Megan & Patrick’s Wedding at The Cloth Mill at Eno River 

It’s not every day that I get to photograph a friend’s wedding! I was beyond excited when Megan Collins, my college suitemate, booked Fancy This Photography. Megan and Patrick Prince hosted a winter-wedding ceremony and reception at The Cloth Mill at Eno River in Hillsborough, NC on Dec. 11, 2021. 

Megan first met Pat through her former roommate Estefany, who dated Pat’s twin brother David (Estefany and David are now engaged). Megan and Pat were just friends until they reconnected as singles in 2018. Pat needed a date for a friend’s wedding in Savannah, Georgia and Megan agreed to go as a friend. Spoiler: Megan and Pat left that wedding as more than friends. 

On Aug. 14, 2020, Patrick proposed to Megan in Spruce Pine, NC. Megan didn’t expect an engagement when they originally set out on the camping trip. But, she grew suspicious when Pat asked if she planned on putting makeup on before a hike. Suspicion grew even more when Pat bribed Megan to finish the hike with a prize. The bribery was necessary because Megan was ready to turn around when the “moderate” trail had them both grasping at roots to reach a romantic waterfall view. 

The couple jumped right into wedding planning after Megan said “yes” to Pat’s hiking proposal. When selecting a photographer, the bride-to-be remembered her fun former college suitemate.

“Ever since [Nikki] began Fancy This Photography, I’ve followed her work and have been a big fan of her style,” says Megan. “Nikki and her team were a dream to work with - neither of us are particularly comfortable in front of a camera, but they made Pat and I both feel at ease, and really captured all of the fun in the day.”

Keep scrolling to witness Megan and Patrick’s winter wedding at The Cloth Mill at Eno River.

Planning a Wedding at The Cloth Mill at Eno River in Hillsborough, NC

The Cloth Mill at Eno River is located in Hillsborough, less than five minutes from I-40 and I-85 and 15 minutes from downtown Durham. Franklin St. is just a 20-minute drive away and it takes approximately 45 minutes to get to downtown Raleigh from the venue. The Cloth Mill can accommodate a maximum of 250 guests for both a ceremony and reception.   

Rental of The Cloth Mill at Eno River includes: 

• Exclusive access to the outdoor courtyard, mill, dressing suites and amenities

• Tables and chairs for 250 guests 

• Market lights

• 10 hours of venue access

• Three custom portable bars

• Catering prep kitchen 

• Privacy

• Ample free parking

Couples who get married at The Cloth Mill can choose from their exclusive list of caterers. The venue also has a full ABC license, which means they offer a wide variety of liquor, beer and wine. Bar packages include beer and wine only, specialty drinks or full-service liquor options.

My favorite thing about The Cloth Mill at Eno River are the gorgeous, cathedral-size windows. Seriously. It looks magical when the sun sets just right, and the warehouse windows create marvelous shadows. The Cloth Mill is a large space, so there is tons of room for creative event design. Combine this with exposed brick walls and original wood beam flooring … It's simply beautiful.   

“We had a wonderful experience at The Cloth Mill,” says Megan. “It was the perfect backdrop for our vision of the day, and Nicole and her staff were super great to work with.” 

Outdoor Wedding at The Cloth Mill at Eno River 

My favorite moment from Megan and Patrick’s wedding at The Cloth Mill happened during the ceremony. It was when Megan's dad, Tim Collins, walked her down the aisle. You could tell that he was so proud and happy for his daughter. Those photos are some of my all-time favorites. 

The ceremony was held outside and began at 4 p.m. Megan’s cousin, Matt Waller, played live guitar during the event. Abbe Collins, the bride’s sister, served as Maid of Honor and Lindsay Finch, the bride’s best friend, was Matron of Honor. The bride’s cousin, Amy Ancone, Estefany Vruwink, sister-in-law, and friend, Ashley Prince, were bridesmaids. Megan and her father walked down the aisle to the song “Bron-Yr-Aur” by Led Zeppelin. 

Pat’s twin brother, David Prince, served as best man. Matt Barnes, Kevin Holmes, Erik Woods and Scott Pitaro are longtime friends and happily claimed the role of groomsmen. The ceremony was officiated by Reverend Richard Spell, Patrick’s uncle. Mr. and Mrs. Prince exited the ceremony to the song “I believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness. 

Beautiful Bridal Portraits by Fancy This Photography 

Bride Megan looked angelic in a strapless, ball gown wedding dress from New York Bride & Groom of Raleigh. Statement earrings from Olive + Piper and green shoes from the Sarah Jessica Parker collection completed her winter wedding-day attire. Megan’s hair and makeup were both styled by Wedded Kiss. 

The Best of Both Worlds: Black & White and Colorized Images 

I used two Nikon cameras to capture Megan and Patrick’s wedding. One camera is a Nikon D850 and the other is a Nikon D750. You might notice that some of the images in this blog are in color and some are in black and white. If strong emotion is showcased in a photo, I love to also include a black and white version of the same image. In other words, any black and white photos that clients receive will always also have a colorized version.

How to Capture a Wedding Veil: Let It Be 

Megan had a fabulous wedding veil. Sometimes, a veil will do what it wants to do. My advice? Let it be. Veils that are cathedral length are stunning. As wind catches a veil, it creates a cinematic motion in the air. The best way to photograph the veil when this happens is as-is. I like to lean into my photography organically. To me, this is what made Megan’s bridal portraits so unique.

