Tiffany and Dylan Get Married at St. Marks Chapel!

Tiffany and Dylan met shortly after he got out of the Marines and she was not in the least bit interested in dating a military man and besides, she was a city girl from New York and he was a country boy from North Carolina although born in Minnesota! So she avoided him as best she could but they were thrown together often because they were both part of the same crowd. She did take note of how he always made sure all the girls in the group were safe and taken care of when they were out and how he always made his mother top priority. Dylan was charmed by Tiffany's stunning beauty and was curious to see if there could be any future for the two of them. They officially started seeing each other at a New Year's Eve party when Tiffany's resistance crumbled and she found out her perception of him had been very wrong. After that heart to heart encounter they soon became a couple. When Dylan proposed, Tiffany said yes and they started planning their wedding for September 1, 2012!

They chose St. Marks Chapel for its quaint historical charm and packed it full of their guests. The capacity is 55 people and they were at maximum capacity.

They added lots of lovely little touches here and there like this flower arrangement on the steps of the chapel. The bride and her friends did all the florals themselves.

There were groupings of bottles and unusual arrangements flanking the sidewalk.

The altar was decorated with ribbons, garlands, a flower wreath, and bird cages.

 Sherry Lattin of Florian Music graced us with beautiful violin music.

I met Dylan's mother, Robin, for the first time before the wedding. She had not been present at our rehearsal the day before.

Then, I was in for a surprise when Joy and Jason and their daughter, Sydney, appeared!

I married them 12 years ago at Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill and two years ago, Jason arranged for me to officiate a 10 year anniversary and renewal of vows ceremony as a surprise for Joy at the Horace Williams House! What a neat couple. Joy is a friend of Tiffany's.

After we shooed all the guests inside the chapel and the guys and I got lined up inside, it was time for Rosanne, mother of the bride, to be escorted in by her son, Russell, followed by the bridesmaids and then Tiffany and her father, John.

Tiffany's dress was one of the most beautiful wedding gowns I have ever seen and it was simply perfect for her. The color was quite unique and a beige-cream-taupe color called "antique."

The bridesmaids are already beginning to weep with joy! 

 

Tiffany and Dylan and I had such fun writing their ceremony to be just what they wanted. Tiffany and Dylan not only paid tribute to their parents but Tiffany included really funny tributes to her three brothers and had the guests in stitches and tears at the same time! 

Then I shared with the guests why Tiffany and Dylan wanted to marry each other and what they were looking forward to in marriage. 

 By that time, Dylan had worked up a sweat! 

We had to clean Dylan up after the kiss which left lipstick not only on his mouth but on his teeth!

They requested a group shot of all the guests so we pushed and shoved and got everyone up front while our photographer, April Sirit, Evoke Photography, went up in the loft to take the picture, along with Marty who got this one.

Then we all filed outside, collected our bubbles and lined up on the walkway to bubble the bride and groom when they came out! Great picture!

Dylan and Tiffany, what can I say? Great wedding! Great couple! My congratulations and best wishes ever!

Wonderful Wedding for Laura and Andrew at River Ridge Golf Club!

This was the first wedding I have done at this venue--River Ridge Golf Club--although it has been around for a few years. I was delighted when Laura and Andrew contacted me about officiating their wedding on September 1, 2012 and I got my first opportunity to do a wedding there. We met last January and almost immediately agreed we were a good fit. Andrew and Laura wanted their wedding ceremony to reflect their beliefs about love and marriage and their personalities. And so we got to work on their ceremony.

September 1st arrived--hot, very hot, but sunny with only 30% chance of afternoon showers so we were safe for the outdoor ceremony. Marty and I arrived at our usual one-hour-ahead-of-ceremony time and set up my sound system. You can see it on the right on the tripod. The golf course is beautiful and so green from all the rain this summer.

This is the pavilion where the reception is being set up by the vendors. The Club catered the beverages. Mike Morse was the DJ for the reception. Whole Foods did the flowers. Stacey Kaufman, Stacey K. Photography, and second shooter Andrew Hayes were covering the ceremony. If it had been raining, the ceremony would have been here or in a tent.

A popular idea for weddings these days is a tree where the guests sign on the "leaves." Laura and Andrew's tree reflected their color scheme of  purple! On the right are little favors with the table numbers attached.

Sugarland provided this gorgeous cake but when they delivered it, it was too hot to put out so it was in a refrigerator for safekeeping!

Matthew Kanon was set up for the ceremony music. Matt and I do so many weddings together and I referred the couple to him for this wedding. They were very pleased!

The clubhouse from the golf course. It is very nice with a golf store, a snack bar, and upstairs there is a larger open area where the girls were getting dressed.

The guests were arriving via bus from Raleigh and were a little late getting there but as soon as they arrived and got seated, we began with the entrance of the groom, best man and one groomsman. It was quite breezy but we were grateful for the movement of hot air nevertheless!

After one groomsman escorted in Laura's grandmother, Laura's brother, Robbie, escorted in the Mother of the Bride, Kellie.

On the right is Elissa Schubert, the Sales and Events Coordinator for River Ridge. She was so knowledgeable and experienced in directing weddings that she did the whole thing! Thanks, Elissa! Great working with you! Our bridesmaids begin their processional.

Here comes our beautiful bride with her proud father, Gary!

And so we begin.....A warm welcome to all, a prayer, remembrance of those who have passed on, and recognition and thanks to their parents. That is Andrew's father on the left. His mother has passed on.  

 

I loved telling Laura and Andrew's story. They were matched up by eHarmony--the best online site of its kind. Of all the couples I have married and counseled, those who met on eHarmony have been off the charts in compatibility. It is impressive. They do such a good job and I highly recommend it.

Laura and Andrew were very cautious and took a long time to get to know each other by email and phone before ever meeting in person. Finally Laura gave up on waiting for Andrew to ask her out, so she asked him. They knew from that first meeting that they were soulmates. They included an excerpt about soulmates from Richard Bach's book, Bridge Across Forever in their ceremony.

 Then the vows of marriage.....

 The rings.....

The moment they legally become husband and wife! 

 This may be my favorite part of the ceremony! 

 Hugs and congratulations all around! 

Andrew and Laura, your love for each other is wonderful to be around! I am so happy you found each other and so thrilled that you chose me to officiate for you. I wish you the best life can offer!