Saturday marked the end of our 2009 wedding season, and the Kaminski-Kane wedding was the perfect finale.  The house and grounds were beautifully decorated, the food was wonderful, and the cake was a masterpiece.  But the best part of the evening was that everyone seemed so happy.  It was as though they didn’t want the night to end — the guest lingered for an hour after the bride and groom left!

Wedding coordinated by Emily Stepp of Your Special day; catering by Mitchell’s Catering & Events; flowers byKelly Odom; cake by Swank Cake Design; blog photos by Sheryl Long

For more photos, please visit our page on Facebook.

It’s a Ghost Party honoring Haywood Hall, and only your ancestors are invited.  For $50, you can reserve a spot for one of your ancestors.  All ancestors will be listed in the upcoming issue of our newsletter, Haywood Hall Happenings.  Your contributions are tax deductible, and proceeds will support the general upkeep of Haywood Hall.  Contibutions should be submitted by October 31, 2009.

For a reservation form, contact the resident manager at haywoodhall@bellsouth.net.  For questions, please call Griselle Woodward at 919-556-4734.

Following their wedding ceremony last Saturday at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Jay Ritz and Carmen Evans celebrated with a reception in the gardens of  Haywood Hall.  Although the weather was little cool for October in North Carolina, it was an absolutely beautiful day – just the kind of day Jay and Carmen deserved!  Best wishes to them as they begin their new life as husband and wife.   

Catering and flowers by Catering Works; cake by Sweet Memories Bakery; rentals by CE Rental; blog photographs by Sheryl Long.

I wanted to share this lovely painting that Tesh Parekh created for Jon and Lindsay’s wedding last Saturday.  What a wonderful way to capture a memory of their special day!  Tesh is available for commission paintings, and more information can be found on his website:  http://www.teshparekh.com/.  You can read about Tesh’s work on this particular project on his blog:  http://teshparekh.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/wedding-painting-at-haywood-hall/.

Whew!  That’s the big sigh of relief everyone at Haywood Hall breathed at the end of Jon Weiner and Lindsey Taylor’s wedding ceremony.  For the past two days, the weather forecast had kept us on edge with the promise of inevitable rain for Saturday evening.  Jon and Lindsey had their hearts set on an outdoor ceremony, but we put together a rain plan and were ready to proceed according to conditions.  All day Saturday, we kept our eyes on the sky; even as we brought in extra tents, we prayed that the clouds were merely teasing us.  As the six o’clock ceremony approached, those clouds became grayer and more ominous, so much so that we toyed with the idea of beginning the ceremony early. 

Yet despite all the dire weather forecasts and threatening clouds overhead, the rain showers held back.  Jon and Lindsey were able to proceed with their wedding ceremony outside on the front lawn of Haywood Hall as originally planned.  As a matter of fact, the rain held off the entire evening and began only a light sprinkle as the newly married couple were leaving the reception.  As one guest said, that’s got to be a good sign.

The ceremony music was provided by musicians on the front porch.

Lindsey was escorted down the aisle by her father and her mother. 

Our rain plan included setting up a second tent at the end of the house. 

Dinner was served under the main tent.

Eventually the cake was displayed in the gazebo, but until we were sure rain would not be a problem, we kept it safely in the dining room.

Jon and Lindsey seemed to enjoy every moment of the wedding reception.

Catering by Catering Works; flowers by Fresh Affairs; cake by Cinda’s Creative Cakes; rentals by CE Rental; ceremony coordination by Adams & Events; reception music by Randy Bennett of Joe Bunn DJ Company; blog photographs by Sheryl Long.

Burns McGarry and Amy Abbott will be married this evening at River Ridge Golf Club.  After yesterday’s wedding rehearsal, Burns’ parents hosted a dinner here at Haywood Hall.  Their color scheme and floral choices fit the fall season just perfectly! 

The groom’s cake was a direct play on the patterns found in the linens.  This photo was taken in the dining room before the cake was set up in the gazebo.

