This Fall Wedding Mixed Natural Opulence With Southern Charm

This romantic golden hour ceremony had traditional southern charm & modern minimalist elements that created a modern fairy tale fall wedding.

Cheerfully announcing the bride and groom’s arrival, the sound of nature’s choir echoed as birds’ sweet and joyful songs ushered the bride and groom down the aisle at their romantic, southern-inspired fall wedding in North Carolina.

Silent yet majestic sentinels trees welcomed Ana’s walk down the aisle to chords of “The Swan” by Saint-Saen. The ceremony, which was held at the intimate, open air Birdsong chapel allowed the autumn foliage surrounding the venue to peak through giving guests glimpses of nature’s beauty. Seeded Events and Design created a dreamy floral narrative that saw fresh displays of blossoms exquisitely placed to echo the romance of nature throughout the chapel and reception.

Mike and Adriana’s vision of romantic autumnal opulence mixed with nods to their heritage had guests enjoying festive fall cocktails, Southern barbecue, and some delicious late-night Jamaican food to carry guests home after an amazing day celebrating the newly married couple.

Snapshots from Adriana and Mike’s romantic fall wedding are waiting for you below!

Couple: Adriana & Michael
Wedding date: October 22, 2022
Wedding location: Goldsboro, North Carolina

Quick Facts:

Groomsmen’s gifts: Plots of land in Scotland. Mike’s groomsmen are all technically “Lords.”
Bridesmaid’s gifts: Pretty Little Thing oversized nude PJs, custom hanger, Summer Friday lip balm, Mejuri gift card.
Gifts for one another: Mike gave Adriana Dior Tribales earrings and Adriana gifted Mike a rose gold Salvatore Ferragamo watch.
Ceremony entrance songs: “The Swan” by Saint Saens | “Yebba’s Heartbreak” by Yebba
First dance song: “These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding

This article has been lightly edited for clarity.

How we met…

We attended rival universities. I was an AKA (member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.) at Duke University and Mike was an Alpha (member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). We met at a Greek house party hosted by Mike during our junior year in college and I was impressed by Mike’s DJ and playlist curation skills.

Popping the question…

Michael proposed on April 21, 2021 after bungee jumping off the Navajo Bridge in Arizona on a starry night under the full moon. Michael had secretly hired a photographer who pretended to be shooting the entire group. When Mike decided to bungee-jump first, Adriana felt her heart sink to her bottom. It was really happening. Before Mike jumped, he screamed out to his future bride, “Will You Marry Me?” Similarity to the famous episode in Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Contrary to the show, Mike was able to get down on one knee to ask his bride once more after jumping almost 400 feet.

Wedding style…

Mike rented his tux from The Black Tux and wanted to make sure to do a mix of a white vest and jacket paired with black pants. After trading in two styles of shoes, Mike decided on the Church’s + OffWhite collab shoe to commemorate the special day.

Adriana: I wanted my wedding dress to evoke timelessness and minimal modernism and I chose the Eva Lendel, Jess dress. I always knew that I wanted my reception dress to be a bit sexier and show-shopping but didn’t find any luck until three DAYS before the wedding. After stopping by a family friend’s dress boutique, I found the Jovani gown I wore during the reception right off the rack.

First touch…

Our day our way…

It was important for us to showcase how our separate cultures and bring our backgrounds together. The ceremony included an all-black string quartet that played Saint-Saens, The Swan ”Le Cygne” as the bride walked down the aisle. We infused a bit of a non-traditional southern menu complete with Chopped NC Barbeque Chicken and Eastern NC Applewood Smoked Pulled Pork. And, if dinner wasn’t enough, as a treat, I infused my Jamaican roots with a Jerk Food truck complete with oxtail, rice and peas, beef, chicken, veggie patties, rum cake and more.

Our memories…

The best memory from the wedding, hands down, was our last dance. As the day came to a close and our guests were lining up for our send-off, there was nothing more magical than ending the wedding day in an empty venue, laughing, and swaying with each other to “Cheek to Cheek” by Louis Armstrong.