Real Weddings
Jonathan & Manny
Jonathan & Manny tied the knot this winter. These newlyweds said their “I do”s on the Garden Terrace and danced the night away in the Barn. Jonathan shared the story of their engagement, their planning process, and their special day. Enjoy!
How did you and your partner meet?
Manny and I met on OKCupid. He was new to North Carolina as he had recently moved here from Texas to pursue a PhD at UNC Chapel Hill. We started talking and discovered our mutual love for sports. We decided to go to a Carolina Hurricanes Hockey game together as our first date. We’ve been essentially inseparable ever since.
Tell us about the engagement?
It was December 3rd, 2017 and I had been in New York for business and was traveling back on a Sunday morning. When I got to the airport, the car service picked me up, and I remembered thinking “Why is Manny not picking me up from the airport, it’s a Sunday.” I was a little annoyed because it was early, and I thought he was being lazy. When I got home, there was a note on the door saying to come in as there was a surprise waiting. Manny had turned the downstairs area of our home into a Christmas maze for me to walk through with pictures of us together, notes for me, flowers, etc. When I got through the maze, Manny was standing by the fireplace with our dogs, a ring, and a beautiful sign that said, “Jonathan will you Marry me?”
What made Fearrington the place for you to say “I do?”
I have always loved Fearrington! The property as a whole, but also having the barn and inn helps to make it a beautiful, elegant, timeless and peaceful venue. Manny had never been to the property and wasn’t particularly sold, but he agreed to go look at it. We took a tour of the property and met with Gilda. When we got in the car to leave, he said, “This is where we are doing it!” He was instantly sold based on the charm of the property and we booked our wedding venue that same week!
Describe the highlight moment of your wedding day.
We chose not to see each other the entire day before the ceremony. I think we were both stressed and nervous, but we met at the door and walked down the aisle together, hand in hand. I think walking toward each other and walking down the aisle together was definitely the highlight of our day and was a special time for both of us. Everyone commented throughout the evening how much they loved that with many stating that they teared up.
What was the biggest surprise of the day?
Manny had planned a surprise where he had his cousin and close friend sing an acoustic version of Elvis’ song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. I had wanted that song to be played at the reception, but to dance to it being sung live was wonderful. I had no idea this was going to happen! Generally I hate surprises as they cause me nothing but anxiety, however, this was very sweet and the fact that he pulled the whole thing off without me knowing was very special.
What was your biggest surprise about wedding planning?
Everybody had said planning a wedding was stressful and never ending. Right after we got engaged, a friend bought us a wedding planning book and it made my head spin. The biggest surprise to me was how little stress it actually was thanks to our wonderful wedding planner, Gilda. We met with Gilda and she gave us a short list of things we needed to figure out and we made those arrangements. Later, we met with Gilda again and she asked us a number of questions which we answered; she and the other folks at Fearrington did the rest. For us, the fact that it was so easy and came together with such perfection was the biggest surprise.
Anything you want to add about your wedding story?
We feel like we are the luckiest people in the world. We just want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our friends and family for sharing such a wonderful day with us. We want to thank Reverend David Eck for driving all the way from Asheville, NC to marry us. We want to thank Gilda for being fantastic and creating the perfect event from start to finish. Also, we want to thank Jenna who did such a lovely job with the flowers, Kevin who was great the day of the wedding managing all of the food, and I cannot leave out Lexi who made us the most beautiful wedding cake I’ve ever seen. If we’ve left anyone out, we are monumentally sorry, however everyone at Fearrington was just absolutely wonderful.
This wedding was designed and coordinated by Fearrington’s own Gilda McDaniel. Photography by Krystal Kast Photography.