Lucy+Kevin // Wedding at the NCMA

Lucy and Kevin booked us without first meeting us as they are living in New York City and have very busy schedules, and we were down here with very busy schedules, and we kept trying to make meeting work but it just didn’t. Then we were up in Manhattan for an engagement session and so we met up with Lucy and Kevin over burgers at a super tasty place somewhere in the city where peanut butter milkshakes were had both by Lucy and myself and everything was great. They showed us pictures of their cat, as well as pictures of their cat sitter who is about to have a podcast about cats. We showed them pictures of our cats. We briefly discussed a preliminary timeline for their wedding and then went right back to talking about our cats. I started following Lucy on Twitter and Instagram, where now I can see regular updates on her cat.

When I got to Lucy’s parents’ house while Lucy was getting ready, I said, “How is your cat? How is the guy who is taking care of your cat?” and Lucy promptly pulled out her phone to show me a picture of her cat cuddled up with her beloved cat sitter. Then other bridesmaids starting showing me photos of their cats too. One showed us a picture of her dog but it was a really cute fluffy dog that had cat-like ears so it’s okay. So what you’re about to see below is less about Lucy and Kevin getting married so much as it is about their cat Masha gaining two official parents. We’ve reached out to Masha’s representatives and we’re awaiting a comment on how she feels, but our guess is pretty thrilled, but that she’d also like fed.

In a rare move where I’m about to say things that don’t involve this couple’s cat, I’d like to announce that Lucy and Kevin are a wonderful couple, talented musicians (Kevin plays trumpet and Lucy plays violin and we’re talking like official music school musicians of music musicology and all that music stuff), and we loved working with them both. Lucy is wonderful and Kevin is the Best Kevin and it was a joy photographing them looking really serious in front of a painting of a giant button.


– Date: November 4, 2017
– Ceremony + Reception Venue: NCMA (North Carolina Museum of Art) // Raleigh, NC
– First Dance Song: “Mango Tree” – Zac Brown Band
– Lucy’s Occupation: PhD student in Historical Musicology
– Kevin’s Occupation: Software Product Manager
– How You Met: At a party for admitted Vanderbilt students before the start of our freshman year of college back in 2008.
– Interesting Fact: We have a tabby cat named Masha and our most longstanding argument concerns yellow vs. dijon mustard (ed. note: obviously dijon is superior (nope))
– Honeymoon: Somewhere warm TBD!
– Vendor Credits: Officiant – Katherine Burson (Kevin’s aunt). DJ – Mitch Woodard of Joe Bunn DJ Company. Florist – The Watered Garden. Cake – Cinda’s Creative Cakes. Caterer – Iris Cafe. Hair – Katelyn McGinn. Makeup – The bride. Coordinator – Morgan Greer with the NCMA. Ceremony Music – Jonathan Kramer on cello (he played at Lucy’s parents’ wedding almost 30 years ago!)

Katherine+Jon // Merrimon-Wynne House Wedding

Okay, so Katherine promised me that she’d up her enthusiasm game in the future because Jon was clearly practicing, and therefore outdid Katherine in jump height maneuvers repeatedly throughout the day. Although, to be fair, Katherine is very short, and Jon is very tall, so I’m pretty sure Jon will always win the jump height game no matter how hard she practices (sorry, Katherine – this is our burden in life to carry… limited jumping abilities). Jon has also upped the ante in the SUPER EXCITED GROOM department, so future clients take note. He dances! He sings! He jumps! He hugs! And he is very clearly the happiest guy ever whenever he’s around Katherine, and it’s adorable in all sorts of ways. I’m pretty sure that Jon’s excitement was magnified because his car wasn’t present during the wedding day (much to my disappointment as I had predicted it would light the unity candle). So all the energy that he usually splits between adoring Katherine and adoring his car was just 100% magnified onto Katherine (although Katherine did get him rad Monopoly car cufflinks(!) to take the place of his beloved Honda).

These two are so fun. And they are so good hearted! Katherine repeatedly kept asking if she could get us anything, and we kept shooing her away with the shooey hand gestures and all, but she kept returning to keep asking if we needed things because she is a genuinely nice person (No, Katherine! Go to your cocktail hour! Go! Gooo!). They also crack us up as they both employ a hearty sense of humor, and their friends were the same way, so it was a pretty wonderful day. Also, horas. I love horas. And bands who have lead singers who tend to lay down in the middle of crowds. Their wedding was a win. Now we can finally get around to seeing shows with them… and maybe Katherine and I can work on our jumps.

