When a wedding day is sprinkled with the sweetest happy tears like this one, you know it was a beautiful one, inside and out. With Events By La Fete behind the planning, it’s no surprise it went off without a hitch. Gingham bow ties, turquoise ‘maids, a stunning Bride covered in lace, a darling cake from Sugarland Bakery… everything in it’s pretty place. See it all in the gallery from Ginny Corbett!
From the beautiful Bride…Chris and I grew up a quarter of a mile from each other in Raleigh, NC. We were friends through high school and we attended his Senior Prom together. After he left for college we remained friends until the next year, when I too attended East Carolina University. Chris promised to show me the ropes and we spent a lot of time together. One day I worked up the nerve to tell him I did not just want to be friends anymore and the rest is history!
Nearly 9 years later, when it came to planning our wedding there were a few things we had to have, it to take place in our hometown of Raleigh, NC, a killer party and Ginny Corbett as our wedding photographer. (Looking at the beautiful images I am sure you can tell why)
The biggest challenge was that we wanted to have the wedding somewhere we had never attended a wedding. This posed a challenge because we had been to ALOT of weddings. We were feeling discouraged when a coworker of Chris’s told him about the Merrimon Wynne house, a brand new event venue. We were immediately intrigued and scheduled a meeting with the owner Jodi right away. The home was in disrepair and left a lot to be desired, but Jodi explained her vision and Chris and I knew we HAD to have our wedding there. The Merrimon Wynne house far exceeded our expectations, the grounds and home we immaculate and the perfect backdrop for our day.
Jodi gave me the information for our amazing planner Katie Dunn with Events by La Fete. I met Katie with my my Mom and Sister and we all felt so comfortable with her, I knew she understood my vision even though I was not quite sure I did. She helped assemble the most talented group of vendors and wedding professionals to bring our vision to life. We envisioned a comfortable day of classic southern elegance filled with blues and greens and soft neutrals.
Chris wanted a hand in two things, the venue and the guys attire. We selected tan seersucker suits, tan bucks, monogrammed pocket squares and High Cotton bow ties which went perfectly with the “fresh” bridesmaid dresses and gold jewelry. The mix of fresh flowers and candles kept everything light and bright, the pop of pink in the bridesmaid bouquets brought some playfulness to the palette and the draped lights made the tent glow and kept the party going well into the evening. We loved our custom wood “guestbook” and the oversized chalkboard seating chart, but I think our favorite detail was the cold gelato which was much needed on the warm June evening.
The day was not without its challenges, we had to move the ceremony from the lawn to under the tent due to the threat of bad weather. Thankfully, that bad weather came as the space was being flipped for the reception and all the guests were comfortably inside for cocktails. Chris and I were able to narrowly escape the downpour and take a few more portraits on the beautiful porches of Merrimon Wynne. Unfortunately, the rain was torrential and the head table was soaked, but ALL our vendors worked tirelessly and there was little sign that that there had been any rain at all.
We danced the night away and cherished the rare occasion to have all of the most precious people in our lives all in one place. The next day we both agreed there was absolutely nothing we would change about the day, even the rain!
Photography: Ginny Corbett Photography | Wedding Planner: Events by La Fete | Florist: Fresh Affairs | Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Sung | Caterer: Rocky Top Hospitality | Hair: Makeupforyourday | Venue: The Merrimon Wynne House | Brides Dress: Allure Bridal | Cake And Gelato: Sugarland | Rentals: Party Reflections | Signage: Calligraphy by Carrie