Kelly and Dan Marry at the Historic Haywood Hall in Raleigh!

Saturday November 1st was a beautiful day for a wedding. Haywood Hall right in the middle of downtown Raleigh was the perfect setting. The grounds are always so lovely and well cared for. It was good to see Cheryl Long, the event coordinator, again. The weather was so pleasant and nothing like it had been the Saturday before. When Marty and I arrived on the scene, we set up my sound system, did a sound check and I spoke with the musicians, Ellie Bentler, violinist, and Douglass Little, cellist, about the ceremony music. Jeff with CateringWorks graciously taped down one of my speaker wires which had to run across a walkway. Thanks, Jeff, you always do such an amazing job catering wedding celebrations. They also made the wedding cake which was in the gazebo. Then I ventured upstairs to check on the bride and groom and get the license signed by the witnesses. The two photographers, Jeff and Ashley, I have worked with before. For this event they were working for Nancy Ruggirello of Simply Creative Photography. Ashley had Dan and Kelly each write a short note to each other while getting ready for the wedding which will be photographed as part of their wedding package. How sweet! Hillary Berkowitz, whom I used to work with at Delightful Inspirations before she changed jobs, was there on Nancy's behalf to make sure everything went smoothly. It was great to see her and work with her again! Briana, a friend of the bride's, was our honorary wedding director and she did a great job! So, when we were ready to begin, I took the groom and the best man and hid them from being able to see Kelly and her bridesmaids exit from the back of the house where they walked around the block and ended up at the front sidewalk in front of the house. When everyone was in place to begin, we had the seating of the mothers, then Dan and his groomsmen and I entered, then the bridesmaids and finally the radiant bride! She was so beautiful and her wedding dress was absolutely gorgeous! We got through the ceremony much to Kelly's delight. She was afraid she would not be able to speak her vows. She was nervous, I'll give her that, but she chose to be a giggly type of nervous rather than a weeping type, if you know what I mean! She did fine and the wedding was a wonderful time for both of them . Congratulations, Kelly and Dan!

Halloween Wedding at Second Empire!

Sonia and Jonathan wanted to get married on Halloween! I met with them and her mother, Anne, on May 26th when the wedding site was not yet determined. Several places were under consideration but they decided that Second Empire would work very well. Second Empire is an upscale restaurant located in an historic mansion on Hillsborough Street in downtown Raleigh. I have done many weddings there and they are all elegant events! Sonia and Jonathan put their own touches on the ceremony that they felt reflected their beliefs. They wanted to include the Celtic handfasting ceremony and Sonia made a beautiful handfasting cord for the occasion. It was made of dark red cording with silver charms and beads interspersed.

On October 31, 2008, we all gathered in the parlor and Sonia's father, Rene escorted her in and transferred her hand into Jonathan's hand and the ceremony began with a warm welcome to all. We paid tribute to their parents and remembered loved ones who could not be with us. I presented a wonderful passage they chose from The Velveteen Rabbit. They exchanged their vows while their hands were bound with the beautiful handfasting cord. Then they exchanged rings and I pronounced them married. They celebrated with a kiss and I presented them to their guests. We adjourned to the front of the house for photos. Amanda Byrne was the photographer with whom I have worked several times and it was good to see her again! Sonia and Jonathan's wedding cake was really unique and they commemorated their Halloween wedding by having Batman and Batwoman grace the top of their wedding cake! Never seen that before! I am sure they had a fun reception after I dashed off to do a couple of rehearsals for weddings on Saturday. Congratulations, Sonia and Jonathan!

Shady Wagon Farm Wedding for Shana and Barry!

Shady Wagon Farm is a delightfully secluded 22 acre estate in New Hill, NC. I have done many weddings there through the years since it first opened and this year the owner, Cindy Carroll, has added a nice gazebo on the pond. I saw it for the first time on Thursday at Shana and Barry's rehearsal. Mr. Puddy, the local Persian "greeter" cat, was there to welcome everyone and schmooze a little. He loves being petted! He told me that he owns the place but not to tell the humans that think they own it! He made his piano playing debut at Shana and Barry's wedding but wait, that comes later! When Marty and I arrived on Friday October 24th to set up for the wedding, the sky was threatening and rain was in the forecast. We set up my sound system and did a sound check. All was well. Then later, when Ross Merle, one of my favorite DJs, arrived, he said that the rain was imminent (he had been following the Doppler) and we needed to move the ceremony to Plan B, the barn. So, after Ross and I spoke to the bride who agreed to move it, Marty and I took down my sound system. But, then they decided to wait it out till the last minute to decide where to have the wedding. That makes it tough because it takes more than a few minutes to set up my sound system. It was decided that Ross' wife, Alice, the keyboardist (see their photo together below) who was providing music for the ceremony would be up on the porch of the house, a good distance from the guests, but at least she had shelter if it started raining and with the volume turned way up, the music could be heard just fine. Without the sound system, we planned for the wedding party to assemble in front of the entrance to the gazebo so at least some of the guests could hear the ceremony. Well, we waited until about 15 minutes before the ceremony was to start, and I decided to risk setting up the sound system. I have lost one sound system due to an unexpected downpour in 2003 and that experience makes me think twice about risking my sound system to rain. I have learned to cover them with plastic garbage bags too in case it begins raining during the ceremony. It is so important to me and to the couple who have worked so hard creating the perfect ceremony for them to have the guests hear the words! Most guests have come a long way, usually spent a good amount of money on gifts for the couple, clothing for the wedding, etc. so they deserve to hear the ceremony. Ross helped Marty and me quickly get my system up and running with a mike for the readers. And, thank goodness--the rain held off!

