Wedding Story Writer Debut at Saks Fifth Avenue!

Michelle McMurray de Luces has birthed a very novel idea and quite the entrepreneur! She actually attends the same Unity church I do but I did not get to know her until last year when she wrote the story of the wedding of one of my couples. Her service is to attend your wedding from start to finish and then create a wonderful story of it, all the details, things you may not have noticed or would remember, in fascinating style. She then has an artist of your style and choice illustrate it and eventually it is bound into a beautiful leather book. It is a treasure, a legacy. Truly something very unique to enjoy and pass down in your family.  Her business is called Wedding Story Writer.

Michelle herself with a display edition of a Wedding Story she has done. She will travel all over the globe for weddings. Beautiful floral display by The English Garden.

The launch party for Wedding Story Writer was held on March 21, 2013 at Saks Fifth Avenue in Raleigh's Triangle Town Center. It was quite elegant reflecting the high-end style of  Michelle's one-of-a-kind service and product. I was thrilled to be invited!

Guests were greeted by lovely young women holding examples of the artwork possible and by Bartending Unlimited servers bearing delicious glasses of champagne.

Eric, Michelle's husband, told me that they have illustrators/artists from all over the world. In fact, Michelle is contacted quite frequently by artists wanting to be included in her service to wedding couples. Here are some examples of the different styles that couples can choose for themselves.

 More examples......

 Michelle, your elegance reflects the heirloom quality of your beautiful bound volume. 

 Title page...... 

Had fun chatting with April Maness, owner of The Oaks at Salem, a beautiful wedding venue in Apex, center, Jenna Olender, co-owner of Southern Bride & Groom magazine on the left, and Amanda Scott, owner of A Swanky Affair, wedding planning services, on the right. Brian McGuire, DJ with McSound Productions, Contonna Peterson with Bartending Unlimited were providing the music and the champagne.

A new cake bakery, Artylicious Cakes, was on hand providing these sweets! Their bakery store front officially opens May 1st. It is located at the intersection of Six Forks and Morning Dove next to Vinnie's in N. Raleigh. The owner and chief baker is Iriene Wangsawidjaja.

April, Angie Wright with Chic Details  and Mica Parekh with IWP Photography who was covering the event were trying out these goodies.

 Iriene and her beautiful wedding cake! 

So many artists were represented and each with a different style of illustrating. I am sure that Michelle is going to be in demand more and more as couples discover what a wonderful service she provides. Congratulations, Michelle!

Wooden Bow-ties and Boutonnieres--Unique Gifts for the Groomsmen!

John McDonald, or Johnny Mac, as his friends call him, is an innovative guy! I happen to know him because we sing in the choir at church together. So, why would I have him on my wedding blog? 

John works at Xylem, Inc., a company which makes high-end custom cabinets and architectural millwork. He thought it was such a waste to throw away the scraps of fine wood they have left over and thought of some way to use them. So, he came up with wooden bow-ties and boutonnieres.

He even crafted a wooden top hat for St. Patrick's Day! 

The bow-ties have a ring of elastic that slips over the head and under the collar. With another scrap he made a piece of wood that peeks out of the pocket like an handkerchief. I think these unique bow-ties and "hankies" are great gifts for the groom to give his guys for the wedding day!

This St. Patrick's Day boutonniere attaches by way of a pin glued underneath. John can be reachead at jmcdonald49@gmail.com and his phone number is 919 418-1732. I am sure he would be happy to show you some samples and custom make any of these items for you!

Unwilling Children in the Wedding Ceremony!

Apparently this video is making the rounds on the internet. It is all too familiar to me! 

It was posted on America's Funniest Videos but believe me, it was not funny to the poor little girl, or to her parents. The younger flower girl that came in behind her holding the hand of the embarrassed ring bearer did just fine. That shows the total unpredictability of involving very young children in a wedding processional. Walking down an aisle with a hundred or more people watching you is not within the natural repertoire of a 2 year old, nor can they grasp the reason they are being asked to do that, yet they are asked to do just that. And practicing at the rehearsal does not help one little bit because even though the aisle is there, all those people are not. 

I had a wedding a few years ago in which the little flower girl was making it very clear she did not want to walk down the aisle. In fact, she sat down in the middle of the aisle crying while her insistent father was trying to jerk her into a standing position. It was not pretty and her walk down the aisle should have been aborted at her first protest. 

Do think twice, or three or more time, brides, before you involve small children ages 2 and under to do something that they just cannot grasp the meaning of like walking down the aisle with a basket of petals to throw on the floor! 

Cassandra and Raphael Wed in Kayelily's Wedding Garden!

