Halloween Wedding for Stacey and Stewart at Angus Barn!

Stacey and Stew met with me last August to plan their wedding for October 31, 2010. They did not specifically choose the date because it was Halloween. The date simply worked the best for them. Stacey told me she did plan to use orange and black as her colors but was not going to play up the Halloween theme. They chose to have their wedding at the wonderful Angus Barn restaurant in front of the huge fireplace near the front entrance.

Right down the hall from the ceremony area is where the dinner reception was to be held. The menu looked wonderful and they even reserved a place for me but I could not stay and enjoy the delicious food there. I did notice that Angus Barn is having a Thanksgiving Day buffet and my family and I may decide to do that this year instead of cooking! A nice discovery.

Cinda of Cinda's Creative Cakes was really busy this weekend. I think about 3 of my weddings had her cakes! She does such a great job. Here we have the black/orange scheme in the cake.

Stacey could not resist throwing in a little Halloween humor. Photos of her and Stew in regular garb and a contrasting photo of them as a Frankenstein bride and the vampire!

Sherry Lattin was on hand to grace us with her beautiful violin music. She is so good. Always a pleasure to work with her and her group, Florian.

When it was 4:00, we were ready to begin. Stew, his two sons, Bret and Bryan, and I took our places in front of the fireplace. Note the bright orange ties! You cannot see it but they also have on matching orange socks! I saw them later.

Stacey's two pretty daughters, Madison and Lindsey, then entered. My, they look like twins in this photo although Madison is 13 and Lindsey 16. Behind them is Michelle Gunton, our photographer.

Stacey had been tucked away up in The Wild Turkey Bar and now makes her descent to the wedding. Michelle is getting ready to take her photo and Sally Oakley, our wedding director, is so happy to get to this wonderful moment for Stacey and Stew. Congratulations on another great wedding, Sally!

As I had suggested, Stew met her at the bottom of the steps and escorted her in. What a great looking couple! Gregg Kennedy of Brides and Bouquets did the lovely floral arrangements and bouquets.

Flanked by their children, we begin the ceremony. Stacey had written a wonderful analogy of marriage and the change of seasons for the ceremony.

 

 

 

They included the Family Unity Sand Ceremony. Stacey and Stew poured in part of their sand and then I poured in one container of sand that represented all their children, then Stacey and Stew poured in the rest of their sand.

Prelude to the kiss right after the pronouncement.

Finally married. They are so happy to be with each other.

I wanted to show you that Stacey wore a black rubber spider ring on her right hand during the ceremony!

Stacey and Stewart, I am so happy that you found each other to share your lives and your love! You deserve each other and a lifetime of happiness together. I wish you all the best!

Candlelight Wedding at Page Walker for Jessica and Shaun!

When Marty and I arrived for Jess and Shaun's wedding at the Page Walker Art Gallery, several people asked me if I knew that my photo was in the elevator. And so Marty took a picture of it. I am with another couple who married here a year or so ago.

Julius Carrasco was already set up when we arrived. I had recommended the couple hire him. They went to hear him play and decided that he would be perfect for their wedding. Marty and I were coming from the 5:00 wedding at The Cotton Room which was delayed 20 minutes starting due to a late shuttle bus from a hotel. We quickly plugged my microphone into Julius' new Fender Passport 500 system and did a sound check and were ready to begin in plenty of time. It was 6:30 and growing darker and darker and more and more chilly. I was glad I brought my velvet shawl to wear.

This is the site before the guests were asked to be seated.

Right at 6:55 we began the processional. It was pretty dark by then. First the grandmothers and Shaun's parents entered. Then Rhonda, Jessica's mother, processed in carrying Logan, the couple's two month old baby.

Next our lovely bride was escorted in by her father, Martin. You can see the lighted fountain in the background. There were luminaries lining the aisle and the altar area. We knew that it would be pretty dark by 7:00 so they really brought in the lights. I had a book light with me so I could see my pages.

 

Not many of my photos of the ceremony turned out. It was simply too dark for my little camera. We incorporated a baby blessing of Logan during the ceremony and he was transferred into Shaun's mother's arms for the remainder of the ceremony. We also had a family unity sand ceremony combining the sand of Jess, Shaun and little Logan.

Congratulations, Jess and Shaun! We did it and I hope your wedding day met all your expectations. I am so happy for you and adorable little Logan! He peacefully slept through it all.

The Cotton Room Hosts the Fabulous Wedding of Megan and Ben!

Megan and I started emailing last January about her wedding on October 30, 2010. She originally planned to have the ceremony in a church or chapel but the times did not work out so she decided to have the ceremony at The Cotton Room in Durham where the reception was going to be. When that decision was made she mailed the contract to me and the wedding and rehearsal were reserved on my calendar. Megan and Ben live in Atlanta and so I did not meet them in person until February when they were in town visiting her parents in Cary and checking out other vendors.

This is the historic Golden Belt textile manufacturing plant in which The Cotton Room is located. The old building has recently been renovated and The Cotton Room is owned by Michelle Aldred with Triangle Catering (located downstairs in the building). Michelle, who has been in the catering business for many years, jumped at the chance to have her own venue. She has created a wonderful space for weddings and other events. It is truly stunning! The Cotton Room opened a year ago this month. This was my first time to do a wedding here and I was so thrilled to have this opportunity.

The center portion of the huge space is cordoned off by wispy billowing sheets of sheer curtains to create the space for the ceremony. They were hanging the beautiful chandeliers for this event when we were there for the rehearsal.

 Tre Bella was the florist for this wedding and this is the altar area where the wedding party and I will stand during the ceremony.

