Fresh garden inspired North Carolina Wedding

The stars aligned for Whitney and Chase when they met in a coffee shop, but it was only some time later, after their first official date, that the scene was really set for romance. Chase took Whitney to a strawberry patch to look up at the night sky – it was, as she says, “overgrown and oh, so beautiful“. That moment eventually became the inspiration for their wedding as the stargazing duo chose a venue with windows looking up to the city street and the sky, and filled it with greenery, herbs, moss, flowers and twinkling lights to evoke the magical moment – all of which has been captured beautifully by MARK ANDREW STUDIOS with styling and florals by REBECCA ROSE EVENTS.

The couple, who aimed to share an earthy, garden-style experience with their guests, managed to bring the outside inside in a range of beautiful ways. Flowers were kept to shades of white and ivory, with hints of blue and yellow to reference the night sky, while lines of moss ran along the centre of each table. Green magnolia leaves penned with each guest’s name served as escort cards, while small loaves of artisan bread from the coffee shop where they first met were wrapped with menus and sprigs of rosemary. Even the bride’s dress fit the theme; its delicate detail looking, as Whitney describes it, like a garden in the stars”

“A piece of advice our wedding planners gave us was to curate your own wedding. What makes up your love story? If it’s stargazing and green forests, celebrate that.” I love that!

HOW DID YOU MEET? We met at a favourite local coffee shop by accident. Following a year and a half of friendship, I (Whitney) was getting ready to move to Austin, Texas when Chase realized that his feelings were rooted more deeply than just friendship. As I adjusted to the new city, we exchanged notes and letters-maintaining our friendship. Flying to my hometown of Washington, D.C. for my birthday, a few months later, Chase drove up from North Carolina with some friends to help me celebrate. He asked me if I would be available for a date the next time I came to North Carolina for a visit. I was shocked! Consequently, I have now moved home from Austin to Winston.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: The day before the proposal, we talked on the phone. I (Chase) told Whitney that it might be a good idea if we focused on enjoying our time together and put less pressure on the timing of our engagement. Having spent the previous two days planning the proposal with a friend of ours (who is a professional photographer), I knew a bit more about what was coming than Whitney did…

The plan was for our friend to spend the day with Whitney going to various scenic areas around town and shooting some pictures together. The last stop on their tour was Reynolda Gardens-part of the Reynolds’ family estate in Winston-Salem. I left work early so that I could beat Whitney’s arrival at the gardens and set the “trap”: a trail of tortilla chips (one of Whitney’s most favourite snacks) led to a bench in an isolated part of the garden. After getting everything ready, I got a text from our friend reading, “Almost there!” I positioned myself behind a nearby bush, expecting my soon-to-be fiancée to appear at any moment. Forty-five minutes later, I had become very familiar with the bush I had chosen to hide behind, and was grateful I had opted to wear layers, as this particular North Carolina January weather had been somewhat less than tropical. When the moment came, and Whitney rounded a turn that led her to the spot, I heard murmurings of confusion. I then came out of hiding and walked toward Whitney, who asked me how my day had been. I asked Whitney if she knew why I was there, and she nodded. The two of us then walked to the tortilla-chip-designated bench and talked briefly about our relationship. I told Whitney how excited I was about the prospect of growing together and said the only sentence she remembers: “Ok, I’m gonna do it now. Do you want to stand or keep sitting?” She didn’t even notice the chips were there until after she nodded her “yes”!

TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: I drove up to Washington, D.C. to go shopping with my mom-entourage or not, I wanted her to be with me as I tried on wedding gowns. Visiting Carine’s Bridal in Georgetown, I felt encouraged by the classic dresses, each embroidered with unique character. I imagine most brides want to feel elegant and classic, but also rare, in that they were the only solitary choice for their groom-to-be. The detail in the dress I chose (Liancarlo’s style 5888) looked like a garden in the stars. I never had a “moment” where I felt the dress had “chosen itself”. I knew how Chase and I were as a couple, and I felt that who I was in that dress was most like us. Also, is it not just beautiful?!

WHAT INSPIRED THE LOOK OF YOUR WEDDING: After our first date, Chase took me to a strawberry patch to look up at the stars. It was overgrown and oh, so beautiful. Getting married in the city where we met was important to us, so we selected a venue with windows looking up to the city street and the sky-a block from where we first met! We used earthy elements similar to moss table runners and lots of greenery to fill up the space. Hung lighting gave our celebration a feeling of intimacy and warmth.