An Elegant Summer Wedding at The Carolina Inn in Orange County, North Carolina

Elizabeth Williams (26 and an ICU nurse) and Nathaniel Slater (27 and a medical student) were involved in the same campus ministry group at Princeton University. They were friends for years and reconnected at an annual reunion when Elizabeth mention that she was moving back to North Carolina for nursing school, where Nathaniel happened to live. The pair started dating and Nathaniel proposed the following year during a romantic winter picnic right before Christmas. In less than six months, Elizabeth and Nathaniel planned an intimate summer ceremony at The Church of the Good Shepherd followed by an elegant celebration at The Carolina Inn in Orange County, North Carolina. After their late morning nuptials, guests were welcomed to a lunch reception with a summery green, pink, white and yellow color palette. Elizabeth’s aunt, Lynn James, made all of the soft flower arrangements, bouquets and boutonnieres. "I showed her pictures of types of flowers that I liked, verbalized a vision and then let her take the reigns!" says Elizabeth. "Her creativity with the flowers was evident and we received complements all night!" The bride’s father helped finial their menu, complete with local ales from the Carolina Brewery and Nathaniel came up with a sweet idea to honor their grandparents during the reception. Instead of having a sweetheart table for the newlyweds, they dined at a round table with their grandparents from both sides. "One of Nathaniel’s grandmothers came up to me and with a joyful smile expressed how much she appreciated it," says Elizabeth. "It made her feel so special to sit with the newlyweds on our big day!"