~ Fall wedding at Orange County Courthouse in Hillsborough NC ~
Kate and Cassie's wedding day was a beautiful and emotional celebration of love, commitment, and equality. The couple, who have been together for many years, exchanged vows at the Orange County Courthouse in Hillsborough, North Carolina in front of close friends and family. The ceremony was simple yet meaningful, a reflection of the couple's desire for an intimate and authentic celebration of their love.
Before the ceremony, we headed to River Park in downtown Hillsborough to take a few photos. The park, located behind the courthouse, provided a stunning backdrop for the newlyweds' photos with its lush greenery and new arch art-piece.
They also got a couple photos with their friend who arrived early to help.
The day was a little overcast, but the weather was beautiful, not to hot or too cold, and the greenery in the park was still flourishing.
The Orange County Courthouse, with its historic and timeless architecture, provided the perfect setting for the couple's special day. The location was also significant, especially after recent Supreme Court decisions 😒. Their marriage at a courthouse makes a statement, and highlights the ongoing struggle for equal rights and recognition for the LGBTQ+ community.
The ceremony was filled with touching moments and heartfelt vows. The joy and happiness on their faces was evident as they exchanged rings and sealed their union with a kiss.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests celebrated with a glass of champagne, toasting to the beginning of the rest of their lives together. The celebration was filled with laughter and happiness, as the couple's friends and family showered them with love and well wishes.
As they embark on this new chapter in their lives, I wish them all the happiness and love in the world. May their marriage be filled with joy, laughter, and endless love for many years to come. Congratulations, Kate and Cassie, on your beautiful wedding day!
This summer Wren and Ciel headed to the Orange County Courthouse in Hillsborough to elope in the presence of their friends and family. It was a beautiful day, with an air of excitement, anticipation, and a bit of chaos/spontaneity.
It was a DIY wedding, with the couple hand-making their outfits and floral bouquets for their party, and staying up late the night before the wedding to finish!
After everyone arrived, we headed inside for the usual process of the witnesses signing the license and paying the fees.
Once that was completed we rejoined with the group to head to the ceremony location and divvy up the flowers.
They had their ceremony in the courtyard under the large tree between the old and new courthouses. You really could feel the love and excitement from everyone.
The orange county courthouse offers three options for ceremony language/script. To be honest, I don’t remember the variations and differences in the options. If you were curious, I’m sure you could ask when you called to schedule your appointment. Since Wren and Ciel are non-binary and go by they/them pronouns, they chose the option that didn’t specify gender or bride/groom.
After the ceremony we separated from the larger group to get some couple’s portraits. The newly installed River Park Arch made a beautiful backdrop, and a quiet spot for a private vow exchange.
River park is one of my favorite parks in the Triangle (Pullen, Dorothea Dix, and Eno River Parks are all also on my list of favorites). For a park in the middle of downtown, it has a lot of wide open space, trails, and amazing huge trees. The river walk boardwalk is also a great greenway that takes you along the Eno River. Durham’s American Tobacco trail is great, but nowhere near as scenic as Hillsborough’s River Walk.
Their rings were so beautiful. I have a soft spot for things that are fantasy and nature inspired, as well as the non-traditional.
While we’re on the topic of attire, I want to bring up their clothes again. I was so blown away by their outfits, before I even knew they made them themselves. Both garments were historically inspired; Wren’s waistcoat was based on an Edwardian pattern. Not to deviate too far from the topic of this blog post, but I love historical fashion and arts & crafts (sewing, crocheting, painting). And Edwardian/Art Nouveau are one of my favorite time periods in art/fashion (along with rococo and Italian renaissance). My point being, I really loved and appreciated their attire.
We then headed to meet back up with the group, who were having some sorbet at Matthew’s Chocolates. I had some too and it was delicious! The chocolate flavor was so rich and delightful.
Before they headed off to dinner reservations we got some group photos and had a bouquet toss.
