Wonderful Wedding for Elizabeth and Daniel!

Wow! I am so behind on blogging! I officiated 5 weddings this past weekend. Memorial Day weekend is always a popular time for couples to marry. Did you know that May and October are the two most popular months of the year for weddings in NC? In addition I had rehearsals for these weddings and squeezed in consultations during the weekend including Monday with couples for their upcoming weddings. I also traded vehicles on Monday--something I had not planned to do. I had almost 200K miles on my car that had served me so well for the past 5 years but it was time to get a car with less miles on it. The perfect car for me was apparently just waiting for me to buy it and so, I did! That then required all the necessary things like getting the insurance transferred, setting up a car loan, and unloading my stuff from the old car to the new one--what a job! In the midst of doing that, my sister from California came to Raleigh unexpectedly to visit our mother who is in a nursing home here so I wanted to get together with her while she was in town. Now it is late Wednesday night and I am just now getting down to blogging! Blogging is very time consuming, especially sorting through all the photos that Marty takes with my camera for this blog.

Elizabeth and Dan's wedding was on Friday May 22nd at the Matthews House in Cary. This is a wonderful setting for a wedding and I have enjoyed going there and seeing all the latest developments on the site. Nina, the proprietor, has just added a full kitchen to the reception hall which makes it even better for weddings and other events there. We had the rehearsal on Thursday and Lauren (their friend serving as wedding director) and I ran everyone in the wedding party and parents through the logistics for the ceremony.

When Marty (my assistant) and I arrived on Friday to get the sound set up Ryan Pflumm of Island Sounds DJs was waiting for us. He plugged my trusty wireless microphone into his system and the sound was perfect! (see photo of Ryan and Nina on this post) The weather was so pleasant and comfortable. The guests started arriving and we were ready to begin the ceremony. The wedding went just as we rehearsed for which I am always grateful. Thank you, Lauren, for doing a great job directing! Note also that Dan had his good friend, Sheena, for his Best Woman in place of a Best Man! We honored their parents and Elizabeth and Daniel read the vows from my book that they had written to each other. They exchanged rings and I concluded the ceremony with the pronouncement followed by the kiss! The newlyweds recessed down the aisle and the guests were directed to go to the front lawn for a huge group photograph by Robin Lin who was up on the balcony. Then they went into the house for refreshments and the wedding party and I reassembled at the ceremony site for the posed photos.

Daniel told me he used to manage a Harris-Teeter store before he returned to graduate school and now works there only part time. He and Elizabeth got their wedding cupcakes and their flowers from Harris-Teeter and they were terrific. Daniel told me he knew all the right people to get this done for them!This was a great way to save on expenses and yet have all the trimmings.

Congratulations, Elizabeth and Dan! I know you are happy to be married to each other and now that the wedding is behind you, Dan can get back to a "normal" life!

A Beautiful Wedding Day for Katie and Joel Despite the Rain!

It was such a pleasure to work with Katie and Joel and officiate their lovely ceremony on Sunday May 17th at the elegant Preston Woodall House in Benson! They are the sweetest couple and really worked hard to make their wedding dreams come true. This was the last wedding of the weekend for me and Marty, my "roadie." We were so sorry that the weather forecast was correct but Katie and Joel took that into consideration and were prepared.

Fortunately at the Preston Woodall House couples have an automatic Plan B in case of adverse weather. We rehearsed on the Friday before and the weather was hot and sunny in the 80s and their wedding day Sunday was in the 60s! The Cora Lily Ballroom was transformed to accommodate the 125 guests with the chairs placed in a large semi-circle in front of the dance floors. Their flowers were beautiful on white pedestals on either side. Lenny Fritts, their DJ for the reception, was there when we arrived and plugged my microphone into his system and the sound was perfect! Thanks, Lenny! (It is so important to me that the guests be able to hear all the words of the ceremony the couple and I worked so hard on to create for them.) Matthew Kanon on guitar and Vhondy Strickland on flute provided the pretty music for the ceremony. Mike Phongsa was the photographer. We worked at the same site last November together! Cinda of Cinda's Creative Cakes provided the beautiful wedding cake. Katie did the cleverest thing for the tables for the guests. She is a school teacher and she had her school kids draw pictures which she put in pretty frames and put one on each table. How creative! Here are some pictures of the tables.

