Penny and Aric exchange vows at Martha’s Chapel in Apex, January 16, 2010

Penny and Aric met in a most unusual way - they met at the airport waiting for the same flight to Boston. Or at least Aric thought it was the same flight. He found out later that he had been waiting at the wrong gate, but what a lucky mistake! A long distance romance quickly followed and eventually Aric moved south to be with Penny, who is a local wedding photographer (Penny Noell Photography).

Penny and Aric are all about family and kids, even though they don’t yet have any of their own, so they decided to have their Bridal Party made up of the children of their family and friends. It was the first all-child Bridal Party I have ever witnessed and they were just adorable and probably stole the show. In the first photo Penny and Aric are shown with their Jr. Bridesmaid and below is a photo of all the Bridal Party in the gazebo outside the church. What a bunch of charmers.

The beautiful bouquets and altar arrangements were provided by Rachel at Tre Bella Florist. Here is a close-up of Penny’s wonderful bouquet.

The altar flowers were placed to honor family members who had passed on.

The wedding took place at the historic old Martha’s Chapel in Apex. In the photo above you see the serene mural painted at the back of the altar area that gives an added charm to the little church. Built before the Civil War, it saw its share of sorrow and pain during that war and has weathered many a strong storm through the almost 200 years that it has stood. One hurricane even took the bell tower off so they shortened it afterwards to keep that from happening again.

After the wedding, everyone went outside for the formal photos and it was quite an effort to gather all the Bridal Party around, especially when the piled up leaves were spotted. I don’t think there’s a kid alive who can resist those, no matter how they are dressed.

Waiting to take everyone to The Carolina Inn for the reception was this limousine, courtesy of Blue Diamond Limos in Raleigh. Now that’s riding in style!

The reception was held in the famous Old Well Room of The Carolina Inn and it was a sumptuous feast. The tables all had floating candles and flowers and the candlelight flickering off all the glassware was a beautiful sight.

Their amazing wedding cake was provided by Chuck and Wayne of Swank Cake Design. It was one of the most elegant cakes I have ever seen and I have tried to capture some of the intricate details in these photos.

Here’s the Groom’s cake - bet all the sports fans in attendance were smiling at his design.

The wedding planner for the whole event was Barbara Clark of An Elegant Affair and as usual, she did a superb job of keeping everyone on track and helping Penny and Aric create the magical day and evening they had envisioned. Here she is on the left, chatting with Joan, one of the charming guests at our table.

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Other vendors on hand to make the day and evening such a success were;

Hair and makeup - Margo Williams of Belloviso

Music - for the ceremony and cocktail hour - Arioso Strings

- the band for the reception, Black and Blue

Photography - Amanda and Rachel with Millie Holloman Photography

Videography - Melissa Davis with Life Stage Videography

Photobooth - Shutterbooth

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It was a wonderful wedding and a great celebration of love all around. I enjoyed meeting Penny and Aric and helping them create such a special wedding celebration. How lucky they had to wait for their flights that first day!

ps.... Aric, thanks for the tip about Stargate Universe.

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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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Corinne and Barry exchange vows at Rosehill Plantation, July 5, 2009

Corinne and Barry were determined to have their wedding outside so we waited as the rainy weather left us guessing for a while. But in the end, despite a remaining sprinkle, the chairs were wiped off and the wonderful guests braved the rain to be there for Corinne and Barry’s beautiful ceremony in the gazebo by the pond. Their determination turned out to be worth it because the misty weather added a special charm to their event. And weren’t the wedding colors beautiful in that setting!

They chose the Rosehill Conference Center as the setting for the wedding and reception and what a special location it is. Sitting in the countryside of Nashville, NC, this stately home and grounds, with its beautiful pond and gazebo, presents a lovely wedding venue that is tucked away from the world.

The reception was held in Nathan Hall and my little camera lens just wasn’t big enough to catch the full grandeur of the room.

One of the highlights of the evening was Corinne and Barry’s first dance. It started out as you would expect, with a sweet little slow dance, but before long they surprised us all with a rousing dance routine that went through all the different styles of dance. They had worked on their routine for over 3 months and their DJ, Randy Bennett, of Joe Bunn DJ Company, had helped them put together the songs to fit the different styles. It was so much fun to watch as they changed from one style of music and dance into the next and changed props as they went. The videographers, Alex Mingel and Ryan Whelan of Mirrored Memories, were on hand to catch the whole thing and as soon as they have the editing finished, I will include the video here. I can’t wait to see their dance again!

