Winter Solstice Wedding for Lauren and William!

Lauren and William are busy, down to earth, no frills type of people who have a mutual love of nature and horses and wanted to marry. So, Lauren's mother, Judith, "took the reins" and planned this wedding for the most part. It was at the beautiful historic Preston-Woodall House in Benson on December 21, 2013. Joel Hurley, proprietor of the Preston-Woodall House, gave Judith my name and  we made arrangements for me to officiate. I corresponded with Lauren and William and together we customized the wedding ceremony to reflect the two of them. One thing they wanted was short and sweet, and so it was.

When Marty and I arrived, the Cora Lily Ballroom was all decked out for Christmas, in fact, the whole house was beautifully decorated. We had the ceremony at this end of the ballroom. Janet Hill, with Dogwood Studios, was our photographer. 

At the other end were the tables and chairs that would later be spread out around the dance floor.

This sweet little cake was ready to be cut. Did not get the name of the baker. 

In the adjoining parlor, the hors d'oeuvres were ready for consumption by the guests after the ceremony during cocktail hour.

DeLane Hayes, our DJ, was all set up for the ceremony music and later on dance music! 

After Joel invited all the guests to take their seats for the ceremony, he directed the parents and wedding party in. Thanks, Joel! You've had many years of  practice and this one was a snap! It was good to work with you again!

This is Judith, mother of the bride, and her husband Carroll. 

Here comes the bride with her father, William! 

After the warm welcome to the guests, we paid tribute to Lauren's parents and step-parents. 

Then we included a blessing written by Reverend J. Lynn James. 

Their friends, Leanna and Strick, stood up with them.

The exchange of vows and rings, then the pronouncement of marriage! 

Oh happy days! Lauren and William, congratulations! I wish you all the happiness in the world!

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Beautiful Fall Wedding for Mary and Matt at the Preston Woodall House!

Mary and Matt are both serving our country in the military, Mary in the Air Force and Matt in the Navy. They were both stationed in Hawaii when they met in 2009 and discovered they both love  finding new and exciting things to do together such as walking on lava fields and diving with manta rays! They have had some wonderful adventures together and it was time to get married. They set the wedding date for November  19, 2011 at the wonderful Preston-Woodall House in Benson. Mary's mother contacted me last May about officiating and put me in touch with Mary and Matt who were then living in California. We started working on the ceremony by email and met for the first time at their rehearsal Friday evening.

This is the Preston Woodall House from the side. The front is to the right. I have been doing weddings here for over 10 years now and always enjoy being here. It is such an elegant venue and Diane Seymour, the events manager, is a delight to work with. 

The front parlor was sumptuously spread with really wonderful appetizers for the guests.

For favors for the guests to take home with them, Mary chose caramel apple kits.

The Cora Lily Ballroom was all set up for the ceremony. After the ceremony the room was "turned" by the staff and ready for the reception.

Douglas Potts at the Harris-Teeter in Cary was the florist. He did a fine job!

This beautiful wedding cake was created by Lisa of Tier Bella. Gorgeous!

Jeff Martin with Strawboss Productions was our DJ. 

A gift from the bride's parents was a framed display of their two family coat of arms. Matt's family is of Welsh heritage while Mary's hails from England.

Their photographer was Rob Seelye with Studio R1. I have done many weddings with Rob but we had not crossed paths in about a year. It was great to see him again. He did an engagement session with Mary and Matt a few days before the wedding because they had not been able to come to NC earlier and put them together for their wedding poster to be signed by the guests. Their first date was on Memorial Day. The photos were taken at Jordan Lake and replicate some of their great ventures in Hawaii.

Last in was the bride with her father. She looked so pretty and the flowers were stunning.

Diane looks happy that all went smoothly with the ceremony and now it is time to set up for the reception while the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in the mezzanine.

Well done, Mary and Matt! Now you can get on with your great adventures. May all your dreams come true!

What A Fun Wedding for Jackie and Steve at the Preston Woodall House!

