Lots of Laughter and Tears as Kyla and Ben Tie the Knot!

Ben and Kyla met in Texas where they fell madly in love. Kyla is from North Carolina so their wedding was here in Raleigh on September 2, 2012 at the All Saints Chapel and their reception was at The Stockroom. They used the Raleigh Trolley to transport their many guests to the ceremony and back to The Stockroom. It was a full house with many Texans present and I found out they sure do love to laugh! Ben and Kyla met with me last October to plan their wedding ceremony. They really loved that they could make their ceremony their own and they certainly did!

The altar at All Saints was decorated by Fresh Affairs and they did a beautiful job. I think this is the prettiest I have ever seen there. The candlelight helps illuminate the dark intricate wood patterns. The lilies are simple yet elegant. A great backdrop for the ceremony that lightens up the area! The photographers for the event were Brett and Jessica.

Diane, in blue, is the events coordinator for this wedding at All Saints. She is so much fun to work with and really on the ball. Here we are busy pinning boutonnieres on the men.

When we are ready to begin, Kathy, a friend of Kyla's family, got the parents and grandparents lined up to walk down the aisle. The first couple are Ben's grandparents.

After the parents entered, the groom and groomsmen and I entered from the side room. Then the bridesmaids entered followed by the two pretty little flower girls stepped down the aisle sprinkling the petals.

We are all waiting for the bride and Ben is already tearing up as you can see! He shed many tears during the entire ceremony, except for when he was laughing!

Kyla chose to walk the aisle alone and had her parents stand and meet her at the end of the aisle. Ben had stepped down from the altar. 

They each hugged Kyla's parents then stepped up onto the altar to join me.

Like most ceremonies, we began with a warm welcome to all the guests, a prayer and remembrance of all who could not be with us. They had placed three memorial candles on the altar as a tribute to their departed loved ones.

Then it was time to honor their parents and stepparents. 

It was definitely a three hankie wedding. The bride had a blue hankie, Ben used the one that came with his tux, and I had another one! I am asking him here if he is going to be okay! He sobbed and said yes. I really appreciate that Ben feels his feelings and can express them.  

 And so we go on......

Here is where I am beginning the story of how Ben and Kyla met and how he stole her heart with his magic tricks and his dancing skills.

Then we came to the part about what they love about each other. Ben is listening to what Kyla told me about him and hearing it for the first time.

Then I begin telling Kyla what Ben told me he loves about her. 

I believe this is where I said: "He loves your smile, your full body laughs and your perfect derriere!" as everyone broke up! Especially his brother Charlie, the best man, who was laughing so hard he was crying too!

And now some serious words about marriage and what it is really all about.

 Saying their vows.....

 Placing the rings....

I brought out the third hankie here to mop Ben's face off and get him ready for the kiss! He was such a great sport!

 The moment that makes it all legal...

 Beginning their new adventure with a kiss! 

 They danced down the aisle!  

Fabulous wedding...I can't remember having so much fun, Kyla and Ben! I'll never forget your wedding and I wish you mountains of love, peace and joy!

Fun, Fun, Fun Wedding for Amanda and Derek at Haywood Hall!

Amanda and Derek are such an enterprising couple. They pulled this wedding off beautifully and did almost everything themselves. The personal touches were incredible and I include many of them in the photos below. Their color scheme of blue and yellow was so bright and happy and that was truly a reflection of their shining personalities. The wedding was September 1, 2012 at Haywood Hall, a historic old home and gardens on New Bern Place downtown Raleigh.

When Marty and I turned the corner onto New Bern Place, this cute sign made out of fence pickets gave us a clue for the cleverness of Amanda and Derek who also totally renovated their own house themselves. They are real DIYers!

As we walked up the front steps, this sign greeted us and took the place of wedding programs!

The chairs were all in place and I set up my sound system and did a sound check.

Ole Time Barbecue was the caterer and had everything set up. 

 The menu looked delicious! 

Tables and chairs were set under the tent and a few outside the tent. The florist was The Blossom Shop and the theme was casual and "down home."

 They thought of putting up a gift table--so often overlooked at weddings!

The place cards with table assignments were hung on a clothesline with clothespins!

Blue Moon Bakery provided these great cupcakes which were displayed in the gazebo in the garden.

The huge magnolia tree was bedecked with hanging paper Japanese lanterns in blue, yellow and white and looked so festive.

The bride and groom's table...

I loved Amanda's swinging retro wedding dress and particularly the yellow shoes. So adorable. And it was simply the one and only perfect dress for her.

They had a rather large wedding party! Love those bridesmaids dresses and their yellow shoes that all matched the bride's! Amanda and Derek decided not to have the parents and grandparents formally seated as part of the processional. They also chose to have the bridesmaids and groomsmen be seated on the front rows during the ceremony.

I don't know what these pretty little trees are but they fit right in and flanked the ceremony "altar." Amanda's mother, Rosanne, told me she had been keeping them on her porch all summer!

Our DJ is Tyler Wooden with A Sound Solution in Durham. He is a friend of the couple and provided the ceremony music.

When we were ready to begin, I shooed the attendants and bride and her father out of the house and and around the block to end up in front of the front walk for the processional. Then Derek and I took our positions by the gate to enter when given the cue.

Dotty, a friend of the couple, was our director. She cued each couple to enter. They chose one musical number for the whole processional including the bride.

Harry and Amanda took a second to catch their breaths, take in the scene and then walk down the aisle!

 And so we began. The ceremony was sweet, touching and fun! 

A special touch the couple added to the ceremony was an excerpt from Bob Dylan's "Wedding Song" which was really quite wonderful!  The guests particularly enjoyed hearing about how they met and what they loved about each other and what they look forward to in marriage. This is where their quick wits and humor were expressed!  

 The BIG moment....

 Followed by......

 And they are off on their new adventure...their marriage!  

Their photographer, Crystal Genes, took the wedding party around the block for photos after the wedding and I caught up with them there after packing up my sound system. Her fabulous photos of this wedding are now on her blog here!

Amanda and Derek, you are a refreshing and out-of-the-box couple! I admire your determination and individuality. I know you are going to have a great marriage! I wish you all the best!