Clare and Carter's Wonderful Wedding at the Rand-Bryan House!!

Clare and Carter are such a fabulous couple! They took my Marriage 101 course and honed their communication and conflict resolution skills. I am confident that their marriage will be a grand success with much happiness and satisfaction! 

Their wedding day was May 5th, 2019 at the Rand-Bryan House in Garner. It was a beautiful day to start out with but right before the wedding a quick storm with a lot of wind blew in but was over in a matter of minutes then the sun came out again.

The tables were all set for delicious BBQ by Long Leaf Swine and were crowded together into a side room while we did the ceremony in the main room.

Our couple with their beloved fur companion, Penny! Our photographer for the wedding was Keith Marwitz. Our wedding planner/director was Becca Taylor with C&D Events. Becca is the best and I love working with her!!

Our wonderful DJ was Ross Merle. Ross and I have worked at weddings together for 20 years and it was good to be together again. He is fabulous and I can always count on fabulous sound for the ceremony! 

I am doing a sound check with Ross here to make sure every guest can hear the wonderful and funny words of Clare and Carter's ceremony! The florals for this wedding were by Pine State Flowers.

I like to find a quiet place to review the ceremony script ahead of time. 

The guests have arrived and are seated in the ceremony space ready to get this couple married! 

One of our younger guests is ready for the ceremony to begin too! 

Carter escorted his parents in and joined me and his groomsmen, John and Brian, already up front. Then our bridesmaid Cameron entered followed by Kaitlyn, our maid of honor, pictured above. 

It is time for Clare and her father, Guy, and her mother, Leslie, to enter down the aisle. 

I invited the guests to stand for the bride and her parents. 

Clare and Carter turned and faced each other, ready to get married, at last! 

I told the guests how important they are to Clare and Carter and thanked them for being there. 

Then I asked their parents to stand for the Parents' Blessing which is a sweet surprise for them. 

I told them how thankful Clare and Carter were for all the love and care they had given them all their lives. Then I asked each set of parents for their blessings for this marriage.

Now the really fun part of the ceremony--telling the guests the story of how Carter and Clare met and fell in love, and their journey to the wedding day.

I included what attracted them to each other in the beginning and here is where the laughter comes in. 

Their paths crossed in Greensboro in a chemistry class. When Carter first met Clare she was wearing red cowboy boots and a cheetah print top. He thought this was a fascinating, yet somewhat strange combination. This outfit coupled with her incredibly cute short haircut was very intriguing. After their first meeting he couldn’t get over how cute she was, and used this as the main descriptor as he kept John (best man) informed about their first few interactions.

Clare thought Carter was HOT. He was exactly her type--thin, dark haired, and dressed like he was always ready for a hike. As she got to know him, she discovered he had a great sense of humor, was a deep thinker and clearly passionate about doing good in the world. She loved that he never seemed flustered and was always ready to have a good time. 

Their first date was an impromptu dinner at a nearby Chipotle after a lab session when Clare declared she was starving hoping Carter would take the hint. Carter was nervous about asking her out on a real date, afraid she was not interested in him. He finally asked her out to a movie but she had to work so they rescheduled for a walk together and it was then that they shared their first kiss.  

After that their relationship became fast and furious. Then it became long distance when Clare returned to school in Winston-Salem and Carter started a job in Raleigh. But the relationship survived and grew even stronger.

Clare is listening to me tell her what Carter told me in confidence about her--what he loves about her, why he wants to marry her and what he is looking forward to in marriage.

Carter's turn to hear what Clare told me about him! 

They exchanged their vows of marriage. 

Time for the exchange of rings. 

Carter places the ring on Clare's finger as he repeats words after me. 

Then Clare said the same to Carter as she placed the ring on his finger. 

Following a closing blessing I placed my hand on theirs and pronounced them married!!

Sealed with a kiss! 

That sweet "after-kiss" moment as reality is sinking in! 

Celebrate! Clare wasted no time in raising her hands to rejoice! The camera caught Carter starting to do the same! 

Kaitlyn handed Clare the bouquet and I announced them to their guests who applauded and cheered! 

And away they go into their new married life!!

Clare and Carter! What a fabulous wedding! I loved every minute of it and I loved getting to know you better. I have no doubt you are basking in wedded bliss and still celebrating your marriage! I wish you the best always.

Brittany and Beau's Fabulous Fun Wedding at Market Hall!

Beau and Brittany chose downtown wedding venue Market Hall  in City Market for their wedding ceremony and reception. It is a fun all-in-one place for a wedding. The wedding day was May 4th, 2019, exactly 6 years from their first date. Kate Rowe with Wedding Day Rescue was their wedding planner/director and I loved working with her! Because of another rehearsal, we did a mini-rehearsal with the couple and Brittany's dad since I could not be at the full rehearsal and Kate handled that. Worked like a charm! 

The wedding day arrived and the weather was so pretty. 

They had thought of a lot of sweet touches for their big day. 

First thing I did was check in with our DJ, Darnell Davis with ME Wedding DJ company. He plugged my mic into his system and we did a sound check. Thanks, Darnell!

