A Re-Post of Erin and Dan's Wedding with Photos!

Erin and Dan got married on March 28, 2010 at her parents' home in Wakefield. It was a gorgeous affair. I wrote up an earlier post on this wedding but had no photos. Now I have some wonderful photos thanks to Anne Wilson the photographer at the event and Mark Jacoby of Jacoby Wedding Photography who does all the photo editing. Many thanks for sending these great pictures. Here is the link to the fantastic video of all the photos. Thanks, Mark!

Erin was escorted into the ceremony in the family room by her father, wow what family resemblance! Arioso Strings was playing beautiful music. Erin was beaming!

Erin and Dan are expecting a wee one in July so we included a special blessing during the ceremony for the unborn baby. Here they have their hands on the baby.

We also included a family unity sand ceremony. Dan has two sweet children from his previous marriage and they were present and participated in the sand ceremony.

Lacey watches while Adam pours in his sand.

 Now it is Lacey's turn. Both children each got a little container with the mixed sand to keep as a memento of the occasion. 

It's done. They are married now! They were so happy!

We all adjourned to the front of the house for a group photo!

Erin and Dan, what a great wedding! I am looking forward to seeing you again a few months after the baby is born for a baby blessing ceremony! In the meantime, I wish you love and happiness!

Julie and Shawn's Wedding Ceremony at Caffe Luna!

Julie and I met in October to plan her wedding to Shawn on Easter Sunday April 4, 2010. I did not meet Shawn until the wedding day. The deal was, he told me, that he was in charge of getting their house built before the wedding and she would handle all the wedding plans. And he did. They moved in the week prior to the wedding. And, she pulled off a beautiful wedding celebration. Originally the wedding was fairly small but it kept growing and growing. Julie grew up in England and her mother, her aunt, her two brothers, her nephew and two cousins made the trip "across the pond" to be with us on this special day for Julie and Shawn.

Shawn, his best man, Bill, and I are waiting for the entrance of the bridal party. I am turning on my wireless mike at the moment Marty snapped this photo in case you are wondering what I have in my pocket! The wedding got started a bit late but the guests did not seem to mind. They sounded like they were having a great time socializing.

When it was time for the bride, Julie entered from the back of the aisle and Shawn started walking toward her. They met in the middle.

Then they walked up the aisle together and stopped in front of me and I asked the guests to be seated. The ceremony began.

The couple have a dog, Cosmo, and they asked me to read the poem "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog" by Taylor Mali and dedicate it to Cosmo. I did and the guests had a few good laughs. Then they had chosen from my collection of readings an especially poignant poem that I found in a book on earth rituals and no author was credited.  I thought you would like to see it so here it is:

"A marriage is like two trees rising from the sacred earth,
That grow close together, but from different roots,
Different colors of leaf, different textures of bark,
Different flowers in the spring,
Yet the same bees drink their nectar,
The same birds nest in their branches
And sing the spring into their unfolding buds,
The same shower of leaves falls in autumn
The same flood of cold brings winter sleep.
And sometimes, two trees may entwine so closely
That we who watch them see only one tree
With different leaves and wonder at the miracle,
For miracle it is."

 After exchanging their vows and rings, I pronounced them husband and wife and sent them back down the aisle to the cheers of their guests. 

 

The couple and the wedding party exited to the VIP room at Caffe Luna while I directed the guests to proceed to the lovely reception area for refreshments.

The happy couple, married at last! Shawn, it was a pleasure to meet you finally. Julie, your hard work and persistence paid off! I wish you both all the best!

Our Vendors:

Randy Bennett of Joe Bunn DJ Company did a fabulous job with the music and sound for both the ceremony and the reception. He came prepared with a mobile unit for the large ceremony room which worked beautifully. Thanks, Randy.

This lovely wedding cake was prepared by Sweet Memories.

All the floral arrangements were provided by Fresh Affairs. Always stunning!

Nancy and Mark of Simply Creative Photography assisted by Ashley, provided photographic coverage. They are always a pleasure to work with again. They told me they have opened a new venue in Sanford called Steele Street Cafe and can accommodate small weddings and receptions.

Last but not least, once again it was fabulous to do a wedding at Caffe Luna. Their staff always does such a great job and the decor and atmosphere are really special for a wedding celebration. Many thanks to Ryan Hill, Catering Manager, and Parker Kennedy, owner (and my neighbor)! 

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!

Wonderful Wedding at Home in Wake Forest for Sarah and Michael!

Michael and Sarah live in a beautiful home out in the country in Wake Forest. It was so quiet and serene out there with acres of landscape to rest your eyes upon. And so, for the second wedding of the day on April 3, 2010, Marty and I arrived for Sarah and Michael's wedding which took place on the front walk with the guests on the steps and porch and the parents in the chairs. It was a beautiful day for their wedding.

When we had all the guests assembled, Michael and Sarah walked from the driveway to the front walk together. They are such a romantic couple. Sarah is from England and her mother came all the way to be with her on her wedding day.

I am making the pronouncement of marriage here.

 The whole gang cheered them on and tossed birdseed on them. Michael's parents, Ken and Marty, are in the chairs on the left and Sarah's mother, Monica, on the right. After the ceremony everyone retired to the back yard where a tent was set up with a barbecue and all the wonderful trimmings! 

 

On to wedding bliss, Michael and Sarah! Congratulations to you both!

Melissa and Corey Wed at Maggiano's!

Melissa and Corey came to see me and my wedding garden on February 6th and decided they wanted to get married there on April 3, 2010. Later, they decided to change the venue to Maggiano's in Southpoint Mall in Durham because they had more guests than my wedding garden could accommodate. So, on the morning of April 3rd, Marty I arrived at Maggiano's for the wedding.

 

Melissa looks gorgeous and her handsome escort is her son, Jackson.

I am embarrassed that I did not recognize Corey--at first. Must be because he looked so handsome all dressed up to get married. See the grin starting on his face? He was so happy to be marrying Melissa!

 I believe he is trying to get the ring on Melissa's finger here as Jackson is looking on. You can see the bottles of sand behind me. After the vows and rings, Melissa, Corey and Jackson poured their sand together as a symbol of family unity. They also presented Jackson with a special ring to commemorate the occasion.

"Jumping the broom is an ancient wedding ritual honoring and showing respect for your ancestors, their legacy, and your rich heritage from the African-American tradition.  This tradition is threefold: it is a leap of faith in each other that you take together; it is the overcoming of obstacles that you will face together throughout their lives; it is the cleansing of the spirit, both as individuals and as a united couple. Melissa and Corey will now signify their entrance into a new life and their creation of a new family by symbolically “sweeping away” their former single lives, former problems and concerns, and stepping over the broom to enter upon a new adventure as husband and wife."  

Married at last. Since I did not see Corey before the ceremony, I did not get a chance to pin his boutonniere on but  I  got it on him before the posed photos.

What a handsome family Melissa, Corey and Jackson make! They are also loving and incredibly thoughtful individuals. It was my honor to officiate for them. I wish you all the happiness in the world!!

Many thanks to Emily Slaughterbeck of Maggiano's Little Italy for all her help in putting this wedding together. Maggiano's is a great place for weddings--small up to almost 100 people in their private rooms which can be sectioned off. I also thank Kelly of Kelly Martin Photography for her talent in photographing the wedding and not minding Marty taking photos with my camera for this blog. The wedding cake was spectacular and was baked by a friend of theirs, Yelena Volchansky, who is just starting up her wedding cake business.