Real Weddings
Caroline & Derek’s Fearrington Wedding
Caroline and Derek tied the knot in the gardens under the willow oaks and then danced the night away in the barn. They had such a lovely day, despite a surprise rain storm!
How did you and your partner meet?
We met at a summer leadership camp with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. We were both camp counselors for teams of high school students. After a week of hanging out and serving together we decided to go on a date!
Tell us about the engagement.
The engagement was a whirlwind! Derek proposed during Thanksgiving weekend and the planning kicked in not too long after. Caroline was finishing up her masters at UNC while Derek was in Goldsboro teaching high school history. We spent most conversations dreaming up our day but also tried our best to be intentional about the sweet, unique time of engagement. Honestly, we have never felt more loved by the people around us than we did during our engagement. The people in our life truly made this time so special.
What made Fearrington the place for you to say “I do?’
It was quickly apparent that Fearrington was head and shoulders above the rest of the venues that we visited. We found ourselves always going back to thoughts like, “Oh but Fearrington has this or that”. We were really set on having our ceremony outside and the gardens were too beautiful to pass up.
Describe the highlight moment of your wedding day.
It is so hard to pick our highlight moment. In fact, we really can’t think of a low moment. The whole day was better than what we had imagined. Some of our favorites included- our first look, the moment we turned around at the end of our ceremony and saw all our friends and family, and dancing to Sweet Caroline before we left the reception at the end of the night.
What was the biggest surprise of the day?
The surprise rainstorm threw us for a loop. The week of the wedding we were religiously checking the weather forecast and by Thursday everything was perfectly clear. But apparently there were different plans. In the end, it was actually the perfect storm considering it brought the temperature down to a beautiful 75. The young woman who held Caroline’s dress coming down the aisle insisted it meant she was the luckiest bride.
What was your biggest surprise about wedding planning?
Our biggest surprise of wedding planning was that it doesn’t have to be stressful! Some of our dear friends let us in on that little secret early on in our engagement. Of course, there were times when we were stressed but we found that between all the support from our family, friends, and Fearrington- planning was fun and enjoyable! We felt as though we really got to spend intentional time planning for our marriage, not just our wedding day, and that was a real treat.
Anything you want to add about your wedding story?
The only thing that we could add is that our wedding was everything we imagined and hoped it would be. Our only regret is that it all went by so fast. We are so thankful for the many people that helped in the process and will continue to relive our memories of the day forever.
Photographer- Kelsey Nelson Photography
Hair Stylist- Ashley Mooney MakeUp
Make-up Artist- Ashley Mooney Makeup
Wedding Gown- LianCarlo
Bridal Salon- Kelly’s Closet; Atlanta, GA
Bridesmaids’ Dresses- Show Me Your MuMu and Lulu’s
Groom’s Attire- Lineage
Flowers – Fearrington Village
Event Planning, Catering, and Venue: Fearrington Village