Wild Romance

By Hannah Lee

ou know the mantra: location, location, location. Just steps away from Raleigh’s Five Points, Person Street and Mordecai neighborhoods, Whitaker & Atlantic takes industrial chic to a new level with mile-high ceilings and exposed pipes too pretty to hide. Owner Coleen Speaks opened the event space in fall 2017 after watching the energy surrounding the area unfold for some time (there are three breweries and several bars within walking distance to keep the party going). 

Heart of NC Weddings Vendors Venue Whitaker & Atlantic / Photographer Fancy This Photography / Dress Vow’d Weddings / Hair & Makeup Pinup Studio Formalwear Bernard’s Formalwear / Caterer PoshNosh Catering / Stationery Taylored Script Co. / Florals Sweet Love Blossoms / Rentals CE Rental Cake & Desserts Sugar Euphoria / Entertainment ZimZoom Photo Booth / DJ Stylus S.E.

The couple photographed in this editorial, Hannah Lee and Brendan Marks, wore two looks: a tulle dress from Vow’d Weddings and a black tuxedo from Bernard’s Formalwear.

“I wanted to create a wedding day design that mixed both the romantic and luxe with the industrial modern,” says Heart of NC Weddings Editorial Shoot Director Becca Taylor.

This styled shoot, designed by Heart of NC Weddings Editorial Shoot Director Becca Taylor, romanticizes the 3,500-square-foot indoor room and its adjoining three-season porch with velvety textiles, sexy suede linens and the emergence of spring’s most delicate floral varieties. The butter yellow, dewy gray and eggshell tones that grace these thoughtful design details elicit a delicate theme that’s trending this season. Complementing the soft, poetic

mood, Justine De Angelo of Sweet Love Blossoms created fresh, tender blooms and bouquets that spill over every frame. This cheerful story was captured by Fancy This Photography’s Nikki Whitt Blech, and we are wholeheartedly moved.

“I wanted to create a wedding day design that mixed both the romantic and luxe with the industrial modern,” Becca says. “To pull in the romantic and luxe nods, I selected more neutral colors in our floral and linen designs. To pull in the modern and industrial vibes, I used matte textures in our linens … [and] emerald green velvet napkins to allude to a more formal look.” 

Brendan Marks and Hannah Lee pose together in a ZimZoom Photo Booth. The pair got engaged in August 2021, less than two months after this styled shoot took place.

A wedding can be planned in any number of ways, but it’s this seemingly simple act of gathering – in its many meaningful forms – that makes a story come to life. The couple photographed in this editorial, myself and Brendan Marks, wore two looks (we’re poring over these classic vintage styles): an embellished and embroidered short-sleeved tulle dress from Vow’d Weddings (Raleigh’s newest wedding dress shop!) and a black tuxedo from Bernard’s Formalwear as well as a ballgown dress with a deep plunging V-neckline and a white tuxedo with black full satin shawl lapel. Pinup Studio’s Adena Stowe chose a smoky bronzed eye with nude lipstick and a boho messy updo – an ideal look for any dress, really.

LEFT Savory appetizers by PoshNosh Catering.

BELOW LEFT Fine china, flatware, glassware and a hunter green napkin from CE Rental and a dinner menu by Taylored Script Co.

BELOW RIGHT A warm marble wedding cake by Sugar Euphoria.

Heart of NC Weddings Editorial Shoot Director Becca Taylor repurposed a ceremony arch by Sweet Love Blossoms and calligraphy banner by Taylored Script Co. as decorations for a Stylus S.E. DJ booth.

Sweet Love Blossoms artfully adorned a copper wedding arch with creamy-colored floral varieties, which transformed the historical warehouse into an old-world garden escape – highlighting the chameleon character of this charming, unique space. The head table was dressed in tuscany dawn blue linens and then decorated with flatware, glassware and dishware from CE Rental before finishing the tablescape with embossed menus, calligraphy place cards and an elegant banner (with lyrics from Taylor Swift’s “Invisible String,”) by

Taylor Siler of Taylored Script Co.

Seeing the day unfold with effortless elegance and every corner flanked with breathtaking installations gave me and Brendan plenty of ideas to plan our own local wedding. Of course, the end-of-day photo-ops with ZimZoom Photo Booth and dancing with

DJ Spencer McAvoy of Stylus S.E. definitely raised the bar on expectations for our big day.