Christ United Methodist Church

Wedding Day

Wedding

Blue Zone Kenan Memorial Stadium

Reception

Our Wedding

We are&nbsp;pretty sure when anyone&nbsp;signs up for their&nbsp;required freshman English course, they&nbsp;do not expect to find their future husband or wife. &nbsp;At least, we did not, but as cheesy as it sounds, we&nbsp;found love in the most unexpected place and when we&nbsp;least expected it.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In January, 2011, Alex and I met after I asked him to be my editing partner in our Freshman English class at UNC Chapel Hill.&nbsp; To my surprise, and I hope to yours as well, he said no. I was shocked, but like any determined girl, I asked the instructor to assign us anyways and she happily agreed.&nbsp; Throughout the semester, we edited each others papers but honestly did not have much conversation outside of that. Y'all, all of his papers were on football, and somehow I&nbsp;had no idea he even played football for UNC.&nbsp; It's actually kind of embarrassing considering how important football has been in our relationship over the past 6 years.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After the semester was over, we parted ways (without each others numbers) and during the summer we reconnected at a football party.&nbsp; Yes, this is when I actually realized he played football.&nbsp; We spent the entire night talking and laughing. From that night forward, we were inseparable.&nbsp; We spent almost all of our free time together and ultimately we became best friends.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Months passed but Alex had still not formally asked me on a date.&nbsp; It took until October, 2011 for him to ask me on a date to see his dad's high school football team play.&nbsp; Despite the rainy weather and me hitting Alex in the mouth with my umbrella, he somehow fell for my silly self.&nbsp; Of course, I had fallen&nbsp;for him as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Later that night, he asked me to be his girlfriend and for more than 6 years now, we&nbsp;have been blessed to be by each others&nbsp;side in the same town where it all began, Chapel Hill.

Where it all began...

About a month before the proposal, Alex asked Ariel&nbsp;to try and get off early from work (often very difficult as a trauma and orthopedic nurse) to attend his football social for coaches and their significant others on March 3, 2018.&nbsp; Thankfully, one of her&nbsp;coworkers agreed to pick up for her&nbsp;(Thanks, Kate)! &nbsp;She&nbsp;did not suspect anything since Spring ball started the day after so it made sense for there&nbsp;to be a get together with all of the coaches.&nbsp; Little did she&nbsp;know, she&nbsp;would not be attending a social at all, instead she&nbsp;would get the biggest surprise of her&nbsp;life!

 



After lots of outfit changes the day of "the social", Alex and Ariel&nbsp;headed to the stadium.&nbsp; He parked in his normal spot and told her they would cut across the football field to get the Blue Zone where the social was being held. &nbsp;Once they&nbsp;were on&nbsp;the field, he stopped her&nbsp;on the 50 yard line and said "Ariel, I love you more than anything in this world." Still, she&nbsp;did not catch on and told him she&nbsp;loved him too.&nbsp; He then continued to tell her&nbsp;how she&nbsp;spends most of her&nbsp;days taking care of everyone around her&nbsp;and he wanted to spend the rest of his life taking care of her!&nbsp;Tears began to form in her&nbsp;eyes and right as he dropped to one knee, she&nbsp;began to full on cry. "Ariel Franklin, will you marry me?" he said. Of course she&nbsp;said, yes, Yes, YES!

 





Shortly after, she&nbsp;heard yelling from the coaches balcony in the stadium, and there stood a very close friend and coworker of Alex who helped him make sure the stadium was ready for the proposal, Ariel's&nbsp;sweet mama who drove in from the mountains of NC, and Ariel's&nbsp;best friend who flew in from Nashville, TN. &nbsp;Her&nbsp;mouth dropped, and she&nbsp;began to cry, again.&nbsp; As they&nbsp;started walking towards them, she&nbsp;noticed a photographer hiding by the same tunnel they had&nbsp;walked through to get onto the field! As if proposing to her&nbsp;in their&nbsp;favorite place in the world was not a big enough of a surprise, he went and got a photographer to capture it all and made sure her&nbsp;mom and best friend could witness the whole proposal!





The surprise did not end there. He took her&nbsp;back to the house where he had arranged a surprise engagement party with their closest friends and family! Once again, she&nbsp;cried.&nbsp; Having their&nbsp;parents, other family members, and friends from near and far all together to celebrate their&nbsp;love was truly incredible. &nbsp;She&nbsp;was (and still honestly is) speechless about how perfect the night was!

The Proposal

Our Story

Details

Laura has been Ariel's best friend since&nbsp;they were 9 years old. &nbsp;They first&nbsp;met at a&nbsp;Christian girls summer&nbsp;camp and have stayed friends ever since then. &nbsp;They roomed together at&nbsp;UNC&nbsp;Chapel&nbsp;Hill for 4 years,&nbsp;East Carolina University&nbsp;for nursing school for 1 year, and 2 years as new graduate&nbsp;nurses. &nbsp;Laura now works at a Pediatric ICU&nbsp;nurse at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee&nbsp;and is in Nurse Practitioner School at The University of Alabama at&nbsp;Birmingham.&nbsp;

Laura Cartwright

Doug is Alex's father and best friend!&nbsp;They enjoy&nbsp;golfing together and there is no doubt&nbsp;Alex&nbsp;got his love for football from his dad. &nbsp;Doug lives with his wife, Connie, in Reidsville, North Carolina where&nbsp;he is&nbsp;an&nbsp;English teacher and coaches football for&nbsp;Reidsville High School.

