Angie and Dallas Marry in The Elegant Charm of Chateau Bellevie

 Angie and Dallas were a delight.  Angie is a planner and so scheduled her May wedding a year in advance and she and Dallas had the ceremony ready months in advance.  When I met her very lively and very wonderful children (ages 25,23,22, and 17) I knew why.  She is a busy lady!


They both are and both have wonderful senses of humor that help them navigate their lives and their friendship.  They had a long distance relationship for their first year and have been together 5 years.  In their ceremony we wrote:  'From those first moments of meeting, and feeling their world made brighter, they have been growing their love, learning to see the world through each other's perspective, learning the embrace the new family they create together.


Their wedding was a delight.  Chateau Bellevie in Fuquay Varina is such a sumptuous location, and Marie and Roxanne are wonderful professionals to work with.  I must also compliment Robert Filcsik of Robert Filcsik Photography who provided these stunning pictures,  And Damien Maass of  Damien Maass DJ Services who was an excellent DJ for the ceremony and the reception.  Swank Cake provided their cake.  


When we talked about what Dallas loves about Angie, one thing we mentioned is that he loves her sometimes naughty sense of humor.  She does have a great twinkle in her eye, and this comment brought a laugh and acknowledgement from all their friends, too.

They recessed to the strains of the  'Bittersweet Symphony' that sounded really celebratory to me.  I wonder how they found this sweet selection.

Robert used all the elegant charm of this setting to create photographs of them that are classic and timeless.  Enjoy them!







I'll miss her giggle whenever we talked and Dallas' knowing smile.  They and their families were a delight in my life.  I send them much love for many more wonderful adventures together.

Cameron and Kristina Not Daunted by Irene

Aug 27 seems so long ago already with the season change almost upon us.  But I married a couple this weekend for whom the groom's sister was married on the same weekend as hurricane Irene and they marveled that rain had been a surprise at both their weddings.

Cameron, Kristina and their guests were lucky.  The River Ridge Golf Club in Raleigh moved all the festivities inside beautifully and while it blustered and blew outside, and it did, we were all safe and cozy inside.  I especially wanted to write this blog because the wedding professionals that created their ceremony and reception did a stellar job in making the weather a non-issue.  Elissa, the catering manager at The River Ridge, is wonderful.  I've worked with her before and she goes the extra 100 percent to make sure, no matter what happens, it will all turn out fine.


Jungiro Sumikawa was their flexible and understanding photographer.  I can't wait to see his photos.  The ones you see here are from my Droid.  Triangle Catering did their catering, calmly setting up and serving canapes in much less space than anticipated but everything gracefully presented and served.   

And all these wonderful floral arrangements were made by Fresh Affairs florist.  You can tell they were intended for a much larger setting (that wonderful expanse of green you can see out the window).  I'm just glad there was room to use them all.

I also love to work with DJ Mike Morse of Mike Morse Entertainment.  He's another professional that you can trust to flow with any changes easily and seamlessly.  

Their cake was by Swank Cake Design.  Kristina designed the decorations in her favorite color orange.

I drive home after a wedding like this feeling blessed for being able to be there for the couple, AND for working with such great folks.  


Kristina and Cameron are starting their married life blessed with the love and support of many people.  I wish them all the best!

Lindsey and Jordan at The Rand Bryan House

I always love the Rand-Bryan House in Garner. It looks fabulous in any season and it's just the right size to feel intimate and warm and yet spacious. I was glad that on October 9th it was all that and more for Lindsey and Jordan. And it was a beautiful fall day besides.

Jordan and Lindsey had been together four years after meeting on a blind date. They were grateful for the love they shared in that they didn't try to change each other and delighted in who they are together. I really enjoyed meeting them. They're clear and thoughtful people who love the home they have and their family of animal companions around them, Rusty, Thumper, and Blizzard.


I especially loved the processional music, 'Wonderwall' by Oasis, and Lindsey's processional music they chose was 'From This Moment On' by Shania Twain. And of course those great dresses for Lindsey's bridemaids and flower girl. Lindsey's sister, Caiti, who is only 13 months younger was her Maid of Honor.

Jordan and Lindsey loved the spiritual ceremony on my website and that's how they came to contact me. I'm glad they did.

We have photographer Michael Lentz to thank for these wonderful photographs. He was great to work with and provided me with these photographs, after getting the couple's approval, only two weeks after the ceremony. That was a treat for me and for Lindsay and Jordan.

The Rand Bryan house has all these wonderful windows in their main reception room that made the fall light sparkle. And their theme of fall colors of really sparkled.

Lindsey's mother was her Wedding Planner. She did a fabulous job and I was grateful for her, too. This picture is of Lindsey and Jordan with her parents.


John from Anything Music was their DJ and did a great job, Cleveland Florist did her flowers with wonderful calla lilies, Swank Cake Design did their cake (pardon my not very good picture of her cake) and Soup To Nuts was their caterer. Also Martha, the owner of the Rand Bryan House, as always, was a huge help.

Here's my other not so good picture of her friends preparing for the reception. I just wanted you to see how lovely the lighting and their decorations were.



They are young people who have their heads on straight as some of their guests told me. I could tell that, too. Mature beyond their years, with a twinkle in their eyes, I have no doubts that they will have a wonderful future. I wish them all the best!

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.