All Saints Chapel Wedding in Downtown Raleigh
Wedding at All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC
Jessie Nash and Zach Durham hosted a deeply personal and DIY wedding at All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC. The wedding took place on a warm Saturday in February. Fancy This Photography’s Sarah Martin arrived in downtown Raleigh with her Sony A7rIII camera and a warm smile.
Neither Jessie or Zach would describe themselves as religious. However, they both admire the beauty and architecture of many chapels. All Saints Chapel was the first venue Jessie and Zach contacted and the only venue they toured. Conveniently, All Saints Chapel was just a seven minute walk from their downtown Raleigh apartment.
“We were smitten right away … [All Saints Chapel] was voted Prettiest Chapel in the South for a reason! It's absolutely stunning, the perfect size and the exact vibe we were going for,” Jessie says.
When Sarah arrived at the venue on Feb. 12, 2022, it was her first time photographing a wedding at All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC. Like the bride and groom, she quickly fell in love with the chapel’s unique size, windows and stunning 19th century stained glass.
“I honestly love [All Saints Chapel] for its size,” Sarah says. “It looks and feels like a small venue when you see it, but it offers such an intimate space for guests and the tall ceilings help to open it up so it really doesn't feel too small when you're inside.”
Keep scrolling to read more about Jessie and Zach’s love story and wedding at All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC.
The Love Story
Jessie and Zach first met while working on UNC Chapel Hill’s campus. They were applying for the same promotion when a coworker introduced them. Luckily, they both got the promotion and began working closely together the following semester.
Their work friendship blossomed into a relationship over a year later. On Feb. 12, 2015, Jessie and Zach shared their first date: eating dinner at Carolina Brewery and watching the 1993 romantic-comedy Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
Their love continued to grow, even as Jessie prepared to leave Chapel Hill for grad school. Throughout her time in grad school, Zach drove to Charlottesville, Virginia to visit almost every weekend (Jessie didn't have a car!). They fell in love with the city and each other. After graduation, Jessie focused her job search in the Triangle, and landed back in Chapel Hill with Zach.
Jessie says that going from long-distance to living together was a bit bumpy, but mostly fun and a great way to learn more about each other. They went on to adopt two cats, Rice and Lemon, whose faces are printed on the bride and groom’s wedding-day socks.
The Proposal
Jessie and Zach got engaged in winter of 2020. Even though they both knew they wanted to get married, the exact timing of Zach’s proposal was a total shock to all. It was the holiday season. They were at a socially-distanced, outdoor Christmas party at Jessie’s brother's house in Greensboro. Her parents were in on it, but the rest of the family were just as surprised as Jessie.
“I never thought he'd make the bold move of proposing in front of others,” Jessie says.
It was a cold day. Everyone kept moving picnic blankets and lawn chairs around to follow the sun as the shadows changed. While making their latest sun-chasing move, Zach got down on one knee. On Dec. 23, 2020, Jessie said “yes” to forever.
Wedding Fashion: Fabric of Family
The flower and lace in Jessie’s hair on wedding day were created with fabric from her paternal grandmother’s wedding dress. She also had handkerchiefs made from Grandma Nash’s wedding dress. The handkerchiefs were embroidered with Grandma Nash’s initials and wedding date along with Jessie’s initials and wedding date. Jessie’s Grandma and Grandpa Nash were married for over 50 years.
Jessie gifted the sentimental handkerchiefs to the men in her family on wedding day. The significance of the gift grew tenfold because Grandpa Nash passed away the week of the wedding (Grandma Nash passed away seven years prior).
The strands of pearls woven into Jessie’s bridal braid came from her mother's wedding dress, which was made by her maternal grandmother (Ellinor, one of our Petal Patrol). Jessie’s niece was escorted by the “Petal Patrol” - Jessie's maternal grandmother Ellinor and Zach’s grandmother Eleanor. Nora’s flower girl dress was also made from Jessie’s mother's wedding dress and was almost an exact replica, just mini-me sized. In August 2022, Jessie’s parents will celebrate their 40-year wedding anniversary.
Florist // Teacup Floral, Attire // New York Bride & Groom of Raleigh, Hair & Makeup // Meredith Johnson of RadiantNC
Getting Ready Gifts
One of Jessie’s favorite moments from the wedding at All Saints Chapel was receiving a special gift from Zach. Wedding coordinator, Jené Ward, brought the gift to Jessie while she was getting ready. He gave her a personalized "Mrs. Durham-Nash" ring dish and built her a website (he's a software developer) called "Why I Love You Today". Every day, Jessie gets a new love note from Zach, or one of their cats, telling her why he or "they" love and appreciate her that day.
“It is truly the gift that keeps on giving and one of the best parts of my day, every day,” Jessie says.
Wedding at All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC
Jessie’s older brother Bradley Nash III officiated the ceremony. Jessie’s 2-year-old niece, Ellinor “Nora” Nash, led the processional along with her Petal Patrol: Ellinor Joseph and Eleanor Durham, Jessie and Zach’s grandmothers (yep, three Ellinors/Eleanors served as flower girls). Fancy This Photographer Sarah says her favorite moment from the wedding was watching Zach's reaction when he saw Jessie for the first time. “Priceless.”
Meet the rest of Jessie and Zach’s wedding party members:
Maid of Honor: Mary Ellis Bowler, Jessie's best friend since high school. College roommates.
Matron of Honor: Shannen Box, the final piece to Jessie & Mary Ellis's trio. Best friend since freshman year of college.
Bridesman: Hunter Street, Jessie's dear friend since middle school.
