Alejandra Reyes + Walter Monroe Williams

ALEJANDRA REYES + WALTER MONROE WILLIAMS

Photographer: Megan Morales Photography

Alejandra and Walter grew up in Richmond County and knew of each other in high school — they had friends in common. But they were only “friends” on social media until nearly a decade after high school when they finally connected and went on a date. Alejandra’s final semester of graduate school briefly delayed their relationship, but, after graduation, the couple reconnected for date number two.

A month into the pandemic, Walter planned a low-key, intimate proposal. The pair had casual conversation over Mexican takeout and walked around Aberdeen City Lake before Walter popped the question. Honoring Alejandra’s Mexican heritage, the couple had a bilingual wedding filled with rich traditions and a vibrant palette of dark green with pops of red, yellow and pink.

2022

Cassidy Benjamin + Michael Asbury, Jr.

CASSIDY BENJAMIN + MICHAEL ASBURY, JR.

Photographer: IAMJOS Photography Videographer: Bay Leaf Video Productions Wedding Planner: Natasha Widmer, Pinehurst Resort

Golf-and-spa-filled vacations brought Cassidy’s family to Pinehurst, then her parents decided to retire to the area. After graduating from college, Cassidy followed her parents to the Sandhills. Mike moved to the area for his job as a sales manager at the Pine Needles and Mid Pines Golf Clubs, and the two eventually met on a dating app. “Thank goodness for technology,” Cassidy says.

In May 2020, Mike proposed after a round of golf on the 18th green of Mid Pines surrounded by their closest friends and family — in person and on Zoom. A year later, the couple married at the Pinehurst Resort. They skipped traditional events like the bouquet toss, so their guests could get right to dancing.

2022

Allison Auman + Joseph Smith

ALLISON AUMAN + JOSEPH SMITH

Photographer: Katherine Miles Jones Wedding Planner: Denis Coll McCullough

Allison grew up in West End; her family, the Aumans and the Pages, have been in Moore County since the 1800s. Lucky for her, while she was working in Raleigh, Joseph was stationed at Fort Bragg, and the pair fell in love in a modern way, with a right swipe. Because Joseph is in the military, he is away from home for many holidays and birthdays. To make up for his absence, he planned a special “Allison Day” to show his appreciation for his partner and — to Allison’s surprise — propose.

The pandemic postponed the Smiths’ wedding a year and slashed the guest list from over 300 to 100 people. But the couple and their guests enjoyed the intimate wedding. Most guests attended the rehearsal dinner, wedding and day-after brunch. Cultural touches completed the day. Joseph is Samoan, so he and his family performed traditional songs and dances, and the couple had leis sent in from Hawaii.

2022

Samantha Hopp + Peter Fabian

SAMANTHA HOPP + PETER FABIAN

Photographer: Ashley Taylor Photography Wedding Planner: Vision Events Wedding & Event Planning

Sam and Petey met at Wake Forest University, and, after Petey proposed, the couple planned to marry in Denver, Colorado. But, when the COVID-19 pandemic shelved their plans, they pivoted to a backyard wedding in Pinewild — Petey’s parents live in the area. The ceremony overlooked the lake from a neighbor’s backyard, and the reception took place in Petey’s parents’ backyard.

“Obviously, our wedding turned out dramatically different than originally planned, but it was still perfect for us, and we would not change anything in hindsight,” Sam says. The couple replanned their wedding in less than six weeks, and the bride credits her husband and mom for the remarkable pivot. Sam says the theme was timeless and classic, but Petey jokes that it was “marriage and COVID.”

2022

Elizabeth Gay + Harrison Cozart

ELIZABETH GAY + HARRISON COZART

Photographer: Sayer Photography Videographer: Twenty-One Films Wedding Coordinator: Michele Soderquist, Pinehurst Resort Harrison channeled The Notebook vibes, proposing to Elizabeth in a canoe on the pond at her grandparent’s home in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. Both Tar Heel natives — Elizabeth from Sanford and Harrison from Raleigh — the two grew up visiting the Sandhills for family, tennis and golf.

Familiar with the beautiful, historic area, it’s no surprise the couple chose the Village Chapel for their wedding and the Members Club of the Pinehurst Resort for their reception. Though the Cozarts’ original wedding date was in June 2020, they postponed the event to November. But the couple couldn’t have been happier with the change. The weather was still warm, but the church flickered in the fall evening, and the resort’s Christmas decorations were a welcome, magical touch.

2022

Adrien Lammers + Michael Hoover

ADRIEN LAMMERS + MICHAEL HOOVER

Photographer: Brandie Ballard Photography

Like the engraved Asscher-cut diamond on her left hand, the day Adrien said “I do” to Michael was a custom-made perfect match. With a full moon in the sky, Adrien and Michael’s “Hoover Hallowedding” would be a night to remember for all — and that’s not only because it ended with a family friend strutting his stuff to “Monster Mash” while wearing a T-Rex costume.

