Magnolia Collective Planned This Intimate Wedding at The Barn of Chapel Hill
After planning three wedding dates – two of which had to be canceled due to the pandemic – Kathryn and Adam were elated to celebrate their marriage with a small group of family and friends during a spring wedding at The Barn of Chapel Hill at Wild Flora Farm.
A Carolina Love Story
The two met while Kathryn was attending pharmacy school at UNC and Adam worked for the university. During their first date in 2016, Adam accompanied Kathryn while she ran up and down the steps in UNC’s Kenan Stadium. Kathryn, an avid runner, outlasted Adam, but found that she still enjoyed his company. Their relationship blossomed, and six years later, Adam chose an engagement ring for Kathryn and hid it inside a Christmas ornament that said “Marry me.” They got engaged the Sunday before Thanksgiving in 2018.
Wedding Planning with Raleigh’s Magnolia Collective
For Adam and Kathryn, the choice of a barn venue close to home became obvious once their second wedding date was postponed. They booked The Barn of Chapel Hill for their Carolina-themed event. After interviewing two wedding planners, they chose experienced wedding planners Magnolia Collective, one of the top wedding planners in the Raleigh and Triangle area. The couple felt Magnolia Collective’s team was the right fit because they intuitively understood Kathryn and Adam’s needs.
“[Magnolia Collective] were great in the planning process, rolled with punches (and jokes) and they felt like family at the end,” Adam says. “I think they had as much fun at the wedding as our guests!”
With the help of Magnolia Collective, Kathryn and Adam centered their celebration on where their love story began – Carolina. They chose Tar Heel blue paired with soft cream, pink and orange shades and entered their reception to the classic UNC Men’s Basketball song, “Jump Around.”
On-Site Floral Design at The Barn of Chapel Hill at Wild Flora Farm
The original wedding date that Kathryn and Adam chose in April of 2020 wasn’t meant to be. The Magnolia Collective team helped them cope with changes and reschedule their wedding. On-site floral design offered by The Barn of Chapel Hill made their planning process even more streamlined.
The Barn of Chapel Hill’s on-site floral design team uses flowers that are grown at the venue, from Wild Flora Farm. From bouquets to elaborate floral installations, ceremony decorations, and garden-like arrangements, this team can really do it all. For Kathryn and Adam’s spring ceremony, Wild Flora Farm design a soft, romantic ceremony arch plus centerpieces with hints of bright blue amid peachy blooms.
“The Barn of Chapel Hill did such a great job with the flowers and arrangements,” Adam says. “The fact it was part of the venue made life so much easier and we love that they grow their own flowers and do everything in-house.”
All in the Details
Their special day included personal touches like pizza from mobile pizza oven Carolina Crust (a favorite food of the couple) and ice cream (Kathryn’s favorite dessert) from Two Roosters Ice Cream. The couple’s dogs names were embroidered inside Adam’s suit jacket. He also carried pictures of his mom, grandparents and uncle, who have passed.
Kathryn changed into an embroidered, embellished boho gown from Raleigh’s Vow’d Weddings during the reception. This flowing floral gown echoed the soft theme of the wedding’s design and floral arrangements.
The day was captured by Karen Norian, the photographer they had originally booked for their 2020 date. “She captured some great moments, had a lot of fun and integrated so well with the family and vendors,” Adam says. “So many shots we have no idea how she captured. She was like a photographic ninja.”
As the couple and their guests danced the night away to music from All Around Raleigh DJ, they savored finally celebrating with loved ones after such a long wait. Kathryn danced with Adam’s dad, a close friend gave a toast to the song “Under the Sea” from “The Little Mermaid,” and Adam surprised Kathryn with a song about their relationship. The DJ even caught and threw back Kathryn’s bouquet after a failed toss – which ended up viral on TikTok.
Adam sums up their spring wedding at The Barn of Chapel Hill by adding, “It was simple, down to earth with a touch of bougie/basic (like us).”
Words of Advice
“This is your day – not your family’s. Do what makes you happy. Keep it small,” Adam advises. “Our wedding was like we were surrounded by our closest people and thus so much more fun.”
The couple live in Durham and both work at the UNC School of Pharmacy.
