This adorable couple will be getting married next June in beautiful historic town of New Bern! Mary Hannah and Chris will be saying “I Do” at Christ Church in downtown New Bern, surrounded by dreamy hanging spanish moss. After the ceremony, they will head on over to Tryon Palace to eat, drink, and dance the night away! We cannot wait to see this wedding come together!
We asked Mary Hannah and Chris a few questions about their relationship and the wedding plans – see what they had to say below!
Love these images from their engagement session with Anna Routh Photography 🙂
How did the two of you meet?
Chris and I met my freshman (his sophomore) year NC State at a fraternity party he was hosting at his house. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was immediately attracted to his witty sense of humor and sarcasm but he was seeing a good friend of mine at the time so I knew he was off limits. Chris and I were best friends all throughout college (despite his best efforts of asking me out at least a couple times a year) and we actually didn’t start dating until a year after we graduated. I knew I liked him all along – he was (is!) handsome, attentive, mature and extremely driven (even in college!) but I had to let him get those party-boy ways out of his system before I would agree to go out with him. 😉 After spending an incredible summer going on dates and taking back and forth trips to the beach (where he was living at the time), we finally made it official in August of 2011 and have been together ever since.
How did Chris propose?
Chris proposed on Friday December 18th, 2015 in front of our sweet little Christmas tree in our living room. We had plans to go to the mountains that weekend with some of our friends so I took a half day from work on Friday the 18th to go home and pack. I finished packing with plenty of time left before Chris was supposed to get home (or so I thought) so I decided to paint my nails. Just as I was finishing up the top coat, Chris walked in and asked if I had seen the ornament he had bought for me on his work trip. I looked all over the Christmas tree for a new ornament while Chris was messing around in the kitchen (with what I found out later was the GoPro to film the proposal). When I couldn’t find it, and couldn’t dig around because my nails were wet, Chris mentioned where it was and I pulled it out of the tree. Sometimes my ADD gets the best of me so as I looked right down at the beautiful sterling silver heart shaped ornament, I somehow failed to realize that my new monogram was engraved on the outside. I simply thanked Chris telling him it was beautiful and as I was about to put it back on the tree, I noticed how quiet Chris had gotten (as he was now standing behind me as I looked at the ornament.) I turned around to see why he wasn’t answering and as soon as I turned to face him, he was down on one knee. Had it all gone according to his carefully thought out plan, I would have had dry nails, seen and picked up the ornament, noticed it was engraved with my new monogram and that it was actually a locket, opened the locket and seen “WILL YOU MARRY ME” written inside the locket. Despite it not going according to plan, I clearly was completely surprised and to me, it couldn’t have been more perfect. It definitely makes for a humorous story (especially if you see the video!) and I will cherish that sweet memory for the rest of my life.
So far, what aspect of planning the wedding has been the most enjoyable?
I’m in Marketing and am also a Graphic Designer so I think my favorite part of planning so far has been bringing our theme and this overall experience to life through designing various pieces of the wedding, i.e. the website, save the dates, decor, etc. I also loved wedding dress shopping with my mom. Shopping for my dress has been something we’ve talked about and thought about for such a long time and the experience was nothing short of perfect – such a special and memorable day.
Do you have any advice for recently engaged brides to help them stay stress-free throughout the planning process?
My advice for recently engaged brides is to slow down and enjoy the moment and also to listen to other people’s opinions but remember it’s your day and your wedding so go with your gut. As soon as you get engaged, people are very quick to offer up their opinions and sometimes it’s hard to say no to family or friends. Remember who this day is for, what this day is all about and remember the things that are most important to you and your fiance. Hiring a fabulous wedding planner (in our case, Gina – thank goodness for you girl) helps too! She’s not afraid to be the mediator when situations get tricky or overwhelming. 😉
What are you most excited about for the day of the wedding?
As corny as it sounds, I can’t wait to marry my best friend and to start our lives together. I can’t wait to be surrounded by our closest friends and all of our family as I walk down the aisle and we say “I do” and I can’t wait for the experience of the wedding weekend as a whole. There’s something euphoric about being in a wedding and all of the activities throughout the weekend. If my heart is that full being a part of friends’ weddings, I can’t imagine the feeling I’ll have on my own wedding day.
What are three words to describe the feel of your upcoming wedding?
Southern, Classic, Ethereal
What made you decide to hire a planner?
Since Chris and I live in Raleigh, NC and our wedding is going to be in New Bern, NC, we felt like hiring a wedding planner would make managing all of the pieces and parts of the planning process a lot easier. Originally, we thought about hiring a planner out of New Bern but Gina and Southern Soiree came highly recommended. Once we had our initial meeting with Megan and Gina, we were hooked! Gina has been such a pleasure to work with and has made this overall process so much easier and so much less overwhelming.
