Susan and Steve's Amazing Wedding at The Cotton Company!

Last December, Susan contacted me about officiating her wedding to Steve on March 10, 2012 at The Cotton Company. We all met and they loved the idea of creating their own ceremony. This was not a first wedding for either of them and all the more reason for making sure the words of the ceremony, especially the vows, were meaningful. They also liked the idea of sharing the story of their relationship, honoring their parents and children who were present, remembering their beloved 4 legged furry children (their dogs) who were on guard duty at home, and the special little touch I add with secret paragraphs crafted with each of them about why they love and want to marry their partner and what they are looking forward to in marriage. They don't hear what each other has told me until the ceremony. It is a sweet moment.

When Marty and I arrived at The Cotton Company, it had been completely transformed since the last wedding I did there in December for Kristin and Tim. They were expecting about 175 guests. The chairs are set up in the center of the room covering the dance floor which was exposed later. It was a nice set up and I did not know the space could accommodate that many guests.

This beautiful cake was provided by Sweet Loralee Pastries. It is bedecked with gorgeous red roses in keeping with their red theme. Amedeo's was catering.

Erica Barfield with Ambiance Wedding & Event Design put together a beautiful altar area with puddling satin tablecovers sprinkled with red rose petals and tall florals dripping with bling!

Marty got a picture of Erica by the cake. She was not only their florist but their wedding director too. She was on the ball and making sure everything went perfectly.

These large flower balls graced the guestbook and gift table. 

That is Steve on the left. His groomsmen were his three brothers, Dave, Ralph and Larry, his son, Josh, and Susan's son, Christopher. Our Junior Groomsman was Collin.

Our bridesmaids all dressed in hot red dresses were hidden away in the storage room before processing out. On the left is Keely, Susan's daughter, with Emily, Tiffany and Charlottte. Nakisha, our Maid of Honor, is not pictured and my guess is that she was still in the bride's dressing room. Our two Flower Girls, Belle and Sophia, are in pink and Madison, our ring bearer (rings are in the basket), is in red.

After we all processed in, Erica guided Madison down the aisle and she made it just fine and managed to stand with the bridesmaids for the whole ceremony!

Susan, looking stunning, was proudly escorted in by her father, Charles, as the guests stood in her honor. She chose to enter to Jonathan Cain's fabulous rendition of The Bridal March. I just love that music! I believe I recommended it to them and they took me up on it. The music for the ceremony was played via iPod by John Chan of the Boomerang Band that played for the reception. Steve has his own band so he must have called in some favors and got this great dance band.

The lighting was dimmed and the track lights above the altar area created a nice glow and plenty of light for me to see the ceremony words.

 

I have "enhanced" these lighter photos so you can see the venue better. The Event Gallery upstairs over the retail shops is quite unique. I have done many weddings here through the years. The area is quite versatile and can be set up and decorated in many ways. When the ceremony was over, the chairs were moved, the dance floor cleared, and large round tables covered with red tablecloths were arranged around the dance floor. Beth Jarvah is the event director for The Cotton Company. She is also a photographer and I have known her previously from weddings she photographed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Susan and Steve now step into the next chapter of their lives together, marriage. They were great to work with on the story, providing me with lots of great material, both serious and humorous, which their guests really enjoyed. Their words about their love and their vows were particularly touching as well. I could tell they know what is important to them and treasure the love they share. 

Steve and Susan, wow, what a great wedding! I am honored that you chose me to officiate. May the rest of your lives together be as spectacular!!

Beautiful Wedding Day for Elane and Chris!

Saturday March 10, 2012 turned out to be a spectacular day for Elane and Chris' wedding and the first wedding of 2012 in my wedding garden. Although not all the leaves are out on the trees, one azalea was blooming, the thundercloud plum tree had put out its purple flowers, and I hung several baskets of flowering plants and some ferns around the arbor for more color. Here are some pictures of the garden before the guests arrived.

 

 

I did not meet Elane and Chris in person until their wedding day but we got to know each other working on their ceremony by email. Elane and I also connected on Facebook where I could see their photos and  put their faces with their names. They are such a vibrant young couple and very much in love and it showed!

Elane contacted me initially on January 7th saying that they were on a very tight budget and planned on eloping but heard about my wedding garden. She wanted to know how to make the arrangements. So, I emailed her a contract which she completed and mailed to me with their check. I was happy that I could offer her an elopement wedding that fit their budget. Elane and Chris are a very conscientious couple who are saving for their future together and were happy to be able to marry in a small private wedding surrounded by their family.

Elane told me she originally planned to borrow a a friend's wedding dress but the cost to alter it to fit her was too much. She then discovered that she could buy a wedding dress on line from China--very sentimentally consistent with her heritage as her mother was born in China. She shared with me the website where she bought her beautiful dress for under $100--a fantastic bargain and less than the cost to alter her friend's wedding dress. She did borrow her friend's veil for her something borrowed, something blue. She was escorted in by her brother-in-law, Dan, as all the guests stood in her honor.

 

 Views from my upper deck overlooking garden.

Elane is a very beautiful bride and so photogenic! Chris could not stop looking at her!

 

 

 The ring blessing....

 

 

 

That kiss went on and on after I rang the bell that hangs inside the arbor!  Chad Williams, their photographer, has already posted some great photos of this wedding and the couple!

Chris and Elane, now married, husband and wife! 

