Gorgeous Wedding at Rose Hill Plantation for Trina and Mark!

May10, 2014 was simply a beautiful day in North Carolina and especially at Rose Hill Plantation in Nashville NC. It is about a 50 minute drive from Raleigh and is an old plantation of hundreds of acres of unspoiled land.

When Marty and I arrived, Laura Simson, their photographer, had our bride, Trina, and her maidens out on the steps of the manor house for photos.

As we walked around the property, there were little signs the couple had made for the wedding. Mark told me he did this one!

So, instead of the ceremony taking place at the gazebo in front of the lake, Mark and Trina chose to have their wedding in the pecan grove area with the gorgeous back drop of pretty yellow flowers in the field across the road. It is on a slight slope which makes it easy for guests sitting in the back to see well.

Josh, our DJ, and his assistant, Brandon, with Island Sound, had set up the speakers and sound board for the ceremony. I plugged into their system and we did a sound check. Perfect!

This is Nathan Hall where the reception will take place.

I bet Mark made this sign too!

The Rose Hill Plantation catering staff under the supervision of Chef Michael are getting ready for the festivities.

Our pretty cake was baked by Tishre Hunter of Dreme Cake Artistry.

The manor house is used as headquarters for the wedding party to get dressed and to hang out in prior to the wedding.

Another cute sign directing the guests from the parking area to the ceremony area.

Wide view of the ceremony site right before the guests are seated.

The pretty young lady on the right is Jamie with Viva L'Event. She and Stephanie were the wedding planners and directors for the day. Great job, ladies!

Here we go! Following Mark and me is Curtis, Mark's brother and best man. He is engaged to our Maid of Honor, Ashley, who told me that when they marry, she and Trina will really be sisters! Neat!

The rather large wedding party comes in as couples except for Ashley, maid of honor, who comes in solo.

One couple brings in one of our ring bearers, Blake. He was adorable in his gray suit!

Another......Glen!

And a junior groomsman, Tyler!

Our two "older" flower girls, Grace and Kiersten. The youngest, Gianna, was carried in earlier.

And here we all are, awaiting the entrance of our bride and her father, Frank.

So beautiful!

Love this picture!

You cannot tell from the photo here but a few tears leaked out of Mark's eyes and his mother reached over and handed him a tissue!

And we begin!

Pretty bridesmaids all in a row!

Mark and Trina's paths first crossed in 2006 in New York and they were just friends until three years later when they began dating. Shortly thereafter Mark moved to North Carolina for work. He really did not enjoy this long distance relationship thing so the next Christmas he went up to New York and brought Trina back with him. He proposed on Christmas Eve of 2012 and then wisely kept a low profile amidst the frenzy of wedding planning!

The middle bridesmaid is Nikki, sister of the bride, all caught up in the emotion of the wedding.

Those handsome guys! All behaving themselves!

After the vows, I asked the couple to join left hands so that they are holding the hand they will put the ring on and even though they had rehearsed the day before, it took a minute which tickled Trina!

Mark repeats his ring vows after me as he slides on the wedding ring.

Trina's turn!

As a closing blessing, I ask the couple to look at each other and feel the happiness of the moment, then close their eyes and let that joy really sink in. Then I ask them to open their eyes and look around at all their loved ones who are honoring them on their wedding day. I think Mark made a funny remark at that point!