Chris and Taylor Become Husband and Wife on a Brilliant Autumn Day at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary

The day was brisk and sunny and everything in nature was sparkling. It was a beautiful backdrop for the happiness in the hearts and on the faces of everyone there - an absolutely perfect day for a wedding!

Taylor and Chris are a great compliment to each other except for one thing - he loves going camping and rock climbing but she would rather be at home, surrounded by her modern life. Over the years they have been together, she has learned to go with the flow for Chris and can now enjoy being out in the glory of nature - but firmly planted on terra firma, please. She brought that up in her vows and everyone laughed. It was a fun moment.

Taylor and Chris chose to marry at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary. The very capable Event Coordinator there is Makeda (“mah-KAY-dah”) Pride and she did a wonderful job of making sure everything was in order for this happy celebration. I love doing weddings at MacGregor Downs because of the feel of the clubhouse and the radiant beauty of the grounds. On this particular day, radiant was the operative word, with the sun shining on the bright green grass of the golf course behind us and bouncing off MacGregor Lake, making the glow of the day even more intense. It was magical.

Makeda told the photographers, Carolyn and Geoff, of Carolyn Scott Photography, about a hidden area of beautiful pink grasses across the green and this resulted in some very special photos. When I first saw these particular photos I thought they must have been Photoshopped, but no, they are the actual photos. So romantic! Kudos to Carolyn and Geoff for their skill and to Makeda for letting them know this marvelous place existed.

By the way, all the photos in this post have been contributed by Carolyn and Geoff. If you would like to see more of their photos from the wedding, here is a link to their blog post about it. Thanks for the use of your photos, Carolyn and Geoff. Your work is totally awesome, as always.

Carolyn and Geoff are a husband and wife team and this particular day was also their first anniversary. I had been the minister for their wedding and it was great to be able to share their anniversary with them. It made for an even more magical day as all of us celebrated two very happy love stories.

Some fun things Taylor and Chris did for their wedding;


One of Taylor’s nephews was Sign Boy and entered with this great sign announcing Taylor’s entrance. He was followed by another nephew who was the Leaf Boy and dispersed leaves down the aisle. Leaf Boy’s red hair really set off those autumn leaves.

Taylor and Chris had also asked if we could do the Chinese Finger Ceremony that represents how couples are meant to be together. I had never seen this done before and was very glad they brought it to my attention.

The Chinese believe that all the fingers on the hand represent our relationships with our families and that they show by their very capabilities how partners in life are meant to remain together;

the thumb represents our parents

the index finger represents our siblings

the middle finger represents ourselves

the ring finger represents our spouse

the pinky finger represents our children

Here is how it works;  you put your palms together, not quite touching, and bend down your middle fingers (that represents yourself) so they are touching at the second knuckle. Then you put all the other finger tips together. You will find that you can separate all the finger tips except your spouse finger because your parents, siblings and children are meant to go from you in their lives. Only your spouse is meant to stay with you and, indeed, you cannot separate your ring fingers from each other when your hands are held this way. I had everyone join in as I was showing them what to do and explaining the symbolism as I went. There was a very powerful shared moment as all the guests came to realize this amazing symbol of love and commitment we each carry in our own hands.

When it came time for the wedding kiss and the recessional, a pair of Canadian geese flew over  the aisle from the lake. Canadian geese mate for life and those geese seemed an apt symbol of the deep and abiding love and commitment Taylor and Chris have for each other. Yes, it truly was a perfect day for a wedding.

 Taylor and Chris, may you always have the glorious life together that your wedding day portends.

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Jane and Sam marry November 21, 2009 at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary

You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day for a wedding in November. And as everyone was arriving you could see on their faces how excited they were to be coming to this event. Some of the family members on both sides had never met the bride or groom so it was especially touching to watch them gather around Jane and Sam after the ceremony as they were meeting for the first time.

The ceremony was held at the charming MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary. Angel Myers, the Private Events Manager, was on hand as always to make sure everything went well. She is a marvel of efficiency and I know when she is in charge that everything will go off perfectly. She had even provided me with a flashlight the night before when the rehearsal was delayed and we ended up in the dark on the lawn and I couldn’t read my notes.

Although the ceremony was held outside, the reception took place in the main room that has a large stone fireplace with the club’s crest at one end and some wonderful chandeliers above. I love that room. You feel like you are in the great hall of an old Scottish castle.

The adorable little Flower Girl did not want to wear her flower tiara or even her shoes, so she proceeded down the aisle in her shoe-less feet, dropping autumn leaves as she went. She was just too cute. When I asked her after the wedding if I could photograph her feet, she very obligingly lifted her dress to show me. Made my heart smile.

One unexpected surprise was the whimsical display of fruits and vegetables created by MacGregor Downs’ chef, Frank Boice. In case you are wondering - as I was - the white tulips are daikon radishes, the orange ones are carrots and the green ones are zucchini squash. Each stem is a green onion with a skewer through it that connects the flower to the basket. The basket was a cantaloupe and was full of blackberries. The bird sitting beside the basket is a green apple with a peppercorn for an eye. It is just amazing what can be done with food when someone sees it as an art form.

And tucked among the flower stems was this cute little face.

It wasn’t until much later that I found an assortment of toadstools made from radishes that he had scattered around the cheese tray. I need to take a class from Chef Boice!

This lovely cake and the boutonnieres were all made by Jane, her mom, her grandmother and her sister-in-law. What special memories they must have created as they worked. The ribbon around the cake layers matched the color of the Bridesmaids’ dresses, which were a unique bronzey-olive green. It was a beautiful color on all the girls and perfect for an autumn wedding.

Others on hand to make the day a success for Jane and Sam were;

DJ - Patrick Cooke of PC Productions - a great DJ with a great play list

Photographer - Stacey Balko, a friend from Florida

Flowers - Flowers on Broad Street, an award-winning florist in Fuquay-Varina

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I so enjoyed meeting and working with Jane and Sam to make their wedding special and I heartily add my congratulations to those of their family and friends. It was a sweet wedding and they are sure to have wonderful things ahead in their life together.

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