April 24, 2010 Part 3

Diane Burkhardt & Benny Valek

Saturday, April 24, 2010 @ 6:30pm

The Sanctuary

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Coordinator: Tami Winn Events

Florist: leFleur Couture

Photographer: KJ Images

{KJ's Blog Post of Diane & Benny's Wedding}

Videographer: Turquoise Video Productions

Reception: The Adolphus Hotel

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:: The Sanctuary ::

April 10, 2010

Susan McFaddin & Sam Barrett

Saturday, April 10, 2010 @ 6pm

Heritage Chapel

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Susan and Sam are the most precious couple! They just adore each other. They make each other so happy and it's evident in every single wedding picture (link below). Susan and her mother did an excellent job of planning the ceremony, even down to the staggering of couples on the stage. They worked long and hard on all the details and it absolutely paid off! Susan had the most amazing dress! I loved the petals on the bodice ... wait til you see the pictures!

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The ceremony was God-honoring all around. Early in the ceremony the couples friends read various scriptures. Right before the message Jonah Werner (friend of the couple) sang a beautiful song he wrote; and after the exchanging of rings the entire congregation worshipped together by singing "How Great Is Our God."

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The couple celebrated with friends and family after the ceremony at The W Hotel!

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Florist: The Wildflower (Stacey Murdoch)

Photographer: F8Studio (Huy Nguyen)

{Huy's Blog post of their big day}

{link to their slideshow}

Videographer: Capturing Moments (Summer Satterfield)

Reception: The W Hotel Dallas

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:: Heritage Chapel ::

March 13, 2010 Part 3

Marcy Coe & Kenny Infante

Saturday, March 13, 2010 @ 6pm

Heritage Chapel

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Our last wedding of the day was Marcy and Kenny's. I loved the dynamics between these two! Marcy can get stressed out and worried about the details and Kenny calms her down. This was apparent at the rehearsal and we worked through the logistics of a large wedding party, etc. But none of us knew it the worried v. calm dynamics would be tested again on the wedding day!

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Things had gone great all day long! Marcy got ready on time, girls had their pictures made, guys had their pictures made ... THEN ... it was time to start lining up (or at least make sure we had everyone to line up). I made my normal rounds - gave the guys a 15 minute warning, made sure the bestman had the ring (he did) and then went up to the bride's room to give them their warning, made sure the maid of honor had the ring (she did not). Marcy very calmly said "my dad has Kenny's ring." I immediately became a little nervous. Father's of the Bride (FoB) are usually not in a stable frame of mind 15 minute before their daughter's wedding. And I hate to see the sweet FoB's face when he doesn't know what I'm talking about or doesn't have what I'm talking about, which means I'm nervous to ask them questions most of the time. I've seen the blank FoB look a few times. So I carefully pulled Marcy's dad aside and asked him where Kenny's ring was. OH NO ... he gave me the blank face look! He had locked it up in the family safe in his closet at home and completely forgot to bring it. NO PROBLEM! We'll improvise ... use someone else's ring until Kenny gets the real deal. Word got back to Marcy and she would have none of it. She insisted that Kenny use his real wedding ring in the ceremony. That is totally understandable, but now we have just 10 minutes until the wedding. Long story short ... ok, long story even longer ... We consulted Kenny and he quickly tried on the minister, John Cullen's ring and it fit perfectly. He was game to use another ring for the time being. But Marcy just couldn't imagine that! Marcy's uncle went to their home, opened the safe and retrieved the ring. The ceremony started about 30 minutes late (poor guests) but Kenny got to use his real ring. And Kenny was so sweet to Marcy (and her father) about the whole thing! Such a trooper!

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Once the ceremony did start it was beautiful! I loved the flow of her ceremony. Marcy's friend read scripture at the beginning, her sister read scripture at the end and a friend sang "Love Never Fails" during the Unity Candle.

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The reception was held at the Trammel Crow Center.

