Ashley Stephenson and Will Privette’s Rose Hill Estate Wedding
Before we can begin to talk about Ashley Stephenson and Will Privette’s Rose Hill Estate wedding, we have to talk about their epic love story first.
Ashley and Will’s love story started with random acts of kindness. On Jan. 12, 2013, N.C. State’s men’s basketball team upset No. 1 ranked Duke at PNC Arena. After the game, students rushed the court. Within the chaos of celebration, one student (Will) was knocked out of his wheelchair. While trying to recover his fallen glasses, wallet and phone, N.C. State forward C.J. Leslie noticed Will. C.J. picked Will up and cheered with him until his wheelchair was returned.
A few days after the game, Ashley sent the new local celeb a friend request on Facebook. Will accepted, and a week or so later offered to bring Ashley soup after reading in a post that she was sick. She accepted, they hit it off and they had a second date within the week. Keep scrolling to read about Will’s romantic Christmas-inspired marriage proposal!
Deck the Halls with Engagement Rings!
On Nov. 30, 2018, Will asked Ashley to marry him while they were decorating a Christmas tree. With “White Christmas” playing in the background, Will pulled out a gold ornament. He asked Ashley if she had ever seen that ornament before, and she said no. Will explained that the ornament was special because it had a story and “that story starts now”.
Will got down on one knee, opened the gold ornament, and presented Ashley with an engagement ring – the engagement ring from Ashley’s late mother, Laura.
Ashley’s engagement ring is custom-made with three stones. The three stones represent the couple’s past, present and future. Later, on Christmas Eve, Will surprised Ashley again with a bar necklace made from diamonds in her mother’s wedding band. Ashley said yes, and they spent the rest of the holidays celebrating their engagement with friends and family.
Rose Hill Estate Wedding Venue
In fewer than three weeks, Ashley and Will toured nine different wedding venues before selecting Rose Hill Estate.
“As soon as we made the drive down the long winding path through the trees to get to the house we already knew it was the perfect location for us,” Ashley says. “We were blown away by the Manor House and how elegant and perfect it was (any time of year), but especially with how beautifully it was decorated at Christmas when we were visiting it.”
When Ashley and Will first visited the venue, they walked inside the duck room and felt the presence of Will’s late father, Avon, who loved to duck hunt. They also felt the presence of Ashley’s late mother, Laura, who loved to decorate for Christmas.
The bride and groom envisioned their wedding day: getting ready in the Manor House, taking wedding portraits by the gazebo, and hosting a dinner reception in Nathan Hall. They knew the countryside venue could accommodate their large wedding guest count and provide the Southern style they desired for a Christmas-themed wedding.
Christmas Wedding Captured by Richard Barlow Photography
Ashley and Will’s love of N.C. State red and the holiday season made for a perfect Christmas themed wedding. And who better to capture the day than Raleigh wedding photographer, Richard Barlow Photography?
Richard took engagement photos and wedding day photos for the college sweethearts. With his photos, Will and Ashley will always remember the magic of their Christmas wedding.
The Bride’s Advice
“My advice to any engaged couple planning your own wedding is to not plan your own wedding by yourself – hire a coordinator! With my type-A personality and love of spreadsheets, I thought for sure I could manage it by myself and wrangle everyone and everything together perfectly, but our wedding would have been a nightmare without the assistance of Chad Biggs Events Planning and their Senior Planner, Janna Brown. Janna had a checklist that was a lifesaver, and meeting with her each time made us feel so much better. She was so helpful in working with other vendors, developing our timeline, and all the day-of things that we really needed her for and I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Coordinators might be expensive and what some feel is an unnecessary expense, but you will not regret having one because our wedding day was perfect thanks to Janna and Chad Biggs!” – Ashley Privette
Rose Hill Estate looks beautiful in every season. Click here to view a summer wedding at Rose Hill.
