Mary+Jerem’s Wedding at the Haw River Ballroom

Mary and Jerem live in Chicago with their calico cat Ella who is one of those adorable two-faced cats where her fur is split down the middle of her head with two different colors. She tried to be a part of the wedding festivities but decided in the end it would be too much of a hassle to make the flight and instead held down her parents’ fort in Illinois. She was, however, part of our Skype consultation with Mary and Jerem, and she must’ve given them her cat-paw of approval because we booked them shortly after (the longer I’m making this paragraph the more delusional and crazy-cat-lady-like I’m seeming, but it’s Friday so give me a break).

We were so excited to finally meet Mary and Jerem in person and work with them on their phenomenal wedding at the ever-amazing Haw River Ballroom! These two have a lot of passion for each other and just about everything else they’re involved in, and it’s evident by how much work they put into this wedding. It’s also evident by the present that Jerem gave Mary the morning of the wedding. When they met, they went on a date. On that date, Jerem received a fortune cookie fortune that said, “Stop searching forever, happiness is just next to you.” Mary, of course, was sitting next to him, and he showed her the fortune. They laughed. Little did she know that Jerem then pocketed the fortune in his wallet and carried it around. For years. Years! He had known that she was the one and kept it with him, only to frame it and give it to her on their wedding day. What! This is romantic movie material right here you guys. Mary cried every time she looked at the frame, and cried every time someone mentioned it to her while she was getting ready (sorry if you’re crying right now again, Mary).

Anyway, their wedding was amazing and these two clearly have a lot to be thankful for. We’re thankful that we had the opportunity to work with them and know them as beautiful and generous people. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to leave you here to look at their pictures while I sneak into Mary’s closet, steal her wedding dress, and wear it around my house every day for the next few months.

mary-jerem

Date: April 5, 2014

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Haw River Ballroom // Saxapahaw, NC

First Dance Song: “Let’s Stay Together” – Al Green

Mary’s Occupation: Attorney (public defender 4 lyfe!)

Jerem’s Occupation: Commercial film editor

How You Met: The old fashioned way: online! OkCupid, baby. Fun fact: Jerem was Mary’s very first online date, ever. Mary was Jerem’s second. Weird, right?

Interesting Fact About Mary+Jerem: We are almost always one of the first couples to start dancing at any wedding. Jerem is a pretty incredible dancer. Mary..less so, but has SO MUCH ENTHUSIASM.

Honeymoon Destination: Belize! We hear there is no snow there. Which is VERY IMPORTANT to those who have survived Chicago’s winter.

Vendor Credits: Officiant – Rev. Robin Renteria | DJ – Blake Burney | Coordinator & Florist – Heather Cook of Shind!gs | Cupcakes – Sugarland Bakery | Caterer – Saxapahaw Catering Co | Hair – Sarah Nathan | Makeup – Rene Lofland

Jen+Aaron’s NC Engagement Session

We were lucky enough to come across these two by way of Kaylene and Brandon! Jen was Brandon’s neighbor when they lived in Georgia. After Georgia, we kind of lose track of Jen’s whereabouts. :) Aaron’s from Ohio, but after Ohio we kind of lose track of him too. :) Before you think we’re bad people who just don’t pay attention to our clients, know that both Jen and Aaron are military, so cut some slack! It gets confusing after about four states. :D

Jen’s currently in the Air Force in HR and Aaron’s a paratrooper in the Army. They met in college and right now are having to be apart for a little while due to military obligations (Jen just returned from deployment and Aaron is currently getting deployed shortly). They’re currently planning a spring wedding in Charleston, SC. It’s a hard schedule but when you’re as completely adorable as these guys, you can see why it’s easy for them to stay together. :) We had an amazing time getting to know them on what was a beaaaautiful sixty-some degree February day in Durham.

Tara+Aaron Have a Raleigh Wedding

Tara and Aaron are… wait, wait. Before I get started, you should know that mentally you should be pronouncing Tara like “Lara”… and in case you’re not sure whether to pronounce “Lara” like “LAR-a” or like “LURE-a”, it’s “LAR-a.” Like Lara Croft, only it’s Tara Croft. Okay. Now that we have that out of the way.

Tara and Aaron are the best. I will miss my e-mail correspondence with them terribly… as Tara’s pretty sarcastic but also really loves cats. So essentially she embodies everything I love. They mailed us their wedding invitations and I was honored to discover that Tara used some of her very last cat stamps on us. When I Facebook messaged them to ask whether or not the wing sauce that they made for their wedding favors (!!) was gluten-free, Aaron responded with, “Tara is writing an in depth response. So I’m just going to send a cat on a scooter”… followed by a moving emoticon of a giant cartoon cat riding a scooter. Tara responded the next minute with a fat cat typing on a keyboard. They taught me how to do this, and now all of my Facebook messages with everyone from here on out will contain giant cartoon cats. You can thank me later. As Tara said, “This changes everything.”

Besides cats, they also like helicopters. Aaron is a helicopter pilot! We have never met a helicopter pilot before… and we imagined they’d be something like Frank Lapidus from Lost with a bunch of bandaged cuts on the face and a really intense gray goatee, but it turns out that they’re just normal people. However, they do like remote control helicopters too, just like the rest of us! Tara and Aaron opted for a remote control helicopter ring bearer who flew down the aisle to Flight of the Valkyries and was, hands down, the best ring bearer we have ever seen. There were also a lot of Marines at the wedding, which made it slightly rowdy and incredibly amusing. Every wedding we have where Marines are present always turns into a bit of a karaoke reception, and this was no exception.

I asked one of them why weddings with Marines are always so funny/crazy/wild and he responded with, “There are two things that Marines do well. One – shoot the bad guys. Two – weddings. And three – look good in a uniform. I guess three things.”

P.S. This was our first “un-plugged wedding” and I can say, with resounding enthusiasm, that it was AWESOME.

P.P.S. Also best bouquet toss we’ve seen.

Date: October 26, 2013

Ceremony and Reception Venue: All Saints Chapel // Raleigh, NC

First Dance Song: “Hey Pretty Girl” – Kip Moore

Tara’s Occupation: Magazine Editor

Aaron’s Occupation: Marine Corps Helicopter Pilot

How You Met: We knew of each other through NC State and the Hash House Harriers running club, but we met at Raleigh Times on New Year’s Eve.

Interesting Bride Fact: Tara is a weightlifter, beer brewer, and cat lover. Tara also has an inexplicable urge to sort things that manifests itself as a stamp collection.

Interesting Groom Fact: Aaron is a metal drummer, runner, and helicopter pilot.

Honeymoon Destination: England/Scotland… in a year or two, when we figure out when the military will let us do it.

Vendor Credits: Officiant – William | DJ – Anything Music by James Whitt | Florist – Marsha Snyder with MEWS Designs | Cake – Blue Moon Bakery | Caterer – Visions | Hair/Makeup – Primp Salonbar | Videographer – Apryl Roland (cousin) | Coordinator – Samantha Stover (friend)