Trish and Colin's Warm and Wonderful Wedding at The Stockroom!

Trish contacted me last September by email about officiating her wedding downtown Raleigh at The Stockroom on April 26, 2013: "We live in NY state but my family lives in NC.  We are getting married at the Stockroom in downtown Raleigh. Your wedding blog has been instrumental in my wedding planning due to the list of vendors and venues you provide.  We haven't really looked into who will marry us yet but I felt like it was a sign when I saw that Andrea is your daughter.  I haven't seen or spoken to her in quite some time but I used to work with her at Michael Dean's many years ago.  We'd love to get some additional information from you, primarily if you are available on our wedding date.  We look forward to hearing from you."

Of course I was tickled to reply to her that I was available and would love to officiate for her and Colin. They completed the contract I emailed them and mailed it to me with their check and we got started on their ceremony. I did not meet them face to face until Monday 4/20 when we did a run through rehearsal with just the 3 of us. I appreciate them being so understanding of my having to miss their large rehearsal due to a memorial for a family member I had to attend out of town. Thankfully their wedding planner/director, Sally Oakley, was happy to conduct the rehearsal the night before their wedding without me present.

Dressed in my charcoal gray dress and shoes to match the bridesmaid's dresses and "armed" with my wireless theater microphone outside the entrance to The Stockroom!

Mahlers Fine Art Gallery is such a lovely space. Libby and Ethem's wedding was in this space last October. For Colin and Trish's wedding the gallery was the "holding area" for the bridal party prior to the ceremony then the site for the cocktail hour after the ceremony while The Stockroom was being converted into the reception area.

 The Stockroom configured for the ceremony....

 View from the windows......

Trish and Colin had seen this arrangement of vine wreaths, draping fabric and florals in a photo of a wedding here and so they shopped around at Michael's and JoAnne Fabrics and duplicated it.

Sooooo glad Sally Oakley, Sally Oakley Personalized Wedding Planning, was heading up the wedding vendor team! I always look forward to working with Sally. I can rest assured she has taken care of every little detail.

Kevin Majoros, DJ, was on hand to handle the ceremony and reception music! Thanks, Kevin, for plugging in my microphone and monitoring the sound for the ceremony! I know you must have rocked the reception later!

Rocky Top Hospitality was the caterer of course, since Trish had worked at Michael Dean's which was one of their restaurants. Kevin DeHimer was there, of course, and although he told me he was a guest, I caught him working!

The guest book was a lovely tree image upon which the fingerprints of the guests were imprinted and signed.

A trip downstairs to the gallery to see the bride and get her sister's signature as witness on the license.

Our photographer, Ashley with The Story Photographers, was on hand to get pictures of the bride while her counterpart, David, was busy with the groom and groomsmen upstairs.

After the parents were escorted in, Colin and his guys followed me in to the front. Then the bridesmaids entered.

I invited the guests to stand as Trish and her father entered.

Colin and Trish have such a wonderful love story. Even though they lived more than 3000 miles apart, the universe rearranged itself so that their paths would cross in Atlantic Beach NC one fateful evening in 2009. Their lives were forever changed and distance was only a trivial obstacle that their love for each other overcame with victory and celebration! Their guests loved hearing their story and Trish wrote me after the ceremony: "I can not tell you the number of compliments we received about our ceremony. Everyone was so impressed with you. Not only did we get multiple comments, they thought you had known us for years. Many also stated that it was the best ceremony they had ever witnessed. Others said they have been to many weddings and yet they will never forget this one due to how personal it was. We were beyond pleased but it meant so much to us to know how much our guests enjoyed it as well. So, thank you for your professionalism and attention to detail that made our ceremony and commitment to one another truly unique, memorable and so special for us." 

They couldn't stop kissing! 

Trish and Colin, you are a very special couple. Trish, since you are a friend of my daughter, I feel like you are my daughter too. And, although at times I felt like a midget standing between the two of you tall beings, it was my great pleasure to get to know you and I am honored to have been part of your wonderful wedding and sending you off into marriage on a firm footing.

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Alyssa and Larry's Wedding--Another Fabulous Wedding at Caffe Luna!

Back last November Alyssa and Larry and I met to discuss their wedding scheduled for October 27, 2012 at Caffe Luna--one of my favorite spots for weddings. They had met almost 3 years prior to their wedding date on October 24, 2009 not knowing at the time how the events of that evening would alter their lives forever. They were both drawn to each other from the beginning and, although neither disclosed it to the other, they were already smitten! A few months later on a trip to California on a guided tour of San Diego which, unbeknownst to them when they signed up to go was an event for senior citizens, they both realized that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Exactly one year from the day they met, Larry proposed at the very same spot they had done cartwheels and handstands the night they had met. And so the wedding planning commenced all while Larry finished undergrad school, went through the tedious process of applying to and starting law school, with Alyssa by his side encouraging him through all the difficult times and stresses.

We had our rehearsal on Friday 10/26 and went through all the logistics. Jaclyn, a good friend of Alyssa, was our wedding director. In the meantime, a Halloween event called "Walk of the Living Dead" was slated for downtown Raleigh during the time of this wedding with people dressed up in their perception of Zombies!  We thought we might see some of the parade come down Hargett Street during the wedding but if they did, none of the guests were paying attention to anything going on outside. The seating for the wedding was quite flexible and although we envisioned guests sitting at the long tables arranged on either side of the aisle, that did not happen! Most of the guests congregated at the tables in the adjoining room then stood in that area to watch the ceremony crowding in on the side.

