A Glamorous Black-Tie Wedding in Fayetteville, NC
If you’re planning for a New Year’s Eve Wedding – then I hope you’re as inspired by this glamourous wedding as I am. Oh – and hello there. It’s been a little while, but with a new name, new look, new year, I figured it was time for a new blog too. Welcome to our revamped and grown-up blog that (I, Stephanie, solemnly swear) we’ll add to as much as we can in 2022.
There were unbelievable weddings from 2021, moments and treasures I could easily take the rest of my life to share (it was that. good.) While we try to hit a few of our favorites, I want to kick this year off with a bang and showcase the best NYE wedding we’ve been to so far.
OUR COUPLE | MARY KATE + JOSEPH, MIDDLE SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS
Mary Kate and Joseph finally tied the knot, and it was a glamorous, New Year’s Eve wedding bash. The event was a black-tie reception hosted at Cape Fear Botanical Gardens, designed to perfection by Wilmington’s A. Noble Events & Design.
It’s not every day that you get to capture an evening wedding, but what’s most special about these two is that we saw middle-school sweethearts join their lives together. That’s rare. We see a lot of high school sweethearts, but middle school is truly a commitment and a bond that runs as deep as the love they have for each other.
TIPS FOR PROS: FORMAL PHOTOS AFTER SUNSET | HOW TO LIGHT AN EVENING WEDDING
Coming into this wedding, Charles and I knew that the tradition of seeing the bride down the aisle as the first look was one of the most important elements of this wedding day. The kicker? At least in the middle of Winter, that moment for this wedding came after sunset.
I always describe ourselves as a natural light wedding photography & videography team – but that doesn’t mean we don’t know how to light-up the night when we need to! Charles and I brainstormed in the weeks before their new year’s eve wedding.
1.) We knew we needed lights, so we ordered a few extra torpedo lights that are battery powered from our friends at B&H, literally who has more money from us than I care to admit – but for good reason. They ALWAYS have what we’re looking for.
2.) We also brainstormed about where we should take their photos. I knew because of the lighting and because of the size of their bridal party, the Chruch wasn’t going to be a great option, so we took them out front to the Kyle House, used 3 torpedo lights – one stage left at 50%, one stage right at 100%, and one in the center as wide as we could make it. The results – phenomenal. Better than I anticipated (see below!)
GETTING READY | Light & airy, classic & romantic, beautiful & traditional.
Just a few ways Charles and I would describe this day. From the Kyle House, where the girls were getting ready, to the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens for their reception… Every location was pretty much candyland for us as a photo + video team. You couldn’t take an ugly photo if you tried. Did I say this was the best New Year’s Eve Wedding we’ve ever been to? Because this was why.
The couple wedded at St. John’s Episcopal Church which was the childhood church of the Morgan family.
CLEAR TENT GLAM | A NEW YEAR’S EVE WEDDING MUST
Many things make a wedding reception special, but we drool over a glamorous clear tent set up. Alex and her team with A. Noble Events knocked it out of the park with the design. Along with the stunning florals by Designs by Dillon, these are the kind of event spaces you dream of capturing.
THAT NEW YEAR’S EVE WEDDING “FIRST KISS” OF 2022 FEELING
The magic happened once the sun went down. The massive Orangery Room at Cape Fear Botanical Gardens had plenty of space for everyone to enjoy dinner and cocktails.
But – if you want another must-have tip for your New Year’s Eve wedding, it’s to hire a live band. There’s nothing quite like live music to really get the party hopping. 100% helps it feel like a true NYE party at the end of the night!
To see more incredible weddings, check us out here!
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