Sherry and Mark Marry on Mark’s Birthday, January 9, 2011, at Caffé Luna

Because of timing, it worked out that Sherry and Mark were planning to marry on Mark’s birthday. They gathered with their family and friends at Caffé Luna in Raleigh, a wonderful wedding location, full of bright, cheery light. And perfect for this happy wedding celebration.

Their daughters were their bridal party and held the rings for them during the vows. As the girls entered, they lit candles for their parents to combine later in a Family Unity Candle ceremony. This is always a nice touch to include in a wedding and even more so when there are children of any age. Families are about love and it was certainly in evidence here.

The wedding took place in the front portion of the Caffé Luna and the tables were set up in the next room, waiting for the guests. Sherry and Mark had chosen lovely silver and cobalt accents for the table centerpieces. I loved the “Bluebirds of Happiness.”

The favors at each place setting were porcelain bird salt and pepper shakers - a very unexpected and useful gift with a sweet message on the box.

The DJ for the event was Eric Hodgden of All Around Raleigh DJ Company. He was very nice to work with, had a great song repertoire and a winning smile. He also did extra duty on some last minute maintenance work for Mark’s suit. I’ll be looking forward to working with him again.

Before the wedding began, Mark was getting nervous because the cake had not arrived. Little did he know that the cake was there, just hidden in the back to be brought out during the reception. The reason? Instead of a wedding cake, Sherry wanted to surprise him with a birthday cake, made by her friend.  I was so sorry I wasn’t able to stay and see his face when he saw it. Before I left, I was able to get a quick shot of it - not yet fully decorated - as it sat in the box waiting for its presenation. 

Sherry and Mark, as I watched your faces while you said your vows, your feelings for each other were glowing in your eyes and your smiles. I hope those smiles remain in your lives forever. Thank you for including me at your very sweet and happy wedding.

Rebecca and Mike Celebrate a Love Story with a Happy Ending, November 6, 2010

 

Many of us have gone to the movies to watch a love story, but Rebecca and Mike’s own love story actually started at a movie theater when they were working together in high school. Life took them in different directions after graduation, but Mike's feelings for Rebecca never changed. He said he was just waiting for Life to bring her back to him... which it did about 2 years ago. And low and behold, Rebecca's heart was still open, too, so that little spark from long ago grew into a mighty flame.

Naturally, they could not have their wedding without some reference to their relationship's beginning so everyone received a familiar popcorn box full of the traditional concession stand candies we all love. Attached to each box was their story and the Carmike tickets decorating the boxes were saved from the actual movie theater at which they worked so long ago. You would have thought they were saved just for this day! It was absolutely charming and a big hit with all the guests.

They chose as their wedding location the bright and cheery Rand-Bryan House in Garner. I love doing weddings there because all the sunshine streams into the house from the expansive grounds and it always feels so clean and happy. Here are the tables set up from the front room into the sunroom.

And notice the clean and simple centerpieces which, along with all the wedding florals, were provided by Tre Bella Florist.

On hand to coordinate everything and make sure it all went off perfectly was Jenn Carlin of Triangle Catering. Not only in charge of the food and decorations, she was a wiz at keeping everyone on schedule so Rebecca and Mike's plans were handled in style. Very efficient and most patient and kind, I will certainly be looking forward to working with her again at future weddings. Here she is directing guests when they arrived.

It was a glorious day for a wedding and even the trees were in full autumn splendor for the celebration. Although you can't see it very well in this photo, the DJ, Frank Meldau of Joe Bunn DJ Company, was on hand to provide the musical backdrop for the day and he placed himself inside the little brick shelter under the tree. The wedding was held in the lawn to the right of this tree.

The clean, simple elegance of the day was picked up in the cake by Jennifer Stevens of  Ambrosia Cake Creations. Her cakes are always so beautiful.

After the wedding, where Rebecca and Mike had spoken beautiful, hand-written vows to each other, the guests went to the house for refreshments. These inviting tables were placed along the front porch area of the house.

This table was set up to hold the guest book and gift cards as well as the unique cake plate that all the guests were to sign as a wedding keepsake for the Bride and Groom.

Rebecca and Mike had contacted me for their wedding because a few years earlier I had ministered the wedding of Mike's sister, Christiana. Christiana and her husband, David, were in Rebecca and Mike's wedding party and it was great to see them again and see them still blissfully in love. I always love running into couples I've married and this happy occasion was especially nice for a reunion.

