Amanda and Bart Exchange Vows at the Beautiful Sunset Lake Lodge in Holly Springs

Amanda and Bart decided to marry on November 11, 2011. For those of you not familiar with numerology, eleven is a very powerful number of high energy and elevated partnership. From this perspective, their wedding date bodes well for a strong, productive life to come.

Their wedding day dawned absolutely glorious and, as you can see in their photo to the left, it was a perfect day for a wedding.

When I arrived and went to find Amanda, I noticed that Amanda’s sister and best friend, who were also her Bridesmaids, had embroidered the wedding date on the bottom of Amanda’s dress. Of course, I couldn’t resist getting a photo of this, along with one of Amanda and her Bridesmaids in their gorgeous red dresses.

Amanda and Bart had chosen the beautiful Sunset Lake Lodge in Holly Springs as the location for their wedding. This is absolutely one of my favorite venues for smaller weddings as it has so many really nice places to hold a wedding on the grounds. The woods surrounding the house and the lake are lovely any time of year and the lake creates a wonderful, serene ambience. Every wedding I have ever done there has integrated this element of natural beauty and it has been a great asset every time.

The ceremony was held on the sidewalk down by the water and this was the view of the wedding guests. Stunning!

Amanda’s Dad surprised her by wearing his military uniform and I would have loved to have seen her face when she first saw him! Here they are awaiting their cue to enter and then coming down the sidewalk to the aisle.

Amanda and Bart wanted to include a Sand Ceremony and here is a shot of the Sand table after the wedding was over. I love the interesting vase they chose for the sand and how the table is sparkling with the reflections of the sunshine and the lake in the background.

Eventually it was time for the wedding kiss and to recess out the aisle, heading for photos.

With such beautiful grounds, there were so many places to go to create memorable photographs.

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Others on hand to help make things so perfect for Amanda and Bart;

Their family members who oversaw everything getting set up properly.

Photographer - Jamie and Sheila Gardner - JOG Photography

Reception DJ - David Price

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At the end of the evening, Amanda and Bart made their exit through the uplifted sparklers of their family and friends. This is such a grand way to make an exit and so festive for a couple beginning a new life together as husband and wife.

Amanda and Bart, I know you are going to have a great life together. You are both such dynamic people and it is written in your wedding date what is to come. May every bit of it be fun to live and a joy to share with others.
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Becky and Jeff Marry at Historic Crenshaw Hall Surrounded by Omens of Love and Luck

Becky and Jeff had a halting start to their relationship. Friends set them up and on their first date but there wasn’t a lot of talking. Hmm. A couple of months later they went to a Journey concert but still not a lot of talking going on so they figured it wasn’t a good fit. Luckily for them both, Jeff looked her up again a year later and asked her out. She said yes and they have been together ever since.

The wedding day was expected to be rainy, as it had been for the rehearsal, so everyone was enlisted to visualize the  wedding day as sunny - preferably with a slight breeze, thank you very much. Well, all those prayers and visualizations worked in spades for there were positive omens everywhere you looked on the wedding day.

Talking with the radiant Bride before the ceremony began, she told me TWO four-leaf clovers had been found out in the grass by a nephew and one of them she had tucked into a lily in her beautiful bouquet. I thought that was rather impressive and got a shot of it right then and there.

Although there was no rain, the sky was definitely overcast but, as we were all so thankful there was no rain, that was fine with us. However, as I began talking about Becky and Jeff in the Address portion of the ceremony, the sun came out and shined directly on all of us, but especially on Becky and Jeff. It was remarkable. Becky’s veil was glowing in the sunshine, making it look like she had a halo around her head. It made their vows even more poignant.

When the ceremony was over and I was walking over to chat with Becky and Jeff before their photos began, I saw four bald eagles flying overhead. Not only do you seldom see a bald eagle, but four together? HIGHLY unusual. Among other very positive attributes, eagles are ancient symbols of spiritual protection, wisdom, courage, strength, great power, balance, dignity with grace. How appropriate for this special couple who are all about love for each other and their families.

I would say that with all the prayers and best wishes going up from all of us for that wedding, The Universe was stepping in to answer all of them. Becky and Jeff are sure to have an incredible life to come!

The ceremony was held at the lovely Historic Crenshaw Hall in Wake Forest. Nestled out in the countryside and off the beaten path, it is a lovely wedding and reception location, adaptable for large or small groups. Christie Fernandez is the Owner and Manager and she knows exactly how to use this charming venue to best effect. It was great working with her and getting to see how she works. She is very efficient.