On a breezy chilly afternoon,  March 7, 2013, Cassandra and Raphael and their families arrived at my wedding garden. Cassandra had contacted me in January explaining that she and Raphael originally planned just to go to the courthouse and get married then found out their parents were interested in coming to North Carolina to join them on the big day.  I did not know until they arrived that both the bride and the groom were born and raised in the Montreal area of Canada and both sets of parents traveled to NC from there. The temperature was in the mid-50s which they told me felt like summertime to them! I heard a lot of French language spoken as well.  

So, we all gathered in my garden where only the camellias were blooming and the green leaves of the Confederate Jasmine provided a backdrop for the arbor. The leaves don't start sprouting out until about the first week in April. 

 Typical scene and why I don't always bother to put chairs out! 

Cassandra and Raphael told me they were both pretty shy and only wanted the simplest of civil ceremonies and that is almost what they got. I added a family blessing for their parents and Cassandra's grandmother who was with us too!

 This is their beautiful daughter, Leah, with her maternal grandmother, Bernadette.

I also included a blessing for Leah and stepped out from behind the couple to speak to her and tell her how much her parents love her and how they are so happy to be a family of three.

Cassandra's ring was so tiny! 

I pronounce you husband and wife. Please begin your adventure with a kiss!

The whole gang! (Can  you believe the sleeveless dresses?!)

Predicted storm closed courthouse--forces nuptials into bookstore in Annapolis MD!

This story appeared in the local Annapolis news and the officiant, Rev. Tracey Moe, a good friend of mine, posted it on Facebook. Love the story and so I could not resist putting it on this blog! They must have found Tracey just an hour or two before the wedding! I never would have thought of a bookstore as a wedding venue but, you know, it's pretty neat--and quite significant for these two since he popped the question in that bookstore! 

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By Matthew Cole — The Capital

Bookstore Wedding

As the courthouse was closed due to the storm, Hutson and his fiancee decided to have their ceremony at the bookstore. 

Posted: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 3:45 pm | Updated: 5:20 pm, Wed Mar 6, 2013.

By TIM PRUDENTE Staff Writer | 2 comments

Posted on March 6, 2013

• 
  by Tim Prudente

Janice Holmes considered the piles of paperbacks and brimming bookshelves.

Something was out of place.

"I'm going to move Jane Austen over here - it's nice and red," she said, carrying a copy of "Pride and Prejudice."

She set the antique book on a table by the door.

"We had Hemingway over there, but he's not as romantic."

Across the room, Mary Adams placed a collection of poetry titled "Portable Kisses."

"There's nothing like a wedding to make you clean your bookstore," she said.

Outside, storm winds blew and businesses closed. The streets were empty as the two women prepared their store for the wedding party.

"We hid all the divorce books," said Holmes, laughing.

Pink tulips arrived. Classical music played. And the romance section was set on display Wednesday at The Annapolis Bookstore.

"So, what do you think?" asked Holmes.

Adams grinned.

"Oh, it's beautiful. I'll get the champagne."

The phone call came that morning. The couple, both book lovers, planned to marry at the courthouse, but it had closed in anticipation of the storm.

Mark Hutson and Melanie Frances arrived with dripping coats and wet hair.

"When I heard the courthouse was closed, my heart sank," Frances said. "I thought, I'm not getting out of bed today."

Hutson called the bookstore. Would they allow a wedding? Of course! said Adams.

Hutson's 7-year-old son, Jack, wore sneakers and a new suit. His 9-year-old daughter Emma wore a dress and snow boots.

"Oh, you look so beautiful," said Hutson's sister, Joanna Steele of Pasadena.

The minister arrived. Mark Hutson collected quarters to feed the parking meters.

The couple met online. Frances is a poet and novelist who works in advertising in Montreal. Hutson lives with his two children in Severna Park and works for the Discovery Channel.

He proposed at the bookstore around Thanksgiving. He slipped inside a book a note asking, "Will you?"

Frances bought the book with tears in her eyes.

As the couple smiled and posed for pictures, Adams pinned - baby's breath - to Jack's suit. The scene was filmed for Frances' mother, who lives in the suburbs of Paris.

"Everyone should experience their wedding as a historic occasion and yours is even more so as our snow forecast is extraordinary," said the Rev. Tracey Moe of Annapolis.

Moe promised that the couple's love will grow. She asked for the ring as a mailman stepped inside, dripped on the floor, delivered a stack of letters, and stepped out.

Frances cried and said, "I do." There was cheering. Jack wanted her to throw the bouquet, but the ceiling was too low.

Champagne was passed, Jack and Emma sipped apple juice. And though there was no wedding cake, leftover Christmas cookies were offered.

Outside, rain pooled on the sidewalks. It was cold and muddy.

But the bookstore was warm and sweet.