We had to delay the ceremony by 20 minutes. Seems there was a traffic accident on I-95 which held up the arrival of some of their grandparents. Since I did not have another wedding scheduled after this one, I was happy to wait. The grandparents finally arrived and were seated. And then we began. Joel's Aunt Lee was our director. I had trained her how to direct the wedding at our rehearsal and she did a fantastic job!

And so we began with the seating of the mothers and stepparents. Joel and his best man, Andre, and I processed in followed by the bridesmaids ushered in by the groomsmen. Their flower girl, Annie, entered, then a beaming and somewhat tearful Katie was escorted in by her father who transferred her hand into Joel's as I asked "Who supports Katie and Joel as they come to be joined in marriage?" All the parents answered "We do." The guests were seated and I began with a warm welcome to all. We remembered those who were not able to be with us then gave a tribute to the parents and stepparents. Katie and Joel each selected a reading for each other and their readers presented the readings. Words on Love and Marriage followed then Katie and Joel read from my book the special vows they had written to each other. They exchanged rings and I pronounced them married. They kissed and then I presented the newlywed couple to their guests. The music began and the wedding party recessed. The guests were invited to have refreshments and social hour while the wedding party took photos and the ballroom was transformed into the reception area. Everything went very smoothly and Joel and Katie were so thrilled! We took some photos and Marty and I headed back to Raleigh but not without having to detour on back roads as I-40 was a parking lot, probably due to an accident, but we never found out for sure. Congratulations, Katie and Joel! May all your dreams come true!

A Wonderful Wedding for Michelle and Dan!

With the wonder of email, all arrangements for me to officiate a wedding can be made without physically meeting the couple face to face. This was the case with Michelle and Dan who live in New Jersey. I did not meet them until their wedding rehearsal on Friday but I felt that I already knew them from our email correspondence and the process of creating their ceremony. Michelle is a gorgeous young woman and made a stunningly beautiful bride. She could be a model! Not many women can wear the lovely dress she did and look so smashing! Of course Dan is tall and handsome. They make a good looking couple. And, Michelle and Dan are equally as gracious and personable as their good looks. It was delightful to be around them. Their wedding was in Cary at the Page-Walker Arts Center on May 16, 2009. Michelle is from here and her parents live in Cary. So, between Michelle's mother, Paula, and the bride, they put together an awesome team of wedding vendors for this wedding.

Gregory Lewis of Catering by Design prepared and served all the delicious food. Assisting him was Karen Harmych of From This Moment. Karen is a wedding planner I love to work with and it was great to see her again and be updated on the progress of her new wedding venue in Clayton--The Laura Elizabeth. See prior post about this. The photographer was Tracey Franks and it was really good to see her and work with her again. My friend Greg Ramsey of Joe Bunn DJ Company was our DJ for the ceremony and the reception. I really enjoy working with Greg. The sound for the ceremony was perfect! There were about 60 guests present and since there are no acoustics outdoors, my wireless mike was a must for all the guests to hear all the words of the lovely ceremony the couple put together. Trevor Kirkendall was our videographer who had two videographers covering the event. Donna Ford of Sweet Memories Bakery did the elegant wedding cake. So, you see, the wedding vendors made a very good team for this wedding. Our wedding co-directors, Ashley and Maria, were new to doing weddings. They are ECU students majoring in event planning. Neither of them had directed a wedding so they got their first taste today! They were very good and we got started just about on time.

The only vacillating factor was the weather! The forecast was for stormy weather that afternoon and so I was just astounded that it was not pouring rain when Marty and I arrived at 4:30 for the 5:30 wedding. But the dark clouds were circling above. I was anxious to get this wedding ceremony started and done before any rain could fall. Just as the groom and groomsmen and I were entering as part of the processional, a few drops started falling and kept falling. Not a lot, but enough to notice. I saw Greg put a towel over the sound board but I was concerned about the microphone in the stand sitting out in front for the reader. It was getting rained on but really there was nothing we could do about it unless we interrupted the processional. The guests were beginning to look worried. But, then..........the moment the bride and her dad started floating down the aisle, the clouds parted, the sun peeked through, and the rain stopped and we were fine the rest of the ceremony! Whew!

