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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Kim and Brian marry with a classy Halloween style at The Barcley Villa, October 31, 2009

So how do you marry on Halloween and, keeping it solemn, still give a wink and a nod to the day... but not let it get campy? You follow Kim and Brian’s lead.

First you find a castle. In this case the wonderful Barclay Villa, an Italian villa with a baroque interior set in the countryside of Angier, NC. Among other amenities, it comes complete with a great hall and a grand staircase that lent itself perfectly to the wedding festivities.

Here is the head table where the Lord and Lady of the castle (Groom and Bride) sat. How perfect is that?!

Barclay Villa has beautiful landscaping throughout the grounds and Kim and Brian used that to great effect as well. The ceremony took place at the gazebo in the back and look how cleverly they decorated the area.

They even made the Handfasting cord that we used for the Handfasting Ceremony after their vows. It was waiting for us to use on the table in the gazebo. Woven of their Halloween colors and with stones sewn onto it, it was truly beautiful.

And what reception theme do you use of all the possible options for Halloween? Kim and Brian chose the haunted castles of Europe. Each table card was the name of a haunted castle in Europe. There was a long information card printed up about each one, standing beside the very clever pumpkin table card holders.

The pumpkin stems were sliced to hold the cards.

And then once you have all that in place, you run with it and have some fun. Like Kim’s bat earrings (check the top photo more closely) and Brian’s bow tie and hankie - an orange ground with bats in a grid pattern.

And the skeleton bride and groom candle holder that stood by the place cards.

And the fun napkins.

Many couples nowadays have photos on display of themselves as children and of special times through their relationship. Here’s how Kim and Brian did the same but kept the Halloween theme.

This is their wedding cake, provided by Donna Ford of Sweet Memories. She picked up the Halloween theme perfectly, complete with bats flying off the sides of the cake.

And this adorable cake topper was actually crocheted by Kim and Brian themselves, each making their own self. Quite clever - and what a fun keepsake to pull out every year for their Halloween decorations. Their children who come alone one day are sure to love the story of how this cute couple came to be!

And of course things just wouldn’t have been complete without some trick-or-treat candy before you left, with black boxes for you to put it in.


It was such a fun and clever wedding celebration and just perfect for a Halloween date. Here is a photo of me with Kim and Brian, taken with my camera by their photographer, Stacy Borelli, of Swank Studio. (Why can she get better photos out of the camera than me? Must be why she’s the professional.)

Also on hand to provide the perfect musical accompaniment was their DJ, Ron Smith, of Ron K. Smith Productions. He must have had a great time planning the music for this wedding!

As I was leaving the wedding that night, I noticed there was a full moon and I could hear dogs howling in the distance...

“Ah, de children of de night.”

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Sam and Tesh marry on October 23, 2009 at The Umstead in Cary

It was a beautiful October day, the sun was shining, the weather was perfect and their family and friends had come in from all over to celebrate this beautiful couple and their multi-cultural family. The whole celebration has been designed to honor all the cultures involved.

Sam and Tesh are both from Great Britain and have been living and working here in the RTP for quite some time. Hitesh is Indian descent and their infant son, Alfie, was wearing a traditional white Indian wedding suit with burgundy and gold brocade around the neck and wrists. Unfortunately none of the photos I took of him came out, but he was just adorable. His big sister, Lola, was one of the Flower Girls and looked beautiful in her Western-style white dress.

Their friends and family, most of whom came in from Britain, were a fun bunch. Here are all the guys in the hall, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

And here is Sam, waiting in her room. She had the traditional henna on her hands and feet and it was just beautiful. Henna is quite an intricate art form and an ancient Indian tradition. Her dress was most unusual in that it had something akin to flat pompoms all over it and every time she moved it moved with her. It was a lovely effect.

And they found a very clever way to entertain the Flower Girls while they waited - bubble wrap! What is it about that stuff?! It will turn you into a kid immediately. The little girls were having a great time popping the bubbles and were totally content with that. It was all I could do to not go over and join them on the floor doing the same thing! So if you ever need a way to entertain kids (and adults too, it seems) take along some bubble wrap.

The ceremony was held in the beautiful wedding garden of The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary. The very capable and unflappable Social Catering Manager, Ami Wheeler, was on hand to make sure everything went off well for them and to keep them all on schedule.

