What a Great Wedding for Amy and Amorn at Caffe Luna!

Amy and Amorn were the only Thai-Americans in their freshman class at UNC. They were bound to run into each other eventually but who knew it would lead to forever together? They actually met at a party of their mutual friend, Sungwook, who was one of our groomsmen, of course! Amy was from High Point and Amorn hailed from Chicago. 

 

This is a photo displayed on a large screen television which operated like a digital picture frame with a continuous slideshow of their adventures together. After graduating, starting their careers and becoming world-wide travelers together, eight years had elapsed since they met so they decided it was time to get married. They wanted a fun and laid-back wedding setting where all their friends and family could gather and have a great time. We are all thankful to them that they chose a nice air-conditioned place like Caffe Luna on this very hot Saturday morning, June 5, 2010. 

 

Fresh Affairs did the beautiful florals. They provided all the unique centerpieces for their tables, the large spray of flowers at the altar, the boutonnieres and Amy's gorgeous bouquet of lilies.

Greg Ramsey with Joe Bunn DJ Company was there when Marty and I arrived at 10:40, hectically setting up all his DJ equipment in a very small space provided him. He provided the music for both the ceremony and the reception and had to be a Houdini! I also plugged my microphone into his system so everyone could hear this wonderful ceremony. Greg got it all done in plenty of time and was ready to go when it was time to start the ceremony.

LeeMarie, a friend of the bride's served as wedding director and she did a great job!

Sugarland Cakes was on hand to deliver their pretty wedding cake too. It was a flurry of activity.

I gave Greg the signal, cued LeeMarie and Amorn and I walked in from the front of the restaurant and took our places and waited for the parents who were being escorted in by the groomsmen.

The guy in the lower left is our photographer, Frank Jin. He is from Winston-Salem.  He is motioning to the first couple coming in.

First in is Amorn's mother, Metta, escorted in by Isra, brother of the groom. They are followed by Amorn's father, Lerwut.

Then Andrew, brother of the bride, escorts in his mother, Nuttiya, and then takes his place with Amorn and Isra.

 Olivia and Matt enter and take their places. The wedding colors were Carolina Blue and Red. The red is symbolic of happiness and good luck in Asian weddings. It was really a nice combination. I knew about the Carolina Blue but had I known the bridesmaids were all wearing red shoes, I would have too!

Sungwook escorts in Rose, sister of the groom. Remember, Sungwook was the one who hosted the party where the couple met. He was a very important person!

Katie with the pretty legs and Adam enter and take their places.

The Best Man, Ian, and the Maid of Honor, Cristina, come in right before the bride.

Radiant and glowing, Amy, enters escorted by her father, Narong. She is so beautiful!

All the guests are turned toward her to see her walk down the aisle. What a pretty dress and train.

And so the ceremony commences.

This shot captured a moment in time when I reached up to adjust my theater microphone. Look at those beautiful flowers behind us. Makes a wonderful backdrop for this ceremony. Th fragrance was quite pleasant too.

I may be telling the couple's "story" here. They put in quite a bit of humor and everyone loved it. They paid tribute not only to their parents but also their siblings. It was a lot of fun. 

Amorn's brother, Isra, delivered a very special reading the couple chose: an excerpt from "Teachings on Love" by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk and spiritual teacher. Isra teaches school and so he was the perfect person to present this wonderful reading of wise and thoughtful words. Thank you, Isra! 

 Amorn is reading his vows from my book here. He did get a bit choked up but made a wonderful recovery! One of the lines of his vows was "I vow to never take you for granted and to always be there for you, even during the final seconds of the UNC-Duke basketball game!"  One of the lines from Amy's vows was "I vow to make you smile with my loud infectious laugh and care for you when you're sick, after all, I am a nurse!"

Putting the ring on Amy's finger he started saying the vows to me. As I warned him at the rehearsal if he did that, I would cut my eyes over to Amy and he was supposed to get it that he needed to direct the words to Amy! He did!