The photographers for the day were Karen Bonneau and Monte Mauney of Bonneau and Mauney Photography. They were all over the place and surely must have gotten some amazing shots.

Rebecca and Mike, your love story touched my heart and most assuredly the hearts of everyone who knows and loves you. So now you start on the sequel. There are so many wonderful story lines ahead of you and I hope every one of them continues to have a happy ending.

Erica and Paul Marry with the Splendor of Autumn Colors, October 16, 2010

Erica and Paul wanted an outdoor wedding that was fun, casual and laid-back. They started by choosing The Inn at Celebrity Dairy in Siler City as the location. A working goat farm, it is not a place one would think of for a wedding, but that is actually part of its charm. It is relaxed and rustic and you can even help them feed the goats if you like. (The goat cheese they make is delicious!)

Because it is October, they decided to use an autumn theme for the wedding decorations. Everything was absolutely beautiful and there are so many clever things to show you.

Here are their colorful aisle, arbor and sunflower bouquets.

They even came up with a creative way to camouflage a drainage pipe that was near where the Bridesmaids would stand!

The reception tent was aglow with beautiful autumn colors.

 And the place card holders were these cute little pine cones.

The great room of the Inn is a huge expanse of bright light. Along the walls are colorful paintings and a long table runs down the center. Complete with a stone fireplace on one side, it is easy to see why people like to be there so much.

These are their delicious-looking cookies, made by their friend who owns a bakery named Half Baked (what a great name). Erica made the hand-drawn labels and Paul wrapped and labeled the cookies.

They also had paper leaves laid out for the guests to write them notes upon and then hang the leaves on the branches in the pots. How wonderful that must have looked with all the leaf-notes hanging.

They had placed a photo of themselves between wedding photos of their parents. A heartfelt note to all the guests was another nice touch.

And what an unexpected way to set out their ceremony programs.

Erica and Paul read poems to each other during the ceremony and they were a big hit with the guests. It’s always nice to hear laughter at a wedding because you know the guests are enjoying what is going on. For this couple and their guests, the fun and laughter were going to continue into the wee hours of the morning.

The photographer for the day was Geoff Johnson of Geoff Johnson Films. He took some wonderful photos, a few of which are already posted on his blog and Facebook page. Here’s a link to the great slideshow he put together. I love his style and he captured the feel of the day perfectly. The aisle photo above is Geoff’s work and this photo of Paul twirling Erica is one of my favorites. 

Erica and Paul, I so enjoyed being a part of your beautiful wedding celebration. May your marriage and your lives continue to glow with many happy days of fun and laughter.

Kellsie and Nanuvyen join forces to fight for the powers of love and goodness, February 27, 2010

Crystal and Elliott are a quiet, unassuming couple who met through playing the internet game, World of Warcraft. This was my first time encountering a couple with this beginning, but I must say, they do seem very well suited for each other. When they were telling me about it, they seemed shy to tell me how they met, but listening to their story, it sounded quite adventurous and romantic and I am so happy for them that they found each other.

Crystal’s character is named Kellsie and Elliott’s character is named Nanuvyen. Their colors in the game are ivory and pink, respectively, so Crystal and Elliott chose those colors for the wedding and reception decorations. Notice Elliott’s pink bow tie and vest and Crystal’s ivory gown.

Along with their family, many of the online friends they have made through the game came to join them for the ceremony and the revelry that followed afterwards. It made for a fun gathering and I could tell it was going to be a great celebration with family and friends. Here they are right after the wedding, with everyone around them.

The ceremony was held in the front parlor of the wonderful Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern in Raleigh and the reception was held downstairs in the airy, sunlit atrium. Located downtown, the restaurant is the historic Dodd-Hinsdale House, in the Second Empire architectural style, that has been converted into a dining treat. If you have not been, I heartily recommend it. The restaurant has won numerous awards, the food is delicious and the atmosphere top rate. Not to mention the staff are excellent. Tracy Thorpe, the Manager and Special Events Coordinator, was on hand as always to make sure it was an exemplary environment for the wedding and reception.

It was a beautiful, sunny day to match the happy characters of Crystal, Elliott - and all their guests. On each plate in the reception were packets of flower seeds with a cute poem on them that I think speaks perfectly of how Crystal and Elliott see their future;

May your life together bring you all the joys, the excitement, the adventures and the love that you foresee.

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.

___