March 14, 2010: Woke up this morning at 7:30...didn't remember that it was spring ahead time...got downstairs and turned on the computer and was getting caught up with the bookkeeping when I looked at the clock on the screen and it said that it was 9:52...I totally freaked out! The atomic clocks all said 8:52 and I thought they were confused...turns out that my computer was wrong..(after I reset all the clocks and ran around like a mad woman) I have an 11:00 wedding today and thought that I was going to have to skip breakfast so that I could get everything ready....I finally checked the dvr in the kitchen and it had the same time as the atomic clocks (had originally) so I had to reset everything...

And yes, I will perform a wedding on a Sunday, I just charge an extra $200.00 to open the chapel on my day off.

And I now have a partner in crime here at the chapel, for those of you who haven't met him yet, the adorable toy poodle is Babar and he is here helping me during the week...he goes to daycare on Saturdays when I am super busy. He just loves everyone and especially children.

March 13, 2010: Been getting requests to get this back up, so here it is. Seems people missed being able to see the transition (especially the garden). As you all have seen by now, I have closed on Sunday and Monday recently, I needed to close for the cleaning/maintainence crew to come in and get things done. They have always been here on Mondays, but they had to work around the weddings and it was time to give them and me a day to get things done.

You can still walk in if you absolutely need to, I am here most of the time catching up on the bookwork, so just give me a call and let me know you need me...I will be in my jeans and t's, but as long as you don't care and don't mind people working around you, I am fine with doing a quick wedding.

It was a long winter and I decided that with the weather and the economy both lousy, it would be a good time to have the two big maples in the front removed. (basically, I was tired of the mess they made and wanted to finish my landscaping) Now, I have space to put in some smaller flowering trees that will give you more photo opportunities out front by our little bench. We are working on the garden pavilion now that the weather has gotten nice again, already have a bride who wants to get married out there next Saturday!

And I love the wonderful things my brides come up with, this is Ashley (who is being married today) during her rehearsal last night in her Minnie Mouse veil (she got it at Disney World) and I just loved it! (click on the thumb for a larger view)

The Weddings R Us, LLC Herstory....As most of you know, I was teaching at Columbus State and OSU as adjunct faculty and one of my student's suggested that I should open a wedding chapel because there was "no place nice to get married if you don't have a lot of money.."

I transformed the living/dining room in my townhouse into a tiny chapel and did weddings by appointment while I was teaching...realized that I needed to find a bigger place to do this where I could do walk-ins as well as larger weddings...it was going to take a huge house and at least half an acre of land...searched for over a year...this house was listed in April of 2005 and I made an offer the first day it was listed. Gave up teaching to do this full-time.

Closed on May 28th...opened for business on June 3, 2005...the house was built in 1972 and needed everything replaced...(roof, windows, doors, driveway...baths...you name it). The first photos are of the house when I purchased it and the Living room-Dining room that became the formal chapel...and the couple that I have been using on all of my postcards and yellow page ads were married here the first week I was open...Sam and Aliah...(click on their thumb to see the rest of their photos). And you can see the formal chapel as it began...

Next is the transition from "whole lotta dirt" to the garden chapel...begun in September 05 with the concrete slab and walk, landscaped in March of 06 and as you can see, there was very little "landscaping" in the way of actual plants when Davey Tree finished...I spent the entire spring and summer of '06 buying $500-600.00 worth of plants every Sunday and then digging holes all day...and it took me over a year to find a 6-sided gazebo...(after I had the concrete guys do a 6-sided pad) so the first yr and a half we had the arch and columns as our backdrop for weddings...

And last, but certainly not least, is the elopement chapel...that was the most intensive remake of all...it started off small and dark with paneling and a red brick fireplace, no lighting...no windows...I finally finished it spring 2009...had the brick covered, installed sconces for soft lighting, added marble and a mantle and had pergo put in...so I hope you enjoy this...it was a labor of love.

The house at closing	photos that I shot during first walk through with realtor		the formal chapel '08
Aliah and Sam Hren 6/10/05	The yard that became the garden pavillion shot May 2005
Sept 2005	April 2006	May 2006	May 2007
The finished Garden Pavilion June 2008			Front garden bench
shot during walk through first viewing April 05	first updates, painted white, added real windows, new carpet	final, oak floors, sconces for lighting, marble fireplace, mantle and gas logs