Carmen and Tim Marry at The Highgrove Estate in Fuquay-Varina

 Carmen and Tim are a quiet couple who really live life to the fullest, enjoying everything that comes their way. They have a great slant on the world and are sure to have a wonderful time together as husband and wife. They have a black cat they got on Halloween and named “Thirteen.” They took swing dance lessons to surprise everyone for their first dance at the reception. And Tim surprised Carmen by proposing to her at a Hurricanes hockey game, complete with the full proposal photographed on the jumbo tron and the team’s mascot, Stormy, standing beside him. The audience was cheering for her to say, “yes” and her parents were hidden in the stands, making a video of the whole thing. (I wrote a blog post about it and you can read it here.) Yes, I’d say this is a couple who intend to have a rich, full life.

During their ceremony, they wanted to honor Tim’s dad, who had passed, and they did a beautiful Candle of Remembrance for him, with a globe that had been engraved with his father’s name and a memorium. It was beautiful and very touching.

They also included a Unity Candle during the ceremony to indicate the combining of not only their lives, but also their families. Their Unity Candle was very unique in that it appeared to be stones of rock that were actually stones of wax, layered in a black and white pattern. Very pretty.

Because it was a hot summer day in July, the Groomsmen all wore lightweight tan suits - which surely must have been a Godsend to them in that heat - and the Bridesmaids wore these lovely purple, polka dot dresses. First time I’d ever seen polka dots used for Bridesmaid dresses but they were perfect for the day and the ladies will surely be able to wear them for many more special occasions to come. Great choice, Carmen!

The ceremony took place under the pergola in the back of the wonderful Highgrove Estate in Fuquay-Varina. All of us who do weddings in the area are in love with Highgrove and their staff. It’s a great location for weddings and other celebrations and the staff and food are always first rate. They have their own wedding planners there and for Carmen and Tim’s wedding, Angela Wright was at the helm. I always enjoy working with Angela and know she will make sure everything goes perfectly for the couple. (I also learned that Angela is expecting her first child in November of this year. How exciting! My hearty congratulations - motherhood is the best job in the world.)

Here are the front of Highgrove’s main house and the brick patio in the back. The pillars are the front entrance to the new ballroom.

This is the entrance to the new ballroom with its neat chandelier in the front and the equally charming post light that leads down the stairs to the pergola.

Inside the ballroom, where the reception was to be held, everything was in readiness for the celebration to come.

Unfortunately, I was not able to stay and see Carmen and Tim’s first dance but I am sure they must have wowed their guests with their swing dance routine.

As I was leaving, I noticed the sun shining on the gift table in the front dining room of the main house and couldn’t resist getting a photo of it. It struck me that it perfectly matched the feel of the happy, sunny wedding and the hopes and dreams of this special couple for their future.

Others on hand to help make this wedding day so special for Carmen and Tim;

DJ - Aaron Kinne of Anything Music
Photographer - Dustin Naderhoff of Halo Photography
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Carmen and Tim had a great idea for their wedding programs; they included a Celtic design entitled, “What Tree Did You Fall From?” and it showed the name of the tree for each birthday and the symbolism of that tree. I, of course, had to look up myself and all my family members to see if it was accurate and it was - uncannily so.

Carmen and Tim’s wedding date was symbolized by a fir tree and in reading the meaning of it, I found this;

“extraordinary taste and dignity, sophisticated, loves anything beautiful, cares for those close to them, rather modest, very ambitious, talented, industrious, many friends, very reliable”

Yes, I’d say that about covers it.

Carmen and Tim, I loved being a part of your wedding day and know you are going to have a fun and amazing life together.
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Tim Surprises Carmen with a Proposal at a Carolina Hurricanes Hockey Game

There are so many wonderful stories of how men propose to their sweethearts and I was privileged to learn of another special proposal when I met with Carmen and Tim about their wedding. They are a very nice couple who are planning to marry this July at Highgrove Estate and I was so happy that they decided to sign with me. Tim seemed very quiet at first, but I did notice there was a twinkle in his eyes. As our conversation progressed, his sense of humor bubbled out and it became clear that he is going to keep Carmen laughing throughout their life. The surprise he pulled off for the proposal just proves it.

Being the big Hurricanes fans that they are, they went to a hockey game the day after Tim’s birthday, seemingly like any other game. But beforehand Tim had spoken with Carmen’s parents and the powers that be at the arena so he could surprise Carmen and have it be televised on the jumbotron. The ‘Canes even had their mascot, Stormy, be the attendant!

When the time came, the words flashed on the screen (see the photo above), Stormy materialized, the ring came out and Tim asked Carmen to marry her. What an amazing surprise that must have been and it was all caught on the jumbotron for everyone in the stands to witness and cheer. Carmen’s parents were hidden up in the stands and they were able to get a video of the whole thing. What a treasure that is going to be!