The floral decorations for the ceremony were provided by Steven Taras of The Watered Garden. Steven oversees all the magnificent arrangements for the hotel itself and his work is very special. You can see his use of the unexpected in the placement of a bowl of magnificent flowers on the ground on one side and on a pillar on the other. I had never seen that done before and it gave a unique perspective to the already beautiful setting with the cascading water fountain in the distance.

At the end of the ceremony, the guests were to shower flower petals onto Sam and Tesh as they went back down the aisle and all the chairs had their bags of petals waiting.

It was a wonderful celebration with incredibly beautiful people everywhere you looked. As Chris Azul, of Azul Photography, was getting everyone set for a group photo, I took this happy shot. I just loved how happy they all were and how beautiful their colors looked in the setting.

My congratulations to you, Sam and Tesh. It was a joy to help you put together such a fun celebration to share with your family and friends. I hope you’ll stay in touch from time to time and let me know how you are doing - and so I can see your handsome children grow up over the years.

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Liz and John marry in Chapel Hill at the Barn at Valhalla, October 17, 2009

Liz and John live in New York but met each other 10 years ago in Chapel Hill, when they were both students. Her parents still live in the area so it seemed the perfect place to come back to marry and invite their dearest friends and family. It was a small, intimate wedding and so much love was in evidence both to and from the couple. Liz’s Uncle Tim even played electric guitar for the wedding! It turns out that October 17 is John’s brother’s wedding anniversary as well, so they were having a fun celebration on many levels.

They chose as their ceremony location The Barn at Valhalla, a great location for events of all types - especially weddings that want to be out in Nature. The Barn has rooms for sleeping upstairs, a huge reception room and a wrap around deck that overlooks a pond where ducks and geese were swimming the day of the wedding. Canadian geese mate for life so that seemed a particularly appropriate omen for Liz and John.

Because autumn was in the air and the trees were beginning to turn, the decorations were a riot of oranges, browns and greens, so appropriate for the day. Here is the interior of The Barn all set up for the dinner.

And this is the long walkway through the woods, out to the fireplace where the ceremony was held.

University Florist in Chapel Hill provided all the beautiful florals for the day and did a particularly exquisite job with the fireplace. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it looking lovelier.

On the deck of The Barn was the seating chart, cleverly made of a cloth-covered board set up on an easel...

and beside it was a table set up for the guests to leave a special note to the couple.

There was a bar set up at one end of the deck...

and chatting tables were set up along the rest of the deck. Heaters were thoughtfully provided and they were sure to be very welcome on such a brisk autumn day and night.

The beautiful cake was provided by a Chapel Hill baker, Sugarland, who does some amazing work. It was also festooned with glorious autumn colors.

Others on hand to make the day a success for Liz and John were;

Photographer - Johnny Wells of Johnny Wells Photography

Caterer - Durham Catering

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This interesting pair is the set of fire irons at the fireplace. I just love their cheery feel and they always look to me like they are waving at you. So I join in their wave and wish Liz and John all the best that Life has in store. Have a great time you guys!

Jenna and Chris celebrate family with their wedding at Parizade in Durham, October 11, 2009

Jenna and Chris are a fun couple and I was very much looking forward to being a part of their wedding. When we got together to create the framework for their ceremony and I was hearing all the things they had been working on, I couldn’t wait to see it all come together. It was all very beautiful, heartfelt and special, just as I had imagined. Jenna’s dad had even written the music to which he escorted her into the ceremony, appropriately entitled, Jenna’s Song.

Their adorable little Jr. Bridesmaid and Flower Girls were waiting to have their photo taken after the ceremony and I couldn’t resist taking this cute shot.

The ceremony was held in the courtyard of the Parizade restaurant in Durham. What an amazing place this is and it would lend itself perfectly to any kind of event. We all stood in front of the statued waterfall for the ceremony and what a magnificent backdrop it was!

Guests lingered in the courtyard while the photos were taken and the Bride and Groom were presented and had their first dance.

One of the Bridesmaid’s husbands had carved this magnificent monogrammed pumpkin to be the centerpiece of the head table. How very clever! The glow it put out in the dim light of the evening was just beautiful.

