Hot Lavender Home Wedding for Sarah and David!

This wedding was so much fun despite the 100+ degree temperature on June 30, 2012. Sarah and David were a great couple to work with to create their unforgettable wedding. They live in Myrtle Beach and we did not meet in person until the rehearsal the day before. Sarah's mother, Cheryl, contacted me by email in April and evidently had so much confidence in me that she hired me sight unseen before I even had any contact with Sarah and David. She really put together the whole wedding celebration so well she could go into the wedding planning business herself!   Cheryl and Mark's lovely home in Wake Forest was the perfect setting for their daughter's wedding. The reception in the back yard was so nice around the beautiful pool. She thought of everything! 

 

 

Now, I ask you, have you ever seen the groom and the groomsmen dress in pants color coordinated with the bridesmaids dresses (other than black of course)? Well Sarah and David managed to find lavender pants and ties for the guys. Really a fresh idea!  

Conrad, brother of the bride and groomsman, played the guitar for our wedding. The young lady in the red sang during the processional. They were quite good!

Heather, a friend of Cheryl, acted as our wedding director and she did a fine job. She got us all lined up inside the garage from where we processed in for the ceremony. David and his brother, Ryan, escorted in their two grandmothers and Sarah's two sets of grandparents escorted themselves in. So nice to have so many grandparents in attendance.

Then it was time for the Mother and Father of the Groom, Linda and Ray, to make their entrance.

Cheryl and Mark were next then Mark returned to the line-up to escort in his lovely daughter. Aren't those the sassiest little shoes Cheryl has on?  

 

Another very large wedding party with seven on each side. 

 

 

 

Amanda, sister of the bride and Maid of Honor, waits her turn to go down the aisle which was actually the sidewalk from the garage to the front door. Adorable and unique bridesmaids dresses and do note that they are all wearing cream satin Tom's shoes. The groom is wearing gray Tom's shoes he found the day of the wedding. Perfect! Tom's are great shoes and for every pair of shoes you buy, a needy child somewhere in the world gets a pair of shoes for free. I love my Tom's! You can get them at the Vertical Urge on Six Forks Road in Raleigh where they have a huge selection.

Ethan, brother of the bride and groomsman, was drafted at the last minute to carry the bride's train so that it did not snag on the concrete walkway.

After Mark answered the question and placed Sarah's hand in David's, they started up the steps to join me. It took Sarah both hands to lift up the front of the dress and ascend the steps with David right behind ready to catch her if she faltered.

The wedding began at 7:00 and the entire front yard was in shade and there were fans blowing a nice breeze on the guests. At the rehearsal the day before, I asked Cheryl if she and Mark had built this house and front entrance with this wedding in mind. She laughed and said that they had not built the house themselves but they had redone the entrance with new stone work after buying the house. It was just perfect for all the bridesmaids and groomsmen to frame the couple.  

Conrad was our seventh groomsman but he remained seated because he had hurt his back and besides he needed to be ready to play the recessional music.

The ceremony began with a warm welcome and ringwarming ritual where the rings that are tied to a ring warming dish are passed among the guests to be infused with their warm blessings and happy thoughts. Ryan is stepping down to start the rings with the mother of the groom.

The couple paid tribute to their parents and then I shared their love story which began when they were freshmen in college. These two had lots of fun telling me all about themselves and their romance and we included a lot of humor fitting the personalities of the couple which the guests loved.

Sarah and David liked the combination of the Blessing of the Hands and the Handfasting custom that they saw in the ceremony material I provided them. They made their own lovely handfasting cord of braided multi-colored ribbon and pearls. As their left hands were joined, I wrapped the cord with each verse of the hand blessing.

Then they joined their right hands forming the symbol of infinity and made their vows to each other which they read from my book.

 I called for the rings and Ryan retrieved the now blessed rings from his mother. In the meantime, I removed the handfasting cord and looped it around the back of David's neck.

  The ring exchange......

 The pronouncement of marriage.....followed by........

  Stepping into their new life as husband and wife!

As they went down the aisle the guests showered them with rice! It has been so long since I have seen rice thrown. Most wedding venues won't allow it because of the clean up. Not a problem in your own front yard!

The wedding party and parents followed the couple toward the street while I invited the guests to go around the house to the reception for refreshments. Cheryl did not use a caterer but made or had prepared all the delectable goodies herself.

 Congratulations to the newlyweds! 

Sarah and David, it was such an honor to be part of your wedding. I am so happy you loved the ceremony and that it was everything you ever wanted for your wedding ceremony. Have fun in Europe and I will be checking on you on Facebook! 

Julie and Richard Had Two Weddings!