• Date: June 3, 2017
• Ceremony + Reception Venue: Merrimon-Wynne House // Raleigh, NC
• First Dance Song: “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” – Talking Heads
• Katherine’s Occupation: Market Research Analyst
• Jon’s Occupation: Nuclear Power Plant Engineer
• How You Met: Online via OkCupid (we talked, Katherine stopped using the website, then started again, we found each other the second time around, and the rest is history!)
• Interesting Fact: Jon was a DJ at 88.1 WKNC (the NC State college radio station) and Katherine listened to his show and dug the music years before they ever met each other!
• Honeymoon: Thailand, Singapore, and Hawaii!
• Vendor Credits: Officiant – Glenn Leibel (Katherine’s Uncle). Band – Punch. Florist – Dogwood Tree Floral Designs. Donuts – Krispy Kreme. Caterer – Rocky Top. Hair/Makeup – Parlor Raleigh. Coordinator – Sally Oakley Weddings & Events. Ceremony Music – Arioso Strings.

Emily+Dan // Wedding at Leslie-Alford-Mims House

The first time we met Emily and Dan, we had a Skype meeting where they held up their tuxedo cat and we held up our tuxedo cat and we were both pretty thrilled at the greatness of our cats having a meeting over the internet (the cats, pictured below, for reasons unknown don’t look as thrilled about it as we do).


But what we didn’t really realize at the time was exactly how much Pax and Buckles look alike, and how we’d come to confuse them on Instagram. Actual conversations with Geoff go like this:

– I show a picture of Pax to Geoff. Geoff looks at picture.
– Geoff, alarmed: When did you take Buckles to someone else’s house?!
– Me: That is Pax, Emily and Dan’s cat, the one that looks just like Buckles.
– Geoff: No, that is Buckles.
– Me:… No, it’s really not.

Annnnnd repeat. Emily and Dan are currently living in Pittsburgh, and someday when we’re up there visiting our families, I am determined to stop by unannounced and swap our cats for a few days and see if they notice (they’ll forget this by the time I actually do it).

But before I do that, I need to back up here and talk about their wedding. It was fabulous! And involved a flower crown that currently holds the title of Supreme Queen of Flower Crowns everywhere and I imagine it will continue to hold that title for quite some time. I was concerned about her ability to move, but that flower crown held fast and strong and did not shed one single petal all day, nor move from its exact spot on her head. It was like a being from another world. I’m not sure what happened after they left the wedding, but I can only imagine that some sort of spell had to be cast to a.) release it from her head and b.) set it free into this world. She asked me how to preserve it, but I imagine now, after observing its powers firsthand, that it’ll just do that itself.

Their wedding was so summery and gardeny and funnnn. There were little tiny cake toppers (one shaped like our cat – thanks, guys!) and wonderful floral elements and a flag representing Pittsburgh (that I think they also did for us – thanks, guys! wow, you thought of us a lot). AND they went to Iceland for their honeymoon and we spent way too much of their final consultation giving them advice on Iceland rather than their wedding (they didn’t need the wedding help anyway). But come to think of it, they didn’t really need the Iceland help either, especially when we saw that they gave each other hiking boots for their wedding gifts. We had an awesome time at their wedding and love how rad our clients have been this year! No pressure, the rest of you. Congratulations, Emily+Dan!

• Date: May 28, 2017
• Ceremony + Reception Venue: Leslie-Alford-Mims House // Holly Springs, NC
• First Dance Song: “Lovin’ You Baby” – Charles Bradley
• Emily’s Occupation: Neuroscience PhD Student at University of Pittsburgh
• Dan’s Occupation: Media & Marketing Manager
• How You Met: High school AP English class
• Interesting Fact about Emily: Name twin will be at the wedding and they were also roommates in college at UGA
• Interesting Fact about Dan: Played the role of “Sk8er Boy” in a independent film in 2004
• Interesting Fact about Emily+Dan: Emily made a Pro’s and Con’s list before she decided to date Dan and Dan’s Mom wanted Dan to date Emily after she saw Emily reading “Catch-22” at the pool.
• Honeymoon: ICELAND!
• Vendor Credits: Officiant – Rev. Patrick Ballard. DJ – Eric Hodgden of All Around Raleigh DJ Company. Florist – The English Garden. Cake – Sugar Euphoria. Caterer – Belle’s Catering. Makeup – Michelle Clark. Hair – Jennifer McDonald. Coordinator – Annie Truesdell of Orangerie Events. Classical Guitarist – Ed Stephenson.