December 13, 2008

Jaclyn Cleveland & Nate Edwards

Saturday, December 13, 2008 @ 7pm

The Sanctuary

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"The Sanctuary has never looked more beautiful." That was the comment I heard all night! And everyone was right. As you may have picked up from my previous post, we do not typically allow December weddings, especially not in the Sanctuary ... so this was such a treat. Don't fall too much in love with the idea though! {more about our December policy at the bottom of this post}

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Now back to Jaclyn & Nate ... what a whirlwind week/weekend. Jaclyn is a life-long friend of mine. Helping a close friend get married is so rewarding {and a tad bit tiring}. The past week was full of bachelorette parties, bridal brunches, rehearsal dinners ... OH and a wedding and reception. WHEW. I know Jaclyn and Nate are enjoying some down time now.

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Jac always wanted a December wedding; and I'm so thankful that she got what she wanted. It was such a magical day. The Sanctuary was BEAUTIFUL!!!! Jaclyn's mom, Joni, did most of the wedding planning (due to Jaclyn's seminary schedule). Joni choose a gorgeous set up for the stage! It is one of my favorites! Nate's grandfather officiated the ceremony. It is a family tradition that he marries off his grandchildren. Nate's brother-in-law sang (he's really really good). A college friend of Jac's also sang. All of the processional songs were hymns or Christmas songs. It was so neat. The organ, piano and 2 trumpets played as the bride entered to "All Hail The Power." The couple saw each other before the ceremony (to allow them to get to the reception quickly) ... so they immediately headed to the Arboretum after the ceremony. Rosine Hall was transformed into a winter wonderland! What a fun reception. If you know Jac and Nate, you know that they are all about FUN. They had Marble Slab, a candy bar, cake, pastries and hot chocolate. The cake looked like Christmas packages. Santa made an appearance (even danced with the bride!!!). They also had a photo booth, which was a blast. It was a great great night.

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Photographer: Bob Sutton {and his blog}

Videographer: First Baptist Dallas

Florist: Kathy Hollingsworth (ceremony); Apples to Zinnias (reception)

DJ: Harvey Schmitt of Simply Music Events (did a fantastic job!!!!)

Make Up: Mayra (wonderful!)

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{Our "no December Sanctuary weddings" rule has been in affect for many many years, but several exceptions were made this year. Sometimes it is nice to try something that has been off-limits for a while. You either figure out that it will work and the rule may need to be reversed - OR - you realize that the rule you've always hated, is actually in place for a reason. Unfortunately for all the (sanctuary) December wedding lovers, our "no december wedding" rule is back and here to stay. There are so many Christmas activities and programs in the Sanctuary, making it difficult to squeeze in a wedding. Christmas around here is for the church family, fellowship and music. Our Music Staff works so hard to prepare 3-4 weekends worth of productions; and they need time to set up, rehearse and preform without interruption. We have more flexibilty in Heritage Chapel. But I'm not making any promises for future Decembers. SO... we enjoyed the beautiful December Sanctuary wedding that we were able to have this year, and we will honor our rule going forward. Live & Learn.}

**Many many thanks to the Music Staff, Media Staff, Housekeeping and all others involved in setting and re-setting the stage for the wedding. It was very much appreciated. THANK YOU!**