Elizabeth and Phillip’s southern classic Walnut Hill wedding included elements of blues, golds, and pinks, truly making for a beautiful, early July North Carolina wedding.

We first met with Elizabeth and Phillip virtually as they were living in Georgia throughout their engagement. We instantly fell in love with their love story and were so excited to be a part of their special day. They booked us for our Event Management Package and we stepped in to help with all the final planning pieces three months prior to their big day!

Phillip is a Doctor in the Army and Elizabeth is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. They first met after matching on Hinge. (We LOVE a dating app success story!) Elizabeth was living in Atlanta at the time, so they could not meet for about a month after they first matched. They were hooked after their first date and continued dating long distance until Elizabeth made the move to Columbus to be with Phillip! According to Phillip, Elizabeth really put in the leg work to make their relationship work while he was in medical school and then in his residency program. The majority of their dating relationship was also during the pandemic, so they faced many challenges to get to where they are today. We could not get enough of their sweet banter throughout the process- you can see how big they smile at each other and the love in their eyes!

Elizabeth and Phillips' Walnut Hill wedding day started picture perfect. Walnut Hill is a stunning venue, offering gorgeous outdoor spaces, lakeside views, and unique ceremony & reception spaces. It was the perfect location to bring their Southern Classic vision to life. Walnut Hill has two different homes on the property for couples to utilize as they get ready. Elizabeth was getting ready with her girls in The Estate House, enjoying mimosas and blasting music. Phillip and his guys played foosball and got ready in the Hill house. Our Team got to work decorating and setting up.

Elizabeth and Phillip planned to host their ceremony in the open-air chapel with their reception taking place in the White barn. However, in true North Carolina fashion, the weather caused us to pivot plans forty-five minutes prior to the ceremony. As planners, we know the importance of having a rain plan, even if the weather is calling for sunshine and 80 degree weather. On Elizabeth and Phillip’s big day, we had our ceremony set up in the Open Air Chapel but were periodically checking the weather in case we needed to make any adjustments. An hour before the ceremony- we were in the clear for our beautiful Open Air Chapel ceremony and were getting prepared for guests to begin arriving! Without warning, the sky turned a dark gray and thunder and lightning appeared. We immediately received texts from our lovely mother of the bride, Susan, who works for WRAL weather. She was shocked and confirmed that this storm truly came out of nowhere! We were facing a torrential downpour, ruining any chances of having their ceremony in the chapel. Our rain plan was even ruined as rain was being blown sideways into the covered gazebo! Our team got to work brainstorming what we could do to ensure Elizabeth and Phillip still had the beautiful, classic wedding ceremony that they dreamed. Within a matter of minutes, we had a new plan in place! We worked diligently with our vendor team to create a beautiful ceremony space within the White Barn, which had already been set up for our reception. This unforeseen rainstorm showcased the importance of having a strong vendor team who works well together. As guests were arriving, our team was finishing up creating a ceremony space so we could get our beautiful couple down the aisle. Our team worked fast and furious, allowing our ceremony to begin with only a fifteen minute delay.

walnut hill wedding ceremony in the barn

Elizabeth and Phillip were truly joys to work with. They faced this hiccup in their day with such grace and elegance. They kept telling us that at the end of their day, they were getting married and that was all they cared about. Thankfully, after the ceremony, the rain went away and we were left with a gorgeous North Carolina evening. Elizabeth and Phillip were able to take post- ceremony photos in the Open Air Chapel with the stunning gold arbor that was supposed to be their altar backdrop. They even got to take some photos utilizing a clear umbrella and made the most of any lingering drizzles!

The rest of their evening was magical. Elizabeth and Phillip danced the night away under romantic candlelight with all their loved ones. Their evening ended with a surprise dance by Phillip and his groomsmen! Phillip is a die-hard Ohio State fan, while Elizabeth is a Chapel Hill fan. At the end of the dance, Phillip took his jacket off to display his party shirt with BOTH Ohio State and Chapel Hill sleeves. The crowd went wild! A rainstorm could not dampen the mood of this joyous celebration at Walnut Hill!