A Playful and Vibrant Wedding Celebration Filled With Personalized Touches

Lauren Megerdichian
April 11, 2024
Categories: The Blog

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]Blue and orange are the bride and groom’s favorite colors, so from the beginning they knew they wanted to incorporate those! Beyond that, they wanted to celebrate their surroundings and bring as much wild and colorful energy as possible to the wedding weekend. [/field]

[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

For the wedding weekend, “vibrant, personal, and playful” was the couple’s vision. They wanted to create an atmosphere that covered as much of the grand spectrum of life and their relationship as possible! Bright colors, heartfelt details, regal but personalized attire – they aimed to give a little glimpse into who they are as a couple. And the Fearrington Village team, under the guidance of their amazing wedding planner Gilda McDaniel, did a spectacular job bringing the vision to life! They displayed amazing care and effort in every meticulous detail: floral placements, candles, linens, their memorial table, lights – absolutely everything was perfect.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

The couple met at a fateful New Year’s Eve party thanks to mutual friends, ringing in 2019 – so, they decided to really ring in (pun intended) 2022 with a New Year’s Eve proposal! They designed the ring together at Brillant Earth, and took a trip to Madrid, one of their favorite cities in the world. Even though Liz suspected a proposal was coming, Adam still had one way to surprise her: the timing. He heavily hinted about the importance of their dinner that night but then surprised her with the ring on a casual morning walk through the Retiro park! They did indeed celebrate with the dinner of a lifetime and enjoyed several more days in Spain before returning to NYC for an engagement photoshoot in Central Park, right next to the spot of their first date at The Milling Room three years prior.

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

Liz wasn’t quite sure what she wanted in a wedding gown at first – but she did know she wanted a cape! She’d seen incredible photos of bridal capes and liked them so much more than classic veils. Luckily, Pronovias had her covered! Liz went to their store in New York City with her mother and Adam’s mother and fell in love with the simple elegance and luminous Mikado silk of their Jory dress, which was chosen for her by her excellent stylist. Said stylist then worked even more magic and paired it with a stunning cape that was originally part of a set with a different dress – it looked magical, so they sold her the cape separately so she could have exactly the look she’d dreamed of. It added just the right amount of whimsy and “fancifulness” (in Liz’s mom’s words) while still being classy and timeless.

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

Liz chose the Dessy Group for her (six!) Maids of Honor dresses because they have such a range of gorgeous quality gowns in different styles. She wanted everyone to wear the same color (midnight navy), but she wanted the options to be affordable and versatile so everyone could find a style they liked. Navy is one of Liz’s favorite all-purpose, go-to colors generally, so she chose it in the hopes that her Maids of Honor could wear their dresses again sometime!

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]

Adam’s very first tuxedo was from ChazMaTazz Tux back when he joined his Princeton acappella group; so when the time came to get suited up for the big wedding day, he knew that Chaz would set him up perfectly! Adam opted for a navy blue Ike Behar tuxedo; for the groomsmen, he got them black Bresciani tuxes to match. He also got matching blue and orange Brooks Brothers socks for himself, the groomsmen, both fathers and the reader!

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]

The couple first discovered the amazing food and wine at Fearrington Village on a date night relatively early in their (at the time, long-distance) relationship. Awestruck by the caliber of their offerings and truly charmed by everything on their grounds, they knew from that day that Fearrington would be a top contender for their eventual wedding (even then, they were confidently optimistic about getting married). And the Fearrington team delivered time and time again! The menus were spectacular, and words can’t truly do the food proper justice: a festive buffet for rehearsal dinner with the signature hot chocolate soufflé; fantastic appetizers, and a signature cocktail (The Cedar Spectacular: gin, honey, lemon juice, rosemary, and sparkling wine) at welcome drinks; fresh hors d’oeuvres and champagne for cocktail hour; a decadent butternut squash soup followed by short rib, seared trout, or mushroom tarts for dinner… they get hungry again just reminiscing! The team did an amazing job catering to various dietary restrictions, maintaining sky-high standards for every single food item, and pairing it all with some truly special bottles of wine. They can’t wait for another Fearrington dinner sometime soon!

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

The Fearrington Village team has an absolutely stunning array of fresh flowers, so the bride and groom knew they would deliver! But they truly went above and beyond: one of the florists personally grew lantanas (the bride’s favorite flower) in her backyard to ensure the bride would have some in the bouquet! The team did a spectacular job of making every space feel luxurious, natural, and simply stunning.

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

Cakes by Kara Millard delivered the couple’s dream cake! It was a challenge through and through: five tiers, alternating between blackout sponge cake with dark chocolate ganache and orange sponge cake with pumpkin mousse; buttercream frosting, without fondant, in a gradient of blue tones; hand-painted florals, along with a crest design and fresh flowers on top. They recognize and celebrate all of the effort that she put into creating this masterpiece! She and the team also made custom cookies with the silhouette of our puppy, which our guests adored.

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

Adam’s dear friend and college theater mentor, Glen Pannell, delivered an absolutely showstopping rendition of “Balaenoptera” by the endlessly talented Sir Josh Bennett. It’s a poem about the magnitude and expansiveness of love, and the couple has returned to its words many times in special moments. It was a true gift to hear it delivered with such passion, humor, and spirit in the gorgeous Fearrington Village. Arioso Strings delivered exquisite string quintet music for the ceremony and cocktail hour. Their masterful playing elevated the atmosphere; guests especially loved the groom and groomsmen entrance (“Married Life” from Pixar’s “Up”), the bridesmaid’s entrance (“Tales as Old as Time” from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”), the bride’s entrance (“Ave Maria”, a favorite of both our grandmothers when they were alive), and the recessional (an amazing rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Paper Rings” that they put together in just a few weeks). They were spectacular! The festivities continued with DJ Randy Bennett providing an absolutely phenomenal reception experience. Not only did he provide an amazing assortment of songs across a truly staggering array of genres (Cuban classics, Motown, Spanish guitar, pop-punk hits, millennial dance floor jams, vintage polka, romantic jazz, etc.), he tailored his playlist perfectly to the couple’s own favorites and to the energy in the room. They loved the music for their special dances, too: “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” by Ledisi for their first dance, “Tradición” by Gloria Estefan for the father-daughter dance, and “Bella Ciao” by Manu Pilas for the mother-son dance). Randy made for an absolutely amazing dance floor, and everyone had an amazing time together in the Fearrington barn.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]

Bekah and Christy of Pineapple Street Designs handcrafted all of the couple’s amazing stationery, including their invitation suites, custom crest, table cards featuring some of their favorite cities around the world, and various signage for the day—including a portrait of their dog, Cedar! They did absolutely phenomenal work, including several custom watercolors, and the couple cannot recommend them highly enough.

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

Adam and Leanne of Adam Gilbert Films crafted a divine representation of the wedding weekend, somehow managing to not only capture but also elevate countless special moments. They were a joy to work with, seamlessly integrating into the festivities and pulling together footage that will be cherished forever. Their artistry is truly unparalleled.

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]

Working with Krystal Kast Photography was an absolute dream! She captured stunning moments from throughout the wedding weekend and also did a phenomenal job at Liz and Adam’s engagement photoshoot in NYC. They felt like supermodels with her, and it was a true treasure to have that experience of feeling so special. They’re having such a hard time choosing which of her photos to hang on their wall that they’ll probably wind up printing an entire coffee table book. Truly, Krystal’s work is magic.

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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