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.

2021

Melissa Pierce + Joshua Bronson

MELISSA PIERCE + JOSHUA BRONSON

Photographer: Jennifer B. Photography

The events of 2020 put Melissa and Joshua’s grand wedding on hold, but no pandemic could postpone the love they have for one another. The cancellation proved to be a blessing in disguise, as a spontaneous barn ceremony was a simple and perfect way to put the focus on their love for each other.

Under the watchful eye of their horses, Melissa and Joshua made their promises to each other in front of their closest friends and family. Although the evening wasn’t what they originally had in mind, their low-key barn wedding served as the opening act for the main event in November 2021, and ultimately showed that no matter the hardship, love really does always win.

2021

Kristen Balboni + Alex Harrill

KRISTEN BALBONI + ALEX HARRILL

Photographer: Heather Gunter Photography

Wedding Coordinator: Mona Beam, Cherryville

Kristen Balboni’s career in sports reporting has taken her and her college sweetheart, Alex, all around the country. Meeting each other at the altar of the West End church Kristen grew up in to the tune of “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles brought their fairytale full circle.

Draped in winter white with seeded eucalyptus to fit Kristen and Alex’s simple and elegant winter wonderland aesthetic, the Fair Barn served as the couple’s celebration paradise. White flowers and white candles illuminated the venue’s natural beauty as Alex and Kristen’s closest friends and family spent the evening laughing, dancing and raising their glasses to the newlyweds and to coming home.

2021

Carolyn Belcher + Michael Welker

CAROLYN BELCHER + MICHAEL WELKER

Photographer: Mina von Feilitzsch Photography

Rarely is a farm animal noted as inspiration for a proposal, but Michael’s wouldn’t have been complete without the inclusion of Carolyn’s favorite grazer. A set of ceramic sheep emblazoned with “Let’s Get Married” were the perfect thing to get Michael’s fun-loving bride down the aisle.

Carolyn’s fondness for all things vintage inspired her choice of venue — where her parents had their reception and her grandmother once worked for the Boyd family — and her uniquely imperfect decor. Long after dining on mismatched china and dancing to bluegrass renditions of classic rock hits, guests strutted home while wearing temporary tattoos of the couple’s faces.

2020

Lauren Von Canon + Trinity Odoms

LAUREN VON CANON + TRINITY ODOMS

Photographer: Brittany Raynor Photography When Trinity got down on one knee, Lauren saw fireworks. And thanks to friends committed to making it the proposal of her dreams, the whole neighborhood did, too. Four months later, Lauren’s family would pull out all the stops — starting with her parents agreeing to share their own wedding date, and her father building the arbor by hand.

The two were wed in the backyard of Lauren’s great-aunt’s home in West End, where her grandfather grew up, on a street that carries her family name. After the couple were serenaded by friends during the ceremony, guests played their role in the home’s history by dancing the night away on the back patio.

Ceremony & Reception: Private residence, West End | Dress: Private Label by G. Ella Rosa Collection | Hair & Makeup: Evaly Beauty Co., Ashley Wood | Rings: Blue Nile and Reeds | Bridesmaids: Birdy Grey | Groomsmen: New York Bride & Groom | Flowers: Harris Teeter at Pinecroft | Cake: The Bakehouse | Catering: Top Shelf Chef, Antonio McLaughlin | Rentals: Saam’s Party Tents, Fayetteville

2020

Abby Kennedy + Vic Barberousse

ABBY KENNEDY + VIC BARBEROUSSE

Photographer: Brynn Gross Photography Wedding Coordinator: Deborah Davis, Village Chapel Karen Littlefield and Rene Ward, Filly & Colt’s

For these health care workers, it was love at first shift. And as if the Moore Regional Hospital cafeteria wasn’t romantic enough, this nurse slipped a ring on the finger of this dietician at the couple’s first annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party.

Less than a year later the couple were wed at The Village Chapel, a place that had long reminded Abby of her picturesque Pennsylvania hometown. After the bride walked down the aisle with wedding lace worn by her late mother, the newlyweds sent a message of love and happiness skyward via a floating lantern.