Marta and Greg’s Romantic Love Story, Chapter 2 - A Fairy Tale Wedding at 1705 Prime in Raleigh, March 19, 2011

Marta and Greg met through eHarmony.com and the chemistry was there immediately. Had they been in a Disney movie, stars would have been coming out of their eyes on their very first date!

This is quite the romantic couple and Greg had always wanted to see Rome with the woman of his dreams so they planned a romantic get-away to the fabled city last October, to coincide with Marta’s birthday. What a great birthday present! But little did Marta know that Mr. Romantic had something else in mind as well - a proposal of marriage. When the time came for him to ask her... I’ll  tell this part of the story in Marta’s words; “Greg said he wanted to give me my birthday present and told me to close my eyes. When I opened them, he was holding a white gold engagement ring; he smiled in a way that was equal parts nervousness, relief, and confidence. “Marry me?” he asked. “Hell yes!” was my response. I kissed him and tried on the ring. It was several sizes too big and I ended up wearing it on a chain around my neck for the rest of the trip. He confessed shortly after that he had been planning the events for some time and had sneakily purchased the ring at Zales the day before we left.”

I can just imagine the two of them walking around Rome for days with their feet never even touching the ground.

For their wedding they naturally wanted to continue this romantic theme and used it in their vows that they wrote to each other, the decorations, the readings for the ceremony, the music, and most especially in the wedding cake. Created by Ashley Lattier of Ashley Cakes, it was a marvel of all things fairy tale.

Here are Ashley and her husband standing proudly beside the cake. And well they should be proud; it was one amazing cake!

The cake is designed to look like a cake is sitting on top of an open book of fairy tales, but that book is actually the bottom layer of the cake. Each successive layer tells of their romance and the elements they want to incorporate into their marriage. And the topper is a Cinderella slipper in red - Marta’s favorite color.

And here are the “sugar photos,” reproductions in sugar of photos from their relationship. The top one was taken by a local citizen on The Spanish Steps in Rome the day they became engaged. The ones on the other three sides (only 2 are shown here) were photos from their relationship through the years. 

They chose as the setting for their special wedding the very adaptable restaurant, 1705 Prime. Located in Raleigh, it sits off the main road and is a special little spot of tranquility in the city. Alison Purdee, the Catering Sales Manager, was in charge of making sure everything went off perfectly for Marta and Greg. With so many of us going all over the place, she did an impressive job of keeping us all on track and on time. Thanks, Alison!

Here is a photo of the lobby of 1705 Prime and one taken standing in the lobby looking up into the interesting chandelier-as-art hanging in the 2-story entryway.

Before the wedding began, I was lucky to get to watch Marta giving all the Bridesmaids their gifts of unique jewelry she had chosen to suit each one. They loved them! 

While this was going on, the photographer, Heather Swanner of Heather Swanner Photography, was taking some cool shots of the guys in the bar. Quite a handsome bunch.

Incidentally, Greg and Marta’s proposal story was so special that they won a free engagement photo session with Heather because of it.

The DJ on hand that day, creating the musical backdrop for this romantic wedding day, was Randy Bennett of Joe Bunn DJ Company. I love working with Randy... he knows how to do everything exactly right without being the center of attention. Great job as always, Randy. (Update 4/14/11 - Just learned that Randy has been chosen as the DJ of the Month with Joe Bunn DJ Company because of all the great feedback the company got from Randy’s happy clients. Congratulations, Randy!)

For their honeymoon, Greg and Marta went to Orlando to immerse themselves in Harry Potter World (they do have cats named Ginny and Weasley, after-all) and Disneyworld. What a fun time they are going to have. Greg’s niece gave them this little statue of Mickey and Minnie as a bride and groom and it was proudly displayed on the gift table.

The last reading in their ceremony was a fun rendition of “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” written by Dr. Seuss. It suits Greg and Marta’s approach to life perfectly so I’d like to end with a little excerpt from the poem;

Step with great care and great tact and remember
that Life is a great big balancing act.

Just never forget to be dextrous and deft.

And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed!

(98 and three quarters percent guaranteed.)

Kids you’ll move mountains!

So... get on your way!

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.”

Shannon and Steven marry at the Greystone Inn in Durham, April 3, 2010

Shannon and Steven met years ago when they were working together at a summer camp in Pennsylvania. A year later, he finished college and moved to NC to be closer to Shannon while she finished her degree.

They are a fun, romantic couple and as I write this post they are honeymooning in Paris. Ah romance. They wrote beautiful wedding vows to each other and I love the story of how Steven proposed to her; she loves to play Scrabble and he gave her a Scrabble game as a gift. While she wasn’t looking, he had pulled out tiles to spell “marry me” and put them out on his tray, exclaiming, “Hey, I’ve already got a word! You should come look at this.” When she came around to see his word, there she found his proposal, complete with a gorgeous ring. How can you not love a guy like that?!

Here’s the photo from that day, framed and displayed at the wedding. You can see her ring sitting on a Scrabble tile in the front.

They chose the setting for their romantic day to be the wonderful Greystone Inn and Conference Center. Sitting in a quiet neighborhood just outside of downtown Durham, it was originally the home of Washington Duke and now functions as an elegant event location. The owner, Leslie Brame, and her assistant, Theresa Writz, were on hand to make sure everything went smoothly for the happy couple. The wedding was held on the front steps of the house and the refreshments were served in the rooms of the first floor. Quite the elegant setting, it lends itself beautifully to so many different styles of weddings. 

The front of the house

the grand piano room

the sunlit foyer coming down from the main staircase

Their wedding cupcakes and cakes were on display in the dining room which, judging by the amazing smells wafting through the house, was sure to be laid out with delectable treats in short order. Here are photos of the cupcakes and cakes, but I neglected to get the name of the bakery that made these beautiful confections that looked almost too good to eat.

Photographing the event were the team of Courtney and Josh Gray of Courtney Gray Photography. They were all over the place taking shots and I can’t wait to see their photos when they are online. Here are two that are currently on their blog;

For her “something old,” Shannon stitched an old wedding photo of her grandparents to the hem of her wedding dress. I have never seen that done before and found it incredibly touching. I got all choked up seeing it.

Shannon and Steven, I hope your life together is a wonderful string of romantic interludes and crazy adventures, starting with your Parisian honeymoon.

L'amour toujours!
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