Lena and Rick exchange vows at Lake Makintosh, September 3, 2010

Lena and Rick had originally planned to marry in 2009, but the economic downturn hit their jobs and things had to be postponed indefinitely. In the end, they only had to wait a year and their Lake Makintosh location in Burlington was a perfect setting for the fun and casual wedding they had in mind.

Lena and Rick each wrote beautiful vows to each other and read them from cards. I don’t know how either of them got through it without crying, their words were so touching.

  

When it came time for the rings to be exchanged, the Flower Girl was to bring them to us and hand them from her pail of flower petals - but the rings had worked their way to the bottom of the pail. She worked so hard to find them, eventually putting all the petals on the floor just to get to the rings. It made for a few tense moments as we all waited to make sure the rings were really in there, but she was so determined to find them and to fully play her part of the ceremony that it made for a very sweet and touching interlude.

After the exchange of rings, we did a Handfasting Ceremony, an ancient Scottish ritual of commitment, adapted for the modern day. When I married Rick’s mother and her husband (a delightful couple!) a few years before, they had used the Handfasting Ceremony, which Rick had loved, and he wanted to include it in his own wedding. Lena made the cord herself, weaving together the symbolic colors of the elements she and Rick planned to incorporate into their marriage; 

Red, for love and passion

Green, for luck and prosperity

Blue, for peace and tranquility

Purple for health, strength and spiritual love 

And white for purity and devotion

You can see the lovely Handfasting cord in this photo (as well as the flower petals the Flower Girl left in her quest for the rings).

After the pronouncement of marriage and the wedding kiss,

the happy couple recessed down the aisle and went outside for photos to take advantage of the beautiful nature setting.

Inside the clubhouse, as things were being readied for the celebration to come, I got a chance to look at all the decorations they had set up;

There were dear family members who were not able to be with us for the ceremony but they were included with the memorial candles in their honor. Here is the lovely presentation Lena and Rick created.

The beautiful cake was made by Lena’s friend since high school, Rachel Lee Stuart, owner of Dessert First.

Here are the cute little wine bottle covers and the flowers that had notes with heart-shaped locks and keys attached.

This is the fun photo wall that was also our backdrop for the ceremony.

Adding to the sense of fun that was in evidence everywhere, look at the special tennis shoes worn by Lena, Rick and the Flower Girl. All were specially ordered in the colors of the day and each had decorations on them appropriate to the celebration. Rick’s were even embroidered with his name!

Notice, too, Lena’s interesting green tulle train she made to pick up the cheery apple green of her colors. You can see it in this photo and in many of the others above. First time I had ever seen that done.

As I was leaving they were heading over to the playground for some photo ops and I just couldn’t resist including this photo of them kissing in the playground... a perfect photo to accent the personalities of two people so much in love.

My thanks to the many friends and family who took all these photos of the wedding and to Lena for putting them on her Facebook page so I could use them here.

My thanks also to Lena and Rick for including me in their special day. I have always said that what makes a wedding great is when the couple put their love and care into it. Lena and Rick have shown unequivocally that you don’t have to have a large budget to showcase love.

___

Tara and John celebrate their wedding on top of the world at Marbles Kids Museum, April 3, 2010

Tara and John were so much fun to get to know. They had some unusual ideas for their wedding and I loved being a part of something so out of the ordinary.

To begin with, John told me all the groomsmen were wearing Converse high tops for the wedding and that his in particular were to be embroidered with their wedding date. Love the idea.

And Tara’s father was going to play trumpet for the Bridal Party processional before escorting his daughter down the aisle. A terrific addition!

They planned their wedding to take place in the Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh. By day this incredible place hosts hundreds of kids of all ages in the various play exhibits on its grounds and by night it transforms into a great, urban event location with a tremendous ambiance. Tara and John took full advantage of this in their decorations.

Here is where we stood for the ceremony.

This is the world globe on the floor of the museum, on which the tables and dance floor were located.

Here is the lobby area, set up for the festivities. A full bar is to the right, out of view.

And here are the clever decorations around the room, mixed in with the museum decor.

This is their festive cupcake tower, provided by Square Rabbit of Raleigh.