Doug Marrs

Sarah is Alex's sister and one of Ariel's closest friends.&nbsp; She and Ariel LOVE to travel together&nbsp;and have shared lots of&nbsp;amazing and fun&nbsp;memories, many of them while traveling to football games!&nbsp; Although it feels like they have been sisters for many years, we are about to make it&nbsp;official and could not be more excited! Sarah currently lives in Richmond, Virginia where she is a professor for Virginia Commonwealth University.

Sarah Marrs

James and Alex played college football together and roomed together while in college. Jame lives with his wife, Amanda, in Baltimore, Maryland where he plays for the Baltimore Ravens.&nbsp;

James Hurst

Nelson and Alex played college football together and roomed together in college. &nbsp;Nelson works at VWSE&nbsp;Productions&nbsp;and lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina with his wife, Margo.

Nelson Hurst

Lynn&nbsp;was&nbsp;Ariel's first friend&nbsp;on 5 Bedtower at UNC Hospital.&nbsp; Lynn's bubbly personality and mutual love for NYC and shopping is one of the many reasons she and Ariel&nbsp;are so close!&nbsp; Lynn continues to work&nbsp;as a Registered Nurse&nbsp;on 5 Bedtower and also works as a nurse for LunaSol Med Spa. &nbsp;She&nbsp;lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband, Rich, and their adorable son, Caleb.

Lynn Trick

Landon and Alex were college roommates and played football together for UNC. &nbsp;Landon lives with his wife, Melanie, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and plays football for the New Orleans&nbsp;Saints.

Landon Turner

Jzel and Ariel first met when she precepted Ariel to the Charge Nurse role on 5 Bedtower.&nbsp; Their mutual love for memes and adventure made it easy to become great&nbsp;friends! Jzel continues to work&nbsp;as a registered nurse on&nbsp;5 Bedtower at UNC&nbsp;Hospital and lives in Durham, North Carolina.

Jzel Macapagal

Russell and Alex played for UNC together and were college roommates. &nbsp;Russell lives in Buffalo, New York with his fiancé, Cody,&nbsp;where he plays football for the Buffalo Bills.

Russell Bodine

Joy is one of Ariel's coworkers and closest friends.&nbsp; She and Ariel have shared many laughs and cries together on night shift over a cup (or pot)&nbsp;of coffee!&nbsp; Joy continues to work as a Registered Nurse on 5 Bedtower and lives in Durham, North Carolina with her Husband, Mo, and their 3 gorgeous children, Marc, Nichole, and Julia. 

Joy Gafoor

Sara and Ariel grew up dancing&nbsp;together at Studio K&nbsp;in Boone, North Carolina.&nbsp; From quick tutu changes backstage to bridesmaid shenanigans, Sara and Ariel have shared many amazing memories&nbsp;together! Sara currently lives in Boone, North Carolina with her husband, Garrett, and their 2 beautiful children, Noah and Lainey Ruth.

Sara Norris

Geoff is one of Alex's closest&nbsp;childhood friends from Bluefield, Virginia. &nbsp;He and Alex were doubles partners on their High School Tennis team. &nbsp;Geoff is a speech therapist and lives in Bristol, Tennessee.

Geoff Kade

Jared is Ariel's cousin and a close friend to both Alex and Ariel. Jared lives in Iowa City, Iowa and&nbsp;is completing his pharmacy residency at Iowa University Hospital.

Jared Frye

Alisha is Ariel's first cousin and has always been more like a sister&nbsp;to her.&nbsp; She and Ariel spent most of their childhood playing at their Nanny's house&nbsp;or singing the wrong lyrics to every song in Alisha's car!&nbsp; Alisha lives in Jonas Ridge, North Carolina.

Alisha Woodie

Evan has known Alex and Ariel since Ariel started babysitting him and his brother many years ago. &nbsp;Evan is a very smart 5th grader and enjoys playing video games and reading!

Evan Norris

Caitlyn is Ariel's younger cousin, but has always been like her little sister.&nbsp; From the first time Ariel&nbsp;brought Alex home to visit, Caitlyn was telling her (and the family)&nbsp;that we were going to get married (I&nbsp;guess she knows me better than I&nbsp;know myself)!&nbsp; Caitlyn will be starting her first year of college at UNC-Chapel Hill&nbsp;in Fall, 2018!

Caitlyn Frye

Julia is the daughter of Joy&nbsp;Gafoor (one of Ariel's Bridesmaids) and has become very special to Ariel over the past couple of years.&nbsp; Julia loves dancing as much as Ariel and is already planning the wedding cake for the happy couple!&nbsp; Julia is 3 years old and lives with her amazing parents in Durham, North Carolina.

