Hooray!! Caroline and Anders are married! It was the biggest joy to celebrate these two at their large wedding this past July (in addition to their 2020 intimate wedding, which was similarly spectacular!). It’s hard to put into words how special and marvelous Caroline & Anders’ (second!) wedding day was — and how stunning, joy-filled, effortless, and heartfelt their wedding photos are! Just… wow wow WOW. This wedding was pure magic, and I am giddy with excitement to share more from this epic day as Caroline and Anders finally got to celebrate their marriage & their love with all of their family and friends at the Merrimon Wynne House in Raleigh! It was a truly epic and magically unforgettable celebration – and a long-awaited day, too. Congratulations, Caroline & Anders!! You two sure are loved!

We all put so much heart and thought into the overall design and feeling of the day that was brought to life through the smallest of meaningful details to really surprise and delight their guests from start to finish. I am smitten with every bit of their wedding design: my favorite dusty French blue & blush color palette, the sweet summertime touches, the rattan and wicker touches & the white market umbrellas, the two complementary lounges (feminine garden lounge & masculine bourbon bar lounge), the most beautiful stationery, calligraphy, and day-of signage, the champagne wall, the lush, romantic flowers and blooms everywhere, so many gorgeous textures and layered details… all of it! I loved that it was a contrast to last year’s bold and juicy intimate wedding for them… while still being cohesive and complementary in so many ways, too. There’s nothing I didn’t love about Caroline and Anders’ summertime wedding design, and what a dream it was to plan and design for them & to bring their love story to life in such a unique, meaningful, heartfelt, and stunning way!

Caroline and Anders are just one of those dream couples to work with in every way, and I have absolutely loved getting to know them (and Caroline’s mom!) throughout the wedding planning process. I couldn’t ask for a sweeter, more trusting couple (or parents)! It’s hard to put into words just how special Caroline, Anders, and their families are and how utterly thrilled I am for them. I have absolutely loved getting to know Caroline and Anders as a couple more and more throughout the wedding planning process over the last two years. They are such thoughtful, generous, genuine, trusting, and loving people, and they clearly bring out the very best in one another and are the perfect balance for each other. It was such an extraordinary and beautiful day as Caroline and Anders were married! It’s such a joyful occasion to celebrate with their beloved family and friends and to celebrate married life for Caroline and Anders in such a lovely, romantic, memorable, and meaningful way.

And goodness, this intimate wedding day was truly spectacular. I’ll let you see for yourself with stunning film images from Ally and Bobby Photography…

Is there anything sweeter and more special than Caroline’s first look with her beloved grandmother (Mom-Mom)?! There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Caroline’s beautiful Mom-Mom saw her radiant granddaughter for the first time in her wedding dress, and it was the most beautiful moment to witness. Having three generations together meant the world!! These are the moments you hold most sacred on a wedding day & ensure there is ample unrushed time for – and the heartbeat behind why weddings are so meaningful and marvelous!

Is this my very favorite invitation suite styling I’ve ever done?! Quite possibly!! The soft blush, dusty blue, and navy invitation suite, the lush blooms, their rings in a vintage ring box, the wax seal and vintage stamps, and that oh so gorgeous and unique backdrop make this invitation suite for Caroline & Anders come to life in such an exquisite way, if I do say so myself! The blueberries were also the perfect touch and meaningful nod to the groom, who is from Maine. Those little details make such a difference and really tell Caroline and Anders’ story.

This, my friends, is what it’s all about – and it’s absolutely the heartbeat behind the work that I do: to celebrate the joyous start of strong marriages in the loving company of your treasured family and friends. This day was pure magic for Caroline & Anders as they were celebrated by all of their families and friends!

Beautiful best friends, giddy smiles, the prettiest golden light, flowing gowns, and that wedding day glow… what more could you ask for?! These ladies are the absolute sweetest friends that made Caroline’s wedding day filled with so much love, fun, and excitement!

This perfectly summertime feminine lounge on the lawn was not only beautiful but was the site of so many special and celebratory moments at Caroline & Anders’ wedding! The show stopping hydrangeas bloomed at the perfect time, the market lights overhead were so magical, and this sweet lounge was accented with so many thoughtful little details!

To complement the romantic garden lounge on the lawn, we also incorporated a more masculine bourbon bar and lounge in the pergola! This neutral toned lounge with leather and natural accents, along with the greenery-adorned rattan chandeliers, really set the tone for the bourbon bar. We used darker navy accents in the taper candles, the bar menus, and the cocktail napkins to make it cohesive and set-apart, and the leather and wood bourbon menu was also a favorite bespoke detail! The bourbon barrel slat with their name and wedding date, the old fashioned glassware, the greenery, and the bottles of vintage bourbon were the perfect additions to the custom bourbon bar. I loved seeing how many guests utilized the bourbon bar lounge area throughout the night, especially when paired with several favorite bourbon selections from the bride and groom & many custom bourbon cocktails. It was very “Caroline and Anders” and such a memorable, bespoke detail from their celebration and upped the guest experience even more!

This romantic head table from Caroline & Anders’ wedding is still making me weak in the knees, and I adored getting to design it! To contrast the two other dusty blue linens in the reception and to really set apart the head table, I wanted to use a beautiful blush dupioni silk linen. Paired with these gorgeous woven/light wood Tuscan cross back chairs, statement china and chargers with a fabulous gold and white pattern, (surprise!!) monogrammed white linen napkins with dusty blue lettering, and subtle gold flatware, it was the perfect choice to accompany the dusty blue taper candles, trailing greenery, votive candles, bud vases, and those showstopping garden-party compote centerpieces in the prettiest palette!

After almost 2.5 years & planning not one but two (!!) weddings together, I sure am going to miss these two and their families! Caroline, Anders, and her mom, Kathy, have been the most incredible, generous, thoughtful, fun, and loving clients imaginable since the day we met way back in 2019, and our time together planning has been such a dream — I couldn’t ask for more trusting and wonderful clients! All that to say: I adore the couples and families that I have the honor of working alongside and serving during such an exciting yet potentially overwhelming or stressful season. I am so thankful for the relationships that are formed and when clients feel like family! It makes that anticipation and excitement for their wedding day even higher… and I am so unbelievably excited that Caroline & Anders finally got to celebrate their love and their marriage with all of their family and friends in such a beautiful, unforgettable, celebratory fashion!

Endless congratulations to Caroline and Anders on your (second!) wedding day! What a complete dream this magnificent day was. I can only hope that your wedding days were the most marvelous, joyful, stunning, love-filled, meaningful, and fun days as we celebrated your marriage!! It’s hard to put into words just how much I love these two and their families and friends… and how dearly loved Caroline and Anders clearly are. It was a truly special celebration of love from start to finish with their nearest and dearest, and I am deeply, deeply honored to have been a part of it!

I’m also incredibly thankful for the wonderful (and very flexible and accommodating!) vendor team – almost the exact same phenomenal team for both of Caroline and Anders’ weddings. I can’t thank these stellar creative partners and vendors enough for bringing this magical wedding day to life!

Photography: Ally and Bobby Photography

Planning, design, & styling: Stephanie Shaul Events

Venue: The Merrimon Wynne House

Florals: Bowerbird Flowers

Catering: HL Catering

Rentals: CE Rental and Cottage Luxe

Videography: Twenty One Films

Cake: The Cupcake Shoppe

Music: Arioso Strings

Hair and makeup: Tease and Blush

Day-of paper details & calligraphy: Ivy & Linen Design

Invitations: Minted

all images by the amazing, amazing Ally and Bobby Photography