Paula and Tim Wed at Raleigh Country Club!

Paula and Tim met with me last April about officiating their wedding set for October 22, 2011 at the lovely Raleigh Country Club. They had met back in 2007 through a professional dating service that set them up for a lunch date. The match was truly amazing. Their lunch date lasted 4 hours because they were so comfortable with each other and conversation was natural and easy. Tim told me that he had been looking for the perfect woman for him for 22 years and was thrilled to have found her at last! Paula was delighted to find a man who was emotionally supportive and has now checked that off her bucket list! They have had many fun adventures together and look forward to marriage as a new and wonderful adventure knowing that they can handle any challenges life may throw their way.

Their wedding date was October 22, 2011 at the Raleigh Country Club, a truly beautiful and elegant setting. Other weddings I have done there can be seen at this link.

I thank my good friend and DJ, Lenny Fritts with Touch of Class DJ, for sending Paula and Tim my way.

Blue Moon Bakery made this delectable wedding cake and Davenport Florists did the flowers. Dave with Kuhn's Photography was there to record the event in pictures and Nicole McMillen with Premier Party Planners was our very astute wedding planner and director. Great team to work with.

Lenny had set up in the reception room with dance floor and had his mobile unit out on the terrace to provide the music for the ceremony. He knew I was the officiant so he was ready to patch my microphone into his system. 

 

Paula and Tim are such a good-looking couple. They shirked tradition and saw each other before the ceremony and here Dave Kuhn is doing photographs of them on the greens. So beautiful.

Is this not the most spectacular vista? The day was absolutely beautiful for a wedding.

 We were including a sand pouring in the ceremony and everything is set up and ready to go.

Tim and Jeff, the best man, and I entered when it was time to begin and all the guests were seated. They actually had to bring in an additional row of chairs because more guests showed up than were expected.

After our Maid of Honor, Diane, and our Matron of Honor, Cheryl, entered it was time for Paula to be escorted in by her son, Logan. Her other son, Daniel, was sitting on the front row.

At the first sight of Paula, Tim's eyes filled with tears and despite his nervousness, I could tell he was so happy for this day.

 

 

They had two readings in the ceremony. The first was read by Tim's sister, Cathy, who traveled from Portland, Oregon, for this special occasion. She presented "Marriage Means Being in Love for the Rest of Your Life" by Chris Ardis.

Tracey, Paula's girlfriend extraordinaire, read "The Key to Love" by Robert M. Millay.

 

Then it was time for the couple's wonderful story of how they met and fell in love and why they wanted to marry followed by the vows.

 The exchange of rings....

 

 

 

We started the ceremony right at 5:00 and as you can see from the clock behind the couple, it was over in 20 minutes, the perfect length for a wedding ceremony! 

 

 

Paula and Tim, I am so happy that you found each other at last! It was my honor to marry you to each other. May life bring you abundant blessings!

This cute little guy was hosting the cocktail hour after the ceremony and before the reception. It was a special tribute to the father of Diane, our maid of honor.

Zombie Wedding for Rachel and Dave!

Rachel and Dave are probably the most fun-loving couple I have ever worked with and I looked forward to their ceremony on October 29, 2011 with anticipation. They are a terrific match for each other as evidenced by their fabulous wedding ceremony into which they put their hearts and souls and loaded it with their brand of humor. They chose a welcome address about zombies and tied it in perfectly with getting married: "
They asked me to say a few words to set the proper mood and tone for their wedding.
They thought for quite some time about what they wanted me to say, discarding metaphors and quotes of love, before finally settling on a topic near to their hearts – Today I’m going to say a few words about zombies. 
Zombies. The shambling ghouls of black and white Saturday matinees and the quick, ravenous monsters of modern horror are all suffering from the same disease – disconnection – from the world around them and from each other.

 And aren’t we all there sometimes?

 Don’t we shuffle to work, monosyllabic, until we get our caffeine, and then go through the motions of work and house as if completely unaware of other people? Don’t we set our sights on one desire after another, rushing from experience to experience without actually stopping to enjoy any of it?

 Haven’t you found yourself staring into space, wishing for just a little more brains?
 Dave and Rachel were there too and they’ve decided to take the only vaccine that works – they’ve decided to get married. By which I mean they’ve decided to get connected — unashamedly, unhesitatingly connected — to each other.

  In this they refuse to become numb themselves, they promise to give each other attention, consideration, and kindness – emotions zombies most certainly do not share. They refuse to feed on the heart and mind of the other, agreeing instead to grow those things together and share them equally.  And they vow not to allow the other to become a zombie when they aren’t looking – slipping into apathy, numbness, and a maddening hunger. They do these things with the shotguns of their love strapped strongly to their backs and the truncheons of their humor held firmly in their hands. Friendship, love, and desire, when held with both hands, are the only weapons any of us need to stay human.

 With the zombies held at bay by their mutual promises, Dave and Rachel are ready to face the other monsters of life – defending against the Frankenstein coworkers, the Soul Sucking Vampires of false friends, and the Mummy of age itself.

 The adventure they are about to embark on has all the magic of any Hollywood movie and all the terror of true Lovecraftian horror – dread Cthulhu (Cah-thoo-loo) has nothing on balancing family Christmases.

But the truest fact is that as long as they stick together, connected to each other, the zombies of life, real and imagined, apathetic and disastrous, cannot harm them.

 That said, let’s get married, shall we?"  (Rachel wrote me after seeing this blog post that she and Dave could not take credit for writing the welcome address about zombies but that it was written by Leslie Light in 2008 and Rachel found it on the Offbeat Brides' blog--a great source for non-traditional wedding couples.) 

