A Walnut Hill Wedding - Premier Party Planners

October 29, 2019

What makes a wedding amazing?
Let’s rephrase.
What makes a wedding amazing other than resources, planning and a vision?
People and Place.
Whether traditional or modern, outsized or intimate, weddings are a sacred moment shared with closest friends, family and community. More often than not, they go beyond the courthouse and the justice of the peace. This is, after all, the South. We know how to do streamlined, sleek and ultra-modern, but we also know how to make “going big” still feel elegant and oh-so-cool. And it goes without saying that we know how to make big BIGGER.

That said, couples want to say their vows in a place chosen specifically for that moment. At Premier, we’ve seen allllllllll sorts of nuptials in all sorts of settings, and the recent ceremony of Avian and Alex had all the makings of an iconic wedding, starting with the location: Walnut Hill.
Gang: LOVE isn’t strong enough a word to describe how we feel about this venue. It is effortless grace, charm and story.

Whether traditional or modern, outsized or intimate, weddings are a sacred moment shared with closest friends, family and community. More often than not, they go beyond the courthouse and the justice of the peace. This is, after all, the South. We know how to do streamlined, sleek and ultra-modern, but we also know how to make “going big” still feel elegant and oh-so-cool. And it goes without saying that we know how to make big BIGGER.

First, a little bit of history about Walnut Hill for those brides out there considering venues for their day, and you wonderful others who consider a history lesson more like dessert than eating your vegetables.

Located in Raleigh, NC, Walnut Hill was “born” when in 1775, Thomas Mial, Sr. bought 430 acres from Malachi Hinton. This was the land on which the first Walnut Hill Plantation house was built. The property later grew to include 2700 acres, and the farm became one of the largest agricultural operations in Wake and Johnston counties. The farm descended through the Mial/Williamson family to the present day. In the late 1980s, Thomas Mial’s direct descendent, Thomas Mial Williamson, built a replica of the original house which burned in 1973. Today the beauty of Walnut Hill is enhanced by several original outbuildings, including the gazebo, flour house, mule barn, smokehouse, chicken house, log tobacco barns, vinegar house, well house and corn crib.
In addition to those buildings are a selection of spots around the property where couples can say their vows in the beautiful outdoors.
You don’t have to be a Southern Literature scholar to see in these images (and experience when you’re there) the whispers of ancestors, the stories lodged in tree branches, in the water, and green expanses, and the memories in every board in the Estate House out outbuildings. Get married at Walnut Hill and you will be wrapped in palpable history, real tradition, a fresh outdoor landscape and an unshakeable sense of place.

In September of this year Avian and Alex had their ceremony at Walnut Hill. The couple met and began dating in high school and have been together since. They wanted to celebrate their Christian faith and incorporated a cord tying ceremony symbolizing themselves as separate cords brought together by a third cord symbolizing Christ.
There was also plenty of fun in their autumn day of celebration. Avian’s Matron of Honor organized a surprise flash mob with the entire wedding party including the parents! The bride and groom loved it!!
Below are a few of our favorite shots with details that show off the work of the wonderful vendors and collaborators for this wedding.