Leslie and Craig Marry at The Umstead Hotel and Spa

Craig and Leslie were blessed with a beautiful day for their ceremony, which is a special blessing since most of Craig's family traveled from Nova Scotia, Canada and California to be with them.   And a beautiful location, the lawn at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary.   In their ceremony they simply wanted everyone to know how happy they are with each other.  They're each independent people with their own lives and yet their love has evolved naturally to include and embrace them both.  They both feel loved and accepted for the whole of who they are.  This is a wonderful foundation on which to build a marriage!

Their ceremony music was provided by Arioso Strings and I have Mary Page Block of Arioso Strings to thank for this wonderful photograph.  She's a great amateur photographer and I have the benefit of her skill and her generosity in this photograph.  The wedding also had the pleasure of their wonderful music.  It's always great to work with Arioso Strings.  They're always professional and excellent.  This day they played = 'Air' from 'Water Music' by Handel, 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring,' and 'Purcell's Trumpet Voluntary.'  And finally, 'Rejouissance' by Handel for their recessional.  

Thanks too to Barbara Clark of An Elegant Affair for her great planning and coordination of this wonderful event.  There were about 70 guests.


They wedding party was piped in and the guests piped out by a bag piper.  It was a beautiful touch with all the guests following the bagpiper Paul Davis to the location for the cocktail hour while Leslie and Craig and their wedding party had pictures taken elsewhere.  


This is such a wonderful open venue that I wanted you to see the expanse of lawn.  Here is the view of the ceremony site with the lake in the background.

Here is the ceremony site looking back toward the hotel.

Thanks too to the Umstead staff for always doing a fabulous job of supporting the other wedding professionals.

Since Craig and Leslie's ceremony was planned primarily through their wedding planner I had less to do with the planning.  Kristen of KPO photographs was their official photographer but the ones you see are ones I took, other than the one by Mary Page Block.   Tre Bella was their florist.