Real Weddings
Anne & Shawn
Anne and Shawn got married under the Willow Oaks on a beautiful day in July and then danced into the evening with their family and friends. They met in New York City, but chose to start their life together just south of Chapel Hill.
How did you and your partner meet?
Despite having a few mutual friends, Shawn and I met on a dating app! It wasn’t long after we started chatting that we realized we’d definitely been in the same room once or twice over the years, but never managed to meet. We decided to remedy that and met for drinks in NYC’s East Village at Boulton & Watt. At the end of the night, he went in for a hug, I went in for a kiss and the final result was an awkward head-butt.
Tell us about the engagement?
Shawn asked me to plan a get-together in the city for his 30th birthday. When he suggested Boulton & Watt, I didn’t think anything of it because it is a fun bar that’s centrally located. I invited a few dozen of our friends to meet us mid-afternoon. When we arrived there that day, Shawn rushed me passed the door to the street corner where we’d had that head-butt a few years before, got down on one knee and proposed. After I said “of course!” I looked up to see our friends and both of our families (mine had secretly flown up from NC; his drove in from NJ) watching from the window. We spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating with everyone at the place where it all started.
What made Fearrington the place for you to say “I do?’
I first visited Fearrington as a freshman at UNC when my sorority had its formal at the Barn and had a great time. In the years following, I saw photos of a few classmates’ weddings there and thought it looked like the most beautiful place to get married in Chapel Hill. One flip through the wedding book we received when we asked for more info, and it was decided!
Describe the highlight moment of your wedding day.
Dancing! The band was awesome and the dance floor was big. It was such a blast to dance to song after song and be surrounded by all of our family and friends from all the different parts of our lives.
What was the biggest surprise of the day?
I expected to be nervous, but wasn’t! Everything felt fun, comfortable and right. Shawn said he felt the same.
What was your biggest surprise about wedding planning?
So many details! Before planning our wedding, I thought: “How hard can it be?!” It wasn’t hard, but there were certainly a lot of decisions to be made and logistics to sort. I was so grateful to have my mom and Gilda there to guide the way. Everyone stayed calm and cruised along. By our wedding day, everything was perfect and stress free.
Want to see more of this beautiful day? Check out photographer Jennelle Kappe’s blog post here.