Boomer and Kaeleigh Tie the Knot at Hilton RTP!

Last December Kaeleigh and Boomer came to see me at the recommendation of Jennifer Kidd, their wedding photographer, about officiating their wedding. They planned a wedding with about 60 to 75 guests at the Hilton RTP in Durham on October 6, 2012 at 5:00 PM. They wanted an outdoor wedding on the terrace. I have done many weddings there so I was familiar with their venue and how everything was set up. So we got to work creating a wonderful ceremony--very personalized, sweet, funny and welcoming. They hired Sally Oakley to be their "day of coordinator." And it was a very good thing because in the course of nearly a year from the date of their booking to the time of the wedding, a few changes occurred and Sally and Lauren Panameno (Events Manager with the Hilton RTP) were the real heroes that day! Below is a photo of the beautiful wedding in progress on the lower terrace by the pool. The weather could not have been more perfect.

This photo below is how it looked when I arrived at 4:00: 

The hotel was undergoing construction and 12' tall panels of curtains had been ordered to block the view of the construction site. But, by 2:00 they had not arrived and the wedding was at 5 PM! A call to the company that was supposed to furnish them revealed they had no record of the order. Lauren got busy and found that CE Rentals had the drapes and rails available so she took the hotel van and picked up the materials and headed back for her hotel staff to assemble and get into place. In the meantime Sally announced that there would be a 30 minute delay in starting the ceremony and we were all invited to the Front Porch for hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

Anyone who has done a wedding with me that had a runner down the aisle on top of concrete or carpet knows that I consider them a hazard because I believed that it was not possible to secure them to the surface to prevent the runner from becoming wrinkled and twisted when walked upon.  Well, I have to change my mind after watching Suzanne, Sally's assistant, put this runner in place with double-sided carpet tape. I was amazed that it really did stick and the runner stayed in place the whole ceremony! Boy did I learn something new and very useful!

The "guest book" was moved from poolside to the Front Porch so the guests could write their little notes to the couple before the ceremony.

Explaining to the guys what is going on here. They were fine with the delay and promptly disappeared!

The Magnolia Room was all set up for the reception and dinner. The English Garden did the florals.

Billy Ezzell of Complete Music DJ was set up both for the reception and for the ceremony outdoors. He was a busy man!

This beautiful cake was provided by Sweet Memories. There is writing in the cream fondant on the bottom layer.

The ceremony delay gave extra time for photographs. The bride and maid of honor are going back to her room after finishing up the photo shoot. 

I peeked out side and saw to my delight that the draping was all set up and it looked fabulous! Time to get this show on the road!

Our youngest attendant carries the sign "Here Comes the Bride" as he is escorted down the aisle! 

After we located the missing groomsmen, it was time for us to make our entrance!

Kaeleigh was escorted in by her Grandfather, Earl, who was making sure he had a good grip on her.

 And so we begin..... 

Boomer's sister, Lori, presented the popular reading about how owning a dog is like being in love! She was good!

Then the story of how the bride and groom met and fell in love, what they love about each other and what they are looking forward to in marriage. Although they live in Cary now, they actually met when both of them were living and working in Massachusetts. Boomer's parents moved to Fuquay-Varina and Kaeleigh's family to Florida, so they just followed them down South.

Time for the rings and vows. They chose rather long vows which they read from my book where they are printed facing them, not realizing that it is not always a piece of cake reading them during the actual ceremony.

Kaeleigh went first and did beautifully! Then it was Boomer's turn. 

 He was reading along and supposed to be saying: "...When you are having a bad day, I will do the stupid things to make you laugh. When I make a mess (and I will, I'm a guy), I will vacuum and clean the house. I want to hold you every night as you fall asleep and I want to laugh with you every day. I will always save you the last bite and smile when I hear you talking to Duke [their dog] as though he can reply....." But he skipped over "as though" and it sounded like Duke could reply......anyway, it was really funny!  