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Photographer: Photographic Memories (Michael McKibben)

Florist: Skai Floral

Reception: Trammel Crow Center

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:: Heritage Chapel ::

:: This was also time change weekend, so you'll notice the stained glass windows do not have any light coming through and it's only 6pm. From this weekend on until November's time change the windows will be full of light until about 7:30-8pm ::

:: just a cool shot of the shadows in the hallway to the bridal suite ::

January 16, 2010 Part 1

Katie Griffin & Doug McCain

Saturday, January 16, 2010 @ 2pm

Heritage Chapel/The Atrium

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Organized, Detail-Oriented, Thorough, Stylish ... those are just a few of the words that describe this bride! Katie and her family are dear friends of mine. Katie was my next door neighbor growing up. We were quite a few years apart (I was closer in age to her 3 older brothers) but I got to watch Katie grow up. She really has become a beautiful woman inside and out! I enjoyed getting to connect with her again now that we are both older. It was a complete honor to help her coordinate her wedding. Katie and Doug (and their families) thought of everything! They did most of the decorating themselves and it turned out perfect!

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The ceremony was performed by Doug's dad (who just so happens to be a photographer too). Katie's grandfather prayed over them at the very beginning of the ceremony and her brothers all opened the doors for her grand entrance. Since there were three brothers, we used 2 at the doors and one was on dress duty to make sure her train was smooth. He did great!

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The Atrium was so well decorated too. They choose to do a hot chocolate station, perfect for a chilly January afternoon. They had yummy funfetti cake and all the gummy candy you could ever want! It was so relaxed and enjoyable.

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Katie and Doug choose to see each other before the ceremony to speed pictures along. It really does save a TON of time after the ceremony. BUT I can relate to all the brides and grooms that don't want to see each other until that special walk down the aisle. I didn't see my groom before the wedding and if I had it to do all over again I would still choose to wait. To each his own!

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Photographer: King Harrell

Videographer: Hannah Palmer

Florist: The Flower Shoppe

Cakes: Panini Bakery

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:: Heritage Chapel ::

:: Katie had a specific plan for how she wanted the wedding party to stand on stage. Looks great! I also love the simplicity of the single candles stands ::

:: Love the calla lily arrangements at the back of the aisle ::

:: The Atrium ::

:: cake table (minus the cake) ::

:: HOT TAMALES ::

:: Harbo Gummy Bears ::

October 17, 2009

Kim Garza & Chance Turner

Saturday, October 17, 2009 @ 6pm

Sanctuary

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This wedding had it all ... 14 bridesmaids, 13 groomsmen, 2 ringbearers, 1 flowergirl, a 5-person acapella ensemble, 2 scripture readers, a unity candle, practical jokes between the groomsmen, a ringbearer's bodily noise disturbance during the ceremony {I'll let you guess what happened there}, a judge, a congressman, a minister's first wedding to officiate {and a partridge in a pear tree :) }

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Kim works for a congressman and let me tell you, she has her stuff together! The ceremony was very traditional, but had an extremely personal feel to it. One of the most meaningful and moving ceremony moments I've experienced lately happened at this wedding. Kim's father passed away a few years ago and during one of their last conversations that talked about Kim's future mate and how the most important thing in marriage is Christ and a spouse that will "stand by you" always. In tribute to her father, Kim asked The Smith Family (dear friends of her father) to sing "Stand By Me." I know that Chance and Kim will stand by each other forever.

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One of our minister's John Cullen did pre-marital counseling with Kim and Chance. Through their time together they formed a special bond; and asked John to officiate. John has not been on staff here too terribly long and had not yet been licensed. He made sure to get things taken care of prior to October so that he could marry them. It was John's first wedding to officiate and he did great!!!! There were lots of elements in this wedding and he executed the ceremony perfectly! I'm already looking forward to the next one he does! Thanks John!

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Florist: Denton Florist

Photographer: Donna Quareles
{check out Chance & Kim's engagement pics HERE}

Videography: First Baptist Dallas

Reception: Scottish Rite Cathedral

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:: The Sanctuary ::

:: There were 14 BM and 13 GM, notice how we staggered them on the stage ::

May 16, 2009 Part 2

Christy Telford & Cody Hodges

Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 6pm

Sanctuary/Level Two

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Another amazing couple! I've been looking forward to this wedding since October when I met Christy and Cody. They are both so passionate about life, God and each other. A perfect recipe for marriage! Christy is a teacher at Rockwall-Heath High School and Cody speaks for Rachel's Challenge. They met last year when Cody had a speaking engagement at Christy's school. Rumor is that Christy's mom first saw Cody and knew he'd be perfect for her daughter. After some convincing, Christy agreed to give it a shot ... and now their are married :)

