Such a Sweet Wedding for Sierra and Joey at All Saints Chapel!

Sierra and Joey met in 2008, but it was not until two years later that their friendship began deepening into true love. Sierra was the first of the two to really realize what was happening, that Joey had been right in front of her all this time and she had developed a major crush on him. Spurred on by this incredible revelation, she invited Joey to hang out with her that night. It was then that she broke the big news to him that she really, really LIKED him! Joey didn't have a clue this was coming and was completely blindsided! It took him all night to say it back to her and then they shared their first kiss. They officially became a couple on November 1, 2011 and they contacted me in October of 2012 about officiating their wedding on November 2, 2013 at All Saints Chapel. We signed a contract and got started on their creative romantic ceremony. 

When I arrived, the altar was set up with the tree-planting paraphernalia that would be included as a Unity ceremony.

Beautiful Laura Byrne was all set up to provide her beautiful harp music, a dream come true for Sierra.

The groom and groomsmen were shooed out of the chapel so our photographer with Lempa Creative could get pre-ceremony shots of the bridal party. That purple is so pretty!

Love weddings at All Saints Chapel because I get to work with Diana who is so fun, easy going and accommodating. Her attitude is upbeat and so refreshing as she puts her all into making the bride's wedding day be a dream come true!

Family members were escorted in then this handsome gang of 7 groomsmen and the groom and I took our places on the altar.

After the 6 bridesmaids entered, our flower girl, Gabriella, and ring bearer, Ray, entered and took their places.

Sierra's father is visually challenged but was determined to escort his beautiful daughter down the aisle.

With our rehearsal the day before, it went just as planned. 

This wedding was at 4:00 in the afternoon and the sun really lit up the chapel that is rather dark in the late afternoon when most weddings take place there. I am amazed at the quality of photos my little camera took at this wedding, thanks to my assistant, Marty.

With that many attendants, we had to move the candelabras back but it worked!

Joey's Godmother, Yvette, read a poem dedicated to those who had passed on or who were unable to attend the wedding. Then Sierra's Aunt Angie shared words by Nicholas Sparks from his book, The Notebook. Unfortunately, I did not get a good photo of her.

I told their story which included what they love about each other and what they are looking forward to in marriage and a funny story about their first camping trip in the snow!

After the tree planting ceremony we closed with a blessing and I made the pronouncement of marriage.

And they begin their next adventure--marriage! 

Their photographer took them across the street into the old cemetery for photos. Marty and I tracked them there to get this photo then head on to Durham for the next wedding. Sierra, your dress is magnificent! I loved working with you two and wish you all the best life can bring your way!

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Melissa and Derrick Wed After Ten Years Together!

Melissa and Derrick have been a happy couple for 10 years and decided it was time to tie the knot. Their families agreed! They plan to have a huge celebration next year with about 600 guests in Charleston SC where Melissa's family lives! But, they wanted a small intimate family group for their "real" wedding on October 11, 2012 at 3 PM. Melissa contacted me about having their ceremony in my wedding garden and they both came by and took a look on October the 6th. It was perfect for them. They have two beautiful little girls they picked up after school and headed to my place. The weather was so nice for their big day.

 Derrick's mother, Thresia, pins on his boutonniere. 

 Melissa entered from the deck down the aisle. 

 We were all waiting for her in front of the arch. 

Almost everyone is viewing the wedding through the lens of a camera or cell phone which is very common at weddings these days.

I was addressing their adorable daughters, Amber and Addison, and telling them how important they were in the family.

 I think Derrick is saying "I do" at this point. 

 Even the youngest kids are using cell phones to take photos! 

 The ring exchange...

Melissa and Derrick chose to do a family tree planting ceremony which included the girls. When the little thready maple sapling was in the pot, each person poured water on it as a symbol of nurturing. It will be planted in their yard at home.

 The big moment when they become legally married! 

Actually, this is the second kiss. The first one was too quick to get a picture so I made them kiss again!

 Are we happy now or what??!! 

 The whole gang. The man on the left is Derrick's father, Charlie, with Thresia. In black and white is Melissa's mother, Thomasena. Then Derrick's sister, her husband and their children. The three ladies on the right are their close friends who are close as family!

What a handsome family! Congratulations to you, Melissa and Derrick, and to your beautiful children, Amber and Addison. I am so honored to have been part of your very important and historic day! I wish you the very best always!

Elizabeth and Ismail Have the Hottest Wedding of the Year!

I know Ish and Elizabeth's wonderful wedding certainly set a record as the hottest wedding I have ever been a part of. The temperature was 99 and the heat index 107 last Sunday June 27, 2010 at 2:00 in the afternoon at Duke Gardens in the pergola. Amazingly we persevered and made it all the way through. Everyone had a great attitude and we had a lot of fun.  My hat is off to Ish for wearing that tux with tails the whole time. I never saw him take it off. Well, his family heritage is Egyptian and he must have inherited the genes that tolerate desert heat!

