Elizabeth and Chris Marry on a Chilly Windy Day!

The last wedding of my weekend was at Hudson Manor in Louisburg on Sunday November 16th. The balmy weather of Saturday turned cold on Sunday and the wind picked up. The temperature high was 53 degrees. Elizabeth and Chris first planned to have their wedding inside the reception hall when they met with me last May. Then later on they changed their minds and decided to have it on the new Lakeside Terrace at Hudson Manor. It is a beautiful setting for a wedding. But, when you see me wearing my black pantsuit for a wedding, you know the weather must be on the cool side! With their guests all bundled up enjoying the lovely music by Evelyn and Ellie, two violinists teamed up together by Mary Greiner of Musicians Booking Agency, we processed in. The bride's veil was whipping in the wind and her dad wore some of it on his head for a few moments on the way down the aisle! The maid of honor was shivering but Elizabeth did not show any signs of being cold--something I have come to expect of brides. They are apparently so much in the moment, they become oblivious to the ambient temperature. The wedding ceremony was very much representative of these two people. They included the Celtic handfasting ritual, saying their vows to each other while their hands were bound by the handfasting sash making the formation of the infinity symbol.

I symbolically blessed their rings with the four elements--earth, air, water and fire-- then they exchanged rings and poured their red and white sand together. Then came the pronouncement of marriage and the kiss. We closed with the Indian Wedding Blessing and I introduced them to their guests as Mr. and Mrs. The music began and after the wedding party had recessed, I invited the guests inside to get warm and enjoy refreshments. They got to see Elizabeth and Chris' adorable wedding cake which was created by Cinda of Cinda's Creative Cakes.
In the meantime the wedding party and I got in some photo shoots in front of the manor house by Aimee Bickers and her assistant, Brooke, of Pure Expressions Photography. Chris and Elizabeth were so happy to finally be married. Now the celebration begins! All the best to you, Elizabeth and Chris!

Elegant Long View Center Wedding for Jeremy and Kristen!

Last February I met with Kristen and Jeremy to plan the ceremony for their beautiful wedding November 15, 2008 at Long View Center. I emailed them my diverse collection of ceremony material and they began putting together what they wanted in their ceremony. We worked on their selections together and fashioned a beautiful ceremony. After the ceremony I received many compliments from their parents and guests on how wonderful the ceremony was. Of course, I always tell them that it was the couple's choices that made their ceremony so special. Jeremy and Kristen decided that they were both more comfortable with the type of vows where I ask them the questions and they simply answer "I do" rather than speaking their vows to each other. They chose a short phrase to repeat after me for the exchange of rings. They included a Unity Candle ceremony during which the Arioso Strings played soft heavenly music.

Their parents' hearts melted as I gave the tribute to them from Kristen and Jeremy and they were very touched. (Moms are just about guaranteed to shed a tear or two!) They also included a non-denominational prayer and a reading of The Irrational Season by Madeleine L'Engle--a very nice reading for a wedding. After the pronouncement and kiss, we closed with a blessing and then I presented them to their guests as husband and wife. Amidst the applause and music, they floated up the aisle followed by their wedding party, parents and grandparents while the guests departed to the reception at the NC Museum of History.

We reassembled after the guests had left and took pictures. Craig Carpenter of Luster Studios was the photographer. One thing the couple wanted to be sure to do was ring the bell to announce their marriage to downtown Raleigh. The rope was harder to pull than they thought. Kristen found it hard to hold on to and Jeremy ended up swinging on the rope--but the bell rang many times. See the series of photos here! Thomasina Whitley, our capable wedding director, kept everyone organized and the wedding went very smoothly as we had rehearsed the day before. Rehearsals really pay off and I recommend them whenever there are more than one bridesmaid and one groomsman. Jeremy and Kristen, congratulations and best wishes to you and your new life together!

Jenny and Donel Married at Last!

Jenny and Donel's wedding was supposed to happen on September 6th but two hurricanes prevented their guests from getting to Raleigh and forced them to postpone their wedding until November 15th. They planned a beautiful wedding and the guests really enjoyed themselves! After the wedding party was in place, Jenny processed in after the flower girl scattered petals on the aisle and Donel met her half way down the aisle to escort her up to the altar. The ceremony began with a warm welcome to all the guests and a tribute to their parents. They made their vows, exchanged rings and lit their unity candle. I pronounced them husband and wife and they kissed with their guests applauding. Out they and the wedding party went for photos while their guests enjoyed a lovely reception in the reception hall downstairs at the chapel. The family and wedding party reconvened for a group photo by Jessica Key. Misty Ashe and Sarah Morris of All Saints Chapel made sure their wedding celebration went smoothly. The reception was catered by restaurants that are also owned by the folks who own the chapel. We had barbecue from The Pit, goodies from The Raleigh Times, Lebanese food from Sitti, and tasty treats from Duck and Dumpling. Our music was provided by Joshua, a friend of the couple's who manned the CD. Fresh Affairs provided the Unity Candle and beautiful floral arrangements. Jenny and Donel were glad to finally tie the knot! Congratulations to you both!