The tables were gathered together on one side of the big open room while the chairs were in the other side for the ceremony. After the ceremony, the guests go to the back of there area to the bar for cocktails while the staff reconfigures the room for the reception. Rocky Top was catering. Yummy! Urban Bloom Photography was their professional photographer. (Photos in this blog taken by my hubby/roadie Dave with my Canon Powershot and iPhone.)

Rise Biscuits and Donuts provide the sweets instead of a traditional wedding cake. 

After the sound check, I went upstairs to the bridal suite where the wedding party was hanging out before the ceremony. I greeted everyone and got the best man and maid of honor to sign the marriage license for me.

Most of the guests have arrived and it is time for the wedding party to come downstairs and get lined up to process in.

Now Kate has us all lined up to enter after the parents were escorted in and seated. 

They guys and I await the beautiful bridesmaids.

When we are all in place, the music changed and it was time for the bride to enter. 

Brittany and her father, Jim, hesitated for a moment to allow Kate to fluff the train. 

I invited the guests to stand for our beautiful bride. 

They floated down the aisle to stop in front of me and Beau where Jim transferred Brittany's hand into Beau's and everyone was seated.

A warm welcome to all our guests and family members with thanks for making the journey to be with us. 

A prayer followed the welcome and then a special blessing for their parents. 

The fun part began with the telling of the story of how Beau and Brittany met at Appalachian State back in 2010. They were just friends for 3 years. It was on May 4, 2013 at the end of their senior year that their relationship took a romantic turn. They had spent the day before celebrating Brittany’s birthday and were spending the next day celebrating Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you). 

After graduation Brittany moved to Winston-Salem for work while Beau stayed on for grad school. Their relationship survived the long distance challenge and after grad school, Beau landed a job in Winston-Salem with help from Brittany's connections.

Beau proposed in 2017 after 4.5 years of dating and they set the wedding date for exactly 6 years from their very first date.

I then told the guests that Beau and Brittany had told me in confidence what they love about each other, why they wanted to marry and what they are looking forward to in marriage.

And now for the first time they are hearing what their beloved told me. So sweet and some humor too! 

They each said "I do" to a series of promises to each other then exchanged rings. 

After a closing blessing, I pronounced them husband and wife and invited them to share their first kiss as husband and wife!

Happy to oblige!!

I introduced the newlywed couple to their guests and invited them to join in congratulating them. 

And away they go!! For photographs though--while the guests enjoyed cocktail hour before a very fun celebration of their wedding!

Beau and Brittany! Congratulations on your marriage and your beautiful wedding. I loved working with you and wish you the very best always!!

Elizabeth and Miguel Elope to WRAL Azalea Garden!

Elizabeth and Miguel and their parents wanted a more special wedding than for them to just to go to the courthouse and get married in a standard ceremony by magistrate. Elizabeth found me on line and contacted me right away. By email and texts, we discussed location, date and time, and the ceremony she had in mind. She loves the WRAL Azalea Garden and although their wedding date of March 29th 2019 was a week or two before the azaleas bloomed, it is a beautiful setting for a small family wedding. I sent her a proposed wedding ceremony script based on what she told me she wanted and she and Miguel made their edits and we were all set. The wedding day could not have been more beautiful! 

Both sets of parents and siblings and friends gathered on a grassy spot near the parking lot. It was flanked by many tulips in full bloom. We decided to stand in front of a large flower bed for the ceremony so that the background of their wedding photos would be a natural setting. Elizabeth's father, Mike, walked her "down the aisle" to where Miguel and their mothers, Andrea and Macarena, stood with me.

I asked Mike who loved and supported Elizabeth as she came to join in marriage with Miguel. He answered that her mother and he did.

Elizabeth gave her dad a big hug then turned to join hands with Miguel in front of me. 

I welcomed everyone and thanked them for being there for Elizabeth and Miguel. Then we had a sweet and simple prayer followed by a blessing and honoring of their parents.

Miguel and Elizabeth met almost exactly 5 years ago in March of 2014. The attraction was instant and they found they had the same values and interests. They soon became inseparable.

There were a few words on love and marriage and I wish I could remember what got us laughing here! It must have been one of the children sitting on the blanket watching. They were so cute!

Then it was time for them to make their promises of marriage to each other. 

They both answered "I always will" to my questions and it was time for the rings. 

Miguel placed the ring on Elizabeth's finger as he recited the words after me line by line. 

Then Elizabeth did the same as she placed the ring on Miguel's finger. 

We closed with a blessing for the couple then it was time to pronounce them husband and wife.

I placed my hand on theirs and began.

Elizabeth and Miguel, by the love that has brought you here today, by the vows you have exchanged and by the integrity of your commitment in the presence of your loved ones and in the presence of God, it is my distinct pleasure to declare that you are now husband and wife.

Miguel, you may kiss the bride!! Then I quickly stepped out of the way. 

Miguel was most happy to do so!!

Elizabeth and Miguel! Congratulations on your love and marriage. I hope you are enjoying wedding bliss and have settled into a wonderful marriage! I wish you the best always!