Susan and Joe's Wedding at Duke Gardens Amphitheater!

What a beautiful wedding setting.

The colors of the bridesmaids dresses really stand out from the green surroundings.

Here comes the bride with both fathers!

At the end of March I got a call from Gail Stephenson of Premiere Catering to find out if I was available for Susan and Joe's wedding on Thursday June 18, 2009 at Duke Gardens Amphitheater. I was delighted that I was available and we arranged for Susan and her mother, Kathy, to meet with me before Susan flew back to Arizona where she and Joe live and work. Susan is a nurse and Joe is a firefighter--two very busy people! I really did not think that I would be chosen to officiate this wedding because I could tell that her mother really wanted Susan to use their family minister. So, I was surprised to get the call a few days later from Kathy that Susan and Joe wanted me to be their officiant. In working with Susan and Joe I learned that they did not want a religious ceremony and they knew that with me as their officiant they could have exactly what they wanted for their ceremony. They chose 3 readings and wrote the most touching secret vows to each other they heard for the first time on their wedding day. They were really intrigued by the Wooden Box ceremony and wanted that to be part of their ceremony.

They really had no other specific preferences for the rest of the ceremony so I filled in the sections and sent them a proposed ceremony which included their readings. They did not want a prayer but also knew that most of their guests would be expecting one. So I came up with a "meditation" that fit just right into the ceremony.

The day arrived for the rehearsal which we had at Susan's mother and step dad's home in N. Raleigh rather than troop over to Duke Gardens to rehearse. Gail and Heather Irvin conducted the rehearsal and everyone learned where they were to stand, how to stand, how to get there, how to leave, etc. A rehearsal is so essential for a wedding to flow smoothly without any glitches. Gail always does such a thorough job in conducting a rehearsal. She can definitely put on the "drill sergeant" hat when needed but still be personable. I met Joe and his parents, Sherry and Anthony, for the first time at the rehearsal. I also met Susan's dad, John, her step dad, Dirk, and her step mom, Megan.

Susan and Joe--Married!

I also met the wedding party including the best man, Greg. I was just blown away by his resemblance to Tom Hanks. I could not stop staring at him which apparently embarrassed him because he would blush. People must tell him that he looks like Tom Hanks all the time. It is remarkable. He could be Tom's younger self in a movie. He was such a gentleman!

Here I am with "Tom!"

The bridesmaids wore a beautiful shade of pink called watermelon pink. The men in the wedding wore yellow vests with their tuxes except for Joe who had a white vest. The ladies carried lime green bouquets. The colors were so fresh and bright. When we were waiting in the reception area for the ceremony to begin I noticed that the bridesmaids' dresses exactly matched the tablecloths. How did they manage that??

This was taken before the wedding. Note the color of the tablecloth.

When it was 5 minutes before 6:00 Gail started the seating of the parents. Then Joe, Greg and I entered. The bridesmaids and groomsmen alternated coming in one by one, then the flower girl, then Susan was escorted in by both her dad and her step dad. They were both so proud! They handed her off to Joe and the ceremony began. The ceremony went nicely. The readers did well and Susan and Joe both shed tears when they heard each other's vows for the first time. They definitely needed the hankie I provided! Then we did the Wooden Box ceremony. This is where the couple acquire a wooden box (Joe and Susan found an antique wine box which worked perfectly) into which they put two bottles of wine and a letter each of them has written to the other telling them why they love them so much. The letters are not shared and are sealed and put into the box with the wine to be opened only if their marriage should encounter serious difficulties. The hope is that there will never be a reason to open the box except to celebrate their 50th anniversary!

Their unique wooden box and hammer to nail it shut during the ceremony.

Joe and Susan, enjoy that well aged wine on your 50th Anniversary!!

Vendors:

Premiere Catering: Gail Stephenson and Heather Irvin. Always a pleasure working with them.

This is Gail grinning with me after the wedding. We were so happy everything flowed so smoothly and what a grand wedding it was! I did not stick around for the reception but I know the food was fabulous, as always.

Photography: Martha Manning Photography and her assistant Michaela who is a college intern.

Musicians for ceremony: Florian Strings--I love their music and always enjoy having them provide the ceremony music.

DJ for reception: Lenny Fritts, Touch of Class, my buddy and the BEST DJ! He emailed me after the wedding what a fun group the guests and wedding party were and that they were there until 10:30 that evening.


