LESLIE & CLAY
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Hey There! First of all, another Titan’s win! NINE and OH! WOW! Secondly, hasn’t this been the most BEAUTIFUL Autumn? I mean, the reds are RED and the yellows are YELLOW. And all the other colors are just as CAPITALIZED! I LOVE IT!!!!!! My favorite time of the year.
I also LOVE that we had a great wedding this past weekend. Waaaaaay back in April Lynette and I shot a “Save the Date” for a nice couple named Leslie and Clay. The date we saved was November 8. Back in April that seemed like a zillion years away. But like time often does, it flew by and November 8 was here before we knew it!
And this was such a special wedding for everyone at Mcneal Video. We really bonded with Leslie and Clay on their “Save the Date” shoot. But we haVE known Clay and his family for several years. We shot Beth's (Clay’s sister) wedding in 2006. Since then we’ve covered many weddings of relatives and friends of Clay’s family. It’s now almost like Homecoming whenever we get to see them all. They are nice, nice, nice, nice people and we are honored to call them friends.
Getting back to this weekend’s wedding, Leslie and Clay were married on Saturday, November 8 at Hillsboro Church of Christ. The day dawned beautiful but chilly, which of course, I liked. :--) Due to our working hours and such, Lynette, Amanda, and I took separate cars to the wedding. Lynette also brought along New Girl Sarah, who she is training to work with us. Amanda arrived first and began covering Leslie and the girls as they got dressed.
I got to the church in time to take some outside shots of the church and the beautiful flowers before I hiked up to the cabin that was behind the church where the groom and all the guys were hanging out. And I mean hanging. They were playing ping-pong, eating snacks, watching a football game on a tiny little TV, having a great time being guys, and of course, Clay was the only one who was getting dressed, besides Clay’s dad!
I got some great shots while there including Clay reading wedding day cards he received from his twin brother, Kyle, and bride Leslie. That was very touching. Clay’s a great guy and maybe a little bit sentimental in a manly way, of course. This day meant a great deal to him. I love it when grooms aren’t afraid to show how happy they are on their wedding day.
Leslie and Clay chose to see each other before the wedding, which again meant I was able to see Leslie in her dress before she walked down the aisle. And Leslie and her dress were both BEAUTIFUL! When Clay saw Leslie for the first time, again, it was very emotional for both of them.
I just LOVE it when couples aren’t afraid to show their emotions. After all, this IS their WEDDING DAY! :--) Leslie and Clay were able to talk, open a few presents from the bride, and pray before the photo shoot.
Again, this was almost like Vendor Homecoming for us! The photographer was our friend Angie Gambill and her assistant Nina. The wedding planner was our friend James Brown. And the floral Designer was John Conger. All of which have been in our Vendor Spotlight! It really felt like being around friends all day, which I guess we were!
We had a lively wedding party and a fun photo shoot. It was a bit chilly outside, but we were all troopers and took some outdoor pictures.
The church itself was decorated very tastefully, as is James’ way of doing things. And the flowers were gorgeous, as it is John Conger’s way of doing things. I knew ahead of time that James was “doing” this wedding, but I didn’t know about John Conger until I saw the flowers. They were so beautiful that I had a sneaking suspicion who had done them. And this was confirmed when I saw Mr. Conger. Anyway, everything was just beautiful. I loved the colors of the flowers, which was a mixture of different roses with other flowers, and I loved the candles burning at the front of the church.
Angie was able to take all of the wedding pictures before the ceremony with time left over for the bride and groom and the wedding party to sit down and take a deep breath before the ceremony. Speaking of the ceremony, it was very touching. Leslie and Clay were surrounded by friends and family while the two ministers who officiated over the ceremony read letters for the bride and groom that were written by their parents. It was so sweet I almost felt like crying! The minister also reminisced about how Leslie and Clay met and fell in love. It was a very touching and personal service.
