Stacey and Len Marry at 1705 Prime in Raleigh

Stacey and Len are such a charming couple, as you can so plainly see in all these photos. They laugh a lot together and their wedding day proved to be bright, sunny and breezy, which seemed a perfect compliment to their temperaments and their style.

The wedding took place by the big tree in the front of 1705 Prime in Raleigh. Their design color was purple and, if you are thinking of using purple (or any other color) for your wedding, notice how they used its many shades to create beautiful effects throughout the decorations. They started with purple lanterns hung in the tree where the ceremony took place. Gently swaying in the breeze, this created a very nice touch.

The purple shades were incorporated beautifully everywhere you turned. The aisle flowers were lovely and the Bouquets with the Bridesmaid dresses were exquisite.

They even had pretty wrist corsages for their mothers and grandmother.

In honor of their last name they had these flower Ts on the front doors.

Len and his Groomsmen wore handsome grey suits and sported purple ties, which looked wonderful as they entered with the Bridesmaids.

Even the table favors picked up the fun and cheery color.

I always love seeing the faces of the couples as they are saying their vows and Stacey and Len’s photographer, Bridget McEnaney of Bridget McEnaney Photography, got some beautiful shots of them during their vows.

She also got a sweet one of the Maid of Honor watching the vows.

Stacey and Len took their first kiss as husband and wife to cheers from their guests and happy tears from their moms.

Stacey and Len, it was such a joy to get to know you and to be a part of your sweet wedding. I hope all the love and happiness you had on your wedding day will stay with you always and those wedding kisses remain a daily part of your lives.

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My thanks to photographer Bridget McEnaney for the use of her beautiful photos.
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Marta and Greg’s Romantic Love Story, Chapter 2 - A Fairy Tale Wedding at 1705 Prime in Raleigh, March 19, 2011

Marta and Greg met through eHarmony.com and the chemistry was there immediately. Had they been in a Disney movie, stars would have been coming out of their eyes on their very first date!

This is quite the romantic couple and Greg had always wanted to see Rome with the woman of his dreams so they planned a romantic get-away to the fabled city last October, to coincide with Marta’s birthday. What a great birthday present! But little did Marta know that Mr. Romantic had something else in mind as well - a proposal of marriage. When the time came for him to ask her... I’ll  tell this part of the story in Marta’s words; “Greg said he wanted to give me my birthday present and told me to close my eyes. When I opened them, he was holding a white gold engagement ring; he smiled in a way that was equal parts nervousness, relief, and confidence. “Marry me?” he asked. “Hell yes!” was my response. I kissed him and tried on the ring. It was several sizes too big and I ended up wearing it on a chain around my neck for the rest of the trip. He confessed shortly after that he had been planning the events for some time and had sneakily purchased the ring at Zales the day before we left.”

I can just imagine the two of them walking around Rome for days with their feet never even touching the ground.

For their wedding they naturally wanted to continue this romantic theme and used it in their vows that they wrote to each other, the decorations, the readings for the ceremony, the music, and most especially in the wedding cake. Created by Ashley Lattier of Ashley Cakes, it was a marvel of all things fairy tale.

Here are Ashley and her husband standing proudly beside the cake. And well they should be proud; it was one amazing cake!

The cake is designed to look like a cake is sitting on top of an open book of fairy tales, but that book is actually the bottom layer of the cake. Each successive layer tells of their romance and the elements they want to incorporate into their marriage. And the topper is a Cinderella slipper in red - Marta’s favorite color.

And here are the “sugar photos,” reproductions in sugar of photos from their relationship. The top one was taken by a local citizen on The Spanish Steps in Rome the day they became engaged. The ones on the other three sides (only 2 are shown here) were photos from their relationship through the years. 

They chose as the setting for their special wedding the very adaptable restaurant, 1705 Prime. Located in Raleigh, it sits off the main road and is a special little spot of tranquility in the city. Alison Purdee, the Catering Sales Manager, was in charge of making sure everything went off perfectly for Marta and Greg. With so many of us going all over the place, she did an impressive job of keeping us all on track and on time. Thanks, Alison!

Here is a photo of the lobby of 1705 Prime and one taken standing in the lobby looking up into the interesting chandelier-as-art hanging in the 2-story entryway.