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The ceremony was so moving! Christy's childhood minister officiated, speaking so very highly of Christy. Cody's groomsmen and college friend, Jeremy Camp, sang two amazing songs! Yes, I said Jeremy Camp!!! I've always loved his music and know several brides that have used his songs at their weddings. BUT never have I heard Jeremy sing live at a wedding. It was truly inspiring and went right along with Christy and Cody's vision for their wedding. He sang "My Desire" for the processional and "I Surrender" during the signing of the covenant. I loved everything about their ceremony! And the slate blue bridesmaids dresses looked phenomenal in the Sanctuary. My little picture below doesn't even begin to do them justice! Can't wait to get the photographer's pics.

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I always like to highlight unique parts of the ceremony to give all the future brides some ideas! They had a beautiful certificate made including their vows, a verse and the lyrics to "I Surrender." During the ceremony their immediate families came forward to witness and sign the covenant that Christy and Cody will eventually hang in their home. Such a neat keepsake!
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Photographer: Grant & Kim Harrison (friends of the bride/groom)

Videographer: Bryan Boorujy(works with Cody at Rachel's Challenge)

Florist: Becky Ramsey (bride's aunt)

Reception: Level Two Events
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:: The Sanctuary ::

May 16, 2009 Part 1

Holli Petersen & James Park
Saturday, May 16, 2009 @ 3pm
Heritage Chapel/The Adolphus Hotel
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What a sweet couple! I came to adore Holli and James {and Holli's mom} over the past 6 months. I got to spend time with Holli and her mom during her bridal portrait shoot. It was such a fun afternoon with some creative poses by Huy {their amazing photographer}. You can see some of her bridal pictures here.
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The ceremony was lovely. Not only did it look gorgeous, the content of the ceremony was Christ-centered and worshipful. James' family flew in from California; and the couple incorporated many of his families cultural traditions into the ceremony. They presented flowers to the family towards the end of the ceremony. Holli's mom and brother built two beautiful kneelers that Holli and James can keep forever. Such as special gift! The reception was held at The Adolphus Hotel.
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I just loved the over sized floral arrangements on the stage ... they looked so good! Great job Junior!
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They had lots of out-of-town guests staying at the Adolphus Hotel so Holli and James provided a shuttle to get their guests back and forth from the church to the hotel. It worked out so well. The shuttle ran a couple of times on Friday for the rehearsal and then started running at 1:45 on Saturday (for the 3pm wedding). The timing was perfect all weekend. I would highly recommend renting a bus/shuttle to transport guests if you have lots of people in town without a car! And the Adolphus is just around the corner from us, so it's really convenient!
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Photographer: Huy Nguyen of F8 Studio
Florist: The Garden Gate (Junior) 214 -220-1272
Strings: Serenata Strings
Reception: The Adolphus Hotel
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:: Heritage Chapel ::

:: handmade kneelers ::

:: engagement picture canvas by Huy ::

April 25, 2009

Sarah Farish & Brad Arthur

Saturday, April 25, 2009 @ 6pm

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I met Sarah and her mother almost one year ago. Sarah & Brad are not members here, so they had to wait until July 2008 to book their April 2009 wedding. Member can book 1 year in advance, Non-Members can book up to 9 months in advance. They waited ... and it all work out! {just trying to give hope to those non-members brides on the waiting list}

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The ceremony was sweet. One of Brad's childhood friend's father {can you follow that?} officiated the ceremony, making it even sweeter for Brad and his family. A friend of Sarah's sang "How Beautiful" (by Twyla Paris) one of my favorite songs for a wedding!

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Future Brides ... notice how we staggered and grouped the girls and guys. {see pictures below} This arrangement would work well for even larger wedding party groups too. It is a great alternative to lining up the wedding party or even pairing up the couples. Sometimes when we pair couples on the Heritage Stage it starts to look crowded and messy because the stage isn't all the big. I thought this worked well and would work great for larger groups too! I believe we have one coming up involving 12 BM and 12 GM! Oh and Sarah wanted her Maids of Honor and Best Man to join them on stage, while the rest of the wedding party stayed on the stairs.

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Wedding Coordinator: Kathy Seely of Grand Events (did a great job!)

Photographer: Robert Walker

Reception: The Magnolia Hotel

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:: Heritage Chapel ::