Back in January, I met with Annette and her mom, Laurie, and they hired us to help plan all the details of Annette and Joel’s September wedding. At the time, we did not have a venue picked out but Annette knew she wanted it in her hometown of Clinton, North Carolina. We took a day and visited a few options for possible venues but we quickly realized that there was only one venue that could hold the 300 guests they were expecting for the event and that venue was the Sampson County Agri Expo Center. I have to be honest, the first time I saw the venue I was EXCITED at the idea of being able to take a concrete box and transform it into a beautiful space for a wedding reception. Here’s a before shot of the space taken as we left that afternoon after we decided on the venue:
The before...
Once we booked the venue, we got to work on planning and designing Annette and Joel’s wedding. We booked some fabulous vendors (from the Triangle area) that helped make the day extraordinary and one that the folks of Sampson County will never forget. As we got closer to the wedding date, Annette and Joel’s guest list continued to increase and by the time invitations went out, their total invited guest list was close to 700! As the RSVPs came in, we realized we were now looking at a 500 person wedding instead of a 300 person wedding. That’s a LOT of food, linens, and flowers! There were several vendors I would like to thank for their hard work on this event so please check out the vendor listing at the bottom of this post. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite images of the day captured by James and Meridith of Walters & Walters Photography:
Beautiful invitations by Maria Scheel Invitations!
The Watered Garden of Raleigh did a great job with all of the floral arrangements. This is a pretty shot of Annette's bouquet.
Annette and her dad walking down the aisle
They're married!
Room shot as we finished the final touches on the space before the wedding began..
Love these barbacks!
Candy Buffet by Cinda's Creative Cakes
Another room shot... seating for 500!
Elegant Cake by Swank Cake Design!
The First Dance
Another shot of the bar... check out the huge floral arrangement!
Gourmet Coffee Station by Rocky Top Catering
One of my favorite bands, The Maxx, knocked this wedding out of the park! The guests LOVED them!
Guests were offered a late night snack of Short Rib and Sweet Potato Tartlets (pictured above) and Mini Pear and Brie Pizzas. Mmm!
The Southern Soiree gals loved a good photobooth picture!
Annette and Joel's Sparkler Exit.. love the classic car!
One last image... it's one of my favorites! Beautiful wedding and a great couple!
Thank you to the Chancy Family for letting me be a part of Annette and Joel’s special day. Also, a HUGE thanks to these vendors for all their hard work on this big event:
Reception: Sampson Country Agri-Expo Center
Caterer: Rocky Top Catering
Cake: Swank Cake Design
Photographer: Walters & Walters
Band: The Maxx
Florist: Watered Garden
Linens/ Rentals- CE Rentals
Hair and Makeup: Makeup For Your Day
Ceremony Music: Arioso Strings
Lounge Furniture: American Furniture Rentals
Videographer: Heart Stone Films
Lighting: Showtime Events
Draping: Party Reflections
Photobooth: Shutterbooth
Candy Buffet: Cinda’s Creative Cakes
We LOVED being part of this great event and working with Megan and the entire A Southern Soiree team. Thank you again for including us in your amazing event.
James – Showtime Events
Wow! This wedding looked absolutely incredible! Way to go Southern Soiree and all of the vendors that made it happen. Congratulations to the lovely Bride & Groom!
Megan thank you for everything you did to make our wedding truly amazing. You and all of the Southern Soiree staff went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. All the vendors did a wonderful job!!!!!