Jackie and Steve met at Jackie's son's little league baseball practice one day in March of 2009. Steve was the assistant coach filling in for the coach who could not be there. They did not officially meet for quite a while but kept eying each other from a distance at every practice and every game. In fact, to say that these two fell in love from a distance is probably the best way to put it. Jackie made the first move after baseball season by sending Steve an email asking him out. Steve was thrilled and immediately called the number she gave in the email, but there was one little problem. Jackie had given him the wrong phone number! So he resorted to email and after this initial miscommunication they did begin to date and found that they were very compatible. After a few months they broke the news they were dating to Jackie's son only to find out they were already wise to them and of course they approved! In the end, this is the truest of love stories. Jackie's love for her sons and Steve's love for the game of baseball brought them together and forged the lifetime love between them!

So, when the time came to tie the knot, they chose Sunday October 9, 2011 at the beautiful historic Preston Woodall House in Benson for their wedding ceremony and reception. They met with me in February and loved the idea of writing their own wedding ceremony. In fact, they actually wrote their own love story for the ceremony instead of leaving it up to me and did an exceptional job! Well, it is a great love story about a great couple, you know!

The Cora Lily Ballroom was all set up for the reception in bright white and red. Fresh Affairs did the beautiful flowers. Sweet Memories did the wonderful cake. Are we surprised that the bride and groom are playing baseball on top of the cake?? The photo above is a table full of props for the photobooth! What fun! And a video showing a slide show of the couple and some sweet moments.

Our DJ was Greg Ramsey with Joe Bunn DJ Company. Always love to work with Greg. The sound was perfect, of course!  Behind the scenes were our great photographers, Shawn and Suzanne with BrealPhoto. I have never worked with them before and had just met them at the launch party for Wish Upon A Wedding this month. It was good to see them in action so soon!

Diane is the wedding/events coordinator for the Preston Woodall House. I love working with her and really appreciates all the couples she sends my way. Thanks, Diane! Weddings at this site are always a treat! 

When it was time to begin, the Mother of the Groom in blue, Susan, was escorted in by her sons, Steve's twin brothers, Jason and David, followed by their father, Perry.  Diane, Mother of the Bride, is escorted in by her sons, Mike and Chris.

Steve is so ready to get married. Can't you tell? Look at that grin!

We are awaiting the entrance of our beautiful bride! 

Jackie is escorted in by her sons, Alexander and Ethan. As they approach, Steve steps down to the bottom of the stairs for them to hand her off to him. I asked: "Alexander and Ethan, as Jackie's sons, will you and her mother, Diane, now give Jackie into the care and keeping of Steve so that they may be joined in marriage?" Of course all three answered "We do!" Then Steve assisted Jackie in ascending the steps, symbolic of taking their relationship to a higher level together.

I stepped aside to speak to the parents who are standing in the first row and ask for their blessings for this marriage. Then we recognized Alexander and Ethan and how important they are in this marriage as well. They were tickled!

 

The next part of the ceremony was a unique poem by Swen Nater titled "Friendship" that Steve found and was so appropriate for them. We then commenced to the wedding address in which their story is incorporated with just the right amount of humor that everyone loved.

Then they exchanged vows and rings followed by the closing blessing. I looked up at Steve, and although I had already wiped the perspiration off his face a couple of times earlier in the ceremony, he was dripping again.

 So, I had to clean him up for the pronouncement and the big kiss!

 

A GOOD one! Home run! 

 

While I was busy seeing that the bride retrieved her bouquet from Kimberly, our maid of honor, one of Steve's brothers must have pulled out a towel and passed it up to Steve. I did not know about the towel until I saw this photo! The best man, Jonas, and everyone else had a good laugh! 

 

Steve, where are you going in such a hurry?? First base?

Steve and Jackie, congratulations! You are a great couple! Your sense of humor and adventurous spirits are fantastic and I am so happy that you connected with each other and are now one big happy family together. I know you are so thrilled to be married at last!