Behind the curtains on both sides were the long tables ready to be moved into the center space after the ceremony for the reception. Megan and Ben chose black, white with apple green for their color scheme. It was striking!

Also striking was the fabulous music created by two of my very favorite musicians, Gregory Dixon on keyboard and Philip Jefferson on oboe. Megan and Ben hired them on my glowing recommendation.  I got to hear them play longer than usual at this wedding because the shuttle picking up guests at the hotel was 20 minutes late and so we waited and enjoyed more music. The combination of piano and oboe is simply magical music.

This beautiful wedding cake was provided by Cinda's Creative Cakes. Another masterpiece, Cinda!

Kent Bloms with Joe Bunn DJ Company was our DJ. He furnished the amplification for me and the reader for the ceremony and then provided the reception music. I know they had a great time after Marty and I left!

When the shuttle finally arrived, we started. The grandparents and parents were escorted in, then Ben, his best man, James, and I entered from behind the curtains at the altar area. Then the bridesmaids processed in. Here we are all waiting for the bride and her father to enter as the music changed.

Megan was escorted down the long elegant aisle by her father, David. It was such a grand moment! You can see one of our photographers on the left alongside the musicians. Our photographer was Nicole Faby.

And so we began. Ben and Megan and I together created a warm welcoming ceremony sprinkled with humor and their story of meeting as students at Ohio University. Ben grew up in Ohio. All his family and all his groomsmen traveled to NC for the wedding. His grandparents, mother and stepfather are in the foreground here.

Megan's cousin, Laurin, presented a reading during the ceremony.

 

 

 

 

 

And they are married! What a wonderful wedding, Megan and Ben. I know everyone loved the beautiful ceremony and the great location. The guests were invited to go downstairs to the LabourLove Art Gallery for cocktails while the event hall was transformed into the reception area and dance floor. In the meantime, the couple and wedding party and family took some photos.

All your hard work and planning really paid off, Megan and Ben.What a fabulous wedding. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! I wish you a lifetime of happiness and joy! 

Wow, this is what I missed at the reception...just posted earlier on Facebook by Nicole Faby, the photographer! They are really "getting down" to Shout! What fun!  That is Joe Bunn in the foreground with brown pants! I can barely see Megan's white dress and I recognize Judy, Ben's mother, in the green strapless dress!

Laura and Mark Get Married at Anderson Point Park!

Laura and Mark live in Indiana where Mark is fulfilling some work requirements then they hope to move back to the Raleigh area to live. They both went to NC State and love this area. They chose to have their wedding here because it is where most of their friends live. The date was October 30, 2010. Their parents came in from Burlington, Asheboro, and Charlotte for the wedding. This wedding originally was supposed to happen at the NC State Arboretum  then changed to the Clarion, then ended up being held at Anderson Point Park  (owned by City of Raleigh) in East Raleigh. It really was the perfect setting for Mark and Laura who are laid back and casual type of people. They were going to have the ceremony on the point of land in the park where the Neuse River and Crabtree Creek converge but after experiencing the mosquito population at that site the day of the rehearsal, they thankfully opted to have their ceremony at the amphitheater which is so scenic. 

This is the cottage in the park where the reception will be. It is cozy and cabin-like in furnishing but a really fun place for a wedding reception. The band will be playing from the second level on either side of the fireplace. Marty and I are so grateful to the park groundskeeper for giving us rides to and from the amphitheater from the parking lot and the cottage with our sound equipment. 

This is John, a friend of Laura and Mark, who provided processional music for the wedding. He was supposed to be doubling as the wedding director but could not be with us at the rehearsal due to classes.

 And so, Cedric, on the far right above, got drafted as director. Here we are all lined up to go in. The bridesmaids and the bride are to the left behind the trees so they cannot be seen until the parents and Mark and I get in.

 Here comes our beautiful, beaming bride, Laura, escorted in by her proud father, Arne. That is Ashley Stephenson with Story Photographers getting a good shot of them going down the aisle. David Teeter, our other photographer was not far away. Laura's good friend, Katrina, one of our bridesmaids, played the viola for Laura's entrance.

Mark and Laura are such a vivacious and energetic young couple! They gave me lots of material to work with to write their "story" for the ceremony. I believe here we are all laughing as I tell about a funny 3 hour climb up a mountain in Western NC and what a Romeo Mark was!

 

Laura is saying the vows she had written to Mark as she reads them from my book. They heard their vows to each other for the first time during the ceremony.

 

Mark is saying his vows to Laura and putting the ring on her finger.

They included the sand ceremony and had containers of sand representing their families as well as their own individual sand.

The pronouncement of marriage.............

 

While the guests were shuttled to the cottage for the reception, we took photos down behind the amphitheater. Mark and Laura, what great people you are! It was fun to work with you and I know you two will go far with all your energy and determination! I wish you much happiness and joy!

A Beautiful Home Wedding for Alice and Mark!

Alice and Mark contacted me in September about officiating their wedding at home on October 30, 2010. They are such a wonderful couple who are so blessed to have found each other. I was honored that they asked me to perform their wedding surrounded by close family and a few friends. They hired Carrie Richardson to photograph the wedding. Thanks, Carrie, it was nice to meet you!

Mark and Alice have a lovely home near Crabtree Valley Mall and since the weather was magnificent that day, they put chairs out on the patio for the ceremony. We were honored to have Alice's parents and stepparents and her two daughters, Kathleen and Shelley, present.

 

 

 

 

 After the ceremony, Alice's father, Jim surprised the couple by singing a beautiful song to them. He had such a nice voice. I should have written the name of the song down as I knew it but I have forgotten what it was!

Alice and Mark, you are a wonderful couple and I am so happy for you. I wish you all the best.