleaning technology. I must say I was impressed with his knowledge and his care and respect for his customers and staff. Melissa moved to the US from China at age 13. She is a very intelligent, detailed oriented young woman who planned her wedding down to every detail.  I was delighted that they chose me as their officiant and we set about creating the perfect ceremony for them.

Preceding the entrance of the bride, these two pretty little girls strode forth in their pretty dresses with hems filled with rose petals. They seemed to have forgotten what they practiced at our rehearsal because they got confused and started going down the side of the guests. Finally with some direction they came down the aisle to the front then circled around to sit with their mommies. I think they were having a really good time together and just got distracted! 

Melissa was escorted down the aisle by her proud father, Michael. Note the chic veil and the stunning wedding dress Melissa is wearing!

The Bryan Courtyard is a wonderful setting for a wedding. The aisle was covered with graduated shades of pink rose petals ending with a pop of bright pink at the end of the aisle. In the tree branches were streamers of beautiful petals just swinging in the breeze. It was a perfect day for the wedding with the sky just slightly overcast making it perfect for photos. The bridesmaids wore soft petal pink and the groomsmen's vests and ties matched. 

Note Aaron's spiffy spats! He was dressed to the nines to match Melissa! I am glad I had a pink prayer stole that fit into the color scheme.

A Chinese wedding tradition of respect is to serve tea to the elders of the family and to honor her Chinese heritage, Melissa wanted to incorporate the tea ceremony into her wedding ceremony. The elders are called up one by one or in couples, are seated, then they are served tea by the couple as they kneel before them. Melissa's sister and maid of honor, Stephanie, poured the tea and Gabe, the best man, put the used teacups away. I got to sit on the side and call each person forth.

After the tea ceremony we resumed our positions and the ceremony continued with a reading by Melissa's cousin, Benjamin. Then during the wedding address I recounted for the guests the couple's story of meeting, falling in love, what they love doing together and how much they are looking forward to being married. The vows and rings followed and we then had the lighting of the unity candle. 

Melissa found some oil candles on line which we used. They really did stay lit in spite of the breeze we had that afternoon. I was impressed!

I made the pronouncement of marriage and then presented the new Mr. and Mrs. to their guests.

So, now they are married and so happy to be. The guests adjourned to the Old Well Gallery for cocktails while the wedding party and their families stayed behind for photos.

We got some good ones too! Melissa and Aaron, with your determination and persistence, I know you will go far in life and I wish you all the best life can offer!

Our Vendors: 

I want to thank Tracy Adams of Adams and Events for her usual fantastic job of helping Melissa and Aaron handle all the details of this wedding, being on hand to direct the rehearsal and wedding, and keeping everything flowing along smoothly. Another successful wedding, Tracy!

Megan Kime was our photographer. Thank you, Megan, for being everywhere at once with your assistant! I know you got some great photos!

Fara Ashiru with SLM TV was our videographer. She had a stationary camera and a portable one so she could get all the angles. She was one busy lady.

Ashley Cakes made the beautiful wedding cake.

Tim Oxendine of Diamond DJ Entertainment provided the ceremony and reception music. Good to work with you two weekends in a row, Tim!

Laura Greene of Greenehouse Designs was the amazing florist. The bouquets, the boutonnieres, the streamers of petals in the trees, and the centerpieces on the tables at the reception that also had streamers were exquisite!

 These were the floral arrangements on the head table. They are just stunning!

Latercha and Michael's Wonderful Wedding at Crabtree Marriott!

Brenda Ragland contacted me last November to see if I could officiate the wedding of her friends, Michael and Latercha, on January 16th at the Crabtree Marriott. She was the wedding planner and taking care of organizing and procuring vendors for their wedding. Brenda is a Wedding Consultant and Floral Designer for A Perfect Setting. We made arrangements for me to meet her and the couple in a restaurant in downtown Raleigh. I usually meet with couples  in my home but they were interviewing ministers at the location of their choice. I was happy to go meet with them. After explaining my services and reading a sample ceremony to them, they signed with me on the spot. They wanted me to write their ceremony and add the story of how they met and fell in love. So, we emailed back and forth and came up with the perfect ceremony for them.

Marty (my "roadie") and I arrived at the Crabtree Marriott at 2:00 for the 3:00 wedding and got my microphone hooked into the sound system. Michael himself is a DJ and so he was intricately involved with getting this all set up for both the ceremony and the reception which were in different rooms. His friend Rasheed Smith was the DJ for the evening. The theme was red roses and they were everywhere. When Marty tried taking some photos, my new camera (which had worked fine for 5 weddings since Christmas) would not take pictures. It was too late for us to come back home and get my old one so Amanda Olson, our photographer, promised to send me photos when she gets them done. I have delayed posting this blog hoping to get the photos but decided to go ahead and put it up and add them later.

The ceremony went beautifully and Latercha was simply stunning in her wedding dress with her pretty "up-do" hair style. Her father escorted her in and proudly presented her to Michael. We paid tribute to their parents and I told their "story." After the vows and rings, they poured their red and white sand together and I made the pronouncement of marriage which was followed by the KISS then the presentation of the couple to their guests amidst much applause. They recessed followed by the wedding party and parents. Many guests came up to me to say how much they enjoyed the ceremony because it was so personal and different from traditional ceremonies.

After sticking around for photos after the ceremony, Marty and I left the happy couple and their guests to celebrate the rest of the afternoon and probably into the evening. Latercha and Michael, you are such a good match for each other and I appreciate your maturity and dedication to each other. I know you will be so happy!

