Veronica Costantini + Frank Aloise

VERONICA COSTANTINI + FRANK ALOISE

Photographer: Pinehurst Photography Wedding Planner: Kate Rowe, Wedding Day Rescue

Veronica and Frank’s love story starts in a kitchen. The two chefs met while working at Villaggio Ristorante, a local Pinehurst favorite. Then on Christmas Eve in 2021, the pair got engaged during dessert after a traditional Italian dinner surrounded by Veronica’s family. The newly engaged couple’s first call was to Frank’s mother, Catherine.

Veronica and Frank were excited to display a wedding message on the marquee sign outside of the Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines, but the pair took it a step further and decided to tie the knot on the theater’s stage. Veronica’s aunts — just two of the more than 70 guests who traveled from out of state for the wedding — decorated the space.

For the two chefs, music was the highlight of the day. The Carolina Philharmonic Junior Orchestra welcomed guests to the reception at Trackside, just across the street from the Sunrise Theater.

“The young ensemble did an outstanding job and lent an air of romance and small-town sweetness to set the mood,” Veronica said.

Christine Fay + Cohen Cox

CHRISTINE FAY + COHEN COX

Photographer: Jennifer B. Photography Wedding Coordinator: Caroline Naysmith, Duncraig Manor & Cardon Consulting

Christine and Cohen fell in love and got engaged after meeting in college at East Carolina University. In a clever move, Cohen snuck the engagement ring into Christine’s Christmas stocking to pop the question with his future in-laws present.

When Christine discovered that Southern Pines’ historic Duncraig Manor was an all-inclusive venue — from food and cake to flowers and seating — she was sold. The bride wanted to incorporate her favorite color, pink, into the wedding without the color taking center stage. When she found a rose and Champagne color scheme, she knew that was it.

A jack-of-all-trades groomsman Joseph “Joe Joe” Hughes kicked off the wedding day as the officiant and ended the night as the couple’s DJ.

Looking back on her whirlwind wedding day, Christine said she wishes she would’ve taken the time “to sit, eat, and soak it all in.”

Colleen Baxter + Travis Mays

COLLEEN BAXTER + TRAVIS MAYS

Photographer: Sayer Photography Wedding Planner: Natasha Widmer, Pinehurst Resort Wedding Coordinator: Madeline Eckert, Pinehurst Resort

Colleen, a pastry chef originally from Saudi Arabia, and Travis, a government consultant from Scottsdale, Arizona, somehow managed to meet in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2015. After getting engaged on a beach in Maui, Hawaii, the couple decided to tie the knot in Pinehurst, where they vacation every year.

The couple’s outdoor ceremony behind the clubhouse of Pinehurst No. 9 paired perfectly with a sunny April wedding day. Instead of choosing traditional bridesmaids and groomsmen, the pair opted for a wedding party of 12 kids, all near and dear to their hearts, including their son and daughter.

Colleen and Travis were surrounded by friends and family, so the entire weekend felt like “coming home,” Colleen said. “It was low-key with the people we love most.”

Jacy Barnes + Charlie Clapp

JACY BARNES + CHARLIE CLAPP

Photographer: Jennifer B. Photography Videographer: Story Focused Media Wedding Planner: Vision Events Wedding & Event Planning

One wedding led to another. Jacy met her future husband, Charlie, at her sister’s big day. She was the maid of honor, and Charlie was a groomsman at the Nashville bash. But the future Clapps chose the Sandhills for their wedding destination. Though neither of them grew up in Pinehurst, Charlie is an avid golfer, and Jacy fell in love with the historic town’s charm over the course of a few work trips.

The couple went for a classic vibe, modeling their big day after royal weddings. Jacy and Charlie held their ceremony at The Village Chapel and then celebrated with a reception at the Pinehurst Country Club’s Outlook Ballroom, overlooking the No. 2 golf course.

As a nod to Jacy’s father, a North Carolina sweet potato farmer, the couple included the sweet side as a dinner option and in the form of locally-made sweet potato chips in the gift bags.

Ceremony: The Village Chapel | Reception: Pinehurst Country Club, Outlook Ballroom | Dress: Custom made by Lynda Bunn, Bailey, NC | Jewelry: Hefez & Sons Jewelers | Bridesmaids: Jenny Yoo | Groom & Groomsmen: Indochino | Flowers: Expressions of Love Florist | Cake & Catering: Pinehurst Country Club | Rentals: Pinehurst Country Club and Greenhouse Picker Sisters | Invitations & Programs: Workman Creative Co. | Transportation: The Great Raleigh Trolley

Kaitlin Baird + William Helms III

KAITLIN BAIRD + WILLIAM HELMS III

Photographer: Jennifer B. Photography Videographer: Story Focused Media Wedding Coordinator: Summer Jones Events

William popped the question over a morning cup of coffee on a low-key, rainy Saturday complete with cuddling on the couch. Close friends and family stopped by in the afternoon to top off the surprise.

