Duke University Chapel

Rehearsal

Welcome to Durham

Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Nuptial Mass

Hope Valley Country Club

Reception

Goodson Chapel

Sunday Mass at the Duke Catholic Center

Forest Hills Park Clubhouse

Sunday Brunch

Our Wedding

Our story is the classic med school love story! We first met during Meaghan’s first year at Duke and David’s third year, when he was a Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellow at the Divinity School. We first met at a backyard dinner, hosted by one of David’s professors, where we talked about bioethics and how to practice medicine well. Throughout that year, between writing papers and studying the Krebs cycle (the real Krebs cycle–the one where you learn it and then forget it and then have to learn it again), we both spent a lot of time at the FAH’s library, where a friendship quickly developed.&nbsp; As the year went on, our paths continued to cross periodically at the medical school and the campus Catholic center. For a few months we struck up a playful back-and-forth on the somewhat obscure social media app BeReal. In another memorable interaction, David played the part of a waiter in a restaurant-themed murder mystery game, successfully deducing that Meaghan (playing the role of the suspicious sous chef) was the guilty party.&nbsp; Our first date that spring was a sign of things to come. Loose plans to take a bike ride turned into a 30-mile adventure along the American Tobacco Trail. Not quite anticipating Meaghan’s cycling stamina, David dressed in khakis and a seersucker button down. Afterwards, we shared a roast chicken at Meaghan’s oh-so-charming apartment in the Dollar General parking lot, followed by making homemade strawberry rhubarb jam. We still have a jar saved! Seven hours after the date began, we knew something special was beginning. Time passed quickly after that. Despite the constant hustle and bustle of our schoolwork, there always seemed to be enough time for dates to Two Roosters Ice Cream, weekend getaways to the Appalachian Trail, or just Kicking Back with our med school or Catholic center friends. Another memorable (mis)adventure: in the spring of our first year together, we went backpacking in the beautiful Grayson Highlands in southwestern Virginia. There were thunderstorms in the forecast, and we saw many campers getting out of Dodge. But this was our only weekend available, so dang it, we were going camping. It was beautiful and warm in Durham by this time of year, but up at 5,000 ft., the weather quickly turned against us. Temps dropped into the 40s and the mountains were slashed with torrential rain. David was impressed by Meaghan’s perseverance through a heavy dose of “Type 2” fun. Since then, we have gone on to have many more memorable (and drier!) trips together – from Max Patch to the tidepools of the Oregon Coast, from the temperate rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula to the otherworldly hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. After all of that exploring together–both local to Durham and in many national parks–we came to the conclusion that it might be nice to continue exploring the ups and downs of life at each other's sides. One Monday afternoon, David was suspiciously insistent on going for a walk in the Duke Gardens prior to his night shift and on the day Meaghan had a big experiment. In the early evening, we walked down to the Gardens from the hospital side of campus, David said some very sweet words, and all of a sudden there was a ring on Meaghan’s finger and some dear friends popped out from the flower bushes. We are very much so looking forward to the adventures that life has in store for us next, paramount being our wedding day. We cannot wait to celebrate the start of our time as a married couple with our family and friends, and hope that you all can make it!

Our Story

Photos

Wedding Party

Duke campus maps can be helpful tool for navigating Duke's campus. That website can be found here: https://maps.duke.edu/

Q + A

For those traveling from out of town, the closest airport is Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), about 20 minutes from downtown Durham. We recommend renting a car or arranging some form of vehicle for transportation if you are flying in, as having your own way to get around will make it much easier to explore the Durham area and attend all the festivities! If you prefer not to rent a car, there are ride share services in the area as well. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Last day to book:&nbsp;July 31Rooms will be added as block is booked up, if available.

Durham Marriott City Center

Last day to book: August 14th - block released on August 15thRooms will be added as block is booked up, if available.

Hilton Garden Inn Durham/University Medical Center

Last Day to Book July 20thRooms will be added as block is booked up, if available.

Courtyard Durham Near Duke University/Downtown

There are also many Air BnB properties in many of Durham's charming neighborhoods for families or groups of friends visiting who may prefer to be in a home with more of a neighborhood feel! We would recommend anything in the Watts-Hillandale, 9th Street, Forest Hills, or Trinity Park areas, as these are relatively walkable and safe neighborhoods!

Travel

We are looking forward to having many visiting family and friends in Durham for our special day. Here is a list of places we recommend in Durham, whether for a bite to eat, to grab a coffee, or to explore the scenery! Brunch and Coffee Spots:Monuts on Ninth street is a great spot to grab Saturday brunch or a coffee. It's not a far walk from Duke's East Campus or the Ninth street shopping area. Foster's Market and Guglehuph are two great brunch and lunch spots (open Saturday and Sunday) near Durham's Hope Valley and Tuscaloosa-Lakewood neighborhoods. Cocoa Cinnamon has many locations around Durham (all great) and features locally roasted Little Waves coffee. Dinner spots:We love La Superior (hispanic grocery store on Roxboro road) for Tacos, as well as La Vaquita in the Lakewood neighborhood which also has great authentic Mexican food. HiWire is a great brewery with a pizza shop next door that you can order from. NuvoTaco, the Boot Room, and Q Shack are three restaurants in Rockwood Plaza, not far from downtown and with a great neighborhood vibe for a casual Friday night dinner. There are many other excellent restaurants in Durham's downtown area! Ice Cream:Durham has a GREAT ice cream scene. Two Rooster's is Meaghan's favorite, featuring homemade ice cream (made in the Triangle) and monthly flavors. Goodberry's is David's favorite, another Triangle local where you can choose mix-ins in house made custard. The Parlor is also quite yummy! Sunday Mass:For Sunday Mass, the Duke Catholic Center, which we attend regularly, offers two Sunday masses in Duke's Goodson chapel (in the Divinity school, to the right of the main Duke Chapel in which the nuptial mass will take place). Their morning Mass times in Goodson chapel are 9 am and 11 am with parking in the Bryan Center Garage. There is also an 8 pm mass in the Duke chapel. Immaculate Conception is another local parish with Sunday Mass at 7:45, 9:30, and 11:30 am. Exploring Durham:If you are visiting Durham and Duke we would definitely recommend taking a stroll through the beautiful Sarah B. Duke Gardens on Duke's West campus. For a longer walk or short jog, the Al Buehler trail near the Washington Duke Inn is another great option. The Nasher museum on Duke's West campus is also open to the public and houses rotation art exhibits. Eno State Park has many trailheads of varying length 10-15 minutes from down town Durham. We particularly love the Eno Quarry Trail. The American Tobacco Trail (trailhead near the Bull's Stadium downtown) is a great, flat, paved trail for running, for all of our out of town runners in town for the weekend. It also happens to be the place of our first date and very close to our new home! The Durham Bulls are our local AAA baseball team. They are in town the week of our wedding with games on Friday 8/29 at 6:35 PM and Sunday 8/31 at 1:05 PM. We would definitely recommend catching a game!

Meaghan & David