Not so long ago, if you asked Anne where she would be today, she would have talked about the little town of Saxapahaw and how it just felt like home. She would have told you that while she had a lovely job, she dreamed of making artisan cheese. It just goes to show that you never know what wonderful and surprising things the future has in store for you. She would never have guessed that a serendipitous trip to Seattle would change everything. She would fall head over heels for a west coast guy with just the right blend of smart, sweet, handsome and slightly geeky with a sense of humor. She would find a town in the pacific northwest where she was welcomed in and again it felt like home. She would learn of a small dairy farm just down the road that wants to make cheese but needs someone to help take on the project.
It was a gorgeous blue sky day as the gravel crunched under their car at the Inn at Bingham School. An excited, nervous and glowing bride was taking a last symbolic journey. One last coming together for a relationship that started on different coasts. They have gathered their friends and family together in the place where liking blossomed into loving and hope into knowing. They will celebrate it with love and laughter. With vows before friends. With holding of hands and with precious metals. With flowers and vegetables and CHEESE!!!, nurtured and grown just for this celebration. They will dance the polka and stab a croquembouche for a luck. And when it is all over, they will walk side by side on a starry Carolina night knowing that wherever they are, they have found home.
Anne’s amazing feather wedding heels
The bride’s very own Cherry Valley Dairy’s Dairy Reserve Cheese, with Chapel Hill Creamery goodness in the background.
Family style dinner made with fresh and local ingredients by the Saxapahaw Catering Company
“Giant Croquembouche!!!” Wedding Cake from Saxapahaw Bakehouse
Celebrating the bride’s heritage with some lively polka dancing :)
DJ Steph Russ closes out the night with music and dancing
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One of the amazing things about this wedding were the number of talented friends who came together to make a really special day for Anne & Andrew. Anne used to live in the tight knit community of Saxapahaw NC. When Anne & Andrew chose to host their wedding here, it mean that many, if not most, of the vendors are also dear friends and wedding guests. So much love and thoughtfulness went into every step and you could feel. Anne’s bridesmaid Liz, for example, is a farmer and grew flowers and veggies for the wedding feast. The local honey favors came from a cousin’s hives. And the list goes on.
Here are a few of the lovely people who helped make this such a wonderful event:
Venue: Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC
Caterer: Saxapahaw Catering Company
Cake: Saxapahaw Bakehouse
DJ: Steph Russ
Officiant: Rev Gerald Donnelly
Bridal Party Accommodations: Inn at Bingham School
Bride’s Feather Shoes + Feather Boutonnieres: The Headband Shoppe on Etsy
Floral Design: Marielle Hare with Elizabeth Clore
Cheese: Chapel Hill Creamery & Cherry Valley Dairy (made by the bride, woot!)
Photographer: Luck Photography