Mallory+Ryan // Duke Chapel Wedding

Mallory and Ryan’s wonderful winter wedding closes out our 2016 wedding season! We couldn’t have ended the year with a better couple. Super sweet and wonderful people, they wished every kid on campus good luck with their finals as they walked by during their pictures and thanked us for our patience several times during the day even though there was literally nothing to be patient with because they were so fantastic and cooperative. So we lucked out for last wedding of the year! We also lucked out with the weather. It had been 30 degrees for a couple days prior to this, and the forecast was predicting rain. It did not rain (yay!) and it was in the 60s! Actually, no, it was supposed to be in the 60s but it had to have been colder than that. But the point is that it wasn’t as cold as 30, and we weren’t wet.

This beautiful wedding was held at Duke Chapel and Bay 7 and it was all so, so pretty. Mallory wore a stole that belongs to one of her mother’s friends, and the bridesmaids wore the best shade of green. Their bouquets all had pine in them and so everyone smelled like a Christmas tree. Bay 7 had put up all the lights around campus, and everything was absolutely dreamy. I hear there were animatronic elves displayed somewhere in the hotel where Mallory got ready, but unfortunately we missed those (or fortunately, depending on your opinion of animatronic elves). But there were Santa hats and reindeer ears passed out at the reception, and Geoff delightfully bit off the head of a gingerbread man there as well. This wedding got everyone in the spirit and was just lovely. Thank you, Mallory and Ryan, for sending 2016 off in styyyyle.

  • Date: December 17, 2016
  • Ceremony Venue: Duke Chapel // Durham, NC
  • Reception Venue: Bay 7 // Durham, NC
  • First Dance Song: “How Sweet It Is” – Performed by Affirmative Groove
  • Mallory’s Occupation: International Programs Coordinator at NC State
  • Ryan’s Occupation: Assistant Director of the Duke Parent’s Program
  • How You Met: Ryan and Mallory met a little over 3 years ago after Mallory moved to Minnesota to work at a small liberal arts college. One of their mutual friends introduced them at a young professionals happy hour that the college hosted, and things took off from there!
  • Interesting Fact: Our first date included sushi and a baseball game, and those continue to be two of our favorite things.
  • Honeymoon: German Christmas Markets & Madeira, Portugal.
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant – Rev. Bruce Puckett. Band – Affirmative Groove. Florist – Lyn Graves of Fresh Affairs. Cake – Cinda’s Creative Cakes. Caterer – Angus Barn. Hair – Caroline of Careaux Cartier On Location Wedding|Event Hair & Makeup. Videographer – Jaired Sullivan and Jesse Ashe of Carolina Story Film Co. Coordinator – Karen M. Stone Wedding Consultant and Director, and Jeane Batten. Duke Chapel Director – Blanche Williams. Bay 7 Director – Angel Nicholas.

Eun+Matt Get Married at Duke Chapel Oppa Gangnam Style

This wedding had two ceremonies: one traditional American ceremony at Duke Chapel and the other a traditional Korean Paebeak ceremony at the Chapel Hill Country Club. Then the reception was bookended by Oppa Gangnam Style (that’s right, they played it twice) and small Korean children dancing in sunglasses. It was pretty amazing.

Eun and Matt are incredibly sweet, mild mannered, all around good people. And super smart. I think Geoff and myself were two of the only guests at the wedding without a doctorate in some sort of advanced medicine (well, maybe us and the small children). They, strangely enough, live about 5 minutes down the road and frequently walk their dogs around our house! Small world. Eun is amaaaazingly gorgeous (as were her two lovely and very helpful sisters) and Matt is the traditional James-Dean-style handsome only without a cowboy hat and cigarettes. Their wedding was held on one of the most gorgeous October days in the south and we enjoyed hanging out with them thoroughly!

Assuming they survived their honeymoon to Costa Rica without any near death incidents like we had, we wish them all the best in the world and for them to come visit us during their dog walking. :)

 Date: October 13, 2013

First Song: “Somewhere Out There” – Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram

Eun’s Occupation: Radiology resident

Matt’s Occupation: Radiology resident

How You Met: Gross anatomy lab in medical school

Interesting Bride Fact: Was a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in college

Interesting Groom Fact: Once at 100 deviled eggs on a bet and then ate 100 more just for fun

Honeymoon Destination: Costa Rica

Ceremony Location: Duke Chapel // Durham, NC

Reception and Korean Ceremony Location: Chapel Hill Country Club // Chapel Hill, NC

Officiant: Rev. Meghan Feldmeyer

DJ: Joe Bunn DJ Company // Kent Bloms

Florist: Whole Foods

Caterer: Chapel Hill Country Club

Hair/Makeup: Aveda Institute