Wedding at Wrightsville Manor | Black and White Classic

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Leah and Justin’s classy wedding at Wrightsville Manor. This stunning couple and this beautiful North Carolina wedding venue mixed with their black-tie dress code made for the most BEAUTIFUL fall wedding day. This blog is meant to give you an idea of how your wedding day can look to go smoothly while still making the wedding day your own.

The Wedding Venue: Wrightsville Manor

First, let’s start with the wedding venue, the Wrightsville Manor. This stunning classy wedding venue has such a unique modern yet historic twist on it. It’s an indoor/outdoor wedding venue with plenty of privacy throughout their property. There’s 2 getting ready rooms available to use, the open indoor area, the front lawn, and a side yard area. Rentals are included within the rate as well – a sweetheart table, tables that can be used for the reception and cocktail hour, and chairs. There’s plenty of parking available for guests and vendors, and the entire property is wheelchair-accessible and stroller-friendly.

The Wedding Day Timeline

Getting Ready at Wrightsville Manor

Leah and Justin chose to get ready with their respective wedding parties at separate nearby Airbnb’s in Wilmington, North Carolina. My photography coverage started once Leah arrived to her wedding at Wrightsville Manor. Justin arrived shortly after Leah did, completely dressed and ready. Leah was all ready except for wearing her dress. I (the photographer) got pictures of Leah’s mom and sister (also a bridesmaids) helping to button up her dress to capture the monumental moment. The couple did not care for detail photos, so I didn’t take any.

First Look

Leah and Justin chose to have three first looks at Wrightsville Manor. Leah did one with her bridesmaids, the second one was Leah with her dad and brothers, and then Leah did one with Justin. Leah’s bridesmaids had perfect reactions, as did her dad and brothers. Leah and Justin’s intimate first look was absolutely stunning and so precious. They kept exclaiming, “I missed you all day! How amazing has our wedding day been so far?!” I chose a private area of the venue where no one would interrupt them and give them a full moment together just the two of them. Leah and Justin also said their vows during their first look to make it even more special and intimate between the two of them.

Are you curious if a first look is right for your own wedding? Check out Should I Do a First Look? and Other Alternatives

Wedding Parties

Leah and Justin’s wedding parties were so fun and so supportive of the bride and groom. We took their respective wedding party photos before the ceremony – which included group photos and individual photos with each wedding party member.

The Ceremony at Wrightsville Manor

Their wedding was also the first day of Daylights Savings ends, so we were racing against the sunset happening at 5:30pm. Because of this, the ceremony at Wrightsville Manor was set to happen at 4:00pm. Their ceremony spot was outside surrounded by beautiful brick walls for complete privacy away from strangers. Leah and Justin hired a violinist to play as guests arrived and as the wedding party, parents, and the bride and groom walked down the aisle. Their ceremony was beautiful with the officiant doing an incredible job at making it personable, funny, and sentimental all in one. All of their guests also wore all black which looked so pretty in photos!

Because of the ceremony starting at 4:00pm, we had plenty of time to take family photos immediately after the ceremony. Leah and Justin got to celebrate with their immediate families, and then we went into the family photos list Leah had created based off the questionnaire I had sent her a few months before her wedding. It ended up being perfect with a good mix of candid photos and more posed photos with all of their families. Check out 3 Tips for Wedding Day Family Photos to go smoothly for your own wedding day!

Couple Portraits

We took some couple portraits before the wedding ceremony after they did their first look, but we also did couple portraits after family photos as well. We took pictures around the ceremony location with all of the brick walls, palm trees, and greenery around. I like to do a lot of prompt photography to get candid reactions and smiles. No awkward “ok now look over here and say cheese” with me; I want real genuine smiles and happiness within your wedding photos!!!

Wedding Reception at Wrightsville Manor

Leah and Justin really emphasized wanting to spend a lot of time with their guests and it was too cloudy for a good sunset, so we wrapped up couple portraits pretty quickly so they could go spend the majority of cocktail hour with their guests. I love seeing guests celebrating and interacting with the newly married couple. It’a seriously the sweetest!!

From there, was the start of the wedding reception. They held their wedding reception inside since it gets chilly once it gets dark in November. Both of their wedding parties and Leah and Justin were introduced into the room. They went right into their first dance together and then their parent dances with her dad and his mom. As guests were eating dinner, they had a live guitarist playing who was amazing.

Once dinner was done, Leah and Justin cut their wedding cake and then it was time to PARTY! And boy, did they know how to throw a good one!!!! Their DJ was awesome and played all sorts of good songs. They even hired a local hotdog caterer for a post-wedding snack for their guests! Hot tip: in order to get fun candids with your partner at the reception, stay with them throughout the night!! It’s impossible to get cute candids of both partners together if you’re not…together. Scroll to the bottom to see more reception flash photos.

Wedding Day Timeline

Overall, I (the photographer) was hired for a total of 7 hours from 2:00-9:00pm. It was perfect! We had plenty of time before the ceremony to do final getting ready moments, the first looks, couple portraits, and wedding party photos. The ceremony was at a good time before the sun went down without me having to pull out my flash for family photos, a few more couple portraits, and during the cocktail hour. Then we had plenty of time (and fun!!) during the reception with flash photos.

Wrightsville Manor Wedding Photographer

Well hey there – if you didn’t know me already, I’m Emily! I’m a wedding photographer based in California. I spend a lot of time photographing beautiful weddings and adventure elopements of rad couples around the world. I’m obsessed with all things elopements, outdoor adventure, and am truly so grateful that I get to call this my job!!!

If you’re looking for a photographer for your Wrightsville Manor wedding who will:

Photograph your beautiful wedding or elopement ceremony and activities through storytelling photos that you can look back on for the rest of your life
Help you come up with your dream wedding day and itinerary
Help you find activities in the local area to make your wedding intentional, unique, and memorable

…then I’m your person!!!

Visit my website to learn more about me, get to know my approach to elopement photography, and then reach out to me if you think we’re a good fit. I cannot wait to hear from you and start planning your dream wedding or elopement!!