Julie and Richard met with me last April to plan their wedding ceremony for November 25, 2011at  Fearrington Country Inn. We worked hard to create a very memorable and meaningful ceremony for them. It was the second marriage for both of them and it was very important that this ceremony be very personal and dear to their hearts. Their story is very special and they felt like they have been handed a miracle in finding each other. Julie was quite happy to expound on the details of their meeting the first time and the subsequent events. Richard, on the other hand, travels a lot and had sent me a very brief summary of his side of the story. I told Julie I needed more material to work with and so she got on his case to call me which he did and as a result I took reams of notes and gathered fantastic material to work with in fashioning that section of the ceremony. We finalized the ceremony script by early October and were all set for their wedding the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Later on in October, Julie called me and said that she and Richard really really wanted to get married on the magical date of 11/11/11 at 11:00 AM because of its significance and emailed me an article on it. The article: 

The number 11 is thought of as a "master" number in numerology because it is a double digit of the same number. When this occurs - the vibrational frequency of the prime number doubles in power.  The very basic & primary understanding of the number One is that of new beginnings & purity. When we see this digit doubled as with the number 11, these attributes double in strength.  The power of the number is further intensified this year because on November 11, 2011 (11.11.11) the number resonates three times.  The year 2011 is significant because the sum of 2011 is 4 (2+0+1+1=4).  In numerology the number 4 represents form, foundation, and structure.  It is spirit manifest into matter, or those things that bring everything "down to earth." 2011 is a turning point year where the divine creative spirit, represented by 11.11.11 sets the foundation for what is to transpire in 2012.

They were thinking of going to the courthouse and getting secretly married on 11/11/11and wanted to check with me to see if that would be okay--would it affect my doing their "public" wedding later. I told them it would not affect it; that their 11/25/11 ceremony would technically be a renewal of vows ceremony and the ceremony on 11/11/11 would be their legal ceremony and real anniversary date. Then I invited them to come to my wedding garden, weather permitting, on 11/11/11 and I would be happy to marry them instead of having a standard quickie civil ceremony at the courthouse. They loved it! So I wrote a much simpler and shorter ceremony for them but used the same vows and ring words from the ceremony we had already created but added some universal spiritual elements such as having them join left hands and right hands together to form the symbol of infinity "blessing their marriage in the eternal ebb and flow of the Universe" which fit in quite nicely with the significance of 11/11/11. I put a lightbulb in a napkin for Richard to break (they are both Jewish). On that chilly crisp fall magical morning, Julie and Richard, two witnesses--my husband Dave and my "roadie" Marty and I gathered in my wedding garden which was beautifully strewn with an abundance of fallen leaves.  Here are the photos of that day: 

 

 

 

I timed it so that I pronounced them married at 11 minutes and 11 seconds after 11:00 AM!

 

 

 And then it was official, Julie and Richard were wife and husband, at last! And so happy!

 Fast forward to 11/25/11 at Fearrington Inn in the Crabapple Garden.

11/25/11 was actually a warmer, nicer day weather-wise than 11/11/11 and Richard had let the cat out of the bag that they were already legally married so it was no longer a secret! 

This is the Garden Room. We had our rehearsal here the day before because it was cold and rainy outside. This room is so cozy and inviting with a crackling fire in the fireplace. We gathered here before the ceremony and it is where the guests congregated for cocktails after the ceremony.

The sand ceremony was set to go. Richard has three children and Julie two and they wanted to include them in the ceremony as well as their parents.

Everything is ready so I am taking a load off my feet before it is time for the guests to be seated. You can see what a beautiful, sunny, glorious day it is.

 

Craig and Ed with Arioso Strings arrived and got set up and went over the cues with Gilda McDaniels, the event manager for Fearrington. You will see Ed and Craig in many weddings on this blog. I love working with them and all the musicians with Arioso Strings.

The groom and his best man and son and I waited to the side of the garden until it was our turn to walk in.

Julie was escorted in by her father, Sandy. She is so beautiful and her dress is perfect for her.

Julie's sister, Nancy, was her Matron of Honor. Richard's Best Man was his good friend, Daryl. David, Richard's son, served as the groomsman and his daughter, Andrea, was his grooms-woman. David's other daughter, Michelle, was a bridesmaid, along with Julie's daughter, Hope. Unfortunately Julie's son, Alex, was not able to be with us on this day.

Julie's parents, Rhoda and Sandy, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year and Richard's parents, Marsha and Irving, their 53rd anniversary this year. Julie and Richard wanted to honor them on their special day so we surprised them with a tribute. (Poor Julie, the sun is right in her eyes when she looks at Richard!)

 

We included the Jewish wedding custom of the cup of wine ceremony where they each drank from the cup as I said: "L'Chaim, may your cup of life runneth over!"

 Pretty girls! 

Telling their wonderful story! 

 

 

They made their vows to each other again and then exchanged their rings which had been passed among their guests to be infused with their blessings for the couple.

Then it was time for the family unity sand ceremony. They included their parents who poured in sand representing Julie and Richard's heritages and serving as a strong foundation upon which Julie and Richard will build their marriage.

Then Julie and Richard separately poured in half of their sand making two more layers.

I called their children to come forth and each pour a layer of different color sand representing them. Hope poured in sand representing her brother, Alex.

Then Julie and Richard blended the rest of their sand together as they poured it into the container.

I placed the glass for Richard to break at his feet and made the pronouncement of marriage (again)!

When he broke the glass we all shouted "Mahzel Tov" which means congratulations and good luck and they kissed!

Awww... such a sweet kiss and such a wonderful couple!

 And away they go! 

Cheryl Kast, our wedding director with Fearrington, is such a delight to work with. I discovered that her lilting English accent is actually a South African accent where she grew up. Thanks, Cheryl, for another beautifully orchestrated wedding!

 The finished vase of pretty layers of symbolic sand. 

Julie and Richard, you are such a delightful couple and it was my pleasure to do two ceremonies for you. Thanks for being who you are and for your love which just radiates between you and all around you!