I want to credit their wedding vendors: I want to thank Kelly Bray, Events Manager of the Marriott, for all of her help with this wedding and for bringing me water when I developed a dry tickle in my throat and coughing during the rehearsal!   John Carter of A Perfect Day Images covered the MC and the video for the wedding. Bob Taylor, videographer was handling the video equipment. Sweet Memories provided the beautiful cake bedecked with red roses and Fallon's did the beautiful rose floral arrangements. Brenda, you did a great job assembling a superb team of wedding vendors and organizing a beautiful and smoothly flowing wedding!

Unforgettable Cinderella Wedding for Kristie and Mike at Doubletree!

When Kristie and Mike came to see me last June, Kristie told me that it was her dream to arrive at her wedding in a horse-drawn carriage. She had seen it done at Doubletree Suites and was planning on it for her wedding. Finally the big day arrived--Sunday October 25, 2009. The day was cool and overcast and the trees had begun to change to their beautiful fall colors. Little did I suspect the tremendous visual and emotional impact this wedding would have on me!

The guests have all arrived and our director, Susan Ashley, cued the DJ, Bob Perry, to begin the music for the entrance of the wedding party and parents. Mike and I started off to the terrace followed by groomsman, Fred, and then Mike's parents, Larry and Cindy. Larry would join us as his son's best man after seating Cindy. Next came Samir, a good friend of the bride's who served as a "bridesman" and his son Kabir as our ring bearer. Then Mike's sister, Sandra, entered as the Maid of Honor. Kristie's mother is unfortunately not living but her father was standing proudly by for the arrival of the bride.

And then it was time for the bride's grand entrance. The expansive music began. I turned all the way around and looked behind me and saw the horse and carriage coming from the waterfall area. It was absolutely spectacular with the beautiful green grass, the trees in green and colors, and the reflection in the lake. Just like in the movies! I tapped Mike on the shoulder and whispered for him to turn around and look. What a picture. I was hoping that my husband, Dave, who was standing in as my roadie, was getting some shots of this incredible scene with my camera and thankfully he got some great ones for this blog post.

Coming on around the lake as all the guests watch. What a breathtaking sight it was.

I blew this photo up so you could see more detail. I think I see the bride looking around at us.

This is just before the carriage had to go behind a little footbridge and they disappeared for a few moments. We were holding our breaths that they did not get stuck in the soggy ground because it had rained the night before. Of course the driver had checked it all out beforehand to make sure it would not get stuck.


By this time my heart was in my throat and the tears in my eyes! It was just all so dreamy and surreal! I think every little girl who has read the Cinderella story dreams of this day and Kristie made her dreams come true.
What a handsome horse and the driver was all dressed up in proper attire for the wedding. I don't have photos of Kristie getting out of the carriage but it was not an easy task with her wedding dress and train.

Her sweet father then escorted her down the aisle to transfer her hand into Mike's as the guests were all standing in her honor. I cleared the tears from my throat and my eyes (It has been a long time since I have been moved to tears at a wedding. I guess I was getting a little jaded!) and began the ceremony with a warm welcome to the guests.

See Kristie's beautiful gown--she looks like a princess in a fairy tale! They wanted to have the Celtic handfasting ritual in their wedding so here I am looping it around their joined hands. While bound together they said their vows. I then removed the cord which was symbolically replaced by their rings.

After the exchange of vows and rings, they poured their sand together. Her sand was red and his was green. On the right, you can see our videographer, Mark, getting very good footage of this.

Nice kiss! I could tell they had been practicing!

It's back up the aisle and before getting into the carriage, a group shot with all the guests.

I think everyone was still starstruck with the storybook aspect of this wonderful wedding. Her father's eyes were filled with tears. Now for the task of getting the bride and her dress back up into the carriage and joined by her new husband!

I bade farewell to the newlyweds at this point because I had to get to another wedding at The Umstead. They went back around the lake to the waterfall for photos with their wedding party. Kristie and Mike, kudos to you for making your dream wedding happen. If your marriage reflects the same dreams and determination I know you will have a bright future and great life together.

Off they go! There is a sign on the back of the carriage that says "Just Married!"

Our Vendors who made this all happen:

First of all, let me give a bunch of credit to Amy Acosta of Doubletree Suites who knew exactly how to pull this all together for Kristie and Mike and get the timing just right for the bride's entrance. It took a lot of skill and effort to accomplish this and she has it! Thanks so much, Amy, for making this couple's dream come true. Here is a photo of the reception decor. It was fabulous in red and white. Actually, it looked a lot like Valentine's Day!

Cinda's Creative Cakes made this fabulous cake! It is certainly unique and in keeping with the wedding colors.





I thank Bull City Carriage for providing this wonderful horse and carriage, the driver and the assistant who kept the horse from getting spooked by the setting and the crowd!






Susan Ashley, of It's Your Day to Enjoy, was our wedding coordinator and director. She really paid attention to detail and was very organized. Susan, it was a pleasure working with you.

Our photographer was Michael of Michael's Memories.

Our videographer was Mark Holland of Ron K. Smith Productions. Mark is so much fun to work with. Good to see you again, Mark.

Our DJ was Bob Perry with DJ Professionals & Video. Bob did a great job. He told me that the couple asked him to find the right music for the entrance of the bride. He chose the perfect music from William Shakespeare In Love by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra from the scene where Romeo first sees Juliet. The music was expansive and sweeping--just perfect! Thanks, Bob!