Dave and Rachel chose the Saturday closest to Halloween and their colors were red and black. The venue was All Saint's Chapel for both the ceremony and the reception. Ironically, my husband, also named Dave, and I were going to a Halloween party that same evening and needed costumes. Several weeks earlier when I was in a consignment shop, I came across a "ghoul" costume--black flowing cape and a red hood with black netting covering the face.  Thinking that we could have some fun at the party because no one could easily recognize us, I bought the costume and made another one like it--fortunately I can sew!

Here are both costumes. Heidi does not know what to think of these strange looking beings who seem quite familiar! Then it occurred to me that the ghoul hood would fit in perfectly with both the zombie theme and the color scheme of Rachel and Dave's wedding. On the day of the wedding, I brought the hood with me and pulled Dave (the groom) aside and told him of my idea to wear it in the beginning of the ceremony. He said "That is really gonna mess with Rachel. I love it; do it!" (Rachel is also one of the most organized and detail oriented brides I have ever met. She had this big binder with every minute detail of the wedding in it and carried with her everywhere!) So, when we were ready to begin the ceremony, I pulled on the hood and Dave and his best man, T-Bone, and I entered from a side door and walked out on the altar. It was really fun to see the expressions on the guests' faces. Some were tickled and some in disbelief yet others curious to know what was coming next!

After Rachel's parents and stepparents and Dave's mother were escorted in, the bridesmaids started down the aisle. They were in disbelief also but they also knew Dave and Rachel's sense of humor and were not surprised.

 Then Rachel entered with her father with a huge rather puzzled smile on her face!

 

 Delivering the Welcome Address about the zombies!

And when I said: "That said, let's get married, shall we!" I handed my book to T-Bone to hold while I whipped off the hood! Loved it!

 

We  paid tribute to their parents and remembered and honored Dave's father who was also a major contributor and influence in his life. 

 

Monica, Rachel's aunt and Godmother, presented "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog" by Taylor Mali, a wonderful and comical poem comparing love to dogs.

  

 

Of course their "story" was hilarious and I loved telling it, especially how they met and Dave's persistent efforts to propose when Rachel did not suspect him to. She kept foiling his plans! They read their vows which were very original, both touching and funny, from my book as they exchanged rings. 

 

 

Ahhhh, Rachel and Dave, don't ever lose your enthusiasm, your sense of humor and fun, your amazing connection to each other and your zest for life. I am so honored to have been a part of your special day  and to have been the one to marry you.

Haidee and Steve's Fabulous Fall Wedding at Brier Creek Country Club!

"Who would have known that a 7day free trial offer would end up in marriage! This love story we all celebrate today began when Haidee decided to take match.com up on their free trial offer back in September of 2009. She filled in the profile information and a few days later, Steve sent her a note just as the free trial offer expired so she quickly signed up for 3 months so she could find out more about this Steve guy." Needless to say they really hit it off right from the beginning and Steve proposed on November 12, 2010. This was the happiest moment for both of them. They started planning their wedding for October 21, 2011 at Brier Creek Country Club and met with me in January to plan their ceremony. 

October 21st was an absolutely pristine autumn day. The weather was crisp and pleasant and the sun was shining. It was a perfect day for a wedding. Above is the lovely portico at Brier Creek Country Club where weddings are held on good weather days. Below is the view of the portico for a wedding I did in 2005. Back then there was considerable construction underway in the new subdivision in the background and sheer panels were hung to block the view. The vines had not matured and grown up and across the top of the portico like they are now. For Haidee and Steve's wedding, the panels were removed because the ornamental grasses have grown up and make a stunning background, especially with the sun drenching them at this wedding as you will see in the following photos. 

Haidee and her Maid of Honor, Wendy, and flower girl, Mary, were posing for photos before the wedding. Mike Phongsa was their photographer and Robin and Linda Crews with Bay Leaf Video Productions were videoing the wedding. Note the pretty grasses behind the portico.

Steve Stowe with Joe Bunn DJ Company was providing music for the ceremony while Joe was upstairs in the ballroom preparing to host the reception. All three of us love working together. Steve and Joe also have a joint venture called The Lincoln Agency which books bands and entertainers.

This scrumptious cake was baked by Sugarland, a premier wedding cake baker in Chapel Hill and now also in Cameron Village in Raleigh.

 

This is the grand ballroom where the reception took place. I understand from reading Joe Bunn's blog, that they had some special entertainment show up!

It is time for us to process in. Steve and Haidee were so happy they could include their furry 4 legged child, Jazz, in the ceremony. He is a rescue pup that is part chow and part terrier. I would love to see a DNA test done on him to get his specific heritage. He is a very friendly and well behaved dog. Steve and Haidee feel so fortunate to have him because they had a cancer scare with him not too long ago but he has fully recovered and is considered cured.

Wendy and Mary start their long walk down the aisle. 

Haidee was born in the Phillippines and dedicated herself to become a nurse and immigrate to the US. Her father is deceased so her Uncle Edwin had the honor of escorting both Haidee's mother and Haidee down the aisle.

Behind them is Rachael, our honorary wedding director. She was on the ball and everything flowed seamlessly.

I was surprised that the aisle runner stayed put as well as it did. They brought some weights wrapped up like little gifts to hold it in place.

 

 

A friend of Haidee's from the Philippines did triple duty--he ushered, helped roll out the aisle runner and then did a reading during the ceremony.

 

Steve's friend was in charge of keeping Jazz from wandering around too much during the ceremony.

 

 Kenneth was Steve's best man and Kenneth's son, Tyler, was the ring bearer.

 Haidee is making her vows here. 

 

Haidee and Steve, you are such a wonderful couple and your love for each other shines all around you. I wish you health, happiness, peace and joy!