Jessica and Brent Wed at The Oaks at Salem!

Weddings at The Oaks at Salem are so wonderful! A truly gracious Southern setting with spacious facility and well-groomed grounds conveniently located in Apex. April Maness, the owner, knew what was the perfect venue for weddings when she purchased the property and built the beautiful manor. Jessica and Brent fell in love with it and had their wedding there on Sunday May 18, 2014.

Valet parking service is routine for weddings at The Oaks. 

A view of the back of the manor house from the side of the lake. The tent on the terrace serves as protection for both rain and intense heat of the sun. April even has lighting and speakers installed within the tent.

Plenty of room for seating of guests for the reception and the ceremony. 

Jessica and Brent had large cookies as wedding favors for the guests and they are all laid out for the taking! 

Just inside the terrace is the bar, food bar and the wedding cupcakes! This lovely configuration is by Bitty Cakes. Thrills from the Grill was catering. Yummy! A Ming Rose was the florist.

DJ Mel Manning was in charge of the music for both the ceremony and reception. Jessica and Brent chose to have their wedding under the tent from the very beginning to avoid everyone sitting out in the sun. Turns out it was seasonably cooler that day with a cloud cover and forecast of scattered showers--which did not happen!

Okay! It is time to begin. Joslin, the wedding director for the venue, cued the music and the processional. You can see her in the background. The seating of Brent's grandmother was first, then his aunt, then the parents of the groom and mother of the bride.

Greg and Justin, the groomsmen entered after Brent and me. 

Here comes the bride and her father!

Jessica bids farewell to her father and joins Brent. 

The tree in the background is the popular spot for some weddings but serves as a nice backdrop for weddings under the tent.

Our lovely bridesmaids witness the ceremony. The maid of honor is Jessica's sister, Lillian. I did not get the other two girls' names but I know the middle one is engaged to Justin, one of the groomsmen. 

It is unusual to get a photo of the guests but it is so telling of the feelings they have for Jessica and Brent. That is Brent's aunt wiping away some tears of happiness. Note up just above Brent's parents' head are a couple--he with glasses and she a blonde with an aqua top. That is Jay and Alyssa whom I married last July at The Cotton Room. I had no idea that Alyssa and Jessica were college roommates. It was so good to see them again. You can view their wedding here.

The blessing of the parents.......

The telling of their story: Jessica and Brent met at work where a lot of love stories begin. Jessica had just been hired and her cube was right next to Brent's so he was the go-to person for all her questions. She said he had immeasurable patience with her. He said he relished in the opportunity to be with her the questions afforded! They never tired of each other and decided to go out to a basketball game after work. Even though Jessica's alma mater UNC beat their opponent, Brent's alma mater NCSU, they had so much fun that the die was cast and there was no looking back.

Brent proposed to Jessica three years later and since then he has earned a graduate degree, they moved to a new city and bought their first house together, all while planning this wedding!

This is where I reveal to each of them what their partner told me in confidence they love about each other. "Brent, along with always letting her try a small bite of your food, killing spiders for her, and many other things, Jessica knew you were a keeper. She loves the way you cackle when you laugh and the way you make her smile...."

They read the vows they had written for each other from my book where the words were printed facing them as they exchanged their rings. 

I pronounced them husband and wife and told Brent he could kiss his beautiful wife! 

Off into the world, they go! 

Photos after the ceremony were on the front lawn. Their photographer, Francis Wong, was getting the family photos so we waited our turn. The couple with Brent's parents, Jane and David.

Aunt Gayle and the groomsmen. 

Jessica's parents, Jinn and liHsia. 

Brent's grandmother, Nancy, is pleased to pose with the couple.

My turn! Jessica and Brent, what a great couple you are. Loved your story and I know you will be happily married ever after! My best for you always.

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A Beautiful Southern Wedding for Meghan and Mark at The Sutherland!

Meghan and Mark came to see me in March to plan their wedding at The Sutherland in Wake Forest on August 21, 2010. The Sutherland is a wonderful restored historic plantation and manor house and the perfect setting for their wedding. Ashlee Adams, one of the owners, is great to work with and takes care of every detail with her years of expertise. Mark told me while we were waiting for the ceremony to begin that Meghan had put him in charge of one thing for the wedding since he had worked in the food service industry--the food! He chose Shuckers for their rehearsal dinner which was a grand success and Thrills from the Grill to cater their reception. They met the owner and chef, Belo Shelton, at the Southern Bridal Show and knew that his Southern cooking would be perfect for their wedding. Mark said he was delighted to see them on the top of The Sutherland's preferred vendor list.

They chose Cinda's Creative Cakes to make their lovely wedding cake. There were about 120 guests.

Arioso Strings provided the great music for the ceremony. I have worked with these guys so many times and they always perform superbly. Ed Stephenson on guitar even brought along his fan for the hot weather! Ed plays at local restaurants like Buku in downtown Raleigh. Craig, on violin, has played at many weddings I've officiated this summer as part of a duo or trio. Always a pro--rain or shine!

When it was time to begin, the grandmothers and mothers were escorted in. Then the guys and I entered and took our places up front.

After the bridesmaids entered, it was time for Brayden, our ring bearer to enter. He was shadowed by his father so that he would stay on track. He made it down the aisle and up onto the platform where he proceeded to sit down and rip off all the ribbons on the pillow with great determination! I think that he had been told that he was to give some rings to someone and was doing his best to get to them!

If you click on the above photo for a larger image, you will notice that some of the guests are looking back to see the flower girl coming in. The rest of us up front were watching Brayden do his thing to the ring pillow and having a good chuckle. I did step over and pick up the ribbons and stuff them in my pocket. After the wedding someone asked me if I had them and I was happy to be reminded they were in my pocket and give them back. She said she was going to sew them back on the pillow!

Here comes our pretty flower girl, Halle. She knew exactly what to do and did her job beautifully. Stacy Borelli of Swank Photo Studio was their photographer. It is always fun to do weddings with Stacy. She is so flexible and laid back and takes the most amazing photos. Thanks, Stacy. Stacy is probably crouching there with a telephoto lens capturing the actions of Brayden!

Meghan is a beautiful young woman and her dress was perfect for her. Her father, George, proudly escorts her in. Meghan's mother died when she was 10 years old.  Meghan's brother, Tim, placed a rose in the chair  that would have been hers in her memory and she was remembered during the ceremony as well. There were some emotional moments and I believe George was feeling some as he brought Meghan down the aisle.

I guided Meghan and Mark in creating a very meaningful and unforgettable wedding ceremony. They met 12 years ago while in high school. They were attracted to each other then but the timing was not right. Mark told me that he knew, even back then, that someday she would be his girlfriend. It was many years later after high school and college that they encountered each other on Christmas Eve in 2006 and made a date for the next day, Christmas Day. They soon became an inseparable couple and Mark knew in his heart that Meghan would one day be his wife although she laughed when he first told her! What a wonderful love story they have and their guests and family loved hearing it on their wedding day.

Exchange of vows and rings, sand ceremony, the pronouncement, the kiss and closing blessing and they are married! Just like that!

Finally, says Mark! It is time to have some fun and enjoy being married at last. Meghan and Mark, you are a fine couple and I know you are so happy to be together forever! My blessings and congratulations!