Shelly & Todd’s Raleigh Rose Garden Wedding was on Memorial Day Weekend in Raleigh, NC. Tucked amongst the endless rows of roses, 170 of Shelly & Todd’s closest friends & family came together to witness a beautiful spring wedding ceremony. In order to maintain an intimate, community-filled event, they handpicked and chose their venues and vendors based on close friends recommendations and locations where they enjoy volunteering and spending their time. I’ve known Shelly since before I can remember, we both have twin siblings, and our mothers used to bring us to a “twins club” growing up. From there, we ended up being classmates all throughout middle & high-school. So it was great to see some old faces I haven’t seen in over 20 years! During the ceremony, they had a special rose ceremony, where 3 roses were presented and individually placed in a vase by both Shelly and Todd as well as Todd’s daughter, Harper. Symbolizing the joining of their official new, blended family. After the ceremony we took a large group photo of all attendees, as well as group portraits of friend groups & family before walking a bit of the gardens for some couples portraits. We then hopped on the trolley, with a few spots in mind for more portraits. Both being NCSU graduates, the Bell Tower was our first stop followed by the Boylan St Bridge, with expansive views of downtown Raleigh. Our final stop was their reception space for the evening, Whiskey Kitchen. Located in Nash Square on the outskirts of Downtown Raleigh, Whiskey Kitchen is a hip venue featuring inventive Southern fare and of course, a never-ending selection of whiskey. With both indoor and outdoor space, there was ample space to fit all their guests and the food was top notch. Their introduction was followed by their first dance, parent dances and a special choreographed mash-up by Todd’s daughter. Before the dance party kicked off, a heartwarming speech was made by Shelly’s father along with a welcome speech from the bride & groom and the cake cutting. From there it was all dancing, they even added on a extra half hour to keep the party going as long as possible. The couple was sent away in style with a bubble exit under the string lights of the outdoor patio, surely reminiscing on their perfect day on the walk to their honeymoon suite! Check out the vendors at the bottom!

VENDORS:
Ceremony Venue – Raleigh Rose Garden
Reception Venue – Whiskey Kitchen
Coordinator – Friend
Photographer – Chris Zachary
Catering – Whiskey Kitchen
Officiant – Reverend Jim Everette
Florist – Jen Autumn (Blackwell)
Entertainment – Bunn DJ Company – Stuart Lamb