Jenna is an educator at the Museum of Life and Science so she knows a thing or two about how to entertain children. Since all the children guests were little girls, Jenna and Chris created this amazing kids’ table, complete with balloons, feather boas and fairy wings for each girl. The crayons came out almost as quickly as the wings went on. I even saw one of the waiters flirting with the girls when they got him to put on a white boa to match his uniform. It was just adorable.

Jenna and Chris wanted to celebrate their families - both those who were with them and those who were not - so we included those not able to be with us with a mention of their names and a moment of silence during the ceremony. It was very touching.

Jenna’s parents married in 1975 and Jenna and Chris used the cake topper they had used for their wedding so long ago.

Jenna also carried an exact duplicate of her mother’s daisy bouquet, made lovingly by the woman at a Lowe’s Grocery floral department. Jenna told me the woman had taken so much time to make it exactly right and I am sorry that I didn’t get her name to sing her praises here. I don’t think I ever remember a bride carrying a bouquet exactly like her mother’s before and it was such a sweet and touching homage to her mom.

She also wore her grandmother’s necklace as a bracelet. This necklace was always worn by her grandmother and her two sisters have also worn it at their weddings. That is fast becoming quite an heirloom.

To further show the heart of the event, check out Jenna’s wedding shoes.

The music for the event was provided by Jason Eder of Complete Music. What a great professional for someone so young. During the ceremony, my lapel mic went out and Jason had given a hand mic to a reader. She handed it to the end groomsman and one by one they all handed it up to me so I could be heard. How thoughtful of them all! Many guests came up to me afterwards to tell me how happy they were to have been able to have heard the ceremony so kudos to you all for saving the day.

I think the thing that touched me most about Jenna and Chris’ wedding, though, was their unique take on wedding favors for their guests. Many loved ones have been lost to major illnesses in both their families so instead of a favor, the guests were asked to choose a charity and drop their place cards in one of the boxes provided and a donation would be made in their name to that charity. I lost my dad a few years ago to cancer, so I chose that box, and I must say it was a very moving moment to add my card to the box.

Here is the explanation card they had displayed with the donation boxes.

And these are the boxes with the names of the charities and the family members in whose honor the donation will be made. Very touching.

They had wanted to have their dog, Dieter, with them, but it just wasn’t practical. He was there anyway, though, because someone had taken a photo of him wearing a bandana that said, “Congratulations, Mom and Dad.” (Unfortunately, my camera skills are lacking in being able to read his bandana, but it was really cute.)

It was a magical evening with lots of love flowing all around and many special elements coming together to make it moving on so many levels. It was an honor to be a part of it and I will happily add my congratulations to Dieter’s... WOOF!!

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Linda and Marshall exchange vows amid autumn color, October 11, 2009

Autumn has always been my favorite time of year, when the brilliant color play of nature catches my heart with its beauty every time. Apparently Linda and Marshall feel the same because they had autumn colors in abundance everywhere you looked - and it was stunning. From the bouquets to the table and wall decorations, it was a feast for the eyes. Linda is an event planner and you could see her hand in all the details of the ceremony and reception.

Linda and Marshall live in Maryland but have family here, so they decided to have a NC wedding and chose the rustically modern Rigmor House in Chapel Hill. Although only a few miles from my home, I had never done a wedding there before and I fell in love with it immediately.

When you first drive up, you are greeted with a rather plain exterior that belies the airy expanse you find when you walk inside past the porch - which is huge and perfect, complete with rocking chairs.

On all the tables on the porch and the centerpieces of the tables inside, were these beautiful autumn arrangements made by Linda. She said she had been working on them for a year and how fun for her to be able to keep some for use through the years at their homes.

When you enter the house from the porch, there is a welcoming foyer they had set up with the table cards on one side...

And the guest book table straight ahead.

These incredible floral arrangements on the guest book table were done by Jeff Pipkin of A Floral Event.

And I love the simple bowl of flowers and stones.

This beautiful cake was provided by Sweet Memories. I have been seeing a lot of their cakes recently and they are all just exquisite.

Others on hand to make the event a success were;

Photographers - Mike Strauss of Strauss Studios, who was also the Best Man and Linda’s Uncle John, who is a photo hobbyist

Caterer - Deb McCartney (has no website, but she can be reached by phone, 919-247-6536). I don’t know what Deb was cooking in that kitchen, but it was making my mouth water!