Amy is struggling to get Amorn's ring on his finger. It was quite tight and he finally had to help her push it past his knuckle. It sure won't come off easily!

They take a deep breath and I make the pronouncement of marriage! 

Although this is a blurry photo, I had to include it here! Remember, none of these photos were taken by a professional photographer or a professional grade camera, just my little Olympus Stylus 7010 wielded by my "roadie, " Marty. And, she does a good job. If it weren't for Marty loving to come to weddings with me, this blog would not have all the pictures to illustrate each wedding. Thank you, Marty!

The wedding party and parents gathered outside the restaurant to snap a few photos. The heat was intense! Amy and Amorn, you are an amazing couple and I know you will go far in life and around the world many times. My best wishes and congratulations to you both!

Olga and William's Fabulous Weddng at The Umstead!

William and Olga planned such a beautiful and elegant wedding on Tuesday June 1, 2010 at the prestigious hotel and spa, The Umstead. Olga is from Russia and had a definite vision for her wedding day and she brought it to fruition. William wanted Olga to have whatever she wanted. These two are so in love it shows all the time! From what William told me, he was smitten with Olga and her incredible beauty from the moment he laid eyes on her. He pursued her and now they are married! Here is the story of their wonderful wedding!

This is the incredible altar that was constructed by Fresh Affairs and draped with the fluffy flowers and hanging leis of small orchids. It was simply breathtaking!

So, here is how it looked before the guests arrived. See the fountain in the lake showing through? The forecast was for rain but it was holding off for us.

The lighting was perfect for photography and this is Kevin Milz, our photographer, on the left, speaking to his assistant using the tripod. Kevin was just featured in the Southern Bride & Groom June Newsletter. He does a lot of weddings at The Umstead and it is always good to work with him again.

Our musicians, provided by Arioso Strings, are all set up and ready to go with a large market parasol behind them in case they need to duck under it for cover. No need, though. It stayed dry.

The reception room was all ready to go. Fresh Affairs continued the beautiful fluffy flowers here too. I wish I had asked what they were but they were really busy getting ready when Marty and I arrived so I did not want to interrupt.

Here is the gorgeous wedding cake by Sweet Memories, of course. The DJ for the reception was Randy Bennett with Joe Bunn DJ Company.

The Umstead staff is so professional and so efficient. Our wedding director and person in charge is Ami Wheeler, above, talking to Gary, the sound man. We work together all the time and so setting up has gotten into a familiar routine.

The guests have arrived and are seated. The musicians are playing and when Ami cues them to start the processional music, we will start up the stepping stones. Leading the procession are Olga's parents, Michael and Victoria. Michael will be coming back to escort in the bride. William and I are next, then the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

The best man is William's brother, Russell. He is escorting in Elena, the maid of honor.

All four of these lovely girls are William's daughters. Starting down the aisle with Keith is Kristen, followed by Emerson and Tony who is Olga's brother.

The flower girls are Katlyn and Camryn. They seemed to be as smitten with Olga as their father!

Here comes the bride! Her gown and bouquet of white orchids were exquisite! She was beaming!

William and Olga really loved the Wooden Wedding Box ceremony and wanted to include it so we did. They had ordered a beautiful wooden box engraved with their names and date on it. Here is a link to the site that sells them. These are the words "William and Olga, I have asked you as a couple, to find a strong wooden box that will hold two bottles of wine and two wine glasses. In addition, I have asked each of you to write a letter to one another, expressing your thoughts about all the qualities that you love in one another. A lovingly hand written letter is one of the most romantic and sentimental gestures possible, and this very personal form of communication will preserve all the thoughts and emotions that you are experiencing during a very exciting time in your relationship. I requested that under no condition were you to read each other’s letter, and that you were to seal them in individual envelopes and put them in the box with the wine and glasses. On your first wedding anniversary, I invite you to open the box, pour each other a glass of wine and read the other’s letter to you so you can remember how madly in love you are with each other; and pass this custom along in your family as an example of true eternal love! I now ask that you take a key, and lock the box."