Florist: Mel Day of Dogwood Tree Floral Designs Such gorgeous florals!

Lonna and Clay's Wedding at the Barn at Valhalla!

Lonna and Clay contacted me last July for their wedding June 13, 2009 at the Barn at Valhalla in Chapel Hill set way back from Hwy 54. I did a really fun wedding there last fall and was excited at the prospect of doing another in that unique venue. The Barn at Valhalla is owned by Duffy Gilligan It is quite pastoral with many acres of rolling hills, a pond, an elaborate decking trail to a huge fire pit. The barn itself is two stories tall. The upstairs is living space that can accommodate 18 people, so often the wedding party spends the day and night before the wedding there. Then there is a big tent that can be filled with tables and chairs for dining. The first floor of the barn is open space for dancing with a wrap around deck. It is a great place out in the country.

Clay and Lonna chose a spot on the property in front of a big pine tree wrapped with lights and hung spherical paper lanterns and topiary balls of flowers. They had two pedestals bedecked with fragrant flowers and those were all the decorations needed for this natural setting. They put out luminaries in the grass to delineate the walkway for the processional.

Clay wrote me last July: "We found you via The Knot, and thought you might be a good fit for our ceremony. Hopefully, our service will be, like us, family oriented with a blend of secular and traditional elements." When we met, I explained that I wanted them to put together exactly what they wanted for their ceremony since they are the ones getting married, not me! They loved the idea and dug right into the ceremony material when I sent it to them. They are really busy people and they live in the Washington DC area--Clay is in law school and Lonna is a publicist.

True to form, they crafted a unique ceremony and made it theirs. First of all, Lonna did not want to do the traditional entrance of the bride by being escorted in and "given away" by her father. She wanted to come in all on her own, and so did Clay. (Usually the groom comes in with the minister.) So they hired Erin McLean for their wedding planner (a smart move for couples not living locally and cannot do all the footwork needed) and came up with a processional where the grandparents and parents entered as usual, then I came in alone, then each groomsman, then Clay. The bridesmaids came in next, then Lonna made her big entrance. They had six attendants each. Keela, sister of the bride, was her maid of honor and she sang two songs during the ceremony. Clay's father, Robert, was his best man and Curtis, Clay's brother, was the first groomsman. They chose a wonderful reading for their ceremony by C. S. Lewis entitled "The Four Loves." Their parents and stepparents received a surprise tribute. The ceremony ended with me presenting them to their guests as "wife and husband" which caught the guests by surprise and generated laughter and much applause--especially from the women! Lonna loved it! As the wedding party and parents exited, I announced that "the deed has been done, so let's have some fun!" The guests took off for the barn as the wedding party started posing for photos while the lighting was perfect.

Clay put together a talented string quartet and flutist to provided the ceremony music. They were great! Nancy Thomas was our photographer and although I have not seen her photos yet, she must have gotten some fantastic shots of the couple and the wedding party out in a field of unmowed grass about thigh-high beyond the parked cars. There is a photo here of them coming back from the field. I will be checking her blog to see her photos of this wedding! The wedding ceremony began at 7:00 PM and the sun was just setting as we ended. Great lighting effects. (I am excited to work with Nancy at another wedding in two weeks.) Erin, their director, was a trooper and got their large wedding party organized and all lined up to go in right on time. She has even posted this wedding on her blog, go check it out! While waiting for the ceremony to begin, I spoke with Chris Kingsley of K9 Entertainment who was the DJ for the reception following the ceremony. The folks with Home on the Range were catering and had their grills smoking and cooking. It smelled delicious! Although I did not stay for the reception I know they ate well and had a great celebration.

Many congratulations on a wedding well done, Clay and Lonna!

A Lovely Wedding in the Woods for Jennifer and Kevin!

Jennifer contacted me way back in the summer of 2008 to officiate her and Kevin's wedding on June 13, 2009 at Kevin's parents' home in N. Raleigh and I did not meet them until their wedding day. Wow, Kevin is really tall! She and Kevin live in Massachusetts and planned their entire wedding from there. Jennifer is a veterinarian and Kevin is in business and plans on going back to school this fall for his MBA. I never found out where they met but I suspect it was here in Raleigh when she was in Vet School at NCSU. She wrote me "I'm one of those women who wants a nice but very simple wedding, no frills and little stress if possible." And so that is exactly what they had! Her Unlce Mac and his wife flew in from Seattle to photograph the wedding.

