Matt and Jennifer Marry Twice at The Rigmor House in Chapel Hill

 Jennifer and Matt are just plan fun.  And their wedding was designed to ensure that everyone else had fun, too.  The lawn of the Rigmor House in Chapel Hill was scattered with toys for the kids and the adults to be played with before and after the ceremony.  Matt and Jennifer wanted to ensure that they had fun, too, and were concerned that their nervousness from being the center of attention during the ceremony would distract from their ability to be present with each other.  So they came up with a unique idea.  

Before their official ceremony with everyone around, Matt, Jennifer, and I, and of course their wonderful photographer from Hartman Outdoor Photography, went down a path away from the house, and away from everyone else.  They wanted a quiet place to share informal vows with each other and to exchange rings just by themselves.  This is how they captured the intimacy of the time for them as well as with their family and friends, just a few moments after.

 It was wonderful to be a part of this special moment with them.

 Thanks, too, to their photographer for this great shot of me.  

 At their larger ceremony, Matt and Jennifer and I stood under an arch made my Jennifer's father just the day before.  It was really lovely.  Their private ceremony didn't detract at all from the joy and celebration of the ceremony with their families and friends.  Each were unique.  At the moment in the picture below, Matt and Jennifer are putting their love letters into the box with the wine for their Box, Wine and Love Letter Ceremony.  We did this ceremony in a different way that is generally written.  I wrote the words below to reflect the sentiment that they had requested:

'Author Germaine Greer writes, ‘Successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.’  Throughout your relationship, you have already fallen in love with each other many times. And you will many more times.  To remind you of the love you share today, choose a time that calls to both of you to open this box, sit and drink the wine together, then separate and read the letters you wrote to one another on the day you were united as a couple. When you read these love letters, cherish anew the reasons you fell in love and chose to marry each other, share with each other how your love has grown and deepened and let this small ritual be a renewal of the commitment and love you share.  You might like to write new letters and get new wine and let the ritual continue through all the years as a way to honor each other and your marriage.'  I love what we created for them and will offer this version, too,  to all the couples I marry who choose this ceremony.

I love the picture after their wedding as we stand in the doorway of the gazebo in another section of the large lawn at the Rigmor House.  It was a joyful day for them, and for me, as I saw how, even with wedding stress, they were a loving, gracious and kind couple to each other and to everyone there.  They chose excellent professionals to make sure their day was stress free, too.  Whole Foods in Chapel Hill catered their meal and the Happiest Hostess provided the service for the catering.   Maple Spring Gardens provided their flowers, and Jen's sister Sheila (lucky them)  made their cake.   I wish them many many years of continued happiness and love that grows and deepens through all their years.

Jenni and Dan Warm Up A Cold October Day to Marry at the Rigmor House in Chapel Hill

Jenni and Dan had a gorgeous but cold and windy day to marry at the Rigmor House in Chapel Hill.  Gratefully they were oblivious to the weather.  It was cute to see.


Thanks to 2 & 3 Photography for these fabulous pictures.  You'd never guess that the weather was iffy.  I've worked with them before and they're a joy to work with.


Dan and Jenni have the wonderful story that they met for coffee on a stormy day and then spent 2 hours walking together in the rain because they didn't want to stop the conversation.  I understand that.  I remember meeting Ruben twelve years ago and thinking that this is a man that I could have wonderful conversations with for the rest of my life.  


Dan and Jenni love each other because they can be completely honest together, and there is no drama because they each have their own selves, too, that inform and enrich their relationship.  Their families flow well, too, which is important since they're both close with their families.


With their friends' and families' help, they did the decorations for their wedding so it truly felt like a family affair, close and loving.

I love the Rigmor House.  It has a lodge feeling and yet adapts to the decorations brought to it.  You and your family can stay there and the kitchen is so well equipped.  It's homey in a large way with great decks.  We used the decks that day since they were warmer than outside.  

Thanks to Natasha Wayne of Natasha F. Wayne Events for her fabulous coordination, even jumping in to make a boutanniere when we were one short.  Dan and Jenni picked up flower from Whole Foods and Trader Joes and made their own bouquets,  Jenni and her friend Stephanie made the cake and cupcakes, Organic Bakies made the cookies and brownies, and Jenni's dad made all the food.  Like I said, it was a family affair.

This was the first time I'd see the tree of life where your guests put their thumbprint on the tree and write their names. I like this much better than a guest book.   It creates a lovely keepsake and you actually can mount and appreciate.  Here it is in the Rigmor Lobby area waiting for guests as they arrive.

Thank you Rigmor for the great woods for the after pictures, too.  From what I remember, Jenni's mom knit her shawl on the drive down the East Coast to the ceremony.  Good planning!

They are fun loving people and everyone joined in the fun to make their day spectacular.  And it was just that.  I wish them lots and lots of love!

What a great picture!  What a great day!  What a great couple!

The Rigmor House, The Highgrove Estate, The Matthews House, and The Rand-Bryan House

Sometimes I get photos of venues that I'm unable to use because I don't get pictures from couples of their wedding. I thought you might like a closer look at four of them - all lovely - all in the Raleigh Durham triangle. I have other blog posts on some of them with more pictures.