Exchanging rings here. The pronouncement of marriage is coming up!

Need I say more?

 After the guests left the garden for the reception, we posed for some photos. We are so happy the rain held off and Olga and William are so delighted to finally be married. I wish you both a very happy and satisfying marriage and all the happiness in the world!

Vanessa and Ryan have their Dream Wedding at Preston Woodall House!

Vanessa always dreamed of having her dad walk her down the aisle and told me she just would not feel like she was married until that dream came true. And so, she diligently pursued it despite some bumps in the road. And Ryan was behind her all the way in realizing her dream. On May 30, 2010, the dream became a beautiful reality for Vanessa and Ryan as their wedding took place at the historic and elegant Preston Woodall House in Benson, NC. Their friends and family gathered from far and wide. The day was sunny and although we were relieved that it was not raining, the weather was quite hot and humid. We stayed inside until the last moment then began the ceremony as the guests got seated.

The guys and I gathered on the deck off the Cora Lily Ballroom waiting for the grandparents and parents to get seated then made our entrance. Then the bridesmaids took their places with us in the Queen Anne Pavilion.

Our beautiful bride and her father floated down the aisle. It was truly a dream come true for Vanessa and you can see it in her big smile!

And so the ceremony began. What a handsome group of guys and beautiful girls with their hot pink flowers.

Ryan takes a good look at all the guests as he takes in the reality of it all.

I think this is where I said something like "Let's make way for the love train" as a train nearby blew through town. It made the wedding more memorable than ever and all the guests loved it.

Ryan is saying his vows to Vanessa here. I thought she was going to cry but she held up. Really, crying at a wedding is so sweet and touching. Tells me the couple are really feeling the moment and the importance of their vows.

Vanessa is saying her vows to Ryan at this moment. I can tell because my finger is on the place in my book where she left off reading them as she looked up at Ryan. There were some good chuckles for all of us in their vows. (I print the couple's vows in my book and flip them vertically so they are facing them. Then they can hold hands and not fumble with a piece of paper or index card.)

After the rings were exchanged, we did the rose ceremony. Ryan's mother and Vanessa's sister who was standing in for her mother handed the couple the roses symbolizing the importance of their families in their marriage. It was so touching.

And now the pronouncement of marriage. Can you tell we are all dripping with sweat? No, that is the great thing about these photos, that does not show at all!

They turned and faced their guests and I introduced them as Mr. and Mrs., at last!

And the deed is done! They are ready to cool down, relax and enjoy the reception in the ballroom as their dream day continues!

Cooling down in the ballroom..........Vanessa and Ryan, I am so honored to have been part of making your dream wedding come true. More power to you both and I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Vanessa's grandmother, Marti, did all the flowers including the centerpieces, the bouquets, boutonnieres and the flowers adorning the wedding cake. She is a florist, obviously, and lives in Ohio. She had the flowers shipped to Raleigh then stored them in her hotel room that she kept at 50 degrees to keep them fresh. They are so beautiful. I love the pearls in the center of each rosebud.

Preston Woodall House in Benson NC is only 40 miles from Raleigh. It is a restored and renovated historic old Southern home and bed and breakfast of the highest quality and a great setting for a wedding. The owners have procured the houses surrounding the property and turned them into quaint guest cottages where wedding guests can stay. I have been doing weddings here about 10 years now. They have a dedicated chef and the amenities are the best! It is truly a very special place and I love doing weddings here..

This beautiful wedding cake is by Ambrosia Cake Creations in Fuquay Varina. It was chocolate with strawberry filling and butter cream frosting.

Our wedding DJ was Daniel Clodfelter with Anything Music. He did a great job of providing sound for me for the ceremony. Thanks, Daniel.

Ryan Murphy of Katwalk Studios wore three hats for Vanessa. She did her hair, makeup, and was our photographer! What a talented lady! Thanks, Ryan.