Afterwards, Carmen’s parents found the happy couple and with hugs and smiles all around, the rest of the night was probably a blur for Carmen. She must have been walking 10 feet off the ground for days to come! Tim was probably feeling pretty good, himself.

   

I asked Tim if the Hurricanes won the game that night and this was his response;

“Yes they did win. A 4-1 win which further secures their place in the playoffs.” 

Spoken like a true Caniac.

Needless to say, I can’t wait to see what interesting things Carmen and Tim come up with to include in their wedding. I know without a doubt it is going to be very special and very “them.”

Katherine and David Become One at The Highgrove Estate, October 10, 2010

Katherine and David currently live and work in Maryland, but they met at graduate school at Wake Forest University. With family still in the area, they came back to NC to marry. What a charming couple! They contacted me by phone and I was very flattered when they decided to work with me for their wedding without having met me beforehand. (Thanks, you guys.)

They chose The Highgrove Estate in Fuquay-Varina as the perfect setting for their wedding. On hand to make sure everything went off exactly as it should was Ann Eberle, who is a staff wedding planner at The Highgrove. She is so good at what she does that I always know weddings where she is in charge are going to be caringly and professionally managed.

Because David is of Spanish heritage, he and Katherine wanted to incorporate their different cultures into the ceremony. They decided that they both would say their ring vows in Spanish, which was a lovely idea. Katherine did a beautiful job of it and you could see David’s family leaning forward to hear her speak in Spanish - and smile happily for her when she was finished. Talk about the family rooting for you! It was a very sweet moment.

To further include the Spanish heritage, they had a friend, Nadya, read a passage from First Corinthians in Spanish and incorporated the traditional custom of the groom giving 13 coins to the wife to represent his trust in her to help him provide for the family. And with a modern and decidedly American twist, Katherine gave him back the coins to represent exactly the same thing to the husband.

When Katherine was a little girl she had been a Flower Girl at a wedding and her mom had saved the dress all these years. She used it to make the ring pillow and ring pouch for Katherine’s wedding. Both are shown here, with the pouch being held by the Best Man, Orlando, who carried the rings into the ceremony in that pouch.

Her mother also made this beautiful family tree sampler as a wedding gift for Katherine and David and it was appropriately displayed on the guest book table between wedding photos of each of their parents.

Katherine loves the designer, Kate Spade, and couldn’t resist these blue satin pumps to wear as her “Something Blue,” along with the blue accent in the hairpiece in her hair.

The Farrell Sisters were on hand to provide the ceremony music in harp and flute. That is always a beautiful combination and Brittany and Marissa did an exemplary job.

Because it is October, they used these cute little pumpkins as place card holders for the guests. How elegant they all look sitting on the table.

In the photograph below, notice the photographer in the background. That is Jennifer Kromhout of Acorn Photography. Jennifer and I have not worked together at a wedding in a long while and it was great seeing her again and watching her in action. I know her photos are going to be tremendous - they always are. She was ably assisted that day by Ashley (sorry I didn’t get your last name, Ashley.).

The wedding flowers were not the orange and yellows one might expect of an October wedding. They were instead rich tones of reds and purples and were just magnificent. Matching and accentuating the purple of the Bridesmaid dresses, these flowers were so amazingly beautiful that they took your breath away. Created by Mel Day of Dogwood Tree Floral Designs, they were just elegant. No wonder they are an award-winning floral design house!

Here is the gorgeous wedding cake, also strewn with the beautiful flowers. 

Katherine and David, you put together a beautiful and touching wedding that celebrated both your families and your heritages in a rich and elegant way. My best wishes to you both in your lives to come. Mejor de las suertes! (Best of luck!)

Heather and Joe Begin Their Married Life at The Highgrove Estate, October 8, 2010

Heather and Joe are a couple that cares about people. Heather is a Pediatric Intensive Care nurse at UNC and Joe is a Captain in the Morrisville Fire Department. With such demanding jobs, how in the world did they ever find time to meet?!

It was through their love of motorcycles. Heather’s mom told me proudly that Heather had started riding a moped at the age of 9 and was completely smitten with riding from then on. Heather and Joe love to take extensive rides on their bikes, especially to our National Parks, and have often traveled with Heather’s parents, who are also avid riders.

Joe rides a Harley and is currently the president of The Red Knights, an international firefighters motorcycle club. A rightfully proud organization, you can see their logo on the Harley-Davidson mailbox set up on the gift and card table.

Heather and Joe decided to use a fireman theme and had the most wonderful ambiance as a result. Look at the amazing Groom’s cake, made by Heather’s friend and colleague, Sarah Hassing.  Sarah has only been making cakes for about a year and has a blog about her work. What a talent! This is an exact duplicate of Joe’s helmet and it looked absolutely real. When the cake was cut later in the night, you could tell everyone thought it was a sacrilege. (In case you are wondering, it was chocolate.)

Here are the clever table card markers - where did they ever find glass hydrants?!

