What a beautiful day Karen and Gova had for their intimate fall wedding at The Elia in downtown Wilmington! They celebrated with close friends and family at this one of a kind venue. Even though they live in Alabama, they chose this city for their destination wedding!
The Elia wedding venue in Wilmington is a lovely space just up from the Cape Fear River. It is situated in the heart of downtown and is family owned and operated Brittanie Pate. She has extensive experience in the wedding industry with venue management and event planning. She also has her own wedding planning business local to the Wilmington. Brittanie and her team love this area and are committed to making sure all of their clients feel comfortable in their space on their wedding day!
I had a great time capturing Karen and Gova’s engagement photos at Fort Fisher in the fall of 2023, so I knew that their wedding day would be just as beautiful! (Be sure to check out their engagement session here!) Their special day started out insanely windy, so we ended up shooting their first look and family portraits inside the venue. The wind eventually died down later in the day, and we were able to take photos of the bridal party and couples portraits outside.
Blue and Gray Wedding Details
As with any wedding day, I always begin by taking pictures of the details. I loved the blue flower watercolor details on the invitations that Karen and Gove chose. Karen and her bridesmaids wore the cutest pajamas to get ready in! The lemon and blue tiled designed was really cute! After Karen’s mom helped her get ready, Karen met Gova out in the venue for their first look.
They shared such a sweet first look! Gova was very emotional that he wiped tears from his eyes after seeing how beautiful Karen was in her dress. The wind had eased some, but we stayed indoors and took some bride and groom portraits against the brick wall. This ended up being a great spot since the venue provided a large window for some beautiful light. We were able to shoot family portraits inside and then the wedding party