“The perfect proposal,” Kaitlin said. “William knew his future wife well.”

The pair’s wedding was originally scheduled for New Year’s Eve 2020, but, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, William and Kaitlin waited 860 days to tie the knot — but who’s counting?

When the big day finally arrived, the couple wed at Pinehurst’s historic Village Chapel and then celebrated their new marriage and the New Year in a reception at The Fair Barn. Complete with sparklers and a Champagne toast at midnight, the wedding had an elegant and timeless vibe that the newlyweds said they’ll always look back on and love.

Alyssa Rocherolle + Reuben Kennedy

ALYSSA ROCHEROLLE + REUBEN KENNEDY

Photographer: The Photobrief Wedding Coordinator: Rose Young, Imagine Moore Events

Alyssa was sitting on the porch swing of a cabin in Boone, watching the sun set on the mountains, when Reuben proposed. Eleven months later, she walked down the aisle at the Southern Pines Chapel in her mother’s veil to the wedding march her grandmother wrote for her parents’ wedding. The couple then drove to their reception in Alyssa’s grandfather’s restored 1950 Citroën, the same car the bride’s parents had driven to their own reception.

Alyssa’s family is French, and Reuben is Southern — their wedding theme was “French country with a Southern twist.” Whiskey Pines, the groom and his cousins played country, rock and bluegrass music, and Randy Blue, a family friend, served barbecue. The couple also served French croquembouche pastry towers before guests ended the night with drinks at O’Donnell’s Pub, where the couple first met four years earlier.

Ashlin Owen + John Adkins

ASHLIN OWEN + JOHN ADKINS

Photographer: Amy Allen Photography Videographer: Twenty-One Films Wedding Planner: Vision Events Wedding & Event Planning

Ashlin and John met through a dating app. After their first date, John suggested they go late-night shopping at Target — it was too late for Ashlin, but, from the suggestion, she knew he was special. A year later, John took Ashlin to Rey’s Restaurant in Cary to celebrate their dating anniversary, and he proposed at dessert. Ashlin asked, “Is this real?” several times before saying yes.

After recovering from the surprise, Ashlin and John chose the historic Weymouth House as their wedding venue. The bride’s parents live in Pinehurst, and her mom suggested the location. “Oh Happy Day” was the theme of the wedding. A choir sang the song after the ceremony, and the “Oh Happy Daze” custom cocktail was a hit. For a particularly memorable touch, the bride’s mother had an artist paint the duo under the ceremonial arbor during the reception.

Jacquelyn + Spencer

JACQUELYN + SPENCER

Photographer: By Colette Photo Videographer: Anthem Cry Weddings, Daniel Hamby

Spencer proposed to Jackie after they summited Algonquin Peak in the Adirondacks. With the proposal out of the way, the couple planned an October wedding in the Sandhills. They married at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, and the church staff streamed the wedding for family and friends who were unable to attend.

After the ceremony, the party moved to the reception at the beautiful, Tudor-style Duncraig Manor and Gardens. The wedding’s inspiration was Hollywood glam. Maple syrup produced and bottled by the bride’s parents’ maple syrup farm in upstate New York was an intimate touch, and the s’mores pit was a guest favorite. The bride and groom ended the night by jumping into the pool to cool off — they highly recommend it.

Samantha Parkes + Nathaniel Klimek

SAMANTHA PARKES + NATHANIEL KLIMEK

Photographer: Jennifer B. Photography Wedding Planner: Vision Events Wedding & Event Planning

Sam, born and raised in Moore County, and Nathan, who grew up in Raleigh, met at the Pinehurst fireworks at the Fair Barn in July 2018. Nathan then proposed to Sam while they were hiking south of Boone. The pair stopped at an overlook for a drink of water when Nathan handed Sam a cup that read “Future Mrs. Klimek.” After a short and sweet proposal, Sam allegedly said yes so loudly that her response echoed through the canyon.

Two hundred twenty-nine days later, the couple tied the knot in their farmhouse rustic wedding at the Country Club of North Carolina on September 25, 2021 — or, if you ask Nathan, the day of the NC State versus Clemson football game. The cake by the Bakehouse featured the couple’s dogs Lucy and Scout, and the altar was greenery with white roses except for one sunflower to honor the bride’s mom, who loved the yellow flower.

Cate Dahl + Grant Bitzer

CATE DAHL + GRANT BITZER

Photographer: Mollie Tobias Photography

Cate and Grant, both physical therapists, met on Cate’s first day of work in the rehabilitation department at the University of North Carolina’s hospital when Grant stood up to shake her hand. Now, their physical therapy careers have taken the pair to separate jobs, but they’ll forever be grateful for their serendipitous meeting at UNC.

Throughout their relationship, Cate had been asking Grant to go on a picnic. When they finally did, Grant got down on one knee and proposed to Cate in Weymouth’s gardens. Fifteen months later, the pair wed at the church Cate grew up in, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, before heading to their dream reception at Pinehurst’s Fair Barn.