September 2, 2019 | Posted by Village

Harper Rae and Tyson had their fabulous summer reception in the big barn. There was dancing, loads of laughter and celebration, and so many beautiful details to their special day. Enjoy their story!

How did you and your partner meet?
Tyson and I met on our first day of college at UNC Chapel Hill. Not only were we miraculously placed on the same hall, but we actually lived right next door to each other in Granville Towers. We got to know each other and became friends during our first semester, but what really brought us together was our faith in Jesus. Second semester, we were both trying to figure out who we wanted to be and what it looked like to follow Jesus in college. Because of this, we ended up spending a lot of time together asking questions and talking about the gospel, and we grew very close in the process. Day after day, I just kept finding myself walking next door to see if Tyson was home. Just a few months later, our friendship turned into more than just a friendship, and we starting dating in April of our freshmen year. Even at the very beginning, I always knew what we had was something special.

Tell us about the engagement?
In my whole life, I’ve never been truly surprised. I usually catch on before the surprise happens, but on the day that Tyson proposed, I was genuinely shocked. We had talked about getting engaged the fall of our senior year, and I thought I had the weekend he was going to do it all figured out, but boy was I wrong. On the morning of the first day of class, Tyson called me. He said one of his good friends was proposing to his girlfriend that night on campus and asked if we could go before our dinner for his birthday to take hidden pictures. I am an amateur photographer, so I agreed, but was very nervous to take pictures of such an exciting moment for them. I got all dressed up for dinner, then Tyson and I took off on our secret mission. I had my big camera on my shoulder, and we were walking through the Coker Arboretum on UNC’s campus to get in position for the proposal. We walked up on a clearing, and I saw a green envelope sitting on some steps ahead of us. Tyson insisted I pick it up and read it, and that is the exact second my heart started pounding, and I realized something else entirely different was going on. I read the wonderful note from Tyson about our love story with shaky hands, then Tyson got down on one knee and proposed. It was so perfect, and I loved that it was a real surprise. The best part was that after I said yes, one of our friends popped out of some bushes nearby, and HE was taking hidden pictures of OUR engagement. It was perfectly ironic.

What made Fearrington the place for you to say “I do?’
I had been to Fearrington for events before, and I dreamed of having our wedding in the Barn from the beginning of our engagement. I loved how Fearrington offered a rustic barn venue that still had a clean and finished look. It was also a great size for the large wedding we knew we wanted, and I loved the gorgeous grounds and the front patio. I saw the Barn as the perfect blank canvas, and I knew it would be a blast to dress it up and add different elements to fit my vision for our big day. Once we worked with Gilda and her team to confirm that we could add a food tent to the back of the barn to open up more space for guests, I was sold!

Describe the highlight moment of your wedding day.
Our favorite highlight from our wedding day was our private last dance. At the very end of our reception, we had all the guests leave the barn and go onto the patio to prepare for our sparkler exit. After the barn was cleared, the band played one more song for us, At Last by Etta James, and we just got to dance one last time on our wedding night and take in the moment by ourselves. I remember it feeling so magical and surreal. We couldn’t believe the night was already over; it had felt like a dream. We both thought it was so special to have that one final moment to admire the room, the band, the night, and the feeling of being freshly married and so full of love, gratitude, and awe.

What was the biggest surprise of the day?
My biggest surprise of the day was the song that Shake Russell wrote for us. Shake Russell and his band traveled from Texas to play at our cocktail hour, and my whole family loves his music. Throughout wedding planning, my parents had been secretly working with him and helping him write a song for our wedding day. We had no idea this was happening, and at one point of the reception, Shake and his partner borrowed the stage from Liquid Pleasure and announced they were going to play a song they wrote for us. It was one of the most wonderful surprises I’ve ever experienced! The song is called “Sweet Harper Rae”, and he wrote the entire song about me and our relationship from Tyson’s perspective. It was so special to hear the song for the first time in front of all our family and friends on our wedding day. I am so grateful to my parents for setting it up and providing us with a personalized song about our wedding day that we’ll have forever.

What was your biggest surprise about wedding planning?
I didn’t know much about weddings at all before I started planning my own. I don’t think there was one single biggest surprise, but I was surprised by the endless amounts of little details that nobody really tells you about when they’re planning a wedding. I was expecting the big things like booking a venue and a band to be stressful, but I didn’t realize how many decisions I’d have to make about tiny details like cocktail napkin designs, welcome bags, and which sparklers to buys. Luckily, I was extremely grateful to have both Gilda’s team and Cheryl Anne’s team there every step of the way to help in any way they could and answer my many questions.

Anything you want to add about your wedding story?
We are so grateful to the entire Fearrington team for all the hard work they put into making our wedding day perfect. It was better than we could have ever imagined, and Fearrington will always hold a special place in our hearts!

Photographer: Krystal Kast Photography
Additional Event Planning: Kast Events
Hair Stylist: Makeup by Ashley Mooney
Make-up Artist: Makeup by Ashley Mooney
Wedding Gown: Kleinfeld Bridal
Bridal Salon: Bella Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jenny Yoo
Groom’s Attire: Bernard’s Formalwear
Cocktail Hour Music: Shake Russell
Reception Music: Liquid Pleasure