I got a note from Michelle on Monday that said: "Dan and I just wanted to thank you so much for such a beautiful ceremony yesterday. Everyone was raving about how much they enjoyed everything ~ the ceremony being one of the best!!" I love to hear those words and that the guests really enjoyed the ceremony. (The ceremonies my couples and I co-create are far from the traditional boring wedding ceremony!) We included a blessing for their parents and a community blessing from their friends to the couple. Michelle's sister, Julie, read the Irish Blessing. The couple made their vows and exchanged rings. Then the pronouncement and the KISS followed. Everyone, including me, always loves to see the couple kiss! (At the rehearsal I usually give them a homework assignment to practice, practice, practice!) I introduced Michelle and Daniel, now husband and wife, to their guests and as they applauded, Daniel and Michelle scampered down the aisle followed by their wedding party and parents to take photos while the guests enjoyed refreshments on the patio. It still was not raining! But the tablecloths were whipping around in the blustery wind.

I stopped to get a photo or two with the couple on my way out. Funny....they told me that they watched The Biggest Loser show and thought they saw me in a photo with a couple and wanted to know if it was me. Of course, I said yes it was! I was the officiant for contestants Heba and Ed's wedding and they used the wedding photos for the show. Yep, my smiling face as I pronounced them husband and wife has been on national television! Another couple I married asked me the same thing. What notoriety! (See prior post on this.) Anyway, congratulations to you, Michelle and Dan! Have a great honeymoon and when you are back in NC, give me a call!

Lois and Michael are wed in their home surrounded by family and friends!

Lois and Michael recently relocated to Raleigh and wanted to get married here. They contacted me and we met to discuss what they wanted for their ceremony. I learned that Michael had been in a terrible automobile accident last year and was lucky to be alive. All the more reason to get married! They looked around for a good place to have their wedding and finally decided it would be best to have the wedding on their deck at their lovely home in N. Raleigh. I wrote a proposed ceremony for them to which they made the changes they wanted. We included recognition and special words for each guest. Lois and I kept altering the ceremony as their friends and family members attending were increasing! Some came from as far as Canada for this special occasion.

Finally the big day arrived! When Marty and I arrived for their 3:00 wedding on May 16th, the rain clouds were looming. But, since it was not raining, we gathered on the deck overlooking their pretty back yard. Lois was escorted onto the deck by her daughter, Kelly, and surrounded by their guests, we began the ceremony. We were almost done when the big fat raindrops began falling in earnest during the exchange of rings! We quickly dashed into their living room and reassembled for the conclusion of the wedding ceremony! Standing in front of their fireplace I pronounced them married and everyone cheered! It was such a happy occasion! Have fun on your honeymoon, Michael and Lois!

Emerald and John have a great wedding at the JC Raulston Arboretum!

Emerald and John came to see me in June of 2008 about officiating their wedding planned for May 16, 2009. They are a great couple and so much in love. Emerald had dreams of just how she wanted her wedding to be and did not get discouraged by little time for planning and a tight budget. Emerald is one of the most industrious and determined brides I have ever worked with! She wanted a garden wedding with all the trimmings surrounded by her family and friends and that is exactly what she created despite being a student at NCSU during the planning time.

At the rehearsal I met Emerald's identical twin sister, Zaire, also Maid of Honor, and her fiance who was one of the groomsmen. I met Amy Rager of Serenity Photos, who was there as well. See her wonderful photos of Emerald and John's wedding on her blog! We went through all the logistics of the processional, ceremony and recessional with the help of Belinda who was acting as the director. She did a great job! The JC Raulston Arboretum is so pretty. The ceremony was in the White Garden with the gazebo and stone wall and terrace. It is a popular place; in fact, I have two weddings there next weekend!

On the wedding day the weather forecast was for rain in the afternoon and I was wondering if we would be spared for our noontime wedding! Marty and I arrived at 11:00 AM and set my sound system and sand ceremony table up inside the gazebo, just in case. Our flutist, Cathy Stewart, decided that would be the best place for her to be as well. The dark clouds were circling around but no rain fell! Amy was with Emerald documenting her getting ready for the wedding while her friend and fellow photographer, Pamela Mullins, was taking photos on site. The wedding guests arrived and got settled in their chairs and Belinda signaled the start of the processional. We all took our positions and awaited the entrance of Emerald. She was beaming and radiant as her brother, Adea, escorted her in. He handed her off to John and we began. It was such a sweet and meaningful ceremony for Emerald and John. We honored their mothers, Patricia and Kathy, and John's father who recently passed on from this earth. They included a sand ceremony with pretty pink and purple sand. They made their vows, exchanged rings and I pronounced them husband and wife. Then we got to see the kiss they had been practicing since our rehearsal! It was a good one! I invited their guests to proceed to the Brownstone Holiday Inn for the reception while the couple stayed on for photos. It was a grand wedding; we escaped the rain; and I wish you all the best, John and Emerald. You did it!!