Winter Wedding at The Cloth Mill at Eno River 

Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour after Megan and Patrick’s ceremony. During this time, the newlyweds sat together and ate dinner in privacy. This brief, intimate moment gave them a chance to breathe and cherish the day. Raleigh-based Donovan’s Dish catered the formal wedding reception. 

The wedding’s theme was under-stated Christmas with lots of candles and greenery. Ivory, white, gold and green filled the color palette. Linens, place settings and glassware rented from American Party Rentals paired perfectly with floral designs by Specialties Events.

Instead of a traditional guestbook, Megan and Patrick asked guests to sign a personalized Jenga game set. Miniature mercury glass holiday ornaments served as escort cards - a nod to Pat’s job as a contractor. 

Raleigh-based Love Cake prepared an incredible, four-tier wedding cake adorned in flowers. Megan’s mother, Judy Ancone Collins, added 600-plus assorted handmade Christmas cookies to the dessert table. These paired perfectly with individual, old-school cartons of milk.

As you can see, I simply adore warehouse-style weddings. Click here to see Joshua and Stephanie’s industrial-chic celebration at The Bottle Factory in Monroe, NC. 

Photographer // Fancy This Photography
Venue // The Cloth Mill at Eno River
Wedding Dress // New York Bride & Groom of Raleigh
Bridal Shoes // Sarah Jessica Parker
Earrings // Olive + Piper
Hair & Makeup // Wedded Kiss
Tux Rentals // Men’s Wearhouse
Cake // Love Cake
Florals // Specialties Events
Catering // Donovan’s Dish
Linens, Place Settings & Glassware // American Party Rentals

Christy & Matthew

a Hillsborough, NC wedding that took place at the Cloth Mill

Oh, this is going to be such a fun wedding to share! Let me start this off by stating that I absolutely adore this couple! Christy, the bride, and I met years ago when we were briefly on the show Love It or List It. Christy’s grandmother, Mrs. Eleanor, was next door neighbors with my father in laws— my father in laws were on the show and invitied Mrs. Eleanors family over for some fun shots in the pool and kitchen. Shortly after I met her, she went to school at ECU.

After the years that spread in between, I could hardly believe it had been atleast 4-5. When Christy contacted me about photographing her and Matthews wedding I was over the moon. At the time, I had not met Matthew, but I knew if Christy was as smitten as she was—Matthew had to be special. These two have been together for years—to my knowledge, they have been together for well over ten years.

The day started off at the beautifully newly renovated Colonial Inn located in Hillsborough, NC. It was so fun to see Christy with all of her bridesmaids getting ready. What a wonderful backdrop for a bridal party. After everyone was dressed and ready, we were transported to the Cloth Mill, their amazing wedding venue! Now, I know many couples wish for no rain on their wedding day, but honestly—its just so romantic when it does rain. Christy and Matthew married eachother inside next to those stunning bay windows. It was endearing to see these two together, and I am honored that I was there to capture their big day.

These two danced the night away amongst their friends and families. It was a fabulous night full of love and laughter.

Congratulations, Christy and Matthew!

Special thanks to all of the vendors who made their day wonderful!
Accommodations // The Colonial Inn Hillsborough
Venue // The Cloth Mill
Coordination // Heather with Amanda Blair by Design
Hair and Makeup // Wedded Kiss
DJ // Cool Receptions
Videography // Heritage Weddings
Florals // Flower Patch
Catering // Cook Shack
Rentals // CE Rental
Gown // Lana Addison Bridal

The Cloth Mill Bridal Show

Freshly Pressed in Hillsborough, NC | Hillsborough, NC Wedding Venue

This year I had the chance to attend and set up my bridal vendor booth at the utterly beautiful Cloth Mill Wedding Venue! In previous years, I had always been out of town or booked on the date that this would typically happen. However, it was in the cards for me to be a vendor this year and I am SO excited that it worked out that way. Seriously, wait until you see these images!

The Cloth Mill is historic and has an industrial chic vibe to it. It is located in the heart of Hillsborough, NC and proudly showcases its large and inviting cathedral windows along side its exposed brick and original wood beams. This wedding venue has tons of character which makes it extra unique and special to each and every couple who marry here.

I am team Cloth Mill and would LOVE to photograph your wedding here! Curious to see what a wedding at the Cloth Mill looks like?! Check out one of our favorite weddings HERE.

Their Bridal Show shown some of the best in the industry—wow, and I was a part of it! Everything from the florals to the rentals, and gosh—even the lighting was spectacular! The beginning portion of the bridal show was considered like a meet and greet. I met SO many lovely couples who had booked the Cloth Mill for their wedding, and even couples who were very much interested in booking.

Later on, the Cloth Mill did a huge flip and was the background for Tre Bella’s bridal gown pop up shop. Yes, you read that right! Tre Bella brought their bridal gowns for the brides to try on at the Cloth Mill! Yall—GORGEOUS! The photos of these dresses against those cathedral windows are to die for. Tell me I am wrong!

Special thanks to all of the vendors who made this day extra special!

Venue // The Cloth Mill
Bridal Gowns // Tre Bella
Florals // Tre Bella
Photobooth // ZimZoom Photobooth
Lighting // Get Lit Event Lighting
Rentals // Greenhouse Picker Sisters
Pop Up Shop // Poppy Co.
Officiant // Ann McKenzie
Video // Oak City Films
Hair and Makeup // Wink Hair and Makeup
Catering // Donovan’s Dish
Catering // CHRG Catering
Catering // Durham Catering
DJ // All Around Raleigh DJs