The first is the Rigmor House (in the picture above) just off of I-54 going west out of Chapel Hill. I've done several ceremonies here but this is the first time I got pictures. It's a great location for an intimate lodge wedding. It's off the road, quiet, with a large center room and rooms to stay upstairs. It has a big well stocked kitchen, a large veranda and a large lot. While the lot isn't all that scenic it is spacious and easy to use with room for a tent and lots of different possibilities. It also has great parking and a fabulous kitchen. They turn the place over to you and you either cater in or do it yourself.

Their website is a really good one, too. At Christi and William's wedding below, they did the decorations themselves with the help of family and friends and did a fabulous job. Both grad students at UNC, their families all came up from Mississippi and pitched right in. They've been together 7 years so everyone worked well together to make the place literally sparkle.

The main room at the Rigmor is two stories high and is in wood paneling. The upstairs rooms rim this two story room. There's an inset in the front wall, behind this wall in the entry foyer and the front porch. This inset is a great place for a buffet. Christi and Williams' guests faced this wall. They had a slide show of pictures of them before the ceremony, then this decoration, with the unity candle for the ceremony.

They used silver metallic wide ribbon for the table decorations. Here is the head table set up right after the seating was removed after the ceremony as they're setting up long tables for the reception dinner.

Here's the well stocked kitchen they relied on.

And here is the main room looking toward the back wall while folks are setting up tables for the reception. At this time William and Christi were having pictures taken.

You can see the trellis that Christi and William entered under as they walked down the aisle.
Since their wedding was only two weeks ago I hope to get more pictures to show you of this great couple and their charming hands on wedding. And I'm glad to finally have some pictures of Rigmor House to share with you.

The Highgrove Estate in Fuquay Varina is also a great venue. Their staff is fabulous is helping everything run smoothly. Justin and Kerry married on a busy Saturday in June and I needed to leave right after the wedding. This front porch is a favorite location for pictures.


This is the long hallway where the wedding party gathers before they process straight out to stand on the brick patio facing the lake. The couple and their attendants can dress in the house, but receptions are held in a tent behind the house. As you look out this door the tent is to the right. The website for The Highgrove has great photos of the tent for several different weddings.

This is the room where you can get dressed. Gotta love that mirror. It's a huge room with a private bath of course and it is roomy enough for lots of attendants.

The final picture is the lower patio which is the ceremony site. The upper patio to the left of the outside door is where guests go for the cocktail hour. My only concern ever with this great location is that at 5:30 on a hot summer NC evening the sun is shining directly on the ceremony site. It hits the couple full force. They're facing away from the sun but it's still pretty hot. At The Highgrove Estate we make an effort to keep everyone in the cool of the hallway as long as possible. Yet the site is so lovely that it's a great venue. And many days it's just perfect. And the tent is air conditioned.


The Matthews House in Cary is an elegant house in which to stay and/ or have cocktails, a walled lawn with a trellis that's great for an outdoor ceremony and a side building connected to the house via a covered patio. Both the patio and the side building can be used to suit your needs.


The above pictures is from Ryan and Jenna's wedding in May of 2010.
On October 1st I married Jim and Debbie here. I'd never officiated a wedding in the reception room before so I wanted to show you those possibilities. I got a couple of fun pictures that might help. BTW - the web site for The Matthews House is really spectacular.

In the picture below you see at the right where Brian McGuire set up the DJ equipment for both the ceremony and the reception. He is a consummate professional and lots of fun. It was a delight to work with him again.

Here are the place settings for the reception in keeping with her colors of Hydrangea blue and silver gray. The Matthews House also did the catering.


This is Debbie and Jim's cake made by Miel Bon Bons in Chapel Hill. Their desserts are delicious as well as gorgeous.

This is the where Debbie dressed with Graham Terhune the photographer taking pictures of Debbie dressing. A fun part of being a female wedding minister was getting to visit Debbie while pre-wedding pictures were being taken.

I never got a pictures of Jim and Debbie together after the ceremony. It must have been a busy day. I loved this couple. They exemplify all that falling in love a little later in life can bring. The amazing joy of finding someone just right for you and the playfulness that brings out in you.

Below is a picture from Tim and Kristina's wedding in 2009 at The Matthews House. Another wonderful picture. This one by Diane McKinney Photography.



The Rand-Bryan House is another versatile and lovely venue. Set off the road in Garner it's a restored house with a wonderful openness. Every wedding I do here carries the unique stamp of the couple since the white on white decor and the amazing large picture window. Martha Liles and her husband are gracious hosts, very knowledgeable and very helpful.

They have a big front porch with rocking chairs that's perfect for the cocktail hour. And I've done beautiful weddings on their side lawn, but my favorite room is the one in the picture below which is stunning.

Here it is decorated for Lauren's and Brian's November wedding on a gorgeous day. You can see the lush green side lawn outside the window better from the picture below.


The next picture is taken from that window looking back into the main room. This room would be transformed for reception seating after the ceremony. At the back right is the entrance to the kitchen and there is a door to the back yard from the back right, too.

The large double doors go into a square room that is off the front hall which is a great room for displaying the cake or for smaller weddings for serving hors d'oeuvres.



This couple used only two of these wonderfully creative decorations in the front of their ceremony. It was plenty and lovely.

This couple got their delicious food catered by Whole Foods in Raleigh and served by The Happiest Hostess. They found that this was a much less expensive way to have excellent food catered for their size reception.

These weddings all went smoothly and elegantly - in large part because these venues are so suited to the needs of a wedding and are so well cared for and loved by their staffs. It's a treat to be the minister at a wedding at any of these locations. And I hope you enjoy these pictures.