Real North Carolina Weddings

The groom and I decided to look for our venue and then decide on our scheme and decor.

My family lives in the Charlotte area, but his family lives mostly in the North. We really wanted something that was the epitome of "Southern Charm", and how much more perfect could it get than The Carolina Inn? We looked everywhere (mostly online and with the help of Weddings Magazine), and I never thought that The Carolina Inn would be in our price range, but they actually have very competitive packages. The beautiful Georgian style mansion was perfect outside and so elegant inside. Once we saw the Old Well Ballroom, we both knew this was the place! The ballroom is absolutely breathtaking with black and white checkered tile floors, huge chandeliers, gold chivari chairs, and dramatic black iron accents. It was an easy decision to go with the classic black and white color scheme, after we found the ballroom. We are both big NC State fans, so the only downside to The Carolina Inn, is its location! We made up for it with our Wolfpack groom's cake and NC State Belltower ice sculpture.

The centerpieces were the hardest decision for me to make. I saw a few totally different designs online and couldn't decide which I liked. I ended up blending a couple of the designs I found online into something that just turned out fabulous. During the reception, I went from table to table socializing and couldn't get over how beautiful each and every one looked!

The day went pretty flawlessly. It was a football game day at UNC, so people were swarming everywhere. Parking was unbelievable, so we provided transportation for most of our out of town guests. We had the pleasure (HA!) of hearing a little ZZ Top during our ceremony, courtesy of the band playing at the frat house next door, as well as a cannon firing in the pregame show, right after the groom said "I do". All the guests kept asking if we planned it. It all made for a better story to tell in the future! It also got dark a little earlier than expected so all of our portraits had to be moved inside. The Carolina Inn and our photographer were both very accommodating for that. The weather was beautiful, food was wonderful, drinks were abundant, music was pumping, and all 75 of our closest friends and family were having a wonderful time. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!