 He did finally get through them and get the ring on Kaeleigh's finger then I did the closing blessing.

 The big moment they legally become husband and wife! 

 It's a done deal now!  

 Welcome to your marriage, Kaeleigh and Boomer!

Jennifer Kidd and I laughing about the wedding and how much fun it was. We recently found out that we were both born and raised in Georgia, not too many miles apart! Small world, right? Thanks for referring Kaeleigh and Boomer to me, Jennifer!

Despite the mishaps and delay, your wedding day was spectacular, Boomer and Kaeleigh! A day I know you will never forget! I wish you all the wedding bliss possible!

Kristina and Richard Get Married at Crabtree Marriott!

Kristina and Richard were a delight to work with as well as being very much in love and devoted to each other. They actually met when they were in high school back in 2000. They dated then but went their separate ways. Out of nowhere eight years since they had seen each other, they stumbled upon each other on Facebook. Richard was living in Massachusetts and Kristina in North Carolina. This discovery led to an eight hour phone conversation which resulted in Kristina flying to Boston to spend her vacation with Richard in May of 2010. He told me that when he saw her get out of the car the evening she arrived he felt like he was 17 again! It did not take long for their love to be rekindled and a few weeks later Kristina moved to Boston. It was all very sudden and a bit abrupt but they have never regretted it. Now two years later they had returned to live in North Carolina and plan their wedding for February 18, 2012 at the Crabtree Marriott! I had such a fun time writing their story because they are quite a fun couple with a matching sense of humor. Then I had fun delivering all those funny lines at their wedding and experiencing their guests burst with laughter. Kristina's Dad said it was the best wedding ceremony he had ever heard!

Part of the large ballroom was partitioned off for the ceremony and the stage was set in place. They did their own floral decorations. I brought my handy little table for the sand ceremony and got my microphone plugged into our DJ's system. Our DJ was Brian Darocha with Complete Music. He was great to work with. Thanks, Brian!

Their photographer was Lesley Sagendorph and she prepared this photo for the signing of the guests.

It is always fun to do weddings at the Marriott because I get to see Julie Lee with the hotel. Julie and I have been working together on weddings for so many years now! She refers her friends and relatives to me for both weddings and baby blessing ceremonies. Thanks, Julie!

Our flower girl, Zoe, is ready to get down that aisle! Directly behind her is Brian, father of the bride, and to the right is Steve, father of the groom. That is Cori, bridesmaid, to the left.

Richard was hidden away while the bride scoots across the hall into an empty room to hide until it is time for her to walk down the aisle.

Our groomsmen, Chris, Steve, and Marcus are ready to escort in the guests as I speak to Richard to calm him down. He was rather antsy but said that once he got down the aisle he would be okay, and he was! Melissa, our honorary wedding director handed out programs and cued us in.

Missie, on the far left, is Maid of Honor #1, and Christina, in the middle is Maid of Honor #2. Cori, bridesmaid, and Brian, Father of the Bride, are on the right.

Once the mothers of the couple were escorted in, it was time for Richard and me to enter.

The Bridesmaids and Groomsmen entered as couples and then Zoe made her long walk down the aisle. She did a perfect job of scattering the blue and green silk petals down the aisle.

Everyone stands in honor of our beautiful bride! 

I stood to the side for the Parents' Blessing and to tell their wonderful story. 

Christina presented a reading entitled "To Love," author unknown. 

 

 They each read from my book a combination of vows and ring words. 

Then it was time for the sand ceremony. Their individual vases of sand overflowed the center container!

 

 

 Aaaah! Married at last! 

 Pretty sand layers! 

There was still enough light outside for pictures so we dashed out while the guests enjoyed cocktail hour.

So, here they are, Richard and Kristina, husband and wife! Richard told me before the wedding that had someone told him that he would be doing what he was doing today back in high school, he would have never believed them! Congratulations, you two! I wish you a lifetime of happiness and prosperity!