Lorena and Doug's Special Wedding in Raleigh!

Doug and Lorena planned for their Friday morning wedding to take place in my wedding garden on October 16th but the weather turned chilly and the temperature was in the 40s. Brrr! So, Brenda Jean, the friend of Doug's mother who was hosting their intimate reception, graciously allowed us to have the ceremony in her living room near downtown Raleigh off Wade Ave.

Here we are in front of the fireplace with about 20 close family and friends joining us. On the far right of the photo are Lorena's parents, Ernesto and Alicia, who came all the way from Lima, Peru for the occasion. Standing next to them in blue is Doug's mother, Mary Jane, who was an integral part of making this wedding happen. I gave my camera to one of the guests and asked her to take some photos during the ceremony for me. She did a great job!

The ceremony was quite brief, at the couple's request. There was only exchange of vows and no rings. They plan to have a large wedding celebration exactly one year from the date of their marriage on October 16, 2010 at Rosedown Plantation  in Smithfield. They have already booked that date on my calendar for me to conduct the ceremony which will be more typical of formal wedding ceremonies.

Yes, finally married and so happy for this day!

Lorena teaches school and Doug, at the moment, is not working because of an unfortunate racing accident in which he injured his right arm and is in the middle of staged surgical procedures to restore the function of his arm. His injury was just about forgotten in all the wedding rejoicing today, though!

Keith signs the marriage license as Doug's witness.

Chantell signs the license as Lorena's witness. All legal now!

After the ceremony everyone was invited to go out onto the deck for drinks then back inside for the wonderful buffet that had been prepared by Barbara Boney Catering.

There was quite a spread and I stayed to taste it all: marinated green and white asparagas and baby carrots, a wonderful concoction of eggs and cheese, cheese grits, crabcakes, roast beef sliders, and fresh fruit salad. It was delicious.

Then we had cake! Lorena made her own wedding cake. It was not only beautiful but delicious too. There were many layers and different fillings. The yellow car on top was reminiscent of a yellow racing car Doug once had.

Lorena and Doug, I know you are both so happy to finally be married. I look forward to working with you in the coming year for your big wedding celebration on October 16, 2010!

Tracie and Fred's Wedding at The Matthews House!

Tracie and Fred planned a small intimate wedding with about a dozen guests at the Matthews House on Thursday October 15th. Originally it was supposed to be outside but the unseasonable rain and chilly weather dictated otherwise. So, we had the ceremony in the dining room area which was quite spacious and yet cozy for their special ceremony.

Tracie and Fred both felt strongly about including his children from a previous marriage in the wedding ceremony. Tracie told me how much she loved Fred's kids. And, I could tell they loved her too. During the ceremony Tracie read a sweet letter to them and presented each of them with a gift. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house! Then later we included a family unity sand pouring ceremony. This is the sand ceremony set up before the wedding began. There is a paper funnel on the table because the opening in the central container is on the small side and easier to pour into with a funnel.

Here are Andrew, Brittany, and Aviva waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Julie, the maid of honor, shared a reading of First Corinthians, and Bill, brother of the groom and best man, handled the rings.

And now for the sand pouring ceremony. While each person was pouring their sand, Tracie's mother, Sharlene, played the guitar and sang "There is Love."

Tracie and Fred poured some of each of their sand in separately first, then together. Then each child poured in his or her sand. It made a lovely layered combination of colors.

The big moment of the pronouncement is here! And then the kiss!

The newlywed couple!

Smile for the camera! Many thanks to my husband, Dave, for standing in for my roadie, Marty, who had out of town company and could not come with me. He was in charge of the camera.

Fred and Tracie, I know you will have a wonderful marriage and I wish you all the best!

This is a sweet little cake that fit the size of this wedding perfectly. It is made by Blue Moon Cakes.

Our photographers were Michelle Sanderson and Jennifer Vroom of Pure Expressions Photography.

The beautiful bouquets and flower arrangements were by Victorian Seasons in Apex.

Candice and Joe Get Married at Hilton RTP!

Candice and Joe's wedding was at Hilton RTP on the patio in the courtyard on Sunday October 11, 2009. It was a beautiful day for a wedding and the bride and groom decided to see each other before the wedding to take their photos. A wedding photograph by Neil Boyd is hanging inside the entrance to the hotel and Candice and Joe liked it so much they wanted to have the same photo of their wedding party done. So they asked their photographer, Kitty, of MPK Photography. to arrange them in similar poses. This picture was taken by my "roadie" Marty with my point and shoot digital camera. Cool! Kitty already has some photos of this wedding on her blog so check it out. Kitty reminded me that we worked together last year at a wedding at Rose Hill Plantation.

