Wedding Clipart

Celtic Wedding for Michelle and Sean at All Saints Chapel!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Michelle and Sean wanted to incorporate elements of Celtic traditions in their wedding ceremony on May 15, 2010. So, they created a handfasting sash of Sean's family tartan which we used during the ceremony to "tie the knot." The men in the wedding also wore their kilts. They also arranged for a bagpiper to provide the ceremony music as a sweet surprise for Sean's father, Michael. It was a bonny good morning for a wedding at All Saints Chapel in downtown Raleigh. The majority of the guests were shuttled from the hotel to the chapel and we had to delay the start of the wedding mainly because Artsplosure was also happening about 3 blocks away and traffic was slow.

When we were satisfied that all the guests had arrived, it was time to start. Michael began by escorting in the mother and the grandmother of the groom.

As soon as the mother of the bride was seated, Sean, his best man Joe, and I entered and took out places on the altar.

Our sweet little flower girl, Deanna, niece of the groom, did a great job sprinkling petals down the aisle.

Then it was time for our beautiful bride, Michelle, and her father, William, to enter and float down the aisle.

This historic chapel is such a beautiful setting for a wedding and has become very popular for weddings since it was moved to its present location in 2008. It will accommodate up to 200 guests.

Michelle and Sean put together a very sweet and touching ceremony that reflected them perfectly. We included not only the handfasting and tying of the knot, but also the blessing of the hands. They wrote their own wonderful vows and read them to each other from my book while they were holding hands. We closed with a blessing and the pronouncement of marriage.

And now they are married!! Michelle and Sean, I am so happy for you. Congratulations and best wishes forever. When your wee one arrives in October, let me know and we can plan a blessing ceremony!

Our Vendors:

All Saints Chapel--On hand was Drew to help me get my sound set up and make sure things were handled. It was good to see you again! There were two weddings this Saturday and Sarah was due to come in for the other wedding.

I thank Sheena Johnson and Donald Webster of Carl Johnson Photography for covering the wedding. They were everywhere!

Daniel's Florist did the pretty bouquets and boutonnieres.

Our bagpiper was John Schodtler and he was very good. While we were waiting for the guests who were delayed, he came inside the chapel and entertained the guests who had already arrived.

After the wedding, Marty and I stopped in at Caffe Luna for the reception to get a photo of the wedding cake. This beautiful cake was by Cinda's Creative Cakes and it was very creative. In the second shot you can see that the ribbon of icing was actually colored like the tartan plaid. How did she do that??

Angela and Corey Celebrate their Wonderful Wedding At Crenshaw Hall!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Last October, Angela and Corey and I met to discuss their wedding ceremony ideas. Their wedding date was May 14, 2010 at Crenshaw Hall. Go to their website and read the fascinating history of this old plantation. I did a wedding there many years ago, 2004, I believe. I married Ann-Marie and Sean on the front steps which look a lot different today. The old historic mansion has gradually undergone several phases of restoration and renovation. Today it is absolutely a showplace! Before we get to Angela and Corey's wedding, I will take you on a tour.

This is the front of the house which has had many different styles in the past.

This is what it looked like in 2004. The steps were gray concrete and did not wrap around.

What a huge tent for the reception! The vendors were busy getting set up before the wedding ceremony.

Corey and Angela's color scheme was the striking apple red, black and white.

This is the side of the house as viewed from the reception tent. There are beautifully decorated rooms and a very spacious and superbly appointed Ladies Room!

This is the dining room where guests will be able to help themselves to goodies at the cocktail hour after the ceremony before the reception. Also it is a chance to cool off after the ceremony before going back outside again. The temperature was in the high 80s having cooled down a bit from 92 degrees earlier in the afternoon.

This is the view of the other side of the house where the ceremony garden and pavilion are located. The bride will enter from the porch straight ahead. What a grand entrance for her wedding!

This is the view from the porch. See the nice pavilion stage for the wedding. Walking up the aisle are Bruce and Tiana Davis who are the Event Directors for Crenshaw Hall. They are making sure everything is ready for the ceremony.

And now the ceremony begins. First in was Corey's grandmother, then his parents and stepparents, then mother of the bride. Corey, his best man Andrew, and I entered followed by the groomsman, bridesmaid and matron of honor. Above is the flower girl, Angela's daughter, Abby, escorted by our ring bearer, Jeffrey, Corey's nephew--also known as Deuce!

Angela and her father start down the aisle. What a gorgeous lace wedding gown. Angela looked stunning!

Father of the bride, James, transferred Angela's hand into Corey's, and we stepped up onto the platform and the ceremony began with a warm welcome to everyone. I told Abby how important she was to her mother and Corey and he read some very sweet words to her from my book and gave her a pretty ring.

Jennifer, Matron of Honor, and sister of the bride listens intently as I gave the wedding address which contained a bit of humor that Angela and Corey sprinkled in.

After the vows, ring exchange and family unity sand ceremony, I made the pronouncement of marriage followed by the kiss.

The photographer had them kiss again in the aisle. A friend of Angela's is holding her train because it was snagging on the brick walk but she was trying to get out of the picture too!

Married at last!! They disappeared inside the house for some private time together while the rest of the wedding party and parents and grandmother recessed out. The staff had Mojitos and lemonade ready to quench our thirst. Then the rows of guests were released and they were sent inside the house for refreshments and to cool down. Meanwhile, the bride and groom joined us on the front steps for photos.

Wanted you to see this beautiful wedding gown again!

Everybody's quite happy and ready to celebrate! Angela and Corey, congratulations and best wishes forever!

Our Vendors who made this wedding possible:

The first thing the couple did was hire Premiere Catering and Gail Stephenson who is the event planner for Premiere Catering. She sent the couple to me. Gail and I have worked so many weddings together and think the same way about weddings. She is so organized and on the ball. She also made their beautiful wedding programs. It was a pleasure to work with Gail again! I also thank Kristin, her intern, for helping out with the wedding.

Gail helped Angela and Corey find Crenshaw Hall and they were so happy with this lovely venue. Thanks also to Bruce and Tiana Davis.

This stunning cake is by Simply Cakes. Angela ordered the stainless steel "W" cake topper. It was amazing that this cake was standing up to the heat of the day in that tent, but it did.

Mitch, the DJ for the reception, was all set up too. He is with Joe Bunn DJ Company.

Our photographer is the famous and talented Terri Lillich with Carolina Mediastar. Worked with Terri a couple of weeks ago. He is so funny and gets wonderful shots. He was assisted by Sarah. They make a good team.

Pamela Hung, OnLoKtion Makeup Artistry, was on hand for make-up for the ladies.