Right across the street was the Caffé Luna, which hosted the rehearsal dinner and catered the food for the wedding reception. They offer excellent Italian cuisine and are always a big hit with guests.

Others on hand to make the event a success;

Flowers - Fallon’s Flowers
DJ - Zack Martin, AKA DJ Allwayz
Photographer - Tara’s brother
Trumpet - Tara’s father
___

It was a special wedding and promised to be a fun celebration into the wee hours of the morning. Here’s one of my favorite photos taken that night, of John and his Groomsmen (his dad and brothers) wearing their famous high tops.

Tara and John, may you have a wonderful life together doing things the way you like them best... unexpectedly.
___

Mimi and Tanner blend Hindu and Christian traditions to create a unique ceremony - July 24, 2009 - The Forest Theater, Chapel Hill

Mimi and Tanner, coming from Hindu, Baptist and Catholic backgrounds, wanted to honor and include all the traditions in their ceremony so they contacted Guru Shukla (a Hindu Priest) and myself to work with them to create a ceremony that would do exactly that. I have worked with Guru Shukla before and his ceremonies are always special for he takes the time to explain to all assembled what the significance is of each portion of the Hindu wedding ceremony. Because at their root all religions profess the same values, it is much easier than one might expect to blend the Hindu and Christian texts and traditions to create a beautiful ceremony - and this wedding was quite touching with the mix chosen by Mimi and Tanner.

Here is a photo of Guru Shukla as he sets up the stage for the Hindu portions of the ceremony. Normally, a Hindu wedding takes many hours, but our ceremony had to be limited because of time constraints.

The ceremony took place in the beautiful old Forest Theater on the UNC campus in Chapel Hill. The theater dates back to 1916, when it was first used as an outdoor theater. Hewn from the rock of the hill on which it sits, there is a marvelous old world charm about it that I love

This photo is Guru Shukla in the side entrance to the stage. You can see the stones used in the wall from the building of the theater.

This next photo is the amphitheater seating cut into the stone, going up the side of the hill. (It is much more steep than it looks here.)

And here is the actual stage itself, set up for our ceremony. The ceremony took place within the yellow rose petals strewn on the ground. The chairs on each side were for the parents to sit and participate in the ceremony. The dark spots in a line on the right center of the photo are actually leaves that mark the Seven important elements of a couple’s life together and therefore the seven steps that are required to begin them. Looking carefully at the far chairs, you can also see the two garlands that the Bride and Groom will exchange during the ceremony.

Because the ceremony was to be about including everyone, there were no specific dress styles required. Some wore western style clothing and some wore saris, but all the bridesmaid dresses were soft neutral tones that picked up the various colors of the stones. I thought Mimi’s dress was one of the most exquisite wedding gowns I had ever seen and she looked beautiful in it. It had the perfect feel for their wedding in Nature. And Tanner’s tennis shoes - what a great, unexpected touch!

Mimi and Tanner were initially attracted to each other because of their shared love of philosophy so it came as no surprise when they told me they wanted to write something to each other and keep it secret until the wedding. As you might imagine, their choices were personal and touching and Tanner’s was a poem he wrote for Mimi. Couched inside both readings were secret meanings that only they understood and I could see that they were both affected by each other’s words. It was another sweet part of the ceremony.

Mimi and Tanner are soon to move to New York to start out on a new phase of their lives, but I know they will always hold a special place in their hearts for the unique way they chose to begin their married life. Being pronounced husband and wife in both the Hindu and Christian traditions, they go forward with the blessings of all those who love them dearly.

___

Other vendors on hand to make the wedding a success;

Wedding Planner - Cara Zuelke of A Southern Soiree (what an INCREDIBLE job she did!!)

Photographer - Meredith Davenport of Christian Oth Studios

Sound Equipment - Ken Holmes of Joe Bunn DJ Company

Musicians - Elegant Ensembles

___

FYI; I have recently learned that 2009 will be the last year weddings are going to be held in the Forest Theater. Such sad news. I am going to miss it. If you are thinking about having your ceremony there, you should contact the theater right away to learn if your date and time are still available.

___