Emotional Outdoor Wedding at Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Megan Kemp
October 4, 2018
Categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

You know we love a beautifully styled wedding! From the bride’s intricate lace gown by Tre Bella, to the rich jewel tones in the gorgeous garden blooms by Tre Bella Floral at the Sarah P.Duke Gardens all the way to the breathtaking twinkle lights setting the scene during their evening reception… every detail was on point for this lovely fall wedding in North Carolina! But this lovely celebration was so much more than that. Allison and Paul’s relationship felt serendipitous from the beginning and we witnessed the deeply emotional moments, all captured by the talented Caroline Lima Photography.

Oh, and not to mention, Allison and Paul involved their family members every chance they could, even including the woman who introduced them (then performed during their ceremony… swoon!). The thought and intention put into every moment during their big day made the pretty details planned by Grace Leisure Events that much prettier…

From Caroline Lima Photography… Allison and Paul were married at the the beautiful Duke Gardens. The Gardens were bursting with life, and clearly tended with love, so they made the perfect venue for the couple. Their ceremony was one of the most emotional I have ever had the privilege to attend (I love emotional weddings so much!). Paul’s father played the piano as his best man sang, his siblings also sang during the ceremony, so moving! Right before Allison walked down the aisle, I saw Paul press his eyes hard holding his mother’s hand, and I could see such deep emotion on his face; he knew that the love of his life was about to become his wife. A truly beautiful moment to witness!

And the bride…ahhh the bride! Allison radiated joy and grace in the perfect dress with an exquisite lace all-over. The delicate details of her headpiece and her romantic hairstyle were so lovely. And then, to everyone’s delight, this elegant bride absolutely rocked the dance floor! When a wedding runs the gamut from deep emotion to complete joy and wild celebration, it’s simply the best! At one point, Allison’s father took me aside and told me that he was blown away by my work. This meant the world to me.

I feel so very lucky to do what I love, and to share these moments with people as kind as Allison, Paul and their families. I hope you enjoy these photos from their day as much as I enjoyed taking them. A huge thanks to Grace Leisure Events, what a joy to work with them! Allison and Paul’s day was flawless.

From the bride… Paul and I had both recently moved from NYC to Durham when we were introduced by a mutual friend, one of my best college friends who was his pastor. Within the first half-hour of our coffee date I knew that we had a lot in common. Our bond grew from there as he took me on dates like independent movies and a lavender festival, we met each other’s family and friends (his friends and family were immediately fun, warm and welcoming) and discovered that we had a similar worldview.

Our engagement story is also full of synchronicity and it starts many years before we met. The High Line is my favorite place in New York City. I always felt it was a place worthy of something important and life changing, so when I first took my parents there to see it, I said, “I want to get engaged here!” (What can I say? I was dreaming big.) Sure enough, for my 34th birthday Paul took me on a trip to New York City and proposed on the High Line. When I asked him who tipped him off he said, “You did–when you talked about how much you love the High Line!”

We knew we wanted to be married outside and we planned our wedding around three of our most valued tenets: community, art and joy. The woman who introduced us performed the ceremony and we were lucky to involve our creative friends and family, so it was very personal. The whole day was magical! We want to thank our friends and family for their wonderful support as well as everyone who helped our wedding vision come together.

For more images from Paul and Allison’s North Carolina Wedding at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, head on over to Caroline Lima’s Blog! Plus… if you’d like to hear more of the couple’s story, take a peek at their equally charming Engagement Shoot.