Bridesmaid: Lauren Jaegar, Jessie's "sister" since they were ages three and four. Started as neighbors and quickly became close family friends
Best Man: Zenik Hite, Zach's best friend. Played a large role in our friendship and eventual courtship
Groomsman, in absentia: Matt Herzog. Shannen's husband and a dear friend of the couple's. Had COVID-19 on the day of the wedding and joined virtually.
Groomswoman, pinch-hitting for Matt: Courtney HIte. Zenik's wife and another dear friend of the couple. Also played a large role in making sure Jessie and Zach both knew the other was interested in more than friendship.
Groomsman: Hunter Ocheltree (read below).
Groomsman: Brian Angelino. Both Brian and Hunter O. were introduced to Zach via Jessie. They quickly realized they had a lot of shared interests with Zach and formed close friendships with him in their own right.
A Very Brief History of All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC
All Saints Chapel was built in 1875 on Hillsborough Street before it was moved to a second location on Morgan Street sometime in the early 1900s. Raleigh redeveloper Greg Hatem saved the gothic chapel from demolition in 2006. Today, All Saints Chapel rests in historic Oakwood neighborhood. Millions of dollars went into restoration of Reverend Johannes Adam Simon Oertel’s original design of the chapel. Although this local landmark has changed addresses a few times, it remains rooted in community and steeped in history.
Couples have invited friends and family to celebrate at All Saints Chapel for over 145 years. Up to 200 guests can be seated for an indoor ceremony and up to 140 guests can be seated for an indoor reception. Up to 200 guests can be served for a standing indoor reception. Venue rental includes on-site getting ready suites, tables and chairs, a sound system with wireless mics and parking.
All Saints Chapel is a partner of Empire Eats Catering, which serves food from local restaurants such as Sitti, Gravy, The Pit Authentic Barbecue, The Raleigh Times, Square Burger, The Mecca and The Morning Times. If you book your wedding’s catering with Empire Eats Catering, you will receive 10% off the venue rental rate at All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC. Click here to secure your desired wedding date at All Saints Chapel.
Nighttime Wedding Portraits
It took a team to capture these beautiful nighttime wedding portraits. Fancy This Photographer Sarah used an off-camera flash with an umbrella and had an assistant (Sarah Gillie) help her to move and hold it where needed.
Nighttime wedding portraits can be tricky. Sarah’s best advice for fellow photographers is to practice and don't be afraid to experiment with different lighting.
Cat Socks
If you look closely, you’ll notice that there are cats on Jessie and Zach’s wedding-day socks. Those are the couple’s actual pets! The tuxedo cat is a boy named Rice and the tortie cat is a girl named Lemon.
“Since we couldn't bring them with us on the wedding day, we wanted to have them represented in some way,” Jessie says.
Wedding at All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC
Jessie and Zach learned a lot while planning their wedding at All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC. Their natural and romantic theme came about organically and was completed with a blush, green and ivory color palette. However, another unexpected wedding motif emerged: Lego Bricks.
The groomsmen's cuff links, cake topper, escort cards and guest book were all made out of Lego Bricks! Jessie and Zach even had personalized miniature Lego figurines as place cards for the head table. Fancy This Photographer Sarah says her favorite detail from the wedding was the Lego guestbook.
“The couple had each guest create their own Lego person and had a custom box made to house them all and hang on their wall later,” Sarah says. “I've never seen or heard of this before and it was such a fun activity for guests and looked so cute to see the village of Lego’s come together at the end of the night.”
Wedding Reception at All Saints Chapel Raleigh NC
Jessie and Zach shared their first dance to Love Song by Marcus King. The song was recommended to them by a friend, RJ, who played piano and sang his own arrangement of Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan as Jessie and her dad walked down the aisle. Their father-daughter dance was accompanied by Forever Young, another Dylan song. Zach and his mom danced to Landslide by Fleetwood Mac.
Another one of the bride’s favorite wedding memories was seeing their 2-year-old niece tear it up on the dance floor. “She stole the show and kept everyone boogie-ing all night long,” Jessie says.
Delicious DIY Details
In addition to cake and cupcakes from The Cupcake Shoppe, guests took home cookies from Yellow Dog Bread Co. The cookies were chocolate chip and chocolate crunch flavored. Jessie and Zach are regulars at Yellow Dog for their coffee and baked goods.
For the Mr. and Mrs. Durham-Nash’s exit, guests were surprised by a grand horse and carriage departure. They used J&L Carriage and would highly recommend them. Following the reception, Jessie and Zach enjoyed a peaceful post-wedding ride through downtown Raleigh.
The bells and ribbons that guests waved during the exit were handmade and read #RaleighDurhamUnion and #DurhamNashBash.
DJ, Photo Booth & Uplighting // All Events DJs
Do you like DIY wedding decor? Click here to check out the details from Joshua and Stephanie’s wedding at The Bottle Factory in Monroe, North Carolina.
“SARAH! These are amazing! Truly the perfect wedding album for us. We are so touched and you captured us and our people so perfectly. We’ve already shared the link and can’t stop looking at them and smiling. I knew y’all would rock it, but these are better than I could have ever hoped. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We will treasure them forever. You, Sam and Sarah were such a delight the whole time as well. So freaking glad we found you.”
Photographer // Fancy This Photography
Venue // All Saints Chapel
Catering & Linens // Caffe Luna
Florist // Teacup Floral
Cake & Cupcakes // The Cupcake Shoppe
Cookie Favors // Yellow Dog Bread Co.
DJ, Photo Booth & Uplighting // All Events DJs
Coordinator // Jené Ward
Attire // New York Bride & Groom of Raleigh
Hair & Makeup // Meredith Johnson of RadiantNC
Decor // DIY
Horse & Carriage // J&L Carriage
Rehearsal Dinner // Trophy Pizza & Brewing