When Marty and I arrived at 5:30 for the wedding at 6:30, the weather was overcast and windy as Hurricane Sandy was brewing over the NC coastline. But, there was no rain! We saw a lot of Zombies rushing to be in the parade--what a sight! Inside Caffe Luna our musicians, Ben and Amaree Davis, were tuning up for the ceremony. They were excellent and I enjoyed their music a lot. They did a wonderful rendition of Canon in D for the processional. It was good to meet them and I would love to see them at future weddings!

Normally I would not need amplification for a wedding in this room. But with the majority of guests spreading out into the adjoining room and noting the noisiness of everyone chatting with each other, I thought I had better use my microphone. Our DJ, Sami Lamir, was most accommodating. He has been a club DJ for years but wishes to do more weddings. I really liked working with Sami! Their photographer, David, from Storyphotographers was there to document the occasion. I have worked with them many times. Their florist was Tracey Huntley with Springwell Gardens.

Larry's parents, Veronica and Lawrence, are standing by to be the first to enter in the processional. They live in Garner. Alyssa's family came down for the wedding from Iowa.

Ready for the bridesmaids to enter. I am turning on my microphone bodypack in my pocket. The mother of the bride, Christine, is sitting at the table in front.

Bridesmaid Ashley is ready to enter. That is Jaclyn behind cuing everyone when to walk. She was not only cute but a take charge person. Thanks, Jaclyn! (And I really like your hair!)

 Here comes the bride with her father, Stephen. 

The reality of the moment is sinking in for Alyssa which brings forth a few tears of happiness!

I invited all those at tables to sit down and we began the ceremony.

Of course I told their love story and what they loved about each other to the guests who thoroughly enjoyed every moment according to many of them who told me they loved the ceremony as I was leaving to go to the next wedding.

"In the spirit of joy, we welcome you to the unparalleled promise that is marriage. We celebrate with you and we are incredibly happy that your lives include each other..." 

May I present the newlyweds? 

Congratulations, Alyssa and Larry! Loved working with you and officiating your wonderful wedding. May your cup of life overrun with love, joy and peace!

Michaela and Josh's Beautiful Interfaith Wedding!

Mary Page Block who founded and operates Arioso Strings referred Michaela and Josh to me. Michaela's parents are neighbors of hers in Cary. Mary sat down with the couple in the Spring of 2010 and went through this blog to choose their venue and other wedding  vendors. I am really delighted that brides and grooms use this blog as a resource! I met with Michaela and Josh in May of 2010 to plan this wedding to take place on July 30, 2011. Michaela and Josh chose the beautiful Renaissance Hotel in North Hills. All the weddings I have done there have been done in the long narrow end of the ballroom. Michaela and Josh were expecting more guests than that could accommodate so they chose the wider configuration as shown below by opening up an additional segment of the ballroom: It is huge! 

The photo above shows the long narrow configuration for a wedding I did there on New Year's Eve. 

See how spacious this area is?

 

There was plenty of room for the Arioso Strings Trio headed up by May Page Block and our vocalists.

Valeri and Megan are relatives of Michaela and came down from Ohio to sing in the wedding. They sang "Hosea" which was sung at Michaela's parents' wedding. It was beautiful. I don't know which is which but the young lady on the left is also the mother of our flower girl, Lulani.

Josh is of Jewish heritage and Michaela was brought up Christian. They wanted to blend the two faiths in their wedding ceremony. We included the Chuppah under which we stood for the ceremony. Josh and Michaela constructed this lovely Chuppah and Michaela made the canopy covering the top of it. We had two prayers, the Wine and Seven Blessing Ceremony, scripture readings, and the breaking of the glass.

Behind the partition the band, Shine, was warming up when we arrived to set up my microphones. We also found the cupcake wedding cake by Cakes for a Cause.

Fresh Affairs did the lovely florals. Their theme was sunflowers. 

So, here we are standing around while the last guests took their seats. On the right is Josh's grandpa, Murray, who canted the first of the seven blessings in Hebrew. Josh and I are already in line and behind us are his best man, Justin, and his brothers, Dan and Adam.

Here come the bridesmaids: Anna, the maid of honor, is on the left and Michaela's sisters, Kateri and Lizzie, are on the right.

Okay....we are ready to go. Our director, Terry, a friend of Michaela's family, served as our wedding director and cued us in. In the front of the line are Grandpa Murray who graciously escorted in Michaela's Grandmother, Anne. Our ring bearer is Jacob, son of Josh's aunt and uncle.

Once the wedding party got inside, it was time for the bride and her parents and our flower girls to get in line to enter. Lulani did a great job walking down the aisle by herself and standing with the bridesmaids.

Terry is waiting for Lulani to make it all the way down the aisle before sending the bride and her parents, Denis and Connie.

 

And there they go! I was so delighted to see that Michaela had found a white carpet runner for the wedding. That is about the only type of runner that will work on carpet. It did tend to move a little bit with the nap of the carpet but it was not dangerous or wrinkled.

 

Michaela and Josh live in Atlanta. They met at Emory from where they did their undergraduate work. Josh is a teacher at a private school and Michaela is a speech therapist for the public school system. Theirs is a wonderful love story and I had the pleasure or sharing it with their guests during the ceremony.

These photos are really grainy. The room was darkened and the zoom feature left a lot of quality to be desired!

After the pronouncement, Josh stomped the glass breaking it the first time, we all shouted "Mazeltov," and then they kissed. Sorry, don't have a picture of the kiss! You can see David Teeter with Story Photographers zeroing in on the scene. Ashley Stephenson with Story Photographers was on the other side getting more good shots.

They were beaming as they recessed out into their new marriage!

Michaela and Josh, congratulations on your marriage and your wonderful wedding! Your hard work and diligent planning sure paid off. I wish you the best always!