Linda and Marshall found me through their friends, Kim and Travis, whose wedding I had done 5 years earlier. Happily, Kim and Travis were able to be at the wedding and we got to reminisce for a while. It was great to see them again and catch up on their lives. It’s always nice to run into old friends.

This wedding was about family, friends and loved ones here and departed and it was heartfelt all the way through. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Linda and Marshall to create their special ceremony and will miss not seeing them anymore. I hope we run into each other some of these days.

On the table by the cake was this great photo collection that says, “Live well, laugh often, love much, dream always.” I’d say that pretty much sums up everything about Linda and Marshall’s relationship. With this as their game plan they should sail through life having a grand time all the way.

Christine and Kenny marry September 13, 2009 at Caffé Luna in Raleigh

Christine and Kenny are such a nice couple! They are the kind of people you know would be great friends to you and to each other. And with both having a twinkle in their eyes, they are surely a lot of fun to be around. It was fun to watch them tease and joke with each other.

They added many clever and witty touches to their wedding day, including a great piece of bling that the Ring Bearer carried as he came down the aisle. What looks like a round crystal is actually the giant diamond on the top of the big ring he carried proudly as he entered.

Christine and Kenny are building a new family and they wanted the ceremony to include their beautiful daughters, Brittany and Brooke. They decided to use a Blending of the Sands ceremony to symbolically show this element in their lives. Each person chose their own color of sand...

and when poured together one at a time, they ended up with this wonderful wedding keepsake. They will always remember which color of sand is theirs and this special memento will always be at Christine and Kenny’s home as a reminder of how important they are to each other and to their family.

The ceremony was held at Caffé Luna in downtown Raleigh. I love doing weddings there because no matter the time of day, the light always has a bright and cheery feel in the three rooms of the Caffé. It always feels happy in there.

The wedding favors provided for the guests were a full table of candy delights - enough to make Willy Wonka jealous. Figuring prominently on the table was an invitation to take all you like and they had monogrammed boxes to put it in. The children’s eyes must have lit up like crazy when they saw it. And I must say, I was pretty partial to the gummy bears myself.

What a cute way to let you know which were Christine and Kenny’s favorites.

Purple was the accent color of the day and their wedding cake, provided by Ashley Cakes, picked it up in the simple ribbon that wrapped around each layer. Accented with purple flower petals and a clever “We Do” sign they had placed in front of it, the cake made a great presentation.

The DJ on hand for the music was Jill Phillips of All The Right Grooves. I always look forward to working with Jill and her partner, Bethany, because they are just so much fun and very professional. That day there was a special treat - Jill’s mom had decided to come with her to watch her in action. What a nice lady.

Deftly handling the photographs was Scott Zelenka, lead photographer for Crystal Eye Photography. I had never worked with him before so it was fun for this amateur photographer to watch him work. His photos should be terrific!

Christine and Kenny, it was an honor to be a part of such a sweet wedding and to watch you and your family interact with each other. I know you will have many wonderful years ahead and I add my congratulations to the chorus of your family and friends who wish you all the best.

Michelle and John wed on her parents’ 40th anniversary, September 13, 2009

I had not met Michelle and John before their wedding day but we had been in contact to put together everything we needed for their ceremony. Held on the front porch of their beautiful home in Chapel Hill, it was a small, intimate ceremony with only their family and closest friends in attendance. To add to the celebration, they were marrying on her parents’ 40th anniversary, which added its own unique sparkle to the day. It isn’t often that we get to share such a special date with our family members and it was a delight to Michelle and John that they would always have that memorable bond between them.

Here is a photo of Michelle with her parents, taken right after the ceremony.

Michelle and John with their Flower Girl and Junior Bridesmaid. Just adorable!

And here they are right after the ceremony, greeting and hugging everyone before the formal photos started and all the cameras came out - they had their own paparazzi!

It was a very special time in the lives of these families and I was so happy to be a part of it. My congratulations to Michelle and John as they start out on their new life together as husband and wife and to Mr. and Mrs. McNeill on their long and loving marriage. They have set a good example for John and Michelle.

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