Hello all,

Please welcome Cory and Charlie Chapman!  This was a really special couple to work with as they are my family!  Yay!!!  Cory is my first cousin.  So when he and Charlie decided to do a vow renewal and asked me plan it for them, I was all in!  They were married privately and never had the chance to celebrate their union with family and friends.  So, not only was this a renewal of their commitment and love for one another, it was also a chance to enjoy family and friends in their honor.  Over the course of the year of planning, their color scheme changed quite a bit, but ultimately, they settled on shades of purple with silver accents.  We all know, this made my heart skip a beat!  {I love purple!}  They also wanted a more modern venue.  Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center located in College Park, MD was the final selection.   Charlie turned out to be one of my most detail oriented brides. Lol! She was an Etsy fanatic.  As you will see below in the photos, she selected a lot of cool items to personalize their day.

Thank you Lance, with PhotoArt by Lu for these beautiful photographs that captured the love of this beautiful day.

Congratulations to Cory and Charlie!  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your fabulous day!

Wedding Team:

Photography: PhotoArt by Lu

Ceremony & Reception Location: Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center

Reception Decor: TreBella Events

Cake: Michelle’s Cakes

Caterer: Spilled Milk Catering

Bridal Brooch Bouquet: Bouquet by Natalie Klestov

Groom’s Suit: Hideoki Bespoke

Bride’s Dress: Maggie Sottero

DJ:  Uptown Sounds

Charlie wanted to carry her father’s memory close to her during her big day.  She had a photo of him added to her bouquet and also had a part of his military uniform stitched to the inside of her dress closest to her heart.

Charlie selected two pairs of shoes.  Heels for dress up and Converse for dancing!  Smart girl!  Her feet thanked her. :o)

Their two young daughters were super excited to get all dressed up and see mommy and daddy walk down the aisle!

Charlie’s mom and best friend traveled from North Carolina to be with her on her special day.
Cory’s best friend, Nick, flew in from Florida to stand beside him as his best man.  As you can see, they enjoyed the day from the start.

Cory and Charlie decided to do a “First Look” before the ceremony.  Not only did I love seeing the smile on the groom’s face…..

…but also the look of pure joy on their girls’ faces.  My heart melted!

We designed a really cool tiered table display to capture all the elements that Charlie wanted to welcome her guests:  a photo of Cory, Charlie, and their girls, a nice floral display with the Social Media sign, and the guest sign in states.

Charlie loved the idea of guests signing two states, MD and NC to represent where they grew up.  This was such a fun idea – Etsy!

On to the ceremony! Cory and Charlie wanted to honor each of their father’s memory during the ceremony.  So, the girls walked down the aisle with photos of their grandfathers and placed them on a chair in the front row with a flower.  This was super sweet.

Charlie’s brothers escorted her down the aisle.

Vow renewal complete! This photo will be a treasure for years to come.  It was so special to have the girls stand in as their flower girls.

Such a happy family!

On to the Cocktails inside the grand hallway and dinner inside the ballroom.

The rest of the evening was dedicated to love, laughter, and plenty of dancing.

 

These two party animals belong to me.  My daughter and son enjoyed dancing with the rest of the family.  Although, my son seemed very serious on the dance floor!  :o)

We were surprised by a special performance by Charlie and her fellow cheerleader sisters from Winston-Salem State University!  Go Rams!  The girls still have their moves.

Michelle’s Cakes designed a beautiful and tasty cake and variety of cupcakes for dessert.

Guests were sent home with a fresh snack from Krispy Kreme.  Needless to say, there smiles for a mile and squeals of joy as they left for the evening.

 

PhotoArt by Lu took really striking photos of the couple outside the venue as well.  Here are a few of my favorites!

 

 

 

XOXOXO!!!