After the ceremony, we all hopped in our cars and drove to the reception which was held at Hillsboro Country Club. Again, Lynette, Amanda, and I drove in our own cars since we would be leaving at different times. Amanda and I covered the first part with Lynette’s help, then Amanda went home early (she has a little girl at home), and Lynette and I stayed until the end. It was such a FUN reception! The country club was decorated beautifully, but I barely had time to notice when I first arrived because my mission was to FIND THE CAKE. And I found it! It was so pretty and so yummy! I LUVS my cakes!
Then after finding the cake I noticed the beautiful flowers and candles on the tables. And the guests seemed to be having a great time visiting and enjoying the delicious buffet. My favorite was the “Some Sort of Shrimp Cup” bar. I don’t know what it was, but it was extra yummy! The guests were also treated to not only wedding cake for dessert, but to banana pudding and cookies with little glasses of milk. Sooooo cute!
There was a great band entertaining for the evening. Their name was Love Peace and Happiness. Great name! They were from Chattanooga. They played all the dance songs that got everyone out on the floor.
Another thing that the band did was get Leslie and her bridesmaids onstage to dance for everyone! What fun! But not to discriminate, they also got Clay and his groomsmen onstage to dance too! How funny! I was laughing behind my camera!
This was definitely a “sometimes only video will do” moment, and Lynette has posted the clips online.
Click here to view these happy and fun reception moments.
It was so obvious that Leslie and Clay were having a great time, as well as their friends and family. It was also obvious how happy Leslie and Clay were that they were finally married. So happy in fact, that even though the dance floor was going strong, Clay informed the band about 30 minutes before the band was scheduled to stop playing, that he was ready for the honeymoon!
The band did play one last song for Leslie and Clay to dance to, as the guests made their way outside to prepare for the big exit.
Leslie and Clay exited to friends blowing bubbles as they hopped into a shiny red convertible sports car and drove away. Both looking very happy, I might add.
And so a great evening came to an end. Lynette, Amanda, and I had so much fun covering this wedding. We feel so blessed to know this beautiful family and we wish Leslie and Clay all the best in the world, and a big thanks for allowing us to capture this special day for you.
And now it's going on 3am, and the three blind mice are running through the house with the farmer's wife in hot pursuit. I must be seeing things, so this sleepyhead is going to bed!
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Reader Comments (6)
Ok dear friends, you've got me crying and laughing at the same time. Cheryl, your wit just adds to the post of Clay and Leslie's wedding day. Lynette, you pulled the best pictures and I can't wait to see the video. Amanda, I had so much fun being around you. And Sarah, you've got the best ladies in the business to work for and the BEST friends you could ask for, so enjoy yourself! Thank you isn't enough to say for all you did but it'll have to do for now. Clay and Leslie had a blast at their wedding and that's what matters. They are so in love and it shows in the pictures. Thank you for spending your time and using your talent to capture this most special day in their lives. And I'll be singing McNeal Video's praises to anyone that will listen and hopefully send more business your way. My whole family LOVES you girls, THANK YOU!!!!! Terrie
What an awesome wedding!! Cheryl did such a great job telling about the wedding, that I don't know what I'll put on my blog! You all are always so great to work with and I'm looking forward to many more weddings together.
Oh, and it was shrimp and grits!!
Lynette, Cheryl, and Amanda,
I always love seeing y'all. Y'all did such a fabulous job on Clay and Leslie's wedding. I love, love, love all the pictures and cannot wait to see the video. I know it will be amazing. You're the best and I tell everyone that!
Love, Beth
EVERYTHING LOOKS GREAT! You all are so very talented! The VERY best that Nashville has to offer :) You guys captured some great moments of the day and I am sure that they are going to L O V E everything as soon as they see it. I feel so lucky and blessed to have met all of you and to have developed friendships with you all. Thanks for being so much fun at E V E R Y wedding you do!
Angie--
Shrimp and grits??? I never would have thought that! They were YUM and I highly recommend them to anyone planning a wedding reception!
:-)
Cheryl,Lynette, and Amanda
Thank you so much for staying up so late so this proud Mom could see some great pictures. I loved getting to know you, and I want to thank you so much for doing the many extras for Clay and Leslie. They are two wonderful people who are obviously very much in love. I'm glad we had you to help capture this feeling. Thank you. Beverly Barron