Michelle and Don Have a Glorious Sunny Wedding at Crenshaw Hall

 It was so much fun marrying Michelle and Don!  Don liked to joke and being in formal attire and standing up in front of everyone was not how he felt most relaxed.  He and Michelle wanted a simple, elegant ceremony with nothing fancy.  We were so blessed to have such a gorgeous day in mid-October.  I'm glad because it was a day Don and Michelle had looked forward to for a long time.  Michelle and Don worked together at the same place, then Don went into the army, and afterward they worked together, too.  They have known each other for seven years.   I was so pleased that after the ceremony Don told me that he actually had a good time.  Thank you to Gil and Christy Rosado of RGB Photography for these wonderful photos.   Crenshaw Hall  and Christy, their coordinator there, were wonderful to work with, too.

Bradley Junell or Raleigh Event DJ was their DJ for the ceremony, too.  I love working with Brad.  His work is always perfect, he always knows the plan, and he has backups if you need them.  One especially sweet touch that Don and Michelle had was their music.  They had the DJ play 'What a Wonderful World' for the grandmothers to enter, 'Here Comes the Sun' for the mothers to enter, 'A Thousand Years' for the wedding party, and "Make you Feel My Love' for Michelle to enter.  And 'Good Life' by One Republic, and 'Don't Stop Believing' by Vitamin String Quartet for the recessional.  Each piece seemed especially appropriate, fun, and considered.

The music set the tone and their wedding was a joy throughout.  And Michelle told me later that I was right when I said that it would go really fast.

Their florist was James May at the Harris Teeter in Wake Forest.  I've seen him get lovely reviews from other brides, and I'm so glad he is so good..  It was an especially lovely wedding,  to which I give all the credit to the Michelle and Don.  They are delightful in their exuberance and let themselves have a really good time!  I wish them both a lifetime of happiness!

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.

A May Day Ceremony to Remember for Kelly and Dean

On May 1st, Kelly and Dean were wed at Crenshaw Hall in Wake Forest. They were wise in so many ways in their planning. Somehow they knew it would be hot, so asked guests to wear Hawaiian attire. Everyone was grateful and cool. And I'm so glad for Dean. You don't often see grooms in comfortable attire.

There were also wonderful professionals helping them keep their day as stress free as possible. Kara Zuehlke and Laura Sandwick from A Southern Soiree were wonderful planners, Lynn Harris, their professional photographer, took this great shot. (The rest are my shots of Crenshaw Hall that I got while I wasn't busy marrying Dean and Kelly), their florist was Venetia Genztler, their awesome cake was by Swank Cake Design in Cary, and their DJ was Damien Maass from DJ Joe Bunn DJ,s.

Everyone was set for a good time.

Here's the side yard at Crenshaw Hall set up for their ceremony. We all processed from the house. The only drawback to their location was the road construction nearby. Nothing that affected their day, but it took me about 10 extra minutes to figure out how to find the parking lot.

Here is a photo of the yard on the other side of the house where folks were having cocktails after the ceremony.


Dean and Kelly met at Halloween in 2005 but didn't know it. They were at the same party, but, of course, were in costume. Then they really met the next February and shortly thereafter just knew they were with the right person.

They love to go to amusement parks each year for Dean's birthday so we made a mention of the ups and downs of their relationship in the ceremony, but then added that these were mostly on Dean's birthday on the rides at the parks.

Families mean a lot to both of them. We included that in their ceremony, too describing how they love each others' family, as well as their own and that in itself is wonderful to celebrate in a marriage.

They wanted their wedding and reception to be relaxed, casual, and a wonderful party. And it was. This is a couple who love to play and I'm delighted that they chose this for their wedding, too.

There was an easy elegance to the table settings inside the Hall. And, then there was that wonderful cake!

Here's another shot from Lynn Harris' blog that gives you a feel for the couple and the place.

Dean and Kelly were a couple that wanted a short sweet ceremony. And with well chosen words, we created just that.

I wish them a long sweet marriage with more ups than downs, and the downs only at amusement parks.