Matt and Megan's Cake Story and More

 

 Over my almost 17 years of officiating wedding ceremonies I’ve been part of a surprisingly small number of wedding day problems.  Even the worst disasters have been ones that we could remedy ourselves with a little ingenuity and on site help, or just laugh about.  I've helped create two bouquets from one when one was missing, done weddings barefoot in ankle deep water, worked around a fainting best man, and officiated a wedding where the wrong flowers had been delivered.  We just used the ones we had.  But the problem I describe below required expert assistance and fast.

Above you see the picture of the wedding cake delivered to Megan and Matt on their wedding day at Chateau Belle Vie just two weeks ago.  Their wedding colors were chocolate brown and apple green.  Megan and Matt had offered their wedding invitation as an indication of the style they wanted to copy for the design on their cake.  Their very prominent local baker told them when she delivered the cake below that she had ‘designed’ their cake to match their invitations.  Hmmmmm.  Here's the invitation.

This is Megan in amazement.  Do you see a design here? 

First let me say that Chateau Belle Vie had no role at all in this cake near disaster.  They went well out of their way to save the day.  I love working with them.  Their staff is fabulous and they care so much for each couple they marry, and it shows.

It was the baker who somehow lost their vision of what makes a wedding cake special and lovely. Just in case you can't believe it either, here's a closer view.

 

 Seeing this sturdy, upright, but slightly leaning mountain of brown, Megan, Matt, and Roxana, the staff member at Chateau Belle Vie, had the wise sense to call in the cavalry in the person of Jennifer Stevens of Ambrosia Cake Creations who had masterfully done Roxana’s cake for Roxana's wedding in October 2010.

Now, this is all beginning to unfold at 3PM on Matt and Megan's wedding day with their wedding taking place at 6:30 that evening!

When I arrived at 5:30 in preparation of officiating their ceremony, Megan and Matt had found some humor in the situation and were trusting in Jennifer's good hands to manage it somehow.  They knew it would be better than what they had.  The original 'prominent local' baker had accepted no responsibility for this creative disaster and had simply left right after she delivered the cake you see above.

Jennifer had delivered a 'faux cake' to have in place if needed - not edible but pretty.  The faux cake would at least represent a cake if anything worse happened.

Jennifer, who just happened to have had the day off, and who luckily lived in Fuquay Varina, had rushed to Chateau Belle Vie after she was called late that afternoon.  She picked up the tipping tower of taupe, and did magic on it for the next 3 hours, chilling it so that it could be straightened (it's hard to tell its 'Pisa tendency' from the picture you see), hand decorating it with scroll work and changing the muddy brown slurry to a swirling chocolate brown dusted with gold glitter.  And voila!

Jennifer quietly delivered the redone wonder at 7 pm, during the cocktail hour after the ceremony.  Guests were out on the patio so not one guest saw the disaster unfold.  They were none the wiser about  the whole situation.  But I bet it made a good story.

In defense of baker one, who shall remain nameless, I understand that the cake was very tasty.

I bring you this blog to highlight that miracles can and do happen all the time, and that for every wedding professional who falls short there is another who will go way out of their way to make sure your day lives up to your needs and your dreams. 

I’ll always remember Matt and Megan for their humor and good grace while wondering what they would feed their guests, and Jennifer Stevens, of Ambrosia Cake Creations, who I will recommend to all my couples as someone who has professional heart to go along with her excellent skills.  By the way, I saw on her web site that she provides, gratis, an anniversary cake to couples whose wedding cake she makes.  What a thoughtful gesture.

Thanks to Mike Phongas of MP Photography for the 'before' shot.  I took the after with my Droid.  I'll have more pictures of Megan and Matt's wedding soon.  It was really wonderful.  They didn't let any sugar blues dampen their day at all.  Kudos to them.  They were a joy to marry!

So let me tell you more about that!
The back patio of the chateau is a perfect place for a small ceremony.
To show off Megan's playful side, she had lime green shoes that matched my stole exactly.





For those of you who have never seen the chateau, it was built and designed with just this purpose in mind.  It's European decorations are gracious and lovely from every aspect.

Matt and Megan did not know their cake would be so beautifully redeemed at this moment.  Yet it was.



And they went on to have a very joyful reception.
I hope our paths cross in future.  They're a couple who are grounded in the important ways that life moves: in love, in family and in friendship.  And they also got to eat cake.

Todd and Kathleen Light Up Belle Vie

This last weekend I had the privilege of marrying Todd and Kathleen at Chateau Belle Vie in Fuquay Varina. It was a treat on lots of fronts. I'd never met Kathleen or Todd before - we planned their wedding totally by phone and email. I'd never been to Chateau Belle Vie before, often wondering about it as I looked over from the porch of its next door neighbor, the Highgrove Estate. And it was an absolutely beautiful day to be outside celebrating Todd and Kathleen's love.

