Megan and Jeremy marry July 25, 2009 in the Apple Orchard at Fearrington Village

It was a beautiful summer day for a wedding. After 10 years of knowing each other, Megan and Jeremy decided it was finally time to get married so they chose Fearrington Village as the location for the ceremony, which was held in the apple orchard by the large arbor. Standing on the brick steps heading into the arbor, Megan and Jeremy were glowing in the sunshine. They both looked radiant with happiness and the sun shining through Megan’s veil onto her hair and face was just beautiful.

Helping them keep everything going on time was Cheryl Jansen van Rensberg of Fearrington Village. Fearrington Village is a great location for a wedding because aside from the beautiful setting and professional service, they can also provide the wedding cake, flowers, reception - and even a wedding night suite. Everything is always first class and Megan and Jeremy made a wise choice to use their all-inclusive services.

All the floral decorations, bouquets and boutonnieres were provided by Fearrington Village and you can see here how full of lively color everything was. It was beautiful. The pomanders on the aisle chairs matched the ones hanging from the top of the arbor above the Bride and Groom and even the flower petals thrown by the Flower Girls were bright, multi-colored petals, which looked beautiful on the grass and the brick of the steps.

A drink table was thoughtfully provided for the guests to enjoy before the ceremony began. In the hot summer heat, that was a most welcome addition. Water, tea and lemonade - pure Southern elegance.

A string trio for the ceremony was provided by Arioso Strings. Composed of Mary Page Block and Rebekah Carlson on violin and David Oh on cello, they were exemplary. I always know when I see them that the music is going to be special. And it definitely was.

At the end of the ceremony Megan and Jeremy exited out the aisle and their guests joined them in the parking lot. In a shower of bubbles from the guests, the newlyweds headed out for some private time in a limousine ride. What a clever way to escape the craziness for a few minutes and just be together to savor your new status as husband and wife. That must have been a very special time for them.

The photographer for the event was Shane Snider of Shane Snider Photography. His card says, “different wedding photography,” and that is certainly true. His work speaks for itself. Can’t wait to see his photos of this lovely wedding when they are posted.

The reception was held in The Barn at Fearrington. Keeping things jumping was the ever lively Ken Holmes of Joe Bunn DJ Company. Ken is always fun to work with and he and I had just done a wedding together the evening before so it was good to see him again.

Also from Joe Bunn DJ Company was a videographer, Kevin Alexander. He was all over the place with his camera, making it a certainty that the video he makes for Megan and Jeremy will become a precious keepsake.

During a quiet moment, I caught this sweet photo of Megan and the Flower Girls, Abby and Hannah, and couldn’t end without adding it here.

Megan and Jeremy, I wish for you all the grand things Life is sure to hold in store. May all your dreams come true for you in unique and wonderful ways.

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Jenny and Matt marry July 18, 2009, in The Barn at Fearrington Village

Sometimes our good friends really do know us better than we think. Five years ago, a friend set Jenny and Matt up on a blind date - unbeknownst to Jenny, as it turned out. On July 18, almost five years exactly from the day they first met, they were married. Obviously their friend saw something good.

Jenny and Matt live in Virginia but with Jenny’s family living in our area, they decided to come to NC to marry and chose The Barn at Fearrington Village as their setting. On hand at Fearrington Village to make sure all went well for them was the very capable Gilda McDaniel, the Special Events Manager, and she is a whiz. Nothing is ever left to chance with her and she makes things go so smoothly through the whole event that she can become invisible. A real professional.

Who would have ever thought that an old dairy barn could have been turned into such a wonderful location for a wedding? It has a rustic charm all its own and its honest dairy barn heritage gives no outward hint of the change it undergoes when it is all set up for a special event. But my goodness, when all the white lights that are twined around the inside pillars and the giant tree-branch chandeliers are all lit up, it takes on a magic you seldom see. And it was perfect for Jenny and Matt’s wedding.

The music for the ceremony was provided by a wonderful string trio from Florian Music and for the reception, a DJ from Island Sound, Frankie Hagan, did the honors. The Barn can go from classical to any-style music in the blink of an eye and it still works well no matter what. Very versatile.

The DJ, Frankie Hagan, is also very versatile. One of the many hats he wears is that of a dance instructor, so those of you wanting to learn how to wow your partner on the dance floor - or wow your guests with your first dance as husband and wife - check out his personal website.

Covering the photography for the event was Rob Tomlinson of Cutting Edge Photo. Nice man, very kind, and a great photographer. I can’t wait to see the final photos from Jenny and Matt’s wedding. Not only are they a handsome couple to begin with, but watching Rob work I could tell he has a good eye and Jenny and Matt are probably going to have a hard time choosing which photos to pick... they’re all going to be great!

There were also two videographers on hand, Carroll Herndon and James Tigner, both of Island Sound, which I learned that night is a DJ and videography company. They are sure to put together a great final video of the wedding because with two cameras they were able to cover a lot of ground. It was such a fun and happy wedding and the location was so scenic that the video is sure to be full of the many charming and wonderful moments we all experienced.

So take the simple elegance that Jenny and Matt chose for their wedding, add an old dairy barn with a hint of magic and you have the makings for a really special event. Jenny and Matt, I hope the magic lives within you both all the rest of your lives.

(In case you’re wondering, this is the life-size topiary cow that stands in the courtyard of the barn. Nice touch.)

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