They were delighted that their mothers, Megan and Cindy, could be with them for their wedding day. The mothers were thrilled as well.

Elane and Chris, I know your marriage will be as happy as your wonderful wedding day! I am so happy you found each other. I wish you all the best life can bring your way!

Elane and Chris just posted an amazing review (5 stars!) of my services on Weddingwire.com which I appreciate very much and want to share with my readers:

Reverend Kayelily is the primary reason why our wedding ceremony turned out much more beautiful than we ever hoped for!
Kayelily's efforts truly exemplify the phrase, "going the extra mile." We are not an extravagant couple, so we realized vendors would provide merely what we needed, but no more than necessary. We requested Kayelily's garden. Not only did she respond with swift promptness during every step of the communication, she worked with us to tailor the most personal, intimate ceremony. The ceremony speech Kayelily personalizes for you will move your guests to tears, because it is intimate, personal, and completely truthful. In other words, Kayelily doesn't write up cheesy purple prose: she will work with you to include details of your actual relationship into the ceremony.
Kayelily made the extra effort to make sure her garden bloomed early for our ceremony. She arranged the procession for the bride, thereby transforming our humble, private ceremony into a graceful, organized, and beautiful formal event. We did not expect this, and we were truly moved.
Kayelily, you are the reason why our wedding vows will be etched in our memories as one of the happiest moments of our relationship. We thank you again!
With deep gratitude,
Chris and Elane

Nikki and Jordan Tie the Knot at the Raleigh Sheraton!

Nikki and Jordan came to see me a year ago to plan their ceremony which was to be on March 3, 2012 at the Raleigh Sheraton. They found me on The Knot, a very popular wedding website. They met back in 2009 after Nikki had relocated to Raleigh from Florida on a quest to "make something of her life," not knowing that in a few short weeks she would meet her future husband!  One of her bridesmaids, Jonelle, had done the same thing and so they hung out together with a group of friends. At a party for those with December birthdays, Jordan and Nikki found themselves seated next to each other. They exchanged phone numbers and set the ball rolling and it was not long before they made their relationship "Facebook official" to all the world. They are such a happy and fun couple and I really enjoyed working with them. Their story was full of humor and the guests just loved it, especially the story of the proposal! As part of the ceremony I get them to tell me why they love each other and want to marry. Then as a surprise for them, they hear what they told me for the first time during the ceremony. It is such a wonderful moment of sweetness!

When Marty and I arrived the first thing we did was set up my sound system and do a sound check. Then we found the reception room looking for the cake which had not yet arrived. Martha, the events coordinator with the hotel, was checking on it.

Nikki and Jordan designed a very attractive "tree" for the guests to imprint with their fingerprints for leaves.

The wonderful wedding cake by Stephanie with Piece-A-Cake arrived and had a very cute bride and groom on top!

Molly Olah and Nate Leyland with North Carolina Classical Wedding Music had set up and were warming up for the ceremony. Always a pleasure to work with these two fine musicians! 

Nikki's sister, Veronica, signs the marriage license for me. She was her sister's maid of honor.

We chatted with our lovely bride who was ready to get the ceremony started. Then I left to go find the Best Man, Ben, to get his signature on the license.

 These two cute little boys were handing out the programs and the bubbles.

Martha, with the hotel, is getting the bride's bouquet ready to give her when she appears with her father to walk down the aisle. She is chatting with Valerie, Nikki's aunt, who did a great job as wedding director for the ceremony. Those are the most beautiful color bridesmaids dresses! The pretty bouquets and the lilies flanking the altar area of the ceremony were provided by Ruth Payne of Fleuressence.

And so we begin! Nikki and her father, Andy, float down the aisle toward Jordan and me. Notice all the cell phones out taking pictures??

I believe Nikki told me that there were about 170 guests. The room was packed and some guests sneaked in after the bride. The ceremony was held in the Hanover III room. The Sheraton is quite spacious and I wish I could do more weddings there. The staff is friendly and quite efficient and the location is so handy with a parking garage right across the street. It could not have been more convenient.

 

 

Jordan's Aunt Robyn read "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog" by Taylor Mali dedicated to their beloved dog Sammy who was at home on guard duty!

Nikki's Aunt Tara read an original piece she wrote entitled "The Marriage House."

Then it was time to tell their story followed by the secret paragraphs then the more serious vows.

 

 The ring exchange......

Jordan and Nikki really liked the Covenant of Salt ceremony where they poured together their two separate containers of salt. "This custom harks back to Biblical days when salt was used to bind a contract. According to tradition, this contract can only be broken if each grain of salt in the container can be sorted, identified and then returned to the rightful owner. Therefore, since your salt is now inseparable, you are joined together forever."

 The closing prayer preceded the pronouncement of marriage and then......

 That kiss!!

 Wow, it is done and now it is time to celebrate! 

A brief moment of togetherness before the wedding party catches up with them then they are off to take some pictures. Marty and I packed up the sound system then headed off to find them. 

They were in the mezzanine area overlooking the lobby. It is really quite a picturesque setting and with the skylights, the lighting could not have been better. We see Jenna Lee with Jenna Lee Photography getting her shots.

 

I got in there to get one with the bride and groom, now married! Congratulations, Nikki and Jordan. All your careful planning paid off really well. And now you begin your new journey together as husband and wife. I wish you all the best in the world!