Vendors:
Ceremony Location: Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough, NC
I’m back again with another Orange County Magistrate wedding! These are always such a good time; downtown Hillsborough is so quaint and I think it always imparts a bit of calm to the day. Orange County Courthouse is the only courthouse in the triangle still doing appointments for ceremonies with the magistrate, Durham and Wake county are now back to first come first served.
I have been agonizing over the color correction for these photos because on my monitor things look great, but on my phone things looked a little oversaturated and the skintones looked too pink. In the end I sided with my computer monitor because it’s supposed to be calibrated to match print images, so I’m hoping it’s my phone that’s the outlier, and these colors look good on whatever device you’re using.
Hannah and Andrew got ready separately that morning and had a first look together in front of the historical courthouse. Sometimes couples will forego a first look for weddings at the courthouse since they are usually driving together. Hannah and Andrew were able to get ready and drive separately though, so I was able to capture the first look.
We then took the short walk over to River Park for some couple’s portraits. River park in Hillsborough is a nice (but small park) whose main feature is the river boardwalk, they also recently put in a new art feature made from a 250 year old tree that fell recently, but we stayed in the meadow area closer to the courthouse. The one thing about the park I wish they would do/fix is the benches are pretty dirty, especially the back (it’s got a lot of bird poop on it). I try to edit the bird poop out and strategically crop, but it would make my life a lot easier if it was clean to begin with. Maybe next time I am here I will bring a rag and cleaner and do some guerrilla cleaning.
Before too long we had to head back to meet up with their family/friends. One of the decorations on her shoe kept moving and sticking out, and needing to be adjusted, so that’s what’s going on in the picture below.
While people were arriving I got some detail shots of the bouquet and rings.
Once everyone had arrived we headed over to the courthouse to do the paperwork, and planned on coming back outside to have the ceremony under the large tree in the courtyard in front of the courthouse.
The magistrate here offers a few different options for ceremony that couples can select from depending on their preferences.
While the initial plan was to do the ceremony outside, it was extremely hot, so instead they opted for an indoor ceremony in on of the courtrooms. Depending on which Magistrate is working that day might determine if you have the option of an outdoor wedding; one of the previous weddings I photographed had to have theirs inside (only one of six weddings I’ve shot here). There are a couple of different courtrooms that might be used. This one is darker with more wood and dark blue. The other has larger windows and a lot of white and cream colors with brass chandeliers. A lot of couples choose to get married here instead of wake county because they want an outdoor ceremony, but their courtrooms are still very nice options, and I don’t think they should be discounted as an option!
We headed out from the basement up to the lobby to get some group photos.
It was a lovely day and I’m glad I was able to help!
Venue: Orange County Courthouse in Hillsborough, NC
Orange County Courthouse Wedding, Hillsborough, NC
With the covid pandemic derailing a lot of wedding plans, the Orange County Magistrate/Orange County Courthouse has quickly become a popular venue for couples' looking to tie the knot without a huge pricetag or the headache that can come with planning a big event. One of the positives the Orange County Courthouse has over other courthouses is that they do ceremonies outside. This not only provides a beautiful backdrop, but allows for more guests than the handful allowed at other courthouses.
This was a big draw for Heloise and Evan who had 13 guests.
Prior to 2020, the ceremonies were walk in on a first come first serve basis, however now they have changed to doing appointments. I honestly prefer this method as you dont end up waiting for an hour outside (like what happened in this wedding).
So once you arrive you check-in with the magistrate, go to the courthouse to pay the fee, sign the marriage license with the magistrate, then have your ceremony!
You can choose to include your own vows or have the magistrate use standard ones.
You can choose to have your ceremony under the large (oak?) tree in front of the current courthouse, or in front of the old orange county courthouse which has large grecian columns. Heloise and Evan decided on the old courthouse.
The ceremony was so sweet, although it was interrupted by a firetruck, which led to some laughs.
After the kiss they had an exit with birdseed.
We got some group photos in front of the old courthouse.
Then quickly got a few couples portraits at Hillsborough River Park.
I love when I'm able to capture the couple's personality and love for each other, and I really felt that came through in these images.
