When Amy & Chris chose to be married on the rooftop of The Durham Hotel, they couldn’t have hoped for such a perfectly sunny and breezy day with beautiful views of the skyline. With 50 guests in attendance, their intimate wedding was deeply personalized to reflect their relationship and included family and the kind of friends that are more like sisters and brothers.
At the back of the ceremony, guests were greeted by a welcome table with programs, space for cards and gifts, and a basket of kazoos for folks to celebrate the end of the ceremony. Two large floral pieces, along with one bridesmaid and one groomsman, framed the alter space and the couple. Along with their vows, readings were presented by the bride’s cousin and groom’s sister.
Their officiant, Magical Weddings by Carly, said, “It was my pleasure to officiate Chris and Amy’s delightful adventure where neither of them had gone before, into the journey of marriage! I had a delightful time working with this geeky couple incorporating some of their favorite interests into their ceremony including Star Trek and video games. I distinctly remember saying something along those lines of ‘you never know what the future will bring’ right as Amy’s veil flew off her head from the windy top of the Durham Hotel. Someone in the wedding party caught it and we carried on, as you must do when things don’t always go according to plan. I really enjoyed writing custom video game vows for them, that was a ton of fun. I had them promise to always choose each other as Player 2. They also did a handfasting in their ceremony and made their own beautiful cords, including part of Amy’s mother’s wedding veil woven into the strands. I ended the ceremony with a quote from the couple’s favorite video game, Portal 2: ‘This was a triumph. I’m making a note here – HUGE SUCCESS!'”
As Amy & Chris went off to take photos, guests remained on the rooftop for cocktail hour. Surprise entertainment had the guests moving and laughing as a dance company tought a few basic dance moves. An hour later, folks made their way downstairs to the hotel’s restaurant for the reception. The restaurant tables allowed guests to sit in intimate spaces, and floral centerpieces incorporated crisp white and greens. The venue laid out black and white place settings, and a key-lime-scented candle from a local shop was set on each plate as a wedding favor. A memorial bouquet was set on a table alongside a wooden sign of their last names for guests to sign.
After Amy & Chris made their grand entrance to the reception, they shared a first dance and each had a special dance with a parent. The Maid of Honor, Best Man, and Father of the Bride shared toasts, and a blessing was said before the hotel served dinner family-style. For some added fun, each table included a card game. The couple played a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity during dinner while other guests played Yeti Eats Alien, poker, and a variety of other games the couple loves. After dinner, an anniversary dance, Amy slipped away to change into her reception dress.
Guests packed the dancefloor, showing off their new moves from cocktail hour, and they only paused when Amy & Chris cut a cake featuring a Claddagh design and a cake topper featuring the Portal Combanion Cube and two robots. Even with a smaller guest count, they partied and had a blast all evening, leaving hotel guests with major fomo as they danced by the lobby elevators, looking in at the reception fun.
Vendor List:
*Venue & Catering: The Durham Hotel, Durham, NC
*Wedding Coordinator: Beauty & the Budget Events
*Photographer: Sean True Photography
*Officiant: Magical Weddings by Carly
Baker: Miel Bon Bons
Florist: Floral Dimensions
Entertainment: Arthur Murray Durham
Hair and Makeup: Bella Trio
