Wedding on a Rooftop
Durham has a special place in my heart, I spent a few hours most week nights until I graduated high school at my grandmothers house in Northern Durham, taking a dinner break from dance classes. I grew up going to the Museum of Life and Sciences every summer, and wandering around Duke’s Campus from the beautiful gardens to the Bryan Center. Over the last decade of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work weddings at The Rickhouse, The Cookery, The Durham Armory, The Museum of Life and Sciences, The Cotton Room, Duke Gardens, The Durham Hotel, 21C, Old Mill Farm, Private Estates, and so many more amazing places and spaces.
As a Durham, NC wedding planner, I love working in places with history. Set high above downtown Durham, the rooftop at The Durham Hotel offered sweeping skyline views during this fall wedding. After the ceremony ended and as the sun dipped below the horizon, the couple shared a quiet moment together, one of those pauses that feels both intimate and unforgettable. Captured beautifully by Timmester Photography, these photographs highlight everything we love about Durham weddings: a perfect downtown location, easy parking, amazing food and drinks, sunsets on a rooftop, being in the middle of downtown, but miles away with a sense of privacy, and a celebration that feels unique, (hello bright wigs, and karaoke hour).
This couple wanted a bright and fun, yet elevated look so we rented a few items from American Party Rentals. The Durham Hotel’s wooden patio tables and concrete cocktail tables got a little glow-up, thanks to some linens, table numbers, votives (no open flames at this venue) and stunning florals. North Carolina weather did it’s thing and we added heaters (also from the rental company) and blankets for guests to use during the late night reception. Get Lit Event Lighting provided string lights for the patio area and the beautiful orbs for over the dance floor.
The floral designs by Bowerbird Flowers brought an explosion of color to the day. The bride’s bouquet featured lush blooms in coral, fuchsia, peach, and golden tones. The grooms pocket square was the perfect touch to his ceremony suit jacket, the bud vases gave a touch of color to the gold linens, and we were able to utilize the ceremony meadows for the sweetheart table the bar and behind the dj during the reception, and again the next morning at brunch. A great way to re-purpose ceremony items and save the couple some money. These florals weren’t just beautiful, they were expressive and playful, just like the couple. It’s always our goal to help clients move beyond trends and to lean into designs that truly feel like them.
This groom had his own surprises up his sleeve, and fully committed to an outfit change as they hit the dance floor for the karaoke part of the evening MC’d by none other than DJ UPs from Willis J Entertainment. His ability to manage the ceremony mics, cocktail hour requests and keep the party going though some amazing karaoke acts was fun to watch as a vendor. Speaking of late night, activities, the cake by S.Richardson Cakes was also amazing, it was exactly what the bride asked for design wise, and there was hardly any left, a sign that it tasted as good as it looked. Jess & Co. provided partial planning for this client, including assistance with the room blocks for guests, distributing the welcome bags for family, vendor coordination, setup and breakdown of the venue space, timeline adherence and event management the day of the wedding, as well as organizing a farewell brunch. Jess & Co also added on custom signage services for these clients including the welcome sign, guest seating, the food menus, signature cocktails and the bar options.
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