Corinne and Barry are a very special couple and it was a lot of fun to be a part of the planning of their ceremony - and to be included at their reception so I could witness that great dance. Rosehill has a lovely wishing well on the grounds and I hope they made a wish for a long and happy life together before they left.

Melissa and Alan - a classic Hollywood style wedding at Brier Creek Country Club, Raleigh, June 12, 2009

This was a fun wedding from beginning to end and I will never forget all the surprising and amazingly creative things that Melissa and Alan did for their wedding. They wanted the feel of old, classic Hollywood and they created it right down to the smallest detail - and most of the creations they did themselves. The theme was “Feathers-n-Pearls” and the colors were black, white and hot pink, used creatively in everything they did. Melissa even wore a feather and pearls in her hair and made beautiful pearl necklaces for her bridesmaids.

While planning their wedding, Melissa wrote a blog, appropriately called Feathers-n-Pearls. I encourage everyone to read it if you haven’t already. She has so much great information there and you are sure to find it very useful as you plan your wedding. And it’s a fun read. Here’s a link to a post I wrote about it some time back.

The ceremony took place in the wedding garden at Brier Creek Country Club in Raleigh. There is a large arbor there and for weddings white sheers are hung amongst the beams and they billow with the wind. It makes an incredibly beautiful backdrop and suited Melissa and Alan’s plans perfectly.

The pink pomanders that hung from the chairs and were carried in by the flower girl were hand made by Alan and Melissa. They were so beautiful you would never have guessed they were actually made of tissue paper. They found the directions for them online - so there is sure to be a post about it in her blog.

Also in her blog, Melissa mentioned she was dying her wedding petticoat hot pink and I couldn’t wait to see it at the wedding. Here’s a photo of the finished product - it perfectly matched her bouquet. Nice touch.

Unbelievably, with all the many other things Alan and Melissa did for their wedding, they also found time to write a beautiful ceremony that reflected their feelings for each other as well as their guests. They included a lovely Sand Ceremony and one of their guests caught a great shot of them pouring the sand. (Love those smiles!)

Once the ceremony was concluded, we all went inside for the reception and what a treat for the senses awaited us there! There was the tallest chocolate fountain I had ever seen and lots of hors d’oeuvres, all laid out beautifully. Yum!

But the real treat were the table decorations. Following the feathers and pearls theme, the table centerpieces, created by The English Garden, were very Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard)

and absolutely perfect for the occasion. The tables glistened with the crystal, pearls and candles and each table was named for a Hollywood Icon - Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Cary Grant... just to name a few.

The beautiful cake, created by Cinda’s Creative Cakes, was a knockout and the topper was absolutely perfect for the event. Everywhere you turned it was one amazing thing after the other and it was a total delight to be a part of such a fun and creative evening. I am sure their friends and family will be telling them for years how great their wedding was.

Alyse Woodward of Alyse Woodward Events was the wedding planner and she kept everything rolling along on schedule. There was a lot to oversee for this wedding and she seemed to take it all in stride. I had never worked with Alyse before but she was a lot of fun to be around and I can see why Melissa and Alan chose her.

The photographer for the event was April Sirit of Evoke Photography. I watched her work from the sidelines and she took so many wonderful-looking photos that Melissa and Alan are going to have trouble deciding on just a few hundred. That’s going to be a huge wedding album! Can’t wait to see the final shots once they are online.

And of course, where would an event be without a great DJ? Bethany, of All the Right Grooves (an all female DJ company) was on hand to create the musical backdrop for the evening and she had plenty of Ol’ Blue Eyes in there for the theme of the event. And many other classic greats as well, all chosen by Melissa and Alan. I am always amazed at the range of music that DJs have and Bethany is no exception. Good job, girl!

It was a great evening, and as Alan and Melissa sail off into the sunset, I know they are going to live happily ever after.

(cut - print - that’s a wrap!)

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Other vendors who helped make the wedding a success;

Hair and Make-up - Elizabeth Tolley

Video - Keith - K A Studios

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Update -  Melissa and Alan became the proud parents of Dylan Alexander on August 29, 2010. Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

Here are two great photos, taken by their wedding photographer, April Sirit, of Evoke Photography.

