A year ago Christee and Jim contacted me about doing their wedding on May 4, 2012 at the beautiful
Crenshaw Hall in Wake Forest where I have been doing weddings since 2004 and watched the beautiful restoration of this old plantation estate. It is truly lovely and a wonderful spot for a wedding.
For at least 3 years, the roads around this lovely venue have been under construction as part of the Wakefield development involving Falls of Neuse Road and re-routing of Highway 98 but at last it is now quite easy to get to from Capital Blvd/Rt. 1 and soon you will be able to travel up Falls of Neuse directly.
This is the side entrance that opens out onto the wedding terrace from which the bride enters. The decorative trim is beautiful.
This beautiful stage has been built and now the green vines are gracing it with this lush foliage.
The first wedding I did here in 2004, the interior of the house had been stripped down to bare walls. Now it is elegantly appointed and quite comfortable.
In the foyer stood this beautiful cake by Rachel Smith of
Tartlette Treats. You can see our groom, Jim, in the background looking this way. I am behind him with his mother, Angela, having her sign the marriage license.
We Cook For You was catering the reception and
Julie Liles provided the beautiful flowers.
Jim waited a long time to find the woman of his dreams. Actually Christee found him as the story goes. They have known each other more than 10 years so it was about time to get married!
John Bennett, owner of
Crenshaw Hall, graciously escorts the couple's mothers, Angela and Georgine, into the ceremony.
Then he came and joined me and Jim before we were cued to walk in.
We pass by Christee's dad, Jerry, who will escort the bride in from the steps to the altar.
John tapped on the door with his cane, the signal for Christee and her brother to come down the steps.
Christie Fernandez, the events manager for Crenshaw Hall, directed the wedding party. She was good and I enjoyed working with her a lot! You could tell she knew what she was doing.
Our fabulous photographer,
Michelle Gunton, gets a good shot as the bride and her father float down the aisle. Michelle is a really good wedding photographer--one of my favorites.
There were big ole tears rolling down Jerry's face as he answered my question:
"Who brings Christee to be married to Jim?"I have to admit that I felt like a stand up comedian in many parts of this ceremony because Christee and Jim have a wonderful sense of humor and put in lots of quips. The guests really loved laughing a lot too.
There were wonderful and touching tributes to their parents.
I am telling their funny story here!
The temperature was in the mid nineties during the ceremony and not a whiff of a breeze. Although Christee had him put anti-perspirant on his head, we used up at least two hankies mopping his head and face!
I try to remember to step aside during the kiss so the photographer can get a good shot without my head in it.
Hugs all around! The parents were raving about the ceremony, how much fun and that it fit Christee and Jim perfectly. (Mission accomplished!)
Jim and Christee, you are a very special and lucky couple to have each other. I love how well-matched you are and your wedding planning skills were amazing. A beautiful day for you both. I wish you all the happiness, contentment and fun in the world!
