Fun, Fun, Fun Wedding for Amanda and Derek at Haywood Hall!

Amanda and Derek are such an enterprising couple. They pulled this wedding off beautifully and did almost everything themselves. The personal touches were incredible and I include many of them in the photos below. Their color scheme of blue and yellow was so bright and happy and that was truly a reflection of their shining personalities. The wedding was September 1, 2012 at Haywood Hall, a historic old home and gardens on New Bern Place downtown Raleigh.

When Marty and I turned the corner onto New Bern Place, this cute sign made out of fence pickets gave us a clue for the cleverness of Amanda and Derek who also totally renovated their own house themselves. They are real DIYers!

As we walked up the front steps, this sign greeted us and took the place of wedding programs!

The chairs were all in place and I set up my sound system and did a sound check.

Ole Time Barbecue was the caterer and had everything set up. 

 The menu looked delicious! 

Tables and chairs were set under the tent and a few outside the tent. The florist was The Blossom Shop and the theme was casual and "down home."

 They thought of putting up a gift table--so often overlooked at weddings!

The place cards with table assignments were hung on a clothesline with clothespins!

Blue Moon Bakery provided these great cupcakes which were displayed in the gazebo in the garden.

The huge magnolia tree was bedecked with hanging paper Japanese lanterns in blue, yellow and white and looked so festive.

The bride and groom's table...

I loved Amanda's swinging retro wedding dress and particularly the yellow shoes. So adorable. And it was simply the one and only perfect dress for her.

They had a rather large wedding party! Love those bridesmaids dresses and their yellow shoes that all matched the bride's! Amanda and Derek decided not to have the parents and grandparents formally seated as part of the processional. They also chose to have the bridesmaids and groomsmen be seated on the front rows during the ceremony.

I don't know what these pretty little trees are but they fit right in and flanked the ceremony "altar." Amanda's mother, Rosanne, told me she had been keeping them on her porch all summer!

Our DJ is Tyler Wooden with A Sound Solution in Durham. He is a friend of the couple and provided the ceremony music.

When we were ready to begin, I shooed the attendants and bride and her father out of the house and and around the block to end up in front of the front walk for the processional. Then Derek and I took our positions by the gate to enter when given the cue.

Dotty, a friend of the couple, was our director. She cued each couple to enter. They chose one musical number for the whole processional including the bride.

Harry and Amanda took a second to catch their breaths, take in the scene and then walk down the aisle!

 And so we began. The ceremony was sweet, touching and fun! 

A special touch the couple added to the ceremony was an excerpt from Bob Dylan's "Wedding Song" which was really quite wonderful!  The guests particularly enjoyed hearing about how they met and what they loved about each other and what they look forward to in marriage. This is where their quick wits and humor were expressed!  

 The BIG moment....

 Followed by......

 And they are off on their new adventure...their marriage!  

Their photographer, Crystal Genes, took the wedding party around the block for photos after the wedding and I caught up with them there after packing up my sound system. Her fabulous photos of this wedding are now on her blog here!

Amanda and Derek, you are a refreshing and out-of-the-box couple! I admire your determination and individuality. I know you are going to have a great marriage! I wish you all the best!