Kevin's parents live in a beautiful wooded area just south of Falls Lake. I did not know there was even a remote connection with me until I spotted my neighbors, Gary and Diane, who live across the street from me among the guests at the wedding! I just never know who I am going to run into at a wedding! The story unfolded that Kevin and his parents lived in a house 3 doors down from mine until Kevin was 9 years old. They built their house in the woods about 20 years ago. My husband and I bought our house about 7 years after they moved so we never knew them but we know the folks who live there now. It was a real treat to meet my almost neighbors! We know so many people in common.

They put up a large tent in the front yard under the towering hardwood trees and our "carpeting" was lush green moss. Rain was forecast but did not happen. The ceremony took place in front of an arch bedecked with flowers just outside the tent while the guests were seated at tables and chairs inside the tent. The bridesmaids wore the prettiest cornflower blue dresses and Jennifer looked so pretty in her off-white bridal dress which was perfect for the hot day and our wooded setting.

The ceremony began with a warm welcome to their guests then a prayer. Jennifer's father is not living so we remembered him and their grandparents and other relatives the couple wished could have been with them on this day. We paid tribute to Kevin's parents and Jennifer's mother, Susan, who escorted her down the aisle. This was a ceremony where we put in the couple's adventures together and since they had been together for 7 years, there were some great adventures such as living in New Jersey, then New Hampshire then Massachusetts, climbing cliffs in Las Vegas, buying their first house, camping at the Grand Canyon, biking the mountains of NC and snowshoeing the mountains of New Hampshire! They wrote secret vows to each other which they heard for the first time on their wedding day. It was a sweet, simple and fun ceremony and their guests enjoyed it immensely. And when it was all over, they were finally married! How happy they were. You are a very special couple, Jennifer and Kevin, and I wish you great happiness together!

B & B Country Garden Inn hosts wedding of Karen and Adam and their kids!

The B&B Country Garden Inn is a sweet wedding venue with a beautiful lake tucked away on 8 acres of land out in the country in Apex. I had done a wedding there in the past and remembered the seclusion and beauty of the property. The bed and breakfast is owned by Beth and Bud McKinney. The house has a nice big deck on the back and a sunny breakfast room decorated with the most unique birdhouses. There is a lovely deck down by the lake for wedding ceremonies and a beautiful walkway for the bridal party and bride to enter from the house. There is plenty of room for a big tent for a reception if cover is needed. Its landscaping is beautifully manicured. I remembered that when I was there in 2005, there were a pair of swans but this past weekend I noticed only one so I asked Beth about it. She told me a sad story. Apparently a few years ago someone tried to steal the two swans one night and they apparently put up a valiant fight evidenced by all the feathers strewn around. In the morning Beth found Juliet, the female swan, on the bank, dead of a broken neck. Her mate, Romeo, survived the kidnapping attempt but was very forlorn. Swans mate for life and now he has no mate. She talked to the vet about getting another swan for him but was told that Romeo would not take up with another female swan and he would likely fight a male swan. So he swims the lake all alone. Poor Romeo!

I told Karen and Adam about this jewel of a place and they thought it would be perfect for their wedding on Sunday June 7th. Their wedding plans started off small with only a handful of guests and it grew and grew and grew! Even Karen's mother flew in from California. Sunday was a beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze off the lake. The bride and attendants assembled in the house and Adam, his brother Frank and best man, and I proceeded down the aisle where about 60 guests were waiting. Then the bridesmaids, flower girl and ring bearer processed in. Karen was beaming as her father walked her down the aisle. Elizabeth Meyers, Sweet Life Photo, was our photographer. I have worked weddings with Elizabeth many times and it is always a pleasure! I welcomed everyone with special thanks to their parents and Karen's grandmother. Karen has four children and Adam one so we did a family unity sand ceremony to "blend" this family together. As each child came forth to pour their special color of sand, Karen and Adam took turns saying what each child's sand meant--a very nice touch. The couple made their vows to each other and exchanged rings. I pronounced them married and they kissed as their guests applauded then left for the couple's home for the reception while we took some photos. Karen and Adam worked hard to pull off a great wedding!

Congratulations, Adam and Karen, and all your kids!

Krista and Chad's Wedding at the Regal Renaissance Hotel!