Angela and Ash's Wedding at All Saints Chapel in Raleigh!

Last July or August, James Wang of Wink event planners contacted me to see if I was available for a wedding on 11/13/08 at the historic All Saints Chapel for his friends Angela and Ash who live in New York City. Angela's parents live in Fuquay-Varina and they wanted to have their wedding in the Raleigh area. I was available so I met with the couple on September 21st when they were in town and we began working on the ceremony by email. At first Angela wanted to incorporate traditions from a Hindu wedding because Ash grew up in India and his parents still live there. But Ash prevailed because he wanted Angela to have the storybook American wedding she had dreamed of based on her Christian upbringing and so they put together a more traditional wedding from my material without any reference to Hinduism. After the wedding Angela planned to change into an Indian bridal costume for the reception at Porter's to honor Ash's customs.

Dave (my husband) and I arrived for the wedding on Thursday November 13th. Marty, my "roadie," is on vacation this weekend! I immediately went to hook my wireless theater microphone into the chapel's sound system and it would not work. Sarah Morris, the assistant director at the chapel, and I tried everything, but no go. Because Dave is an audio expert, I asked him to check it out and he found a dead channel in their system so we then hooked in my receiver to another channel and finally, I had sound! (I can project my voice to up to 100 people but I don't like to do that because the couple is standing within 18 to 24 inches in front of me and I would blast them out! It is my preference to be able to speak in a normal tone and volume of voice so that I can put inflection and meaning into the beautiful words of the ceremony the couple has created. I can provide the entire sound system or if the facility has a sound system or there is a DJ, I can plug my wireless mike right into their system.) So, we were all set and ready to go on time thanks to Dave and Sarah getting this worked out!

The wedding was beautiful. The chapel is a wonderful wedding venue with the dark wood and high ceilings and loft. Sherry Lattin of Florian Music provided the violin, cello, flute music which was so pretty. They are really good! James Wang was on hand with his two assistants, Mary Ann who directed the wedding, and her right hand assistant, Samantha, at the door. It was a flawless processional and the wedding commenced without incident except for Ash adding a little humor and not one kiss, but two--maybe three--did I miss one? We closed with a blessing and the guests departed to the reception. (I found out at the rehearsal that the Rivera restaurant where the reception was supposed to be had gone belly up a few days before the wedding! Thankfully the couple recouped their money and were able to make arrangements with Porter's to host their reception. Whew!) Terrence Jones of J1S Photography was on hand to cover the wedding.Congratulations and I wish you all the best, Ash and Angela!

Sarah and Rick Wed at St. Mark's Chapel in Raleigh!

Sarah and Rick fell in love with St. Mark's Chapel and came to see me last January to officiate their wonderful wedding there today, November 8, 2008. Their reception was at The Umstead Hotel but they wanted an intimate wedding with their family and closest friends in this quaint historic chapel. Although the weather can be iffy for an outdoor wedding in November, it was a beautiful fall afternoon following a morning rain shower. We had our rehearsal on the day before to go through the logistics of the processional and ceremony. Andrea and Sherrie, wedding planners/directors of Bustles and Blooms, were on hand to make sure every detail was taken care of. (See photo of Andrea and me below, and the other of Sherrie making sure the coast was clear to bring in the bride and her mother.) I had not worked with them before and it was such a pleasure! Thanks, Andrea and Sherrie!

Marty and I arrived about 30 minutes ahead of time and I helped pin on the boutonnieres. Our photographer was Ken Luallen and his assistant, April. The music was provided by violinists Paul Goldsberry and Marshall Johnson of the John Brown Entertainment Group. Sarah and Rick planned a very colorful wedding with the rich oranges, golds and greens of the fall season. When Sarah arrived by limousine and all the guests were seated, the processional began. The wedding ceremony went very smoothly. Sarah was escorted in by her mother, Genie, who was in tears both at the rehearsal and at the wedding! I welcomed the guests, gave an opening prayer, and paid tribute to families--including their loved ones who were not with us and the ones that were. Then we had 3 readings, one by Jeannette, a friend of Sarah's from high school days, one by her Uncle Mike, and one by Ashley, Rick's niece. The couple made their vows, exchanged rings and I made the pronouncement. Following the kiss, we closed with a prayer and I introduced the newlywed couple to their guests. Family members stayed for a group photo after the wedding while the other guests proceeded to The Umstead for the celebration! It was a grand wedding. Blessings, to you, Rick and Sarah!