Sharing the love of a child brings an incredible new depth to a marriage.
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Beth and Jason set sail on the USS Happily Ever After - May 24, 2009

Beth and Jason, being unique and adventurous, decided that the perfect place for them to go after they recessed out the aisle was to get into a rowboat for their own champagne toast and some private time together. Now, as the ceremony was to be held on a raised platform over a lake, a rowboat was not a problem. But a wedding dress in a rowboat?! And heels?!! Yikes! But Jason’s eyes were sparkling when he said it so I knew it was going to happen - and happen with style. And that it did, as the guests watched from the railing above.

For their celebration, Beth and Jason wanted the framework of the wedding traditions - but with some fun and unexpected twists. My first inkling of how things were going to be different was when I first met with them and Beth told me her bridal attendants were all going to have titles. But there wouldn’t be a Maid of Honor or a Flower Girl and in fact the Ring Bearer was actually going to be a teenage girl. Her title was going to be “Little Miss Bling.” (I was hooked right then and there!) The Flower Girl was going to be the “Princess of Petals” and another little girl who was carrying in the vows to be read during the ceremony was to be “The Keeper of the Vows.” (Wow- this was going to be TONS of fun!)

Beth then explained that the Bridesmaids were all the “girls that give me strength” and their titles were going to describe what they were “made” of instead of them just being a “maid.” (Clever.) So here’s her list;

Made of Awesome (her sister in the Maid of Honor role)

Made of Friendship

Made of Music

Made of Sweetness

Made of Courage (this Brides-made is a police woman)

Jason told me that while he did not have individual titles for his Groomsmen, they were in fact the “guys that got my back” and for that reason they were all equally important to him. And I could definitely see this was true at the rehearsal and on the wedding day. Strong friendships all around.

And check out the shoe attire for after the wedding;

On hand to make the music jump and keep the soundtrack for the event going strong was the ever fun and efficient DJ Richie of RJ Entertainment. Richie and I have worked together only a few times, but I can tell you he is a consummate professional. He encourages his clients to choose music that reflects them and their style and Beth and Jason did exactly that. Listening to all the tunes they had chosen I couldn’t believe my ears. Even Bob Dylan?! Yeah! It was an eclectic mix - but then I should have expected that with Beth and Jason. Here’s a photo of DJ Richie, and the shadow in the foreground is me taking his picture. Yes, I know. Pretty klutzy. But luckily they didn’t hire me as their photographer.

Who they did hire for their photographer, though, was the husband and wife team of Erin and Joshua DeFisher. I had not met them before but they obviously work well together and from the shots I saw them taking, I can’t wait to see the rehearsal and wedding photos! Their company is J & E Photography and I went to look at their website after I got home from the rehearsal. Nice work. Based on what I saw, Beth and Jason are sure to be very pleased with the results and hopefully Erin and Josh will remember to send me some photos to post here.

The videographer, Rob Johnson of R E Johnson Productions, was an active man with a clever and practical front harness that kept his camera steady and ready - and he was fun to watch in action. He was so agile he could dart and sprint like a cat to catch the action and the videos he and his assistant, Mary Lou Bell, (who had her camera stationary on a tripod) put together are sure to be lots of fun. Wish I could be a fly on the wall while they are being watched.

The wedding and reception were held at Bass Lake Retreat in Holly Springs. This is a wonderful location for a wedding as it sits at the edge of - and extends a bit above - the water of Bass Lake. It also has a nice room for a reception, can hold a fairly good sized group inside and out, and as the day retreats and the water gets still, it takes on a serenity that just can’t be beat.

Serving up the food for the evening was the catering company, Lip Service, owned by Chef John Gilreath. Beth and the chef are long-time friends and she and her sister often help out when needed, so you can be sure that Chef John was going all out for Beth and Jason‘s wedding feast. Lip Service can be reached by phone at 919-859-8100.

Another chef in her own right was Granny Kay and she provided

all the sweet goodies. No small feat, that. I had more than one person tell me I hadn’t lived until I had tasted Granny Kay’s this or that item so I’m sure there was nothing left by the time everyone went home.

Beth and Jason did so many fun and unique things for their wedding and as I write this post, they are honeymooning in Greece. Sounds like a perfect place for a couple with such a strong zest for life!

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