Lora and Mike Wed at the Historic Matthews House in Cary

Lora and Mike are a lovely couple. I so enjoyed meeting them and being a part of their wedding day. Their wedding was about their love for each other and their families, not overlooking those who have passed on. Lora carried her beloved grandmother's locket on her bouquet and they included a Candle of Remembrance for all the family members on both sides who could not be with them. Love remains forever in our hearts and it was touching that Lora and Mike wanted to acknowledge that. During the ceremony their friends, Rob and Joanna Watson, sang the Patty Griffin tune, Heavenly Day, which was a very sweet touch.

The day was beautiful and sunny and they couldn’t have chosen a more lovely location for the festivities. The Matthews House is a stately Greek revival mansion in the historic area of Cary and Susie McPherson, their in-house wedding coordinator, was on hand to make sure everything went off perfectly. Susie is great to work with and I always know with her at the helm that the wedding plans are in good hands.

The flowers for the wedding day were provided by Gregg Kennedy of Brides and Bouquets. Known for his elegant designs, he certainly outdid himself for Lora and Mike’s simple, elegant wedding plans.



The clothing of the Bridal Party was simple and elegant, too. The Bridesmaids had on lovely dresses that picked up on the spring-like feel of the day and the Flower Girl and Ring Bearer were perfect accents to the adults.

The Matthews House has a unique approach to a gift table; they line the gifts up at the entrance to the house, which makes a lovely presentation as the guests arrive. This particular day there were a lot of silver-wrapped gifts and they were beautiful shining in the sun.

Lora and Mike had planned their wedding down to the last detail, including the matching invitations and seating chart. Very nicely done.

Inside the ballroom adjacent to The Matthews House, everything was set up in readiness for the guests, including the beautiful cake and the delicious-looking buffet. 

The photographers for the day were Ashley and Shawn of Wake Forest Portrait Shoppe. Here they are, wrangling all of us for photos. They were very good at their jobs and got through all the photographs quickly and efficiently, which was great for the family in that hot sun. They also organized a group photo right after the ceremony with all the guests and they did it with fun and humor.

Also on hand to provide the musical backdrop was the talented DJ, Patrick Cook, of PC Productions. First class all the way.

Lora and Mike, your wedding was very thoughtful and touching and I am so glad I got to be a part of it. I join with all your family and friends in wishing you the wonderful life together that you both so richly deserve.

Lora, Mike and all their guests - photo by Wake Forest Portrait Shoppe

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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