Mikki and Hector Create a Beautiful Celebration of Love at Preston-Woodall House in Benson, NC

Mikki and Hector have a wonderful love story. Hector is originally from San Salvador and when he came to America he went to work for Mikki’s father in the construction business. Mikki worked there, too, and her dad asked Hector to watch over her when she was at job sites. Hector was dutiful to this assignment and eventually (7 years later!) the two of them started noticing each other as more than just coworkers. Through many long conversations over Coca-Colas, a friendship grew that eventually deepened into love.

They decided to marry at the stately Preston-Woodall House in Benson, NC. Presided over by the Special Events Manager, Diane Seymore, it was the perfect choice for the completely heartfelt and DIY wedding they had put together.

Mikki has her own drywall business these days and can put up drywall with the best of them - but she is also quite a handy lady on many other levels, too, with a lot of creative ideas and the know-how for implementation!

For starters, she made all the Bridesmaid jewelry, as well as jewelry for herself and the Flower Girl.

Notice the touches of crystal she added to the lovely vines that decorated the pillars of the pergola where the ceremony took place.

This interesting family tree was created by Mikki and Hector. The way the family added themselves to the tree was to dip their fingers in a pot of paint and then put their fingerprint somewhere on a tree branch. I would have loved to have seen that all filled in by the end of the night!

Birds were the theme of the event and they were everywhere on display... especially lovebirds. This very clever tree of birds was the seating chart - you found your bird hanging from a branch and the bird had your name and table assignment.

The table names were named for towns in both their countries. The names were written on a small chalkboard, edged in moss, and they stood next to an arrangement of flowers. Each floral vase stood on a beautiful slice of wood that Hector had cut and sanded. He had needed to heat the wood prior to all this to make sure he got out any bugs that might have been inside the wood. Big job, Hector!

On their table, Mikki and Hector had written “Mr. and Mrs.” and they had two lovebirds sitting there with another bird perched atop the chalkboard.

The rings were carried in by the very handsome Ring Bearer, Hector’s nephew, and he carried them in the same moss used on the tables. They looked beautiful in that moss and he handled them so carefully.

For the ceremony they had chosen some very special moments to share between themselves. Mikki had lost a sister and Hector his father and they chose a very unique way to honor them during the ceremony. They had each written letters to their loved one and during the ceremony they tied those letters to balloons and sent them aloft. 

They also had special signs for the chairs where the person would have been sitting had they been there. It was all very touching and as those balloons went up, it was all I could do to stop the tears from welling up in my eyes and throat.

They also added an Anniversary Box ceremony to the wedding. They had written secret love letters to each other, to be placed inside a box with a couple of bottles of Coke (remember those long early talks over Cokes mentioned earlier?). On their first anniversary they plan to open the box, read the letters and share the Cokes. Very sweet.

Their beloved dog, Boudreaux was also there, wearing his own tux and looking pretty happy to be included.

This beautiful wedding cake, made by Cinda’s Creative Cakes, was topped with its own pair of lovebirds and sat on one of Hector’s wooden slabs. What a unique cake plate it made!

Their DJ was the fun DJ Richie, of RJ Entertainment, who always knows how to keep a party hopping. He was the perfect choice for Mikki and Hector‘s fun, high energy!

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Other wedding professionals who helped Mikki and Hector create their wonderful wedding;

Photographer - Jamie Blow - J and J Photography
Videographer - Phil McInnis - Twenty-One Films
Flowers - Tracy Huntley - Springwell Gardens
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(Update  10/21/11 - I have just learned their photographer has put up a blog post with the photos from the wedding. Great collection - and they captured the letters on the balloons. So happy to see that special moment again.)
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Mikki and Hector, it was a real treat to get to know you and to be a part of such a special wedding. As long as I live, I will never forget your sending your love and prayers to your father and sister on those balloons. I still get choked up every time I think about it.
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Valentines Day Puppy Wallpapers, Valentine Puppy Pictures

For many people, puppies are their family members whom they always carry along with and even sleep together. Valentines day is also celebrated with these cute little puppies who sometimes carry message, basket or gift holding through their teeth for the other person. Watch them and their beauty as expressed in these Valentines Day Puppy Wallpapers

for free.

