Grisha and Abby at Top of the Hill Back Bar

Grisha is really Greg, but Grisha is such a wonderful nickname and this is what Abby calls Greg so it kind of sticks.  They met in a camp for learning Russian language and this is the name Greg was given in camp.  Theirs was a delightful wedding in the area called the Back Bar at the Top of The Hill restaurant in Chapel Hill.  I love it when couples tell me what they want so that they are celebrating who they are and so they and their love shines through.  I had no worries about Greg and Abby - they had their own ideas.  Yay!

They had grown their love long distance that first year.  Now 3 years later they were marrying in a ceremony that honored some Jewish customs that were dear to them.  The colorful huppah they're standing under was pieced by Grisha's mother.  Abby's father offered the blessing of the wine, and immediately after the breaking of the glass, everyone began dancing the Hora.  It was great fun.

Grisha and Abby invited guests for drinks then when the moment was ripe, we all walked into the big reception room, Greg and Abby greeting guests then.  It was a great size for their around 70 guests.  I tucked in some pictures of the Back Bar to show you how well it served for their wedding and how creative their decorations were.  This first picture is the front of the room.  We gathered here in front of the huppah.

This is looking back toward the back of the room.  The back right is the entrance into the room.

Carolyn Scott of Carolyn Scott Photography took these wonderful photographs.  I love working with her.  She's fun as well as professional.  I think that's how she can get such amazing shots.  Thank you Thank you Thank you, Carolyn.  I don't know that people realize how important it is that the photographer be someone the couple can relax with.  They spend most of the hour before the wedding with them and then need to be in a good mood and not stressed.  Not easy.  Crissy Brady, of Not Your Grandmother's Wedding, was our coordinator extraordinaire.  Thank you, Crissy!

Thanks, Carolyn of taking a fun picture of me as I wait for Abby, Grisha, and guests to gather. 

Greg and Abby created just the ceremony they wanted.  One touch they chose was to combine the section of the vows and rings into one section where at the completion of their vows they slipped the ring onto the other's finger.  With the pronouncement, the kiss, the breaking of the glass and turning around to guests they were married, and the Klezmer band started the music to dance.  Later pie was served baked by the Top of The Hill.  I can attest to their desserts.  They are wonderfully decadent.  

Greg and Abby's wedding feels like a small town wedding to me.  My husband, Ruben, was Abby's Middle School Science teacher, and some of this other former students are employees at Top of The Hill.  For me it had the feeling of coming home.  How much more must it have felt that way for them.  It was a gathering of close friends and family who love and support them, and celebrate their love. It doesn't get any better than that! 

I wish them every blessing and Mazel Tov!

Allie and Erik at Elodie Farms

Erik and Allie chose well when they chose each other, and when they chose Elodie Farms.  One thing in choosing each other - they both are in the field of healthcare and understand each other's work stresses.  If we had a medical emergency at their wedding we wouldn't have had to worry.  Luckily we didn't.  And in choosing Elodie Farms, they chose a comfortable, beautiful location with lots of personality and sweetness.

Patricia Suzanne, of Patricia Suzanne Photography, captured both the sweet spirit of Allie and Erik and of their wedding.  Thank you, Patricia!

I know it was a little hard for Patricia to get pictures on the porch since we weren't in the sunlight and she had to shoot upward.  Thanks to her for these great shots despite the difficulties.

They raise goats at Elodie Farms, and classic frame house fits right in,  Here's a picture before the wedding of Allie centered against the upstairs front hall window.

Allie and Erik wanted a friendly warm and intimate ceremony with their 50 family and close friends.  They told me that they were delighted that they could rent Elodie Farms for the whole weekend with a lighted tent for $1800.  And that they were going to have Foster's Market cater the hors d'oeuvres.  Most of the couples I marry are on a budget so I always want to pass on good ideas and information when I hear it.


This shot of Allie and her attendants shows the beautiful soft colors she chose for her day.

It was a beautiful October day.  Allie and Erik chose classic music that a friend managed from their IPOD. They really worked to minimize stresses to their day and weekend.  Here is Allie entering on the arm of her father.

One lovely touch they had was the Unity Candle Ceremony that was perfect on this breezy day under hurricane glass.   And it was nice that Patricia had such a great shot of this since it was on the side of the porch.

