Last February I met Adam and Michelle to begin planning their ceremony for their wedding on October 19, 2013 at the historical
Haywood Hall, a popular downtown Raleigh wedding venue and the oldest house in Raleigh. They chose to have their wedding in the garden area in front of the scuppernong arbor. The weather was rather iffy and overcast with rain threatening. They had vacillated back and forth about a tent but finally decided to take their chances and it all worked out! Their reception was nearby at the new Museum of Life Sciences.
When Marty and I arrived the chairs were in place with pretty flowers decorating them. Our violinist, Craig, with
Arioso Strings arrived about the same time and set up his place and a place for Ed, the guitarist, to join him. There was a race going on all around us and the traffic was definitely clogged due to barricaded streets but we managed to start on time! I got my sound system set up and did a sound check. Then
Jim Colman, our photographer, arrived and we greeted each other. It had been a while since we had worked together so it was good to see Jim again.
The scuppernong arbor was bedecked with hanging flower balls and pretty petals underneath.
Ed arrived and he and Craig began warming up.
I sent the bride, her father, and the bridesmaids out the back door to circle around behind the gazebo while the groomsmen and I got lined up to make our entrance first.
Our director, Betsy, got the mothers lined up with their escorts. Adam escorted his mother in and our groomsman Tom escorted the mother of the bride.
The groomsmen are holding flowers that will be part of a "circle of love" created around the couple during the ceremony before they make their vows. The table with candle is a memorial to Adam's father who has passed on from this earth but is dearly missed, especially on this day.
Our beautiful bridesmaids are ready to make their entrance.
Then our lovely little flower girl, Charlotte, and ring bearer, Chase, made their entrance. Charlotte was old enough to understand what she was to do and did a good job. Chase, age 3 1/2, didn't quite understand what he was to do and ended up kicking the ring pillow down the aisle and running crying to his mother, one of the bridesmaids. Adam's mom quickly retrieved him and he was fine for the rest of the ceremony! This is not uncommon!
Michelle and her father, Art, made their grand entrance next.
Michelle and Adam met when friends of theirs drug them to a joint gathering of two Carolina Hurricanes Fans Twitter groups (one in Raleigh, the other in Wilmington) back in April of 2011. They definitely noticed each other but it was when the two groups convened for another social gathering in Wilmington that they really connected and stayed up all night talking. By mistake Michelle gave Adam her father's phone number (one digit different than hers) and when he sent a text, her father texted back "and now you have my number too!" They started hanging out together a lot and soon became a couple and inseparable. Adam proposed at PF Chang's where they had earlier both confessed their love for each other. They told me that Adam's mother at that point started planning their wedding and they had a running joke that she would just tell them where and when to show up!
I had them each tell me in confidence what they love about each other and what they are looking forward to in marriage. Then I tell them for the first time during the ceremony. It is a tender moment! About this time in the ceremony I felt raindrops and Michelle mouthed to me "it's raining." I walked over to my sound system and handed a nearby guest a plastic bag to cover it with and went right on with the ceremony. Thankfully the rain let up again quickly.
Notice the circle of flowers around our couple? These were flowers carried in by the mothers and wedding party. "These flowers represent not only a new beginning for our bride and groom, marking this spot in their lives, but also the love of each person who placed it.....Each flower is a show of support for our bride and groom as they become husband and wife as they begin this new, amazing and wonderful journey together." Then they exchanged vows and rings.
Oh happy day!!!
Cute! These two groomsmen pulled pink sunglasses from their pockets before recessing!
This young man came up to speak to me after the ceremony to tell me he had a good time. I had noticed him earlier taking pictures. His politeness and curiosity were refreshing!
Michelle and Adam, you two are a great match and I know you are going to create a wonderful life together. I wish you loads of love, happiness and contentment!
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919-345-4608
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