Cheri and Kelley become Life Partners, February 13, 2010

When Cheri and Kelley contacted me to be a part of their commitment ceremony in their home, I was so pleased that I could be there for them on such a special day in their lives. The love between them had come shining through in their emails and it always warms my heart to be around people so deeply in love. That’s one of the best things about my work and it feeds my soul to see love manifest in so many ways for so many lives.

Cheri and Kelley have a deep and abiding spiritual faith and know for certain that God brought them together. They have been friends since childhood days in the same neighborhood and when Life brought itself full circle, they visited each other again after six years and that friendship bloomed into an amazing love that has transformed both their lives.

This ceremony and gathering of friends and family was all about love and being there for each other. The Unity Candle was engraved with a wonderful saying that speaks perfectly of their love and the box that held their rings said all the rest.

    

They had an altar set up, holding their personal vows, the rings and the Unity Candles. Set into one of the most interesting wooden bowls and pedestals I have ever seen, it made a beautiful presentation of the love it was there to represent and contain.


All around the altar were photos of beloved family members, which put a special glow into the room. An Aunt and Uncle even called during the ceremony so we included them by having them offer their blessings to the happy couple while they were still on the phone. 

As you might expect, with so much love in abundance, there were tears of happiness and moments of sweetest tenderness. Cheri had written a poem to Kelley but she was so overcome with emotion that her sister, Angie, had to read it for her - as Kelley wiped Cheri’s tears away. By the time they read the sincere and beautiful vows they had written to each other there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!

After the ceremony was over and the photos were taken, Cheri and Kelley took a moment to snuggle with their dog, Barkley. He’s their baby and he seemed very happy to have his parents making everything official at last - and now get back to paying him some attention.

I learned after the ceremony that they had designed a logo for the 3 of them (Kelley, Cheri and Barkley) and had it tattooed on their ankles. Notice the Roman numeral 13 in the tatoo. Thirteen is very significant to them and it is why they chose to have their ceremony on February 13. While some consider 13 to be an unlucky number, in ancient times it was an auspicious omen of good things to come and a firm foundation under your feet. Seems most appropriate here.

Cheri and Kelley are quite a special couple and I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of their love on that day. I now have two more very kind friends. Here is a photo of us all together.

Because it was important to Cheri and Kelley that God be present at their ceremony, I wrote the ceremony around a quote from The Song of Solomon; “This is my beloved, and this is my friend.” Here they are with their hands on that verse in their Bible. I love this photo. It captures who both of them truly are. My compliments to the photographer.

Ladies, you have touched my heart. The sweetness of your ceremony and the kindnesses you have shown me I will carry with me always. You are sure to have a blessed life together.
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Jenna and Chris celebrate family with their wedding at Parizade in Durham, October 11, 2009

Jenna and Chris are a fun couple and I was very much looking forward to being a part of their wedding. When we got together to create the framework for their ceremony and I was hearing all the things they had been working on, I couldn’t wait to see it all come together. It was all very beautiful, heartfelt and special, just as I had imagined. Jenna’s dad had even written the music to which he escorted her into the ceremony, appropriately entitled, Jenna’s Song.

Their adorable little Jr. Bridesmaid and Flower Girls were waiting to have their photo taken after the ceremony and I couldn’t resist taking this cute shot.

The ceremony was held in the courtyard of the Parizade restaurant in Durham. What an amazing place this is and it would lend itself perfectly to any kind of event. We all stood in front of the statued waterfall for the ceremony and what a magnificent backdrop it was!

Guests lingered in the courtyard while the photos were taken and the Bride and Groom were presented and had their first dance.

One of the Bridesmaid’s husbands had carved this magnificent monogrammed pumpkin to be the centerpiece of the head table. How very clever! The glow it put out in the dim light of the evening was just beautiful.

Jenna is an educator at the Museum of Life and Science so she knows a thing or two about how to entertain children. Since all the children guests were little girls, Jenna and Chris created this amazing kids’ table, complete with balloons, feather boas and fairy wings for each girl. The crayons came out almost as quickly as the wings went on. I even saw one of the waiters flirting with the girls when they got him to put on a white boa to match his uniform. It was just adorable.

Jenna and Chris wanted to celebrate their families - both those who were with them and those who were not - so we included those not able to be with us with a mention of their names and a moment of silence during the ceremony. It was very touching.