Firemen and bagpipers are a natural combination and Heather and Joe surprised everyone with  a wonderful piper, Robert White, to escort them in and out. You should have seen the happy surprise on everyone’s faces. Robert and I have worked together many times at other weddings and he is always fun to be around. I love his music and his sincere personality. Here he is with Heather and Joe and playing during the cocktail hour.

Another fun element was the guest book. Heather and Joe stationed someone there to take Polaroid photos of all the guests and put them into a book. The guests then wrote a note to the couple beside their photos. What a wonderful keepsake that will be!

The wedding was held at The Highgrove Estate in Fuquay-Varina. It is a magical location for a wedding and reception and they provide so many amenities for their clients, including in-house wedding planners. Ann Eberle was the planner for Heather and Joe and I always know when she is in charge that things will go perfectly. Kind, friendly and efficient, she is an asset at The Highgrove.

The DJ for the evening was Jason Huggins of Island Sound. He sure knows how to keep a party going. Here he is as his professional self and then as his fun self.

The beautiful wedding cake was provided by Cinda of Cinda’s Creative Cakes. I have seen many of Cinda’s cakes and they are always elegant and exquisite. This cake certainly was. 

When it came time to cut the cake, you could tell Joe was thinking whether to be good or not, but in the end he remained a gentleman. 

The photographer in the background is Amy Free, who surely got some great photos. She was everywhere!

Heather and Joe, thank you for including me in your wedding day. Your love for each other and for other people has touched my heart and I will carry that with me always. May you have many happy times riding together, starting with your honeymoon in the rolling hills of Tuscany.

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Gretchen and Tim marry June 6, 2009 amid symbols of family, love, life and happiness

Gretchen and Tim are a happy couple who love their families deeply and it was a real treat to be part of a wedding where so much thought and effort had gone into honoring the heritages of the two families.

When I arrived for the wedding, photographs were still being taken so I had plenty of time to look around at all the decorations. Gretchen’s mom, with a florist background,

was the artistic director and everyone lent a hand for the creations. It was clear that a lot of care and attention to detail had gone into the process and Highgrove Estate (where the wedding was held) was simply glowing with it all. They must have had a lot of fun creating everything and seeing it come to life in its final glory.

Tim is Chinese and to the Chinese, red means happiness. This was to be a happy wedding for sure because red was everywhere. It was wound around the columns of the arbor where the wedding took place, it was in the flowers, the table decorations, the red on Gretchen’s dress and veil

and even in the hanky of her Great-Grandmother that Gretchen carried with her bouquet.

Gretchen was also wearing a garter from another Great-Grandmother and a ring her father had given her on her 18th birthday. Her bouquet was even wrapped in a sleeve from her mother’s wedding dress... such a sweet and clever idea! Everywhere you turned there was love being expressed for family in so many touching and unusual ways.

Tim’s grandparents had passed on but he and Gretchen wanted to honor them during the ceremony so they set up a photo of his grandparents on a table near where we stood. White roses were waiting on Tim’s parents’ chairs and when the time came, Tim and Gretchen got the roses from his parents and placed them lovingly by the photo of his grandparents.

To further emphasize the idea of everlasting love and spirit, butterflies (an ancient symbol of life and the human soul) were placed everywhere amidst the flowers, the decorations and the table centerpieces.

The place cards for the guests were beautifully done Chinese calligraphy of words one would normally associate with weddings, like love and happiness.

They were compelling all lined up on the table waiting for the guests and once they were sitting on the red tablecloths of the individual tables, they were sure to look stunning.

The incredible wedding cake was done in the red and white colors of the day, with calla lilies placed on the sides and atop the cake as the topper. They were so life-like it was hard to believe they were edible!

The decorations on the cake were beautiful and elegant. The top layer had the traditional Chinese wedding symbol for marriage, known as the Double Happiness. How perfect. The creator of this amazing cake was Cinda of Cinda’s Creative Cakes. I have lately been seeing more of her cakes and every one has been elegant and exquisite. The attention to detail and the perfect final product are always what have drawn my attention.

There was also a quiet little display that spoke volumes in and amongst the memorabilia of the day. It was of Gretchen in Africa, on a mission with a group called Seeds Of Hope Outreach, that is working to provide help to the women and children of Africa who have been devastated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This group is very dear to Gretchen and Tim and instead of the usual wedding favors normally given to wedding guests, Gretchen and Tim gave a donation to Seeds of Hope Outreach in the name of their guests. I encourage everyone to read about this caring and productive group who are working so hard to make a difference for people whose lives have become desperately hard - particularly the thousands of children who have been orphaned as a result of this terrible disease.

Gretchen and Tim, I know you will fill your lives with the richness of Life in all its forms and through all its gifts. It was an honor to help you launch your new life as husband and wife.

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The photographers for the day were Sarah Alair and Don Parsons of Sarah Alair Photography and I hope to have some photos from them soon to post here. I suspect they are going to be spectacular.

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