Here is the intimate wedding garden.

 And the huge terrace beside the house, perfect for the cocktail hour and dancing under the stars later. A tent was set up in case of rain which, luckily, was not necessary in the end.

Also on hand to help Becky and Jeff create their wonderful day was Courtney Scholl of Parties by Bash. With two such capable ladies, there was no chance of anything going wrong at all. And besides, luck was completely on the side of Becky and Jeff.

The musicians were Scott Laird on violin, Elena Evans on flute and Jamie Walker on cello (hope to have Jamie’s contact link soon). Their music was superb and fit beautifully with the feel of the celebration and the environment itself.

Sitting on a china cabinet inside the Hall was this little sign with a great saying, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” With everything I saw in action for this wedding, I would say this is the most perfect decoration they could have had - besides their love, Mother Nature and The Universe, of course.

Becky and Jeff, may all your amazing omens of love and luck remain as abundant in your life to come as they were on your wedding day!

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KJ and Joel Exchange Vows at the Page-Walker House in Cary, October 16, 2010

What a glorious day they had for their wedding! The air had cooled off, the sun was shining and everything around them was in full sparkle mode, including KJ’s earrings, whose fiery sparkles were shining all over Joel’s jacket.

Karen (known as KJ to everyone) was also wearing her 18th birthday pearls that her parents had given to her to wear someday at her wedding. This was certainly the day for those pearls!

They chose as their setting the Page-Walker Arts and History Center in Cary. Built in the 1800s, it was originally a hotel right across the street from the train station and has now become a cute little art and history gallery with a lovely landscaped garden beside it.

 

The garden and other side of the house are ringed with interesting sculptures that add a nice touch of whimsy.

The inside, decorated with period antiques, is filled with artwork from artisans in many mediums.

The reception was set up in the main gallery but guests were free to roam through the house and grounds as they wished.

Here is their adorable cake, created by Debbie Mallard of The Cake Walk. Notice their pets included on the topper. Very cute.

After the ceremony, KJ and Joel took full advantage of the lovely landscaping to take some wedding photos. Here’s one of my favs;

The ceremony music was provided by violinists from Meredith College and the catering was from Babymoon Cafe, a local Italian reasturant. Judging from the smells coming from the food area, the meal was going to be mighty delicious!

It was a beautiful day and a happy wedding. What a perfect combination! KJ and Joel, I wish you all the best in your life to come. May all your dreams come true in unique and wonderful ways.

Katie and Chris Exchange Vows in the Raleigh Rose Garden, October 2, 2010

Some people know how to find enjoyment everywhere in life and Katie and Chris are just such a couple. They share a love of live music performance and their relationship developed traveling to and from concerts. This has become such a big part of their lives that they came up with the idea of making their Save-the-Date card into a VIP ticket for their wedding. Looking exactly like a concert ticket, it was a very clever idea.

Their ceremony took place in the Raleigh Rose Garden amid hundreds of roses. I had not realized that roses would bloom this late in the year, but there were glorious colors as far as the eye could see.

They set up the chairs in the center part of the garden with the beautifully simple arbor standing in front of the cherub fountain.

This was the view looking up through the top of the arbor. Despite its being so open, it still provided a charming sheltering feeling.

The colors of the Bridesmaid dresses and the matching accents in the Groomsmen's ties and vests were a beautiful compliment to the glorious colors of nature all around us. The flowers, provided by Jeffrey Surles of Jeffrey's Florist Limited (910-891-7000), were a beautiful mix of summer sunshine and autumn accents.

The day was beautiful, Katie and Chris were radiant, their vows were heartfelt and love was in abundance everywhere. Everything about this wedding was simple and elegant and I was so happy to be a part of it. My congratulations to you both. I wish you many great times ahead, attending concerts, living life to the fullest and enjoying each other's company as you know how to do so well.

Others on hand to make the event a success for Katie and Chris;

Photography - Martha Manning of Martha Manning Photography, assisted by Brad Matthews
Wedding Planner - Jeffrey Surles of Jeffrey's Florist Limited, 910-891-7000
Music - Matthew Kanon on classical guitar
Hair - Marigold Parlour, 919-833-0146
Make-up - Julie Hafer of Beauty Ethics
Limousine - Vern Bullock of Classy Transportation
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