Jenna’s parents married in 1975 and Jenna and Chris used the cake topper they had used for their wedding so long ago.

Jenna also carried an exact duplicate of her mother’s daisy bouquet, made lovingly by the woman at a Lowe’s Grocery floral department. Jenna told me the woman had taken so much time to make it exactly right and I am sorry that I didn’t get her name to sing her praises here. I don’t think I ever remember a bride carrying a bouquet exactly like her mother’s before and it was such a sweet and touching homage to her mom.

She also wore her grandmother’s necklace as a bracelet. This necklace was always worn by her grandmother and her two sisters have also worn it at their weddings. That is fast becoming quite an heirloom.

To further show the heart of the event, check out Jenna’s wedding shoes.

The music for the event was provided by Jason Eder of Complete Music. What a great professional for someone so young. During the ceremony, my lapel mic went out and Jason had given a hand mic to a reader. She handed it to the end groomsman and one by one they all handed it up to me so I could be heard. How thoughtful of them all! Many guests came up to me afterwards to tell me how happy they were to have been able to have heard the ceremony so kudos to you all for saving the day.

I think the thing that touched me most about Jenna and Chris’ wedding, though, was their unique take on wedding favors for their guests. Many loved ones have been lost to major illnesses in both their families so instead of a favor, the guests were asked to choose a charity and drop their place cards in one of the boxes provided and a donation would be made in their name to that charity. I lost my dad a few years ago to cancer, so I chose that box, and I must say it was a very moving moment to add my card to the box.

Here is the explanation card they had displayed with the donation boxes.

And these are the boxes with the names of the charities and the family members in whose honor the donation will be made. Very touching.

They had wanted to have their dog, Dieter, with them, but it just wasn’t practical. He was there anyway, though, because someone had taken a photo of him wearing a bandana that said, “Congratulations, Mom and Dad.” (Unfortunately, my camera skills are lacking in being able to read his bandana, but it was really cute.)

It was a magical evening with lots of love flowing all around and many special elements coming together to make it moving on so many levels. It was an honor to be a part of it and I will happily add my congratulations to Dieter’s... WOOF!!

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Kaitlin and Mark marry July 25, 2009 at E. Carroll Joyner Park in Raleigh

Kaitlin and Mark met because of their dogs. His is a great Dane who comes up to my chin (!) and hers is a boxer mix who is no slouch in the size department, either. They are great dogs and I was definitely enjoying being around them. The four of them make a really cute family unit.

Because the dogs brought them together, it was important to Kaitlin and Mark that the dogs be with us for the ceremony - so we all walked from the house over to the chosen location in the park, with the dogs chomping at the bit to be let off the leashes.

Kaitlin, who had to have unexpected emergency surgery just 3 days prior to the wedding (!) was determined to make sure things went off as planned, regardless. She was quite the trouper walking such a distance in that summer heat, but she was a radiant bride all the same. Mark was watching out for her and it was sweet to see.

They wanted to be married with only their parents and dogs in attendance and had put together a lovely ceremony that included special elements from all their parents. His mom did a hand ceremony, his father said a prayer, her mother read from the Scriptures and I provided the vows and the pronouncement of marriage. Couldn’t have been simpler - or more touching. Exactly what they wanted. And the dogs stayed right beside us as the ceremony progressed.

The location chosen was the new E. Carroll Joyner park right across the street from their home in Wake Forest. What a nice park! It is apparently an old homestead with a restored barn and other buildings, plus a log cabin, sitting in an old pecan grove. It has been beautifully restored and landscaped and its quiet serenity was perfect for the ceremony. (I’d love to know how old those pecan trees are. They are huge.)

On hand to take the photographs was Abbie Cooke of Chariot Creative. Her husband, Jason, was her “roadie” for the day and helped with her equipment and also the dogs. (Very thoughtful, Jason.) Abbie is growing her photography business and watching her work it is obvious she has a good eye and will be very successful. Her photos of the wedding are sure to be terrific.

Kaitlin and Mark, it was a true joy to be a part of your beautiful wedding and to share in all the love that was surrounding you from your parents and your dogs. You are sure to have a wonderful life ahead of you. Thanks for inviting me to be a part of your special day.