Julia Gafoor

Aiden is Evan's younger brother. &nbsp;He&nbsp;is very special to Alex and Ariel, and&nbsp;loves cheering on the Tar Heels! Aiden is in 2nd&nbsp;grade and his wonderful&nbsp;parents, Robbie and Kristen Norris, are very close friends (practically family) to Alex and Ariel!

Aiden Norris

Wedding Party

Photos

Registry

Q + A

Located in Southern Village.&nbsp; Public parking located in the center of Southern Village and around the church.

When booking room, please let them know you are staying for the&nbsp;Franklin-Marrs Wedding to receive the discounted rate!&nbsp; To book online use the following link:&nbsp;<a class="m_7761084491495849021OWAAutoLink" id="m_7761084491495849021LPlnk694189" href="https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/north-carolina/hyatt-place-chapel-hill-southern-village/rduzc?corp_id=G-MRWD" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/north-carolina/hyatt-place-chapel-hill-southern-village/rduzc?corp_id%3DG-MRWD&source=gmail&ust=1536631967954000&usg=AFQjCNHkkKeIluAzZ0ogcvYmvxjzE3NjOw">https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/north-carolina/hyatt-place-chapel-hill-southern-village/rduzc?corp_id=G-MRWD</a>.&nbsp; The corporate/group code is:&nbsp;&nbsp;G-MRWD.&nbsp;&nbsp;This hotel is located next to Southern Village, where Alex and Ariel will be getting married!

Hyatt Place Chapel Hill

No rooms are blocked at this hotel

Courtyard by Marriott Chapel Hill

Free parking on Stadium Drive&nbsp;

Paid Parking ($1.50/hr) available in Rams Deck

&nbsp;Signs will be available to help guide you to&nbsp;the Blue Zone from Stadium Drive and Rams Head Parking Deck. &nbsp;

Direction from Christ United Methodist Church to&nbsp;Stadium Drive:



-Continue straight to stay on Market St.



-Turn left onto US-501 N/U/S. Hwy 15/501



-Stay straight&nbsp;onto S Columbia St



-Turn right onto South Rd



-Turn right onto Stadium Drive. &nbsp;Parking is free anywhere on this road. The Blue Zone is located close to the end of this road. 

Directions from&nbsp;Christ United Methodist Church to Rams&nbsp;Head Parking Deck:

-Continue straight to stay on Market St.



-Turn left onto US-501 N/U/S. Hwy 15/501



-Stay straight&nbsp;onto S Columbia St



-Turn right onto South Rd



-Turn right onto Stadium Drive

-At the end of Stadium Drive, turn Right onto Ridge Road and Rams Head Parking Deck will be on your right (330 Ridge Rd. Chapel Hill, NC 27599)

Kenan Memorial Stadium

The Carolina Inn

Chapel Hill University Inn

Travel

Enjoy a walk around our favorite spot in the world! &nbsp;This is where it all began for us and we have no doubt you will LOVE&nbsp;it!&nbsp;&nbsp;Some of our favorite spots include:&nbsp;The Old Well, The Arboretum, Looking at the Quad and Wilson Library from South Building, The Belltower, Kenan Stadium, The Dean Dome, and UNC&nbsp;Hospital (especially important to Ariel).

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

It's no surprise that UNC&nbsp;football is very special to us so make sure you stop in to see the stadium and see some of UNC's football legends!&nbsp;

Kenan Football Center and Hall of Honor

A&nbsp;must see while in Chapel Hill!&nbsp; As you walk into the museum, make sure you watch the video and you may catch a glimpse of Ariel cheering on the Heels at the UNC vs Duke game when she was in college!

Carolina Basketball Museum

Enjoy day under the stars at this fun and kid friendly attraction.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fun fact: between 1959 and 1975, nearly every astronaut who participated in the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz programs trained at Morehead! Our personal favorite show to watch at the Planetarium is&nbsp;"Carolina Skies"

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

Located right on UNC's campus, this art museum is a great place to relax and admire incredible art pieces from near and far.

Ackland Art Museum

This is a great place to let your kids play and use their imagination and learn!

Kidzu Children's Museum

If it is rainy outside and you want&nbsp;to watch a movie, this is a great spot to go!&nbsp;It is also located right next to the church we will be married in!

Lumina Theatre

Enjoy a delicious meal and drinks&nbsp;overlooking Franklin Street.

Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery

We LOVE&nbsp;breakfast and Ye Olde Waffle shop has the BEST&nbsp;waffles in Chapel Hill!&nbsp;

Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe

A regular breakfast spot for Alex and Ariel!&nbsp;Enjoy a delicious meal in a great atmosphere!

Breadmen's

A Carolina Classic!&nbsp; Sutton's is not only&nbsp;a favorite of Ariel and Alex's but also a favorite for most UNC students. PS:&nbsp;Don't be surprised if you run into a few familiar Carolina celebrities while you are there!

Sutton's Drug Store

The best desserts in Chapel Hill!&nbsp;Stop in for&nbsp;a famous Gelato Martini or a sneak peak of what our wedding cake will taste like!

Ariel & Alex

Ariel & Alex

Photos