An Elegant Garden Party Wedding at the Duke Mansion in Charlotte, North Carolina

Nina Manzullo (27 and a marketing specialist) and Matt Chase (29 and a finance manager) hosted a chic garden party outside the Duke Mansion in Charlotte, North Carolina, under a sprawling clear tent after a traditional church ceremony. “Matt and I love to be outside as much as possible and wanted that to be an integral part of our design and aesthetic,” Nina says. Chandeliers were strung lavishly throughout the tent above three long feasting tables to encourage lots of conversation among guests. Low, lush floral arrangements ran down the middle of each table in the pair’s classic color scheme of white, ivory and green. Green garlands cascaded down down the backs of Nina's and Matt's chairs, and the couple created a breathtaking wall of greenery to pin escort cards to; they placed it in the courtyard for guests to find as they enjoyed cocktail hour. To stay consistent, greenery wreaths were placed on the church windows during the ceremony and were used on the invitation suite and save-the-dates and around the pair's monogram of interlocking first initials. “I wanted the palette to be a complement of the beautiful grounds at Duke, so we kept them neutral,” Nina says. She carried an elegant large, round, white bouquet with big blooms, and as a sentimental touch she wrapped the ribbon from Matt’s baby bonnet around the stems and used the bonnet itself as a tissue during the ceremony. —Juliette Cheatham