At the rehearsal on Friday evening we planned to have the wedding facing the usual way with the couple and me at the top of the pergola steps, the attendants along the handrails and the guests on the grass on either side of the aisle. However, that meant that the guests and attendants would all be in the blazing sun for the ceremony. Elizabeth's mother, Kathleen, wisely suggested we consider turning it around so that everyone could at least be in the shade under the pergola. So, on the wedding day, we had Ellie, the staff person in charge of chairs at the garden, set the chairs up inside the pergola facing out onto the gardens. We still had the processional from the usual spot behind the bushes below then turned around and faced the guests after the bride was escorted in by her father. It worked out quite well and the backdrop of the wedding was the beautiful vista of the gardens. Quite unique. Of course, Elizabeth and Ismail are quite a unique couple themselves. I will tell you more.....but let's get on with the wedding!

Ish with his men before the start of the ceremony...note they were spared wearing the tux jackets. We later pinned their boutonnieres onto their pretty lilac shirts. Handsome bunch of guys, don't you think?

Beautiful violin music was provided by Savannah and Meredith Gaylord, sisters, and friends of Elizabeth. They were great and hung in there just fine.

Father of the bride, Rob, escorts in his wife, Carolin, Elizabeth's stepmother. Rob was so wise to wear his hat!

Samira and Said, parents of the groom stand by to enter.

Mother of the bride, Kathleen, was escorted in by her two sons.

The three bridesmaids are queued up to enter. Sanjina, our honorary director, did a great job learning  how to direct the wedding party in at our rehearsal on Friday. Our Maid of Honor, Nicole, was supposed to do a reading during the ceremony but it got scratched due to the heat to shorten the ceremony. She was happy about that!

Originally there were 3 flower girls but we ended up with one spectacular little girl who was dressed like a fairy! She was so sweet and did her job so nicely without complaining or fussing. I did not get her name. She was adorable.

We are all enjoying watching her make her way up the aisle to the pergola. Looks like I am reaching in my pocket to turn on my microphone. I was using a new sound system this day and it worked perfectly and is so much more portable for weddings at Duke Gardens where we have a long way to trek to the pergola.

And now it is time for the bride to make her entrance. Elizabeth's dress was so gorgeous. Sanjina straightens her train. Rob and Elizabeth are ready to walk and get in the shade. 

We all then did an about face and faced the guests for the ceremony. Did you notice that someone had given the wisteria of the pergola a severe haircut? It usually trails down about two feet from the top.

Ish looks out at the guests and takes in the moment. He and Elizabeth were so happy to be getting married.

All the couples who have met via e-Harmony that come to me for pre-marital counseling are off-the-chart compatible. More so than other on-line matching services although match.com is close behind. When Elizabeth and Ish told me how they met, I knew for sure they were quite compatible. And, I could tell just being around them when we first met in February to plan this wedding ceremony. Nicole, Elizabeth's best friend and maid of honor, told Elizabeth right before Elizabeth met Ish for the first time: "I bet this time next year I'll be in your wedding." And, she was right! They both emphasized to me how comfortable they are together and that they can completely be themselves. After that first meeting they were practically inseparable and were soon engaged having located a unique ring and embarking on an adventure to Virginia to get it. Everyone enjoyed hearing their story during the ceremony.

They read their sweet vows to one another from my book then exchanged their beautiful rings.

After the rings, they planted two Japanese Maple saplings, symbolic of their lives coming together in marriage like the roots and branches of the trees. "Each of you has contributed to the lives of this couple, supported them, inspired them, raised them, and helped them become the people they are today. Therefore, you are all a part of the foundation of this tree and this marriage."
Then while they put the two saplings together in the pot of soil, I read this wonderful poem, author unknown:

"A marriage is like two trees rising from the sacred earth,
That grow close together, but from different roots,
Different colors of leaf, different textures of bark,
Different flowers in the spring,
Yet the same bees drink their nectar,
The same birds nest in their branches
And sing the spring into their unfolding buds,
The same shower of leaves falls in autumn
The same flood of cold brings winter sleep.
And sometimes, two trees may entwine so closely
That we who watch them see only one tree
With different leaves and wonder at the miracle,
For miracle it is."

 Yea! They are married now! The guests cheered and as soon as the wedding party recessed down the steps for photos, I invited the guests to go to the Grand Marquise Ballroom in Garner for the cool reception. I know they had a great time because the next day I met with an engaged couple about doing their wedding and they were at Elizabeth and Ish's reception but not the ceremony. Ish's grandmother who traveled from Egypt for the wedding wisely skipped the ceremony due to the extreme heat. 

All done and time to celebrate! Elizabeth and Ish, you are a fantastic, amazing couple and I loved marrying you. Please keep in touch! I know you are going to have a great marriage and happy life together. My congratulations and best wishes to you both and your families.

(I want to thank Ellie, Duke Gardens staff person, for letting Marty and me ride with her on the golf cart to the parking lot after this photo. We were beat and needing to get out of the heat!)

Our photographer was Emily Collins of Emily Collins Photography and the videographer was Christopher Zinkle with Preserved Memories.  The flowers were provided by Watkins Florists.