Their ceremony began by the entrance of the two grandmothers then the mothers of the bride and groom, Marie and Suzie. The father of the groom, Andy, was his son's best man and the father of the bride, Ray, escorted in our lovely bride. Then Joe, Andy, the other groomsmen and I entered and took our places. The music changed and the beautiful bridesmaids entered one by one. Enter our ring bearer, Logan, and flower girl, Branson. They actually made it down the aisle which is pretty darn great for a couple of two-year olds!

Here comes the bride and her proud father, Ray. They floated down the aisle to the sweet music of "Ava Maria." Candice's pretty pink bouquet and all the floral arrangements were by The English Garden.

Candice and Joe and I stood framed by a lovely gazebo with hanging lanterns. The color scheme as reflected by the lanterns, the girls' dresses and bouquets, the fantastic programs, and the wedding cake was brown and pink. We began with a welcome and a prayer. Candice's two sisters, Jennifer and Courtney, gave readings. Candice and Joe also had a sand ceremony with pink and white sand poured together in a terrific vase she got at Target that had the sand in layers in the bottom then a candle is suspended within the top of the vase. It was very unique. Sorry that I don't have a photo of it.

Here is the pronouncement of marriage.

Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs.!

And out they go to celebrate their marriage! Candice and Joe, it was a pleasure working with you and I wish you all the happiness in the world!

The guests were invited for cocktails on the large front porch of the hotel. From there they went to the reception in the Dogwood Room where the color scheme of brown and pink was reflected. There is a dance floor and their DJ was just setting up when this photo was taken before the wedding. Patrick Cooke of PC Productions was the DJ. I have worked with him many times.

Music for the ceremony was provided by Patrice Kaluza on keyboard and Dan Cunningham on guitar. A very talented duo from Sea Sound Studios. They brought their sound system so I just plugged my microphone into their system which made it so much easier for me to set up. Thanks, Patrice and Dan, for all your help and for the wonderful music. Patrice and I have known each other from networking luncheons for several years and this was the first time we got to work a wedding together!

This beautiful cake is by Swank's Cake Design. They make fabulous wedding cakes. Notice the theme of brown and pink reflected in the cherry blossom motif.

Melinda and Jeff's Fantastic Wedding at Washington-Duke Inn!

Melinda and Jeff's wedding was really special for me. They wisely chose to take my Marriage Optimization course to be sure they were starting their marriage off on the right foot and would not have any unforeseen problems arise. They were so much fun to work with and I got to know them quite well. They are quite well matched for each other. So, I was really looking forward to marrying them. Together we created a very warm and meaningful wedding ceremony that they both loved and enjoyed hearing on their wedding day.

Diane Tighe at the Washington-Duke Inn helped them make their wedding ceremony very unique by seating the guests in a circle with 6 aisles, 4 of which had a bridesmaid and a groomsmen standing at the inside of the aisle. I could see that the guests were just fascinated as each groomsman entered and took his place followed by each bridesmaid entering and taking her place beside him. The Maid of Honor, Bethany, stood just outside the arbor opposite the best man, Andrew, Jeff's brother. Then Jeff entered by walking completely around the outside of the circle then coming down the center aisle to join me under the arbor.

Melinda, you are a gorgeous bride. Of course you come by it naturally with a beautiful mother and handsome father. Here they proudly escort her in.

They walked her around the outside of the circle then at the entrance to the center aisle, they kissed her and from that point Jeff escorted Melinda down the aisle and under the arbor. Then they turned and faced each other centered in front of me and I began to speak.

Each set of parents had chairs nearest the arbor; Jeff's parents, Tom and Eileen, are on the right and Melinda's parents, Jim and Nancy, are on the left in the photo above.

You can see the bridesmaids and groomsmen in couples at the inside of each of the 4 aisles and the best man and maid of honor just outside the arbor. As I delivered the welcome, I rotated in different directions to greet all the guests. The rain had held off all day and there was a lovely glow in the air as the sun started to go down.

In this photo, the parents have joined us under the arbor, or chuppah, for the Parents' Blessing thanking and honoring them on behalf of the couple and guests. It was an emotional moment.