Before the wedding began, I was lucky to get to watch Marta giving all the Bridesmaids their gifts of unique jewelry she had chosen to suit each one. They loved them! 

While this was going on, the photographer, Heather Swanner of Heather Swanner Photography, was taking some cool shots of the guys in the bar. Quite a handsome bunch.

Incidentally, Greg and Marta’s proposal story was so special that they won a free engagement photo session with Heather because of it.

The DJ on hand that day, creating the musical backdrop for this romantic wedding day, was Randy Bennett of Joe Bunn DJ Company. I love working with Randy... he knows how to do everything exactly right without being the center of attention. Great job as always, Randy. (Update 4/14/11 - Just learned that Randy has been chosen as the DJ of the Month with Joe Bunn DJ Company because of all the great feedback the company got from Randy’s happy clients. Congratulations, Randy!)

For their honeymoon, Greg and Marta went to Orlando to immerse themselves in Harry Potter World (they do have cats named Ginny and Weasley, after-all) and Disneyworld. What a fun time they are going to have. Greg’s niece gave them this little statue of Mickey and Minnie as a bride and groom and it was proudly displayed on the gift table.

The last reading in their ceremony was a fun rendition of “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” written by Dr. Seuss. It suits Greg and Marta’s approach to life perfectly so I’d like to end with a little excerpt from the poem;

Step with great care and great tact and remember
that Life is a great big balancing act.

Just never forget to be dextrous and deft.

And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed!

(98 and three quarters percent guaranteed.)

Kids you’ll move mountains!

So... get on your way!

Courtney and David celebrate their wedding with a song - May 23, 2009

It was a beautiful, crisp spring morning as Courtney and David said their vows on the front lawn and veranda of 1705 Prime, a great location for a wedding in Raleigh. Courtney and David both profess a very strong Christian faith and David plays in a Christian band that travels to churches throughout the state. Because God is at the core of their lives, they wanted God be very much at the center of their ceremony and festivities. It was so nice to see how important this was to them and we had a lovely ceremony that reflected this. We also incorporated a Unity Candle and - what a wonderful treat - Courtney and David sang a duet right before their vows. Their friend and Groomsman, Lucas, accompanied them on keyboard. It was a very touching moment and I’m sure everyone who was there will never forget it.

Red was in abundance everywhere; in the Bridesmaid dresses, the bouquets, the sash on Courtney’s dress, the table decorations and even in the cascading sash on their wedding cake, provided beautifully and caringly by Cinda of Cinda’s Creative Cakes. David told me that strawberries are Courtney’s favorite fruit (which explains the red) and that while they were dating they used to feed each other chocolate covered strawberries. (How romantic!) Their elegant wedding cake took its style and decoration from this romantic part of their history and had chocolate covered strawberries festooned down the sides. The very clever and adorable cake topper was a pair of Bride and Groom strawberries appropriately dressed in dark and white chocolate. You could tell a lot of heart went into the design of this cake and I tip my hat to Cinda for all the care and obvious attention to detail she took to create it.

The music for the day was provided by Island Sound, a DJ company well-renowned for creating a lively party. Allen and Peter were on hand for the day to keep things going well and that they did - in spades. They were very professional and knew just how to make everything flow perfectly while the guests shared the good times of the celebration. Having a great DJ does make a world of difference.

Their photographer was Jim Colman of Jim Colman Photography. He and I had recently worked together and it was great to see him again. I love watching him work and try to see what it is he is seeing when he moves everyone “just so.” I have seen him photograph a bride through the beveled glass of doors and have been amazed at all the unique ways he has used to photograph wedding couples. Guess that’s what makes him such a professional! He sent me some photos of myself at the wedding and I have included the one above that captures the happy spirit of the ceremony and the day. Thanks, Jim!

The flowers were provided by Janice Cutler of North Raleigh Florist. In keeping with the color scheme, everything was red and white, but she also cleverly put pearls into the flowers of Courtney’s bouquet, setting off the red of the roses beautifully. Such a simple little thing with such a big impact.

It was a beautiful day for the celebration of a beautiful love. Courtney and David, I know that with God at the center of your love and your lives, you will have a wonderful life together as you build up your treasures in Heaven.