So I'll try to touch on all these high points.
Thanks to Tim Hester our photographer from Winterville, NC, for these wonderful pictures of Todd and Kathleen. The less wonderful pictures of Belle Vie are my own.

Next, Belle Vie is lovely and was perfect for their size wedding - about 50 guests. Marie, the owner, showed us around and told wonderful stories of the architectural and decorative touches she added to make it so elegant.

Roxanna, who was the Chateau Bellevie Staff Coordinator for Todd and Kathleen's wedding was wonderful. Very much on top of things and ready to make sure no detail went untended to. Here she is standing in front of one of the 7 fireplaces in the chateau.

Here's the ceremony site from the bottom level. My pictures don't do it justice. But then I always say that. First looking from the house lower level.


Next, looking back toward the house lower level where the sit down dinner and dancing were held. Tim Hester our photographer and a guest are in the picture.

Next here are pictures of the front of the house, the front entry, and the bridal suite.



Finally, the room where the cocktails were served - guests were also on the porch enjoying the sunshine. Marie explained that her choices for decor were to convey a European elegance, which she knows well, since her own and her husband's heritage is Romanian.

Todd and Kathleen had a simple elegant ceremony to match the decor. They told me that they were private people and wanted a cozy ceremony. That is was. We added a little humor, wishing their dogs Rocco and Kermie were there with them, but their ceremony had a quiet sweetness that they seemed to enjoy.

A special moment happened when two geese flying up from Laurel Lake behind the house called to each other in exultant notes. Of course it occurred just at the right time, seeming to indicate that all of nature was conspiring in their happiness.

Their cake may look like it's leaning but that's my photographic abilities again. It was gorgeous and made for them by Ambrosia Cake Creations in Fuquay Varina.

Their DJ was my friend and colleague Brian McGuire from McSound Productions who is always great. Chateau Belle Vie provided the catering. The Chateau has fabulous pictures on its website so if you're interested, let those pictures inform you better than mine.

I left while they were still taking photos, wishing them a quick farewell. I loved being a part of this special time in their lives. They are easy going and gently caring of each other as they navigated all the busyness of the rehearsal and wedding. I with them both many many years of happiness and blessings!

Amanda and David at Crenshaw Hall

I love it when you can tell a couple is really having fun at their wedding. Not just after the ceremony but before and during the ceremony, too. Amanda and David were like that. They didn't let any nervousness dampen their delight. And it was a wonderful occasion.

Just look how David is beaming as he's watching Amanda enter.


Crenshaw Hall was lovely and set just the right tone for them.

Not only the ceremony site but this beautiful restored home gave them the classic feel they wanted.



Another thing that they did is to hire great people so that they didn't need to worry.
Gail Stephenson and Heather Irvin at Premiere Catering were a joy to work with. Gail had even guided the rehearsal, and on that Saturday, she and Heather were everywhere checking on details. Here they are as the couple are getting pictures taken after the ceremony, checking on final details for the reception.


Michelle Gunton took these marvelous photographs of their wedding and gave me some to show to you. She is always wonderful to work with, skilled and patient. Their DJ was from Joe Bunn DJ, Co. whose staff always does a great job. Their cake was from Ambrosia Cakes and their florist was Darryl Senter, who I think is related to Amanda's mother.

David and Amanda have known each other for ten years. They began dating in high school, and bought a house together in 2008. They're comfortable easy going, genuine people who didn't want anything stuffy or boring or drawn out. And I agreed! They wanted a comfortable fun ceremony that people would enjoy, especially their families, who they're both very close to. In fact Amanda's Matron of Honor was her mother.


They asked for classy but simple and this seemed to be their theme all throughout their ceremony.

Their personality really shone in their music and their words of commitment to each other, which they wrote themselves. These words, so like them, were loving and tender, and simply beautiful, and were the heart of their ceremony. I loved how they were fully present to each other and to the moment. You can see the strong foundation of love this couple has built together.


And the music! Everybody loved it. With their music they immediately brought smiles to everyone and they brought their unique and joyful personalities into the setting. From the first measure, you knew it was their wedding, their celebration of their love. Yay!

The first processional was 'Feeling Good,' I think the rendition was by Muse. It was fabulous. Their flower girl came in on the Darth Vader theme from Star Wars. Amanda came in on a song by a band called Morbid Angel called 'Desolate Ways.' The recessional music was from the band Unearth, the song was Big Bear and the Hour of Chaos. If you haven't heard 'Feeling Good' play it right now while you read this. Just Google it and you'll be feeling great, too.

They were surrounded by close friends and family at their wedding and you could tell they were well loved. I'm not surprised. This couple exudes joy of life and of love. I wish them many many blessings for all their years.