Haw River Ballroom wedding
Hurricane Ian threatened to disrupt the wedding of Rachel and Mike in late autumn of 2022, but they prevailed! Love wins, right? As their photographer, I was beyond thrilled for them. Have we not had enough of weather, pandemics, supply chain and other issues that keep true love apart!?
These two found each other via Bumble, and while they were hopeful, you never know. But sure enough, they fell in love, and after six years, decided it was time to make it official. No power outages were going to keep them apart. The good news? All’s well that ends well. The power came back on and even though all of their vendors were ready to push on “in the dark,” they didn’t have to. It was a gorgeous wedding for a deserving and wonderful couple!
The Venue
Rachel and Mike are huge live music fans, and after attending a show in the Ballroom, they started considering it for their big day. The southern industrial space is both old school and modern, exhibiting the charm of it being a former dye house, but with critical updates for large gatherings. Rachel embraced this intersection of vibes and banked the space with beautiful florals, and lots of antique details. The result was epic for their ceremony and the party that followed.
The Preparations
The couple and their parties got ready at the Rizzo Center in Chapel Hill and took time to relish all of the donning of their attire surrounded by friends, laughter, hugs and initially a bit of worry as the storm had taken out the power in the area. Once they realized that it was back on, they brought their own electricity to the day. It’s hard not to think that the heavens are on your side when the lights come back on. Everyone was thrilled.
A First Look with Dad
The Family & Family We Choose
The Ceremony
An Interfaith Celebration
The Details
Rachel: “The theme was completely inspired by our beautiful southern industrial venue. I went to some antique shops and got an old file cabinet for the escort cards, a vintage book to use as the guest book, and a cool old radio for extra decoration. I picked burgundies and plums for the bridesmaids dresses and flowers as I thought they’d look beautiful in the venue and we went heavy on the greenery. The result preserved the character of the Ballroom, just dressed it up a little! Lots of credit goes to the lighting engineer at the ballroom who used rich colors and the giant disco ball to great effect. It was magical!”
The Reception in the Ballroom
Since this was an interfaith wedding, “Hava Nagila” was an important element, and highlight, of the night. Many guests had never experienced the joy of this dance and the couple’s band learned to play the song. Everyone was on the dance floor and it was one of the most memorable and fun parts of the reception.
Mazel Tov!
Congratulations to Rachel and Mike on their perfect day! It was such a joy to be your photographer and to watching your wedding come together so well. Many happy returns!
Vendors
Venue: Haw River Ballroom
@hawriverballroom
Wedding Planner: Addie Thompson
Dogwood Gatherings & Events
Addie@dogwoodgatherings.com
Florist: Henry House, University florist
@selfrisingflower
Caterer: Saxapahaw General Store
@saxgenstore
Band: Strange Lady
@strangeladyband
