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Heart of NC Weddings has a dual mission of helping couples plan their perfect wedding, and supporting the local community of small businesses, artists and entrepreneurs who work in the event industry. We feature a roster of vetted, high-quality vendors, along with NC-focused inspiration and planning tips. Click here to read Publisher Jenna Parks statement on inclusivity.
While we’re a wedding magazine and trusted wedding planning resource, we’re also a family business. Weddings are about bringing families together, and that’s so much of what we do.
In 1986, Donna Parks founded this planning guide as Southern Bride and Groom. It was the first regional wedding magazine for North Carolina. Donna’s only daughter, Jenna Parks, grew up watching Donna in her labor of love. She admired how her mom worked to connect engaged couples with everything they needed. And she loved the local artists and entrepreneurs who are part of the event industry.
Jenna officially joined the business in 2010 to usher in a new chapter and bring even more support, resources and inspiration to NC couples. This mother-daughter team ran the business for the next decade. We grew along the way – from Raleigh and Durham, to the entire Triangle area and beyond to the Triad and nearby destination wedding cities across the state. We also came to believe our name must reflect the fact that we are here to represent everyone who is planning weddings here. That’s why in 2019, we relaunched with our new name, Heart of NC Weddings.
In 2020, Heart of NC Weddings began a new chapter. We became a part of Triangle Media Partners. There couldn’t have been a better marriage of businesses. (Yes, I’m going with the puns!) First of all, we were already friends – office neighbors and event partners. But more importantly, this company shares our longstanding values of being a community resource. Additionally, TMP embodies our values of inclusivity.
But even more fitting is that Triangle Media Partners is also a family business. It was founded by a husband-and-wife team, Dan Shannon and Ellen Shannon. Now there is a delightful team producing multiple city magazines, events and digital marketing. And we are thrilled to be a part of it!
You may have heard that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, we believe it takes a village to get married, too! Our magazine began as an idea to connect North Carolina couples with the best services and venues in our community. From the very beginning, we’ve wanted you to have the team you need to make your wedding dreams a reality.
Today we work together, along with our dedicated staff, to make Heart of NC Weddings better, more personal and more helpful to you in your wedding planning process. We’re here to bring the village to you, because that’s what family does.
Best,
Thank you again for visiting Heart of NC Weddings, the Triangle’s leading wedding planning publication for the past 35 years. We hope that from here, you’ll explore our magazine and website.
Each year, we feature dozens of real North Carolina weddings, styled shoots and planning tips. The extensive resource guide covers every details of planning a local wedding. You’ll meet the folks behind the top venues, the best wedding dress and suit shops, photographers, florists and more. We offer a curated collection of the top-tier, most reliable and talented vendors in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill wedding industry. We always feature a variety of styles, so no matter what you like, you’re sure to connect with one of our venues or vendors.
Our complimentary wedding magazine is available for free around town, or a digital magazine can be read online. All of the vendors you see on our Local Vendors Resource Guide are ones who we have gotten to know, who have great reputations and who we collaborate with on local projects. In other words, they are personal recommendations from our team.
The goal of Heart of NC Weddings is to provide all of the best resources in one location, to help guide the way to the big day! This has been the case since we began in 1986 as Southern Bride and Groom. Feel free to email us with any questions you have regarding any of the vendors on our site. We also love to receive real engagement and wedding feature submissions.
We wish you the best during your planning period, and stay in touch!
The Heart of NC Weddings team
Heart of NC Weddings is seeking editorial and digital interns who will gain experience executing social media strategy across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, creating video content and writing for web. Interns need to be proactive, organized and meticulous, and ideal interns would have experience with the wedding industry, WordPress and writing or editing for a student publication. If you’d like to apply for the internship, please email a resume, writing samples or links to IG reels or TikToks to renee.ambroso@trianglemediapartners.com with “Heart of NC Weddings internship” in the subject line.
Internships are in-person at our Chapel Hill office (with a fully vaccinated staff) where interns choose their days/hours and some hours/days can be remote.
Your NC Wedding Planning Website & Blog. The Best Wedding Vendors in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Hillsborough, and across the state of North Carolina.
1777 Fordham Blvd. Suite 105
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
(919) 933-1551
Special thanks to The Axtells: Wedding Photography + Films for the video on our home page.