Jeff's cousin, Winn, read to us the poem by Taylor Mali "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog." Melinda and Jeff chose this reading because it expresses both their love for animals--especially dogs, as well as the humor they embrace in their relationship. It is a sweet and funny poem that everyone enjoys and one of the most popular poems chosen by my couples for their weddings for the past 2 years.

Jeff and Melinda made their vows to each other loud and clear! Then they exchanged rings and after the pronouncement we had the "breaking of the glass" to honor Melinda's Jewish heritage.
Then they finally got to kiss each other! The raindrops started gently falling just as we ended.

Husband and wife, equal partners joined in matrimony, at last!

Melinda and Jeff, you are a terrific couple. I know you will both go far in your careers and have a happy marriage too. It was my pleasure working with you and officiating your beautiful and memorable wedding ceremony. Congratulations, I wish you the best of everything!

The Washington-Duke Inn is one of the most elegant settings for weddings in the Triangle and probably the whole State of North Carolina. This is the ballroom set up for their reception. I always enjoy working with Diane Tighe who is in charge of the weddings there. She is so knowledgeable, so creative, and so pleasant to collaborate with on weddings. Some of the most beautiful and memorable weddings I have done have been done here. Great job, Diane!

The Matthew-Chicurel String Trio provided the lovely music for the ceremony. This is Matt with his back to the camera who put together this group. He plays viola, the other instruments are cello and violin. Standing behind them is Craig Carpenter, our photographer, with Luster Studios. His photographic skills are excellent and his photos show it. I love working with Craig and we do a lot of weddings together. Send me some photos of this one, Craig!

Floral Dimensions did all the flowers. Aren't these centerpieces beautiful?

This wonderful wedding cake was made by a friend of the couple. I believe her name is Carla Young. I don't know if she is in the business of baking wedding cakes or not. Maybe someone will let me know.

Carol's Garden Inn in Durham Hosts the Wedding of Brooke and Chad!

Brooke and Chad chose to have their wedding at a B&B in Durham--Carol's Garden Inn. You can see the side and back of the large house in the background as Brooke's father, Chip, escorts her in for the wedding and assistant photographer Gary Kurtz captures the moment.

The lovely ceremony took place in front of a huge pecan tree which was a perfect spot for their wedding. There was a power outlet nearby for our sound system provided by our best man, David. Thanks so much, David!

(This photo above courtesy of our professional photographer, Jim Colman, with his telephoto lens.) Here Chad is making his vows to Brooke. He shocked both me and Brooke by having them completely memorized and delivering them perfectly and with much enthusiasm!

There they go...in wedded bliss!

Here is the wedding party all lined up for pictures after the wedding. I don't know how much acreage the B&B has but it sure looked like a lot. This was a huge open field bordered by woods.

Brooke and Chad chose to do the unity candle ceremony and I warned them of the perils of keeping candles lit outdoors but they found the perfect candle holders for outdoor weddings on clearance at World Market although I do not see them on their website. You can see that each individual candle is housed inside a glass vase with a hole in the side for ease of lighting yet does not allow enough moving air to get through to extinguish the flame. The center/unity candle is recessed into a goblet-type container which protects it from wind. Their mothers lit the individual candles with a long butane lighter. The couple used the taper candles to transfer their flames from the individual ones and joined them to light the center candle. It worked like a charm!

Lovely classical guitar music was provided by the talented Mark Liberto. His phone number is (919) 363-6586. He told me he would like to do more weddings.

Brooke and Chad, I know you will be very happy together. I wish you all the happiness in the world. (PS. We are all so glad the rain held off this day!)

Jim Colman sent me this photo above of the three of us. Jim and I have done 3 weddings together since I met him at a wedding on 7/24/09. He has been a photographer for many, many years but has only recently become more active in doing weddings. He is really good and has a blog too--go check it out. Thanks for sending me these photos so fast, Jim.

Introducing Carol Barden who owns and operates Carol's Garden Inn with her husband, Steve. This was my first wedding here and I found it to be a delightful wedding venue. The property is spacious and she has so many interesting areas to relax or play. There is a fish pond and patio, a deck under the spreading pecan tree with comfortable seating, a scuppernong arbor or two, a large swing, a pavilion for shelter and receptions and in case of rain, a ceremony plan B. There is plenty of parking and bathrooms conveniently located for guests. I hope to do many more weddings here!

This is the front of the house and the parking is to the left.

View of the house from the back yard area.

This is the set up for the wedding. As you can see there is plenty of space. The pavilion and an auxillary tent are in the background as well as a red barn type of structure that houses restrooms and storage.