Carolyn and Geoff Celebrate Their Marriage with a Zombie Jamboree at Artspace in Raleigh, October 23, 2010

I first met Carolyn and Geoff when they were the photographers for a wedding I did last year. Being an amateur photographer, I find it interesting to watch what the photographers are doing when I can and in the case of Carolyn and Geoff, they were all over the place, in the strangest of positions, going for unexpected and interesting angles for the shots. I knew without a doubt that the photos would be spectacular because of this and I was right. (Here is a link to their professional website, Carolyn Scott Photography.) So when they called me to be a part of their wedding, I knew it was going to be a fun time. I was right about that, too.

Halloween-themed weddings are always fun and Carolyn and Scott put together quite a special event. Held in Artspace in Raleigh, it was a perfect accompaniment for the unique and creative evening they had in mind. There are so many good photos to showcase their creativity so I will include a lot here and let them speak for themselves. Many of the photos are by their photographer, David E. Jackson.

Here are the cute aisle markers,

and the greeter at the guest book.

Loved this fun shot they had taken earlier in the year.

The ceremony was very touching in so many ways and Geoff brought out an even bigger smile on Carolyn’s face when he read his vows.

They decided to include an Anniversary Box ceremony. Both had written secret letters to each other to be placed into a box that would be opened on their first anniversary. Into the box would also go their favorite drink ingredients (rum and Coke) and the box would be formally sealed with their signets until their anniversary. Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall when those letters are read a year from now!

After the ceremony, everyone headed upstairs for the celebration. The bar was appropriately appointed with a huge cauldron and the seating chart was titled, “Your Final Resting Place.”

A cookie table is a tradition in Pennsylvania, where Carolyn and Geoff hail from, so all kinds of Halloween cookies awaited our pleasure at that table;

and the cake, made by Geoff’s Aunt Leah, was just perfect - spiders and all.

Sprinkled throughout the tables were fun decorations. Here are just a few.

Geoff designed Carolyn’s ring and isn’t this a clever shot of their rings together.

Here they are during their first dance.

Followed later by Carolyn’s choreographed-on-the-fly dance with her dad. The song for their dance was written and recorded by her dad specifically for that moment. They wowed everyone.

And Geoff’s sweet dance with his mom touched every heart in the room.

Their exemplary DJ for the night was Stephen Scott, who was having as much fun as the rest of us.

This is a photo of their VERY tall photographer, David E. Jackson, taken after the wedding. He flew in from out of town to photograph their wedding.

As the evening progressed, the guests had a few surprises of their own for Carolyn and Geoff.

So the Zombie Wedding Jamboree was a huge hit and all the zombies partied into the wee hours of the night. Carolyn and Geoff went off into their own crypt later, and the guests retired into theirs with the sights and sounds of a good time had by all.

Carolyn and Geoff, I hope your life together is every bit as fun as your wedding!

KJ and Joel Exchange Vows at the Page-Walker House in Cary, October 16, 2010

What a glorious day they had for their wedding! The air had cooled off, the sun was shining and everything around them was in full sparkle mode, including KJ’s earrings, whose fiery sparkles were shining all over Joel’s jacket.

Karen (known as KJ to everyone) was also wearing her 18th birthday pearls that her parents had given to her to wear someday at her wedding. This was certainly the day for those pearls!

They chose as their setting the Page-Walker Arts and History Center in Cary. Built in the 1800s, it was originally a hotel right across the street from the train station and has now become a cute little art and history gallery with a lovely landscaped garden beside it.

 

The garden and other side of the house are ringed with interesting sculptures that add a nice touch of whimsy.

The inside, decorated with period antiques, is filled with artwork from artisans in many mediums.

The reception was set up in the main gallery but guests were free to roam through the house and grounds as they wished.

Here is their adorable cake, created by Debbie Mallard of The Cake Walk. Notice their pets included on the topper. Very cute.

After the ceremony, KJ and Joel took full advantage of the lovely landscaping to take some wedding photos. Here’s one of my favs;

The ceremony music was provided by violinists from Meredith College and the catering was from Babymoon Cafe, a local Italian reasturant. Judging from the smells coming from the food area, the meal was going to be mighty delicious!

It was a beautiful day and a happy wedding. What a perfect combination! KJ and Joel, I wish you all the best in your life to come. May all your dreams come true in unique and wonderful ways.

Alex and Brian are the perfect mix on December 6, 2009 at The Matthews House in Cary, NC

Marrying in December, Alex and Brian decided to create a Winter Wonderland for their wedding. It was a lovely choice and everything was gleaming in the room; the Christmas trees, the silver chairs, the silver centerpieces on the tables, the wedding cake, and of course, Alex and Brian themselves!

Here is a shot of Brian and his Best Man taken right before the ceremony. What a handsome groom Brian is. He looked every bit as handsome in his tux as Alex did in her beautiful meringue of a dress.

The ceremony and reception were held at the wonderful Matthews House in Cary. I always look forward to weddings there because they are a complete in-house facility and they go out of their way to please their guests. Plus, they are fun to work with. They have a staff of in-house wedding planners and for this wedding, Suzy McPherson was in charge. She took the helm like the total pro she is and everything went off perfectly.

This is a portion of the ballroom where the ceremony took place, and later the reception. It was simply beautiful with all its silver and lights. Although this photo looks gold because of the way the Christmas tree lights photographed, the room in person was actually sparkly white. The Groom and Groomsmen were to have decorated the two Christmas trees but Brian told me later that the ladies in the family decided there wasn’t enough sparkle on the trees with the way the guys did it so they took over and did it up “ladies’ style.”

Here is a close-up of the unique candle-in-water vases placed along the sides of the aisle. Who needs poinsettias when you have this beautiful option?

And this is one of the creative table centerpieces of sparkling silver stems, ornaments and various other shiny items. In the dim light and with the candles lit, it was all aglow and just stunning.

For the wedding favors, Alex and Brian created a powdered cocoa mix and when Alex was happy with the final recipe, she and Brian spooned it into these little corked jars. The label says “A Perfect Mix” (love it!) and they were just adorable. What a clever accompaniment to the Winter Wonderland theme!

The cake was provided by Lynne Loomis of Lynn’s Traditions. I always know when I see her at a wedding that the cake is going to be beautiful AND delicious. They taste like they just came out of the kitchen because they actually did. To follow up on the Winter Wonderland theme, Lynn created by hand all the individual snowflakes on the cake. (They must have been as fragile as real ones.) Then she placed them on the cake individually around the silver ribbon fondant. It was really magnificent.

The music for the ceremony was provided by Arioso Strings, with Mary Page Block on violin and David Oh on cello. What a beautiful sound and my goodness did it fill up the room. Arioso Strings can provide duos and more for weddings and other functions and they are always first class and professional. I love working with them.

The music for the reception was provided by their DJ, Patrick Cooke of PC Productions. I have worked with Patrick before and he is a fun DJ. I think Alex and Brian made a perfect choice in him and he is sure to have been an asset for their celebration.

Alex and Brian, you have so many fun and exciting times ahead of you. May every one of them be a joy to you both and may they enrich your life together immeasurably.

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