A ceremony complete with a fall color palette and white pumpkins paired with a Halloween-esque reception at 305 Trackside created a well-balanced blend of romantic and lively — an aesthetic fit for none other than the Hoovers.

2021

Jordan Wood + Gabriel Venegas

JORDAN WOOD + GABRIEL VENEGAS

Photographer: BellaGala Photography

Wedding Coordinator: Caroline Naysmith

Over two years of near-daily trips to visit her horse’s stable in Southern Pines, Jordan fell in love with an abandoned estate on East Connecticut Avenue. Some time later, that estate would become Duncraig Manor & Gardens — and she, its first bride. With the help of owners Don and Caroline Naysmith, the venue’s first big event was a wedding weekend that looked just as beautiful in person as it did on the livestream to Gabriel’s extended family in Chile.

The manor’s ample square footage provided more than enough space for a ceremony in the garden terrace, a reception on the front patio, and rooms for out-of-town guests. And while the coronavirus led Jordan to shrink the guest count, it also freed up her favorite artist, Brendan James, to play during the ceremony, first dance, and part of the reception. The music continued well into the night, as Jordan and her father — a former music producer — performed a father-daughter rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel So Young.”

2021

Freddie Woronoff + Jack Mcalhany

FREDDIE WORONOFF + JACK MCALHANY

Photographer: Sayer Photography

Wedding Planner: Maggie’s Farm

Wedding Coordinator: Shenika Smith-Gibson, CCNC

When the coronavirus prompted Jack and Freddie to slash their guest list by nearly 300, the idea of the celebration they both had in mind shifted — along with the date. Rather than saying “I do” in May in front of a crowd of hundreds, the couple shared an intimate September ceremony on the back patio of the Country Club of North Carolina’s Clubhouse. Light-up tambourines the couple purchased as party favors flashed across the dance floor in the hands of guests, who moved to the eight-piece Adrian Duke Band under a clear-top tent.

With invitations narrowed down to family and the bridal party, the couple had time to connect with each guest on the dance floor; and to renew their perspective on what was important. As Freddie said, though shaking tambourines are music to her ears, they “don’t mean as much without family and friends there to help you celebrate.”

2021

Kailee Craig + Nirmal Choradia

KAILEE CRAIG + NIRMAL CHORADIA

Photographer: Tamtopia Photography

Wedding Planner: Vision Events Wedding & Event Planning

Wedding Coordinator: Four 26 Events

With days full of karaoke, games, golf, and bourbon tastings, this marketer-doctor duo ensured that their music-filled Hindi ceremony celebrated two families who had truly become united. After meeting at an ultimate Frisbee tournament, singing to the Zac Brown Band and getting engaged on a mountaintop, Kailee and Nirmal would spend the next nine months planning a ceremony that combined Indian tradition and bluegrass culture — one that centered on family and the importance of a future filled with music and laughter.

From the traditional Mehndi ceremony to a rehearsal-turned-Sangreet featuring Indian line dances and fusion dishes by Chef Prem Nath to a soundtrack provided by a dhol player, violinist and DJ, each event of the multi-day nuptial were filled with vendors and decor that, like Kailee and Nirmal’s families, blended beautifully.

Ceremony: Sandhills Horticultural Gardens | Reception: Forest Creek | Videographer & Video Stream: Morgan Scott Films | Dress: UTSAV Fashion | Hair & Makeup: Chelsea Regan | Henna: Henna by Neena Jain | Flowers: Jack Hadden Floral & Event Design | Catering: Forest Creek | Rentals: Greenhouse Picker Sisters and Ward Productions | Music: Dhol player — Jagdeep, Violinist — Susie Shortt, Reception — DJ Randy Bunn

2021

Judy + Eric Duggan

JUDY + ERIC DUGGAN

Photographer: Pinehurst Photography & Pictured in the Pines

Wedding Planner: Vision Events Wedding & Event Planning

What do you do when a crowded cruise ship deck throws a hitch in an expertly planned New Year’s Eve proposal? If you’re Eric, you improvise, and move the moment to a private cabin. If you’re Judy, you relish watching your love pour out his heart on one knee — and then you convince him to do it again, in front of cameras that captured the act for all to see.

Though each had their share of military travels, picking a location in Pinehurst was a no-brainer for this active-duty bride and this golf-loving, cybersecurity analyst groom. Nine months spent perfecting logistics with the help of a wedding planner culminated in a day that flowed as easily as the coffee on their first date, and meant as much to the bride and groom as each picture-perfect proposal.