Natalia Vodianova and Roberto Cavalli's "Diva" bag

I'm in total lust with this Natalia Vodianova look. It's so far from her usual soft make-up and wavy hair. She's beyond beautiful.
And the new Roberto Cavalli bag? Awesome dosen't even cover it.

Shelley and Paul's Fabulous Wedding at Historic Haywood Hall!

When Marty and I arrived at Haywood Hall on September 25, 2010 for Shelley and Paul's wedding, we knew this was going to be a fun wedding! They had beautiful florals, a wonderful cake, three bands lined up for the reception, and two of my favorite musicians for the ceremony. The one downside was that their photographer never showed up. But, their videographer, David Goodwin, stepped right in with his still camera and covered the wedding while his assistant handled the video. (This is going to be a lengthy blog post because I asked Marty to shoot a lot of photos that I will send to the couple.)

After I got my sound system set up and did a sound check, Marty and I went into the garden area where the groom and groomsmen were hanging out and hanging loose! Men in Black!! Agent Smith??

The flowers were amazing and the color scheme very distinctive. Shelley told me that she told the florist to be creative and they were.

Look at the hanging votives and the rosebuds swinging upside down like little lamps from a spray of twigs.

Some of the tables were under the large tent and some were out in the garden. The bands were setting up and the florist putting the final touches on things.

The bride's bouquet was one of the prettiest and most unusual ones I have ever seen. Shelley told them she wanted feathers in all the bouquets and she got them! 

The cake was in the gazebo to begin with but eventually got moved inside the house due to the heat and humidity.

Photo of the engaged couple on display.

For the ceremony we had oboe and piano music. A winning combination and one of my very favorites for weddings because it is so unusual. Paul is a musician and he really appreciated that. He also has a band so he had all the right connections.

It is almost time to begin the ceremony. Reta, one of our wedding directors, was checking the time line. Reta and Meredith are great to work with and make my job so much easier!

The guys and I were lined up to the side of the house while the parents were ushered in. Down on the sidewalk in the front of the house, Meredith had the groomsmen and bridesmaids all lined up to go in.

The guests are standing and we are awaiting the entrance of the beautiful bride and her father.

Those high steps are not easy with a long full dress, high heels and carrying a bouquet!

And so we begin. Paul's father was an "honorary best man" standing with him until time for the Parents' Blessing when he sat with his wife from that point on.

Isn't that dress gorgeous? What a handsome couple! 

What is Paul looking at? I missed that one! 

Look at that look they sneaked during the pronouncement. 

After the wedding the wedding party walked the one block to the Capital for photos. After packing up the sound system and bidding farewell to the musicians and Reta and Meredith, we caught up with them for a few pictures. Paul and Shelley, you are a great couple and so much fun to work with . You planned a super wedding and I know you had fun! I wish you love, joy and peace for a lifetime!

I had to show you this exquisite ring. Paul had to save up for this one, as the story in the ceremony revealed. But, as he said, Shelley was really worth it! 

Our Vendors for this wedding:

Wedding Planners: Reta and Meredith Kohari (mother and daughter team) with French 75 Events.  Ladies, it is always a pleasure to work with you. I know I can count on your professionalism and covering every detail! 

Venue:  Historic Haywood Hall is owned by the National Society of The Colonial Dames of America. I have been doing weddings here for almost 12 years! A great venue with front walk, garden and gazebo.

Videographer and Photographer to the rescue: David Goodwin. Man, you saved the day!

Musicians: Phillip Jefferson, oboe, and Gregory Dixon, keyboard played for the ceremony. For the reception the line up was: Tim Smith Jazz Quartet, Rye Mountain Boys, and then Hobex.

Flowers: Distinctive Designs of Wake Forest did fabulous florals for this wedding!

Wedding Cake: Lorie at Simply Cakes did a great job on their cake.

Caterer:  Famous local caterer is Barbara Boney Caters. Always wonderful!

Amanda and Jeremy's Wonderful Wedding at Highgrove!

Amanda and Jeremy met in 2003 while attending UVA in Charlottesville VA. They eventually earned 3 degrees and relocated to the Raleigh area to work, bought a house and adopted two kitties. When it was time to get married, they chose lovely Highgrove estate for their wedding venue. It is a beautiful site and September 24, 2010 turned out to be a beautiful day. At the rehearsal the day before we experienced some challenges with a few pesky gnats but Jeremy loaded up on bug repellent the next day and we were well prepared.

When Marty and I arrived, we saw the beautiful flowers provided by Flowers on Broad. These are small vases that will hang on the short shepherd hooks lining the aisle.

Here is the inside of the big tent for the reception. The centerpieces were so pretty and all the flowers reflected the purple, lavender and green color scheme.

 We caught Ashley of Ashley Cakes in the process of adding the purple flowers to the cake. She does such a wonderful job making wedding cakes. My question is how does she stay so thin around all that sugar??

So, here is the finished product. Gorgeous!

Randy Bennett with Joe Bunn DJ Company was our DJ for the wedding. He so graciously provided a speaker for me to plug my microphone into for the ceremony. Thanks, Randy, and I will see you in about 3 weeks at The Pavilion at Angus Barn for another wedding! Greg and Amy of The Image Mill were our very capable photographers and were everywhere at once! (The photos on this blog were taken with my point and shoot digital camera.)

When it was time to begin, Ann Eberle, far left, the wedding director with Highgrove for this wedding, gave the signal to begin the processional music to our string trio, Arioso Strings. On the left is Mary Page Block, owner of Arioso Strings, and playing with her are Emmy Hildebrandte on violin and David Oh on cello. The music was heavenly, as usual!

After the seating of the grandmothers and the parents, it was time for Jeremy and me to enter. Wait for me, Jeremy! He was in a hurry to get married!

After the groomsmen and bridesmaids entered it was time for Amanda's father to bring in the bride! She is so beautiful!

I don't know what I said to make Amanda turn her head that way but it must have been some line in the story of how they met and fell in love.

They chose to memorize the words to each other when exchanging the rings. I was standing by to prompt them but they both did a great job remembering! I was impressed!

I believe Jeremy was glad to get the ceremony done and start the party!

Amanda and Jeremy, congratulations and I wish you a lifetime of happiness and satisfaction. You are one cool couple!