Jerem and Mary Marry Amid Great Joy At the Haw River Ballroom

 Mary and Jerem live in Chicago so we met via Skype last October to begin planning their April wedding at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw.  This is a great new venue and people are discovering it in droves.  Yay!  Joyfully it was a warm sunny Spring day for Jerem and Mary's wedding and they could take advantage of all the beautiful scenery around them.  Carolyn Scott and her husband, Geoff, of Carolyn Scott Photography, were their fabulous photographers and have many more pictures on their web site.   They're always great.  Thanks to Carolyn for these wonderful pictures.

 The origami cranes made a lovely backdrop to set off the ceremony site.  Mary entered the room to the strains of 'Luckiest' by Ben Folds setting the loving sweet romantic tone that Jerem and Mary wanted.   And the ballroom was the perfect setting for their eclectic mix of family and friends from Chicago, St. Louis, Colorado and as far away as Calgary, Canada.  This venue is  also known for the terrific musicians who play here on non-wedding evenings.

I loved the neon sign saying 'Thrills' pointing right at them.  In their ceremony we told their guests how Jerem and Mary love how each person's strength fill in the other's gap.  They even find the idiosyncrasies of the other endearing - that rather than driving the other one nuts, they seem to enhance their affection.  Together they are better than the sum of their parts.

We told guests that they could clap, or or laugh as the mood struck them during the ceremony, and I believe that that's just what the picture below indicates.  Notice Jerem's bow tie.  We all loved it!

They chose a Unity Candle Ceremony, never lovelier, than with these succulents and the cranes surrounding them.  We offered these words for this ceremony. 'May the brightness of the candle you light together shine throughout your lives, giving you courage and reassurance in darkness.  May its warmth give you shelter from the cold.  And may its energy fill your spirits with strength and joy.'

With the words, 'Jerem, you may kiss your bride!' he did just that.

 Then after pictures it was a rousing celebration.  Here is a little of their decorations.  I loved them.  Heather Cook of Shindigs, in Durham, was their fabulous planner and coordinator.   And she created the flowers!  What a Godsend in her multi-talents and in making sure everything went smoothly for them. 

With the below not only did they keep it simple, but styling.  And the Saxapahaw Catering Company did their cake and catering.  From the menu it looks fabulous!  I don't see their name on Google.  If you're interested I'd contact the ballroom.  They'd know.

Each place setting was different creating a magical whole.

I love this picture capturing who they are together and their whole day.  In their ceremony I offered the Southern expression, 'Every pot has its lid.'  Mary and Jerem fit together so well, so joyfully, I now know where the expression comes from.

I got this wonderful note from them after they got back from their honeymoon,  'Hi Robin!

Well we are back from our honeymoon and still walking on clouds from the wedding! It was a gorgeous ceremony and we could not be happier with our choice of officiant :). ...

We haven't gotten digital copies of the pictures yet, but Carolyn has shared some on her blog. You'll see there is a great one of you in the ones she has shared!

http://www.carolynscottphotography.com/2014/04/11/maryjerems-wedding-at-the-haw-river-ballroom/.   Thank you again for all of the work and love you put into our wedding. It was a real pleasure!  Love,  Mary & Jerem' 

It was a labor of love for me in creating their ceremony with them. I wouldn't have had it any other way.    I wish them many many years of happiness.

Aaron and Alina at The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro

Living as I do in Hillsborough, I feel lucky that I can officiate weddings in both Raleigh and Greensboro. That is how Alina and Aaron found me. I had the privilege of marrying them on April 16th at The Proximity Hotel. They were navigating a long distance relationship at the time, Aaron living in Utah and Alina living in Greensboro.

Alina and Aaron's wedding was scheduled for mid-April and her move to Utah in early May. A busy time, especially when you add in family traveling from Michigan, Canada, and Romania to be with them for their wedding.


Their ceremony was held on a small balcony at the hotel with the small family dinner afterward in a banquet room right off the balcony.
They wanted a simple ceremony which was a testament to their love and commitment to each other. And they wanted to make sure it wouldn't be stern in tone. It was a treat for me to assure them that stern wasn't my style at all. Alina's mother doesn't speak much English so we had the ceremony translated into Romanian for her. It was sweet to see her following the words of the ceremony in her text with tears flowing down her face as we celebrated the amazing grace of Alina and Aaron's love for each other.




It was a windy day and we struggled a little to light the unity candle. But it stayed lit long enough for us to pronounce the symbolism complete. The Proximity had done all that they could to help us with the wind, even setting up this beautiful screen to shelter the candles. Then when the screen threatened to blow down, a staff member at The Proximity hid behind the screen during the ceremony to hold it in place. They were wonderful.

I try to move out of the way so that photographers can get the couple kissing without my head in the picture. But in this case, our photographer, Rob Brown, a colleague of Alina's, included all of me in the shot. I knew from Alina and Aaron that they felt so blessed to have found each other. It was a special treat to be able to perform their ceremony and witness their joy and gusto in this kiss.

They chose well. You can see it in their consideration for each other. I wish them all joy possible in the wonderful adventure of a well loved life.