So, Shana and Barry got the wedding they wanted in the gazebo, and all their guests enjoyed the ceremony. Barry's nieces, A'moni and Jasmine, read a poem alternately during the ceremony and those little girls were no strangers to microphones and did a great job! Then Barry's sister, Monica, presented a few words she had written for the couple. It was obvious that she is a poet and activist herself and proficient in public speaking. While Monica was speaking I noticed Mr. Puddy strolling down the aisle and getting strokes from the guests but when they started to applaud, he high-tailed it up to the porch. Then it was time in the ceremony for Shana and Barry to exchange their vows. Shana went first and repeated the lines after me. Then, unbeknownst to those of us in the gazebo, a strange discordant tinkling of piano keys was heard by the guests. Yep, Mr. Puddy had jumped up onto the keyboard but he did not stay but a moment as Alice swept him off and he was not seen again. Marty and I looked for him again after the wedding to take a photo of him, but he eluded us! Next time! Back to the ceremony: After the vows and ring exchange, and the pronouncement of marriage, Shana and Barry jumped the broom and then I introduced them to their guests amid great applause and cheers! Alice began the recessional music as the wedding party departed to the farmhouse for photos and the guests proceeded to the barn for the reception. After photos, Marty and I went over to the barn to see the wedding cake by Baking Dreams also owned by Cindy Carroll, and taste a few hors d'ouerves by Thrills from the Grill who were catering the reception. Leah Bowman provided the photographic coverage of the wedding and reception. It was a great wedding with many memorable moments! Congratulations to you, Shana and Barry!

Wedding at Duke Gardens Fish Pool for Nancy and Frank!

This was the first wedding of 5 for me today. The weather was chilly and it rained the night before. The forecast was iffy for rain this morning too. Nancy and Frank live and work in Florida and they contacted me to officiate their wedding at Duke Gardens. We made all the arrangements by email and created a ceremony to fit their beliefs and love for each other and also included Nancy's son, Nicholas, and Frank's son, Brian. I met them for the first time at their rehearsal in the pouring rain Friday night. They made contingency plans with the G-Loft in case of rain but miraculously, the rain cleared overnight and it was bright and clear Saturday morning for the wedding at these beautiful gardens. A trio of flute, violin and cello assembled by Musica provided sweet music. Diana Matthews was the photographer and it was good to work with her again! When all their guests were seated, Nancy's father, Tom, escorted her down the majestic steps from the pergola to the fish pool where Frank, Brian, Nicholas, Lisa (Nancy's sister), Nikki (Nancy's niece) and I were waiting. I began with a warm welcome to the guests and a tribute to Nancy's parents. We remembered Frank's parents who are not living but were with us in spirit. The couple gave beautiful pocket watches to their sons as "timeless" reminders of this special day. After the vows and ring exchange, they poured their sand together symbolic of this family blending together. The guests and the couple really enjoyed the ceremony. Have a great marriage and family life together, Nancy and Frank!

Julianna and Bobby Make their Vows in Kayelily's Wedding Garden!

I have known Julianna's grandmother, Rita, since at least 1993. (See photo of the two of us below.) When Julianna told her that she and Bobby planned to marry, Rita sent them to see me. They wanted a large formal wedding in 2009 but had not found the site and therefore could not set the date. Julianna recently graduated from West Point and she and Bobby both serve in the military, so it was quite a challenge for them to travel to the Raleigh area and look at wedding venues. They kept me posted on the places they looked at but I could tell they were becoming rather frustrated doing this long distance. So, I suggested that they consider what other couples in the military have done and that is to have a small private wedding now and then plan a large celebration later on next year. I invited them to use my wedding garden as their venue. They liked this idea and chose 10/18/08 for their wedding date. They had about 20 guests, some who flew in from great distances to be with them, especially Julianna's father. Her mother and Rita planned the decorations and a champagne toast to follow the ceremony.

The wedding guests and wedding party converged here, got all set up, and Julianna changed into her lovely bridal gown. When she was ready, Bobby and I took our places in front of the arbor and Julianna was escorted in by her father. She was a beautiful bride--and so tall--over 6 feet! (Again, I felt like a midget!) We had written a sweet ceremony in which the couple's parents were recognized and thanked for their love and support. They said their vows to each other and exchanged rings. Then I pronounced them married and they kissed as their family and friends cheered! The champagne toast followed as everyone crowded in on my deck. After getting the license signed and taking some pictures with the happy couple, Marty and I left them to continue celebrating whle she and I went to the third wedding of the day.

Julianna and Bobby, congratulations; I wish you all the best and I will see you next year at your BIG wedding!