Leigh & Ryan | September Wedding

I got a call from a soon-to-be groom named Ryan just a few weeks before their scheduled wedding. He explained both he and his fiancé, Leigh, were in the military and they were on a time crunch since they would only be home for a short period of time. Ryan was nervous about everything coming together and said they had nothing planned but once we talked about their ideas, they actually had more together than they thought! The original plan was to have the ceremony at a family chapel and reception on a family farm. Two days before the wedding I got a call from Ryan saying the plans had to be changed to a new ceremony and reception site. This was very unexpected but the new location was gorgeous! I quickly contacted Leigh and Ryan’s vendors and let them know of the change and everyone was so patient and accommodating.

On September 9th, 2017, my team and I headed to the ceremony and reception location, which was a stunning family home in Hillsborough.  Jeremy and Brandon, some Exceptional Events team members, helped deliver the rentals Leigh and Ryan chose form our inventory. While Brandi and I set up the decorations and rentals, the guys set up the vintage furniture rented by Eventful. Their pieces were in such great shape. Also, Risé & Amy were such sweet ladies to work with! They delivered the pieces on the night of the rehearsal and picked them up a day after the wedding. It was nice to have the flexibility of having the pieces the night before so the clients could play around with them and see where they fit best.

The ceremony took place behind the log cabin house, in front of a huge pond. The pond and green trees were the perfect backdrop for a wedding.  University Florist added florals to the arbor and chairs. Henry was very nice and so easy going. Wes McMurray was the officiant. He was such a gentle and caring man. He had a calming personality that made the ceremony seem so smooth. My assistant, Brandi, helped me direct the family and wedding party down the aisle. Arioso Strings, a string cortet, played beautiful background music during the ceremony and reception.

Whole Foods Catering in Durham provided the heavy hors d’oeuvres .  Brandi and I loved the fried green tomatoes! Sugarland bakery provided the yummy cake. I heard countless great reviews about the cake from the guests at the wedding. As another dessert, The Parlour ice cream truck came and set up for the night. They are one of my personal favorites because they always carry a couple vegan flavors and I actually get to eat some ice cream!

Caroline Lima was the photographer for the day. She is such a sweetheart! Her pictures are amazing and show so much emotion.  I have attached a few to this post and there are more on our photo gallery page. 


Vendors:
Co0rdinators: Exceptional Events NC
Photographer: Caroline Lima Photography
Catering: Whole Foods Catering, Durham
Cake: Sugarland
Ice Cream: The Parlour
Florist: University Florist
Music: Arioso Strings
Ofiiciant: Wes McMurray
Vintage Seating: EventfulNC
Decor Rentals: Exceptional Events