Kal and Emily Have an Elegant Ceremony at The Umstead

I loved getting to know Kal and Emily.  They have been together more than 6 years, (I think it's up to 7 by now).  They met when he was her RA her freshman year at UNC.  They started out as friends and this is a wonderful foundation on which to build a marriage.  They have so much in common and also each have a twinkle in their eyes for all the ways they are different.  There is much to celebrate in their ceremony.  One thing too is the touch of class that is apparent in their wedding.   A special thanks to Blue Box Photography for these great photos!

Gotta love the bow tie! In their opening words I said, 'And so, building on over six years of learning, loving and creating, Kal and Emily are here today to take their relationship a step higher and to strengthen their bond even further as they join together in marriage.'

Emily is from Venezuela and she and Kal chose 'Sonnet XII' by Pablo Neruda for part of their ceremony.  It was perfect for them.  Part of their vows say, 'I take you as my partner, loving and respecting the amazing person that you are, and the person you will become.'  These words, too, seem to fit them seamlessly.

As they exchanged rings, the said, 'Accept this ring as a symbol of my everlasting love and devotion for all the years ahead.'

I pronounced them married with these words, 'My the joy of love, the grace of God, and strength of spirit be at the heart of the life you share together.'    

I feel so blessed to have such wonderful couples, like Kal and Emily, in my life. Couples with a genuine desire to grow in love, understanding and joy all their lives.  And from them I find hope for the planet, which will thrive based upon our commitment to loving relationships in all aspects of our lives.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa is a lovely outdoor venue and their staff is always very efficient and professional.  Kal and Emily's flowers were stunning, too.  They were provided by Brides and Bouquets in Cary.  Their musicians were from Arioso Strings, who are always flawless, too,

Brian and Lauren Wed at the Cafe Luna

I had the joy of marrying Brian and Lauren at the Caffé Luna on Oct 16th in a beautiful ceremony. Nancy Rugirello from Simply Creative Photography was our wonderful photographer but these lesser quality pictures are friend pictures or the ones I snapped with my Droid. Gotta love these little machines.

I wanted to have my own pictures because Brian and Lauren were such a delightful couple to get to know. Lauren had been raised Jewish and Brian raised Catholic and they very intentionally wanted to honor customs from both sides of their heritage. So together we created a ceremony in which Lauren's father blessed the wine in Hebrew, Brian broke the glass and we acknowledged that we were not only joining two wonderful people, but two great families and two communities of faith.

Their cake topper was a cut out of the bride and groom created by an artist friend and their cake was by Ashley Lattier of Ashley Cakes.

The Caffé Luna is a fabulous place for an intimate ceremony. This is the room where the reception would be held and the wedding was held in the room next door. They also have a room for stuff and to change clothes, which is really helpful, and outside doors into all the rooms in the back for the processional to enter. It's a great set up and a wonderful staff who supports the weddings. We rehearsed there between the lunch and dinner hours on the Friday before - between 2:30 and 3:30. A great time to avoid the Friday night traffic and chaos.

Lauren and Brian look so much more relaxed after the ceremony. But that's always the case. I'm glad to see them now simply enjoying each other and all those who love them and are here to celebrate their wedding with them.

I wish you could have seen the flowers. Gregg Kennedy of Brides and Bouquets in Cary designed beautiful bouquets in burgundy and cinnamon. You can see a little from the shot of the cafe. Their were orange highlights and the colors were magnificent. John Carter of A Perfect Day DJ was our DJ, of course, and he was great. The cafe was set up long and narrow for Lauren and Brian's wedding so the DJ was right by the front door of the cafe. A great spot for him to see entrances and cues. John was flawless. And of course the Caffé Luna catered their wonderful meal. They have Ryan Hill at the cafe to thank for that.

I wish them many many years of happiness!