Krista and Chad wanted their wedding to be uniquely theirs with their "stamp" on it. And so they did. First of all they picked the Renaissance Hotel, the newest hotel in Raleigh, located at the upscale North Hills complex for their wedding venue. It is a beautiful Marriott hotel with all the amenities and a view of Raleigh. One particular thing about the hotel for which I am so grateful is that you can park underneath and take the elevator up without ever having to get rained on! Very convenient. This was my first wedding here and I hope to do many in the future at this wonderful site. I got to meet Megan Brewer, the events manager, and gave her some of my business cards.

Krista and Chad's wedding was June 6, 2009 at 6:00. I was cutting it close with the wedding at Duke Gardens at 4:00 and that wedding ran late. Krista and Chad were aware of the situation and had told me that it was okay with them if we did not start their wedding until 6:15 if I needed the time. Marty and I arrived by 5:30 in record time and I got my microphone and receiver hooked into the DJ's system. Damien Maas of Joe Bunn DJ Company was our fabulous DJ and quickly got me plugged in and we did a quick sound check. The sound was perfect for the ceremony which took place in one section of the beautiful ballroom. The room was filled to capacity for this wedding. Everyone was looking forward to seeing Krista and Chad get married.

When Chad and Krista and I met last March, Chad asked me if I had ever done a wedding in which the best man was deceased. I had not and wondered where this was leading. Well, they had an unusual request and that was for Chad's father who had passed on some time ago to be the best man and represented by putting a portrait of him on an easel in the place the best man would traditionally stand. I told him I had never done this before but I certainly was willing to do this for them, no problem. So, that was the plan.

Krista and Chad put together a wonderful wedding ceremony and in it we remembered those who had passed on and those would could not be with us due to health issues. Seems that Scooter, Chad's cat, was so near and dear to Chad's heart that he rated being mentioned in this section and I was happy to have that in the ceremony. It was a humorous reference too and I am all for humor in a ceremony. One day before the wedding though, Chad emailed me that Scooter had died. His cancer had recurred and he just couldn't keep going. So, we needed to change the wording in that reference in the ceremony--again, no problem with that. I also suggested that they add Scooter's photo to the easel with the best man which they had already decided to do. So, you see here in the photo that both Chad's father and his beloved Scooter were his best "men!"

Another stamp they put on their wedding was the aisle runner. The carpeting in the Renaissance Ballroom is bold and contemporary and Krista's mother, Jenna, thought it was too bold for a wedding so she hand constructed a 75 foot aisle runner out of sheeting fabric with an overlay using a 50 foot commercially sold runner on which she had hand written "Krista & Chad." I was afraid it was going to be a problem with getting it laid out before the entrance of the wedding party but I am happy to report that I was wrong! You can see it in the photos.

Then there were the groomsmen's shoes!! I noticed that they were all wearing black Crocs clogs when we were on our way from the bar where they were sequestered to the ballroom. Afterwards I asked Chad about this. He had on black Crocs too, no socks! He told me he loved his Crocs and had about 13 different pairs in different colors. He wanted to wear them at his wedding and so he got some for all the groomsmen. See photo of his feet as he and Krista were recessing out after the ceremony. I wonder how many guests noticed??

Krista wanted a black and white wedding. She even chose pretty bridesmaid dresses in a black and white print. The beautiful wedding cake by Donna Ford of Sweet Memories matched!

Krista's Matron of Honor was Ryan Mason Hill, someone I have delighted in working with for many years at Caffe Luna as their Events & Catering Manager. This wedding she got to be a participant rather than a director and as she processed in, she carried the portrait of Chad's father, handed it to him to put on the easel. Speaking of directors, Jennifer Barnette Davis, formerly a wedding director for the Carolina Inn but moved to South Carolina, is a good friend of Krista's and was supposed to be her wedding director. About 2 weeks before the wedding, Jennifer found out she could not come to Raleigh that weekend. So, Krista and Chad hired Adams & Events to handle their wedding. Saundra Carmichael, Tracy Adam's associate, was their capable director and we started right at 6:00! Their wedding photographer was Nila Garriga and the flowers were from Ninth Street Florists in Raleigh.

The ceremony was memorable and sweet with humor. A great combination that expressed Chad and Krista to a TEE. Their guests loved it! The parents shed some tears at the tribute to them. When Chad began reading his vows, he was looking at me and not Krista. I signaled him to look at his bride, he said "I want to start this over." Everyone laughed and so he started his vows over looking at the woman he was marrying instead of me!

Krista and Chad, I hope your wedding fulfilled your dreams! I wish you all the best forever!