While most of the activity was centered under the tent, the buffet was served from the open area at the end of the house.  Cocktail tables were placed in the gardens to allow guests to enjoy the entire area.

This tent set-up is one of the prettiest we’ve had.  The liner and chandeliers add such elegance.

The guests dined under the tent, and the bar was placed at the end of the tent under the grape arbor.

 Catering and flowers by Catering Works; rentals by CE Rental; music by Dan Bowen; blog photographs by Sheryl Long.

 Congratulations to Joe and Jacqueline!  They were married at Haywood Hall on Friday, October 2, 2009.  Their evening ceremony was absolutely beautiful, and we are so happy to have been able to host their family and friends for an evening that seemed almost magical. 

Catering by The Square Rabbit; flowers by Dutch Iris; cake by Pamela Smith; blog photography by Sheryl Long.

We still have availabilty for 2010 events here at Haywood Hall.  While many of our spring Saturdays are already booked, we do have a few remaining dates in April and June.  Fall weddings tend to book quickly, but at this time, we have a number of openings for September and October.

Today Haywood Hall celebrates the life and honors the memory of Mr. Marshall DeLancey Haywood, Jr.  Marshall, the husband of Haywood Hall curator Margie Haywood, died this previous Saturday, September 29, 2009, after four years of declining health.

The only child of the late Marshall DeLancey Haywood and Mattie Hawkins Bailey Haywood, Marshall was born in Raleigh on October 21, 1929. He was preceded in death by his son, Marshall DeLancey Haywood III.

Marshall was educated at Ravenscroft School, Raleigh public schools, and Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, Virginia. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1972, he retired from the U.S. Marine Corps after 23 years of service. Marshall retired from his second career as a mortgage banker with Raleigh Federal Savings and Loan and First Union Bank and worked for Wachovia as a real estate inspector until early 2006.

Marshall was a member of St. George’s Anglican Church where he served on the Vestry. He was a member of the Old Raleigh Boys, St. Andrew’s Society, Milburnie Fishing Club, Kiwanis Club of Raleigh, the Carolina Charter Corporation and served on the Board of the State Capitol Foundation and Historic Properties Commission. He was Secretary of the N.C. Society of the Cincinnati for 36 years and was honored as Secretary Emeritus in 2009.

Married for 57 years, Marshall is survived by his wife Margie Story Haywood and their daughter Betsy Haywood Foard; her husband Richard M. Foard; three grandchildren who were the apples of their Papa’s eye: Lindsay Foard Williamson and her husband Luke; Marshall Haywood Morehead Foard and his wife Megan; and Julia Graham Wood Foard and her beau Kyle Miller; and great grandchildren and namesakes Eleanor DeLancey Foard and Landon Haywood Campbell Williamson. Also surviving are cousins John Bailey and Martha Bailey and many loving friends and relatives. The family expresses its deepest gratitude to caregivers Jean Turner, Judy Ward, and Tia Stover, whose devotion over the past four years allowed Marshall to live with dignity at home among his loved ones. Deeply appreciated as well are the comfort and compassion provided by the staff at Rex Hospice and Hospice of Wake County.

Memorials may be made to Haywood Hall Museum  and Gardens (211 New Bern Place, Raleigh, NC, 27601) or to Core Sound Waterfowl Museum (P.O. Box 556, Harkers Island, NC, 28531).

Cory and Jennie were married here at Haywood Hall this past Saturday, September 5.  It was perfect weather for an outdoor wedding, and our grounds were looking especially nice thanks to a new coat of paint on the fence. 

Jennie’s parents and her friend Anise came earlier in the day to hang paper lanterns and arrange flowers.  I heard Jennie’s mom say, “We need a photo of this,” and I peeped out to see a mound of paper lanterns on the back porch.  I had to fight the urge to dive in.

Here are a few other detail shots I snapped during the set up.  I thought Jennie’s dress was well-suited for the Haywood Hall setting, and I absolutely loved her rings.  The engagement ring is a family heirloom (Notice the original box.), and Cory had her wedding band made to complement it.