Although you can't see her gorgeous bouquet, Ninth Street Flowers did all their flowers, and Simply Cakes, their wedding cake.  The reception was held in the tent behind the house to the right.  You can just see it in the picture of the house.

I wish Allie and Erik all the happiness in the world.  I got to know them a little and in that time came to respect their intention and commitment to growing their love.  In their ceremony we had the following... 'You are entering a sacred covenant as life partners.  As in tending the flowers in a garden, the quality of your marriage will reflect the effort you put into nurturing this relationship. You have the opportunity to go forward from this day to create a faithful, kind and tender relationship.  We bless you this day.  It is up to you to keep the blessings flowing each and every day of your lives together.'

I have no doubt they will nurture their garden and their relationship well.

David and Cary Marry at Carol's Garden Inn in Durham

Cary is the mother of a darling two year old boy named Nicholas.  She fell in love with the father of a precocious six year old daughter named, Desiree.  And they began the joyful and challenging journey to creating a combined family.  At their wedding we were not only celebrating their love for each other and their marriage, but the family they created together.


Nicholas isn't in this picture.  

While we were taking pictures he was entranced by the fish pond.



It was a rainy day and we were all grateful for the tent.  Just one of those days when the rain is off and on, just messy enough to feel damp.  But inside the tent was cozy for the ceremony and the reception.  Hallelujah!


Thanks to Katie and Sam of SK Roberts Photography for most of these pictures.  The ones without their logo are from my DROID.  They're also the ones that are more out of focus.


I'd never been to Carol's Garden Inn before.  It's a find, a lovely B and B and garden just east of downtown Durham.   

Desiree and her grandmother, David's mother, Tammy are hurrying to get out of the rain and to the tent and the beginning of the processional.

Clifton and Burke of the band Melonbelly provided great music for the ceremony and the reception!
 

 David and Cary wanted to incorporate their children into the ceremony and we did so with a tree planting.  They would nurture their marriage just as they nurtured this tree.  Cary and David watered the tree with one pitcher with their names on it, Nicholas and Desiree then watered the tree each with their own pitcher.

I was amazed by the amount of space inside the tent.  It fit 60 people easily.



Sweet Memories Bakery baked their cake.  Look closely and you'll see the groom has a fishing rod with a fish dangling from it.

All they needed was some shelter from the rain.  The cooler air was a God send.  Thanks too to The Picnic Basket who catered their reception.  They were so professional in creating a beautiful space, even with all that rain around.

What a joyful way to end a reception.


I received this wonderful note from Cary's mother:
'Dear Robin,
Thank you so much for being a part of Cary and David's wedding.  The ceremony was just perfect - it really captured the spirit of their lives and commitment.  We all appreciated your calm guidance at the rehearsal and your flexibility in dealing with the weather and the involvement of children.  ... Best to you in the future, Nell....'


I wish them much joy.  They have close and loving family and friends.  That's a huge help when you're raising kids.  And I wish them many many years of loving.

Jason and Heather at Sisters' Garden in Raleigh

Luckily September offers some cooler days and Jason and Heather had one of them. In lots of respects.  Their wedding went perfectly.  Thanks to Wake Forest Portrait Shoppe for their fabulous photos.  Staff member Marc Dabagian at Sisters' Garden is a real pro and a huge help, and their DJ Mel Manning who I've worked with often, was excellent as always.  Julie Liles created beautiful floral designs! Whew!  It's a treat to know you can count on good professionals.

The ceremony site before the ceremony.  On the table are the vases for a sand ceremony.


Their reception site all pristine before the wedding.















The first moments of happily married!



Ashley of Wake Forest Portrait Shoppe taking after ceremony photos.












Making use of the wonderful architecture to get a great kissing shot.


Sweet Memories made their beautiful cake!



Heather and Jason had been dating since Aug 29, 2009 when their mutual friend Ashley introduced them.  They became engaged on Heather's birthday on September 29th, 2010, and they were married  on September 10th of this year.  September is a good month for them.


They honeymooned in Key West and I bet they had a fabulous time.  I wish them all the best.  They were a delightful couple with a lot of joy and a generous nature!  I was honored to share this special time with them.

Evan and Brittain at The Fish Pond in Duke Gardens

I married Evan and Brittain on Labor Day weekend at the newly landscaped Duke Garden Fish Pond.  It was a lovely wedding for a lovely couple and I'm so glad the site was spectacular for them, too.  

First, Thank you to Elizabeth K Photography for these wonderful photographs.  And she was a joy to work with.  Arioso Strings played for their wedding, too, and as always did a wonderful job.  

They planned their ceremony well so it went off without a hitch.  But then they had a well organized rehearsal, an essential for a large wedding party like this, but these folks were also very helpful in managing all the details.  In Duke Gardens on a hot day at the pergola and the fish pond it's handy to have a cell phone to help the bride stay where it's cool until just before it's time for her to enter.

There ceremony was even visited by the Great Blue Heron that is so often seen at Duke Gardens.  We even has some sight seers in the background.

Britain and Even wanted a warm and tender ceremony that was personal to them and that's just what we planned.  They wanted a wonderful quote from Antoine St. Exupery, 'Here is my secret.  It is very simple:  Only with the hart can one see rightly.  What is essential is invisible to the eye.'

We also had the beautiful words of Dante, from 'The Divine Comedy' and a poem by Maya Angelou.  And they spoke their own vows to each other before we joyfully pronounced them married.

Thanks to all their friends for all their help.  

Sugarland is responsible for this gorgeous cake!  I'm amazed by the detail.

Evan and Brittain took time to have some beautiful pictures in the garden before going to The Cotton Room for lots of dancing and celebration.

Here you can get a good view of Brittain's wonderful flowers designed for her by Tre Bella Florist.  It was a joy to marry Evan and Brittian with the love and support of their families and friends.  I wish them many many years of joy.

Luan and Lusally Marry With Much Joy and Laughter

When I met Luan and Lusally, they told me that they were easy going and that their wedding would be lots of fun.  They knew they wanted a blend of Chinese and Western customs but didn't know what that would look like.  As we talked it became more clear but I never really understood the real out loud joy and joking and kidding that would accompany their ceremony, as well as the seriousness and honoring of their families and friends.  You can tell a lot by these pictures.


I thank Chantel Smith and Maisha Wright from Events in a Box for bringing Luan and Lusally to me.  They were great, organizing all the details to perfection.


I loved being a part of their wedding and I have huge thanks to Tesh Parekh of IWP Photography.  He was just the right person for capturing the vitality of their ceremony.  See more pictures at his blog entry for their wedding.  It's great and can give us all ideas for creating and really fun loving reception.

Their ceremony was held at The Indigo Hotel in Durham; the reception in the ballroom and the wedding in the foyer.  It was just the right size for this group of about 50 guests and even had the perfect location for their tea ceremony.  After I introduced the day and it's purpose, I introduced each elder in the families who would come forward to be offered tea by the couple.  People had come from many countries to be with them and I practiced how to say the Chinese and Vietnamese names for awhile beforehand.  


The laughs were already happening even before Lusally even entered the room.

I love the way that Lusally isn't bound by the white wedding dress tradition, which by the way only started with Queen Victoria because a white dress could only be worn by the very rich and she wanted to showcase the lace of the country.  Lusally's flowers were ???

Here are Luan and Lusally offering tea to Luan's mother.

And here to Lusally's father, who had come from Venezuela for the ceremony.  Lusally was raised in Venezuela and amazingly she speaks Spanish, Chinese and English all perfectly.  Her father is a great joker who had us all laughing.

In the ceremony, the couple was also given the traditional Chinese custom of a red envelope with a cash gift.



Then we began the western part of the ceremony which included the 'I do' part where I ask Lusally and Luan if they are here to marry, in body, mind and spirit. In the spirit of joy and playfulness they had fun with this part, too.


In a rare serious moment they exchanged their vows and rings.

I pronounced them married to great shouts and calls both fun and funny.


Their cake was an unique as they are.  


These games at the reception look like so much fun.  You'll have to ask Chantal about them.


Their photographer, Tesh, got some wonderful images like this one.

They're a delightful couple, who work hard at their work and enjoy great play whenever possible. I loved the twinkle in their eyes when they talked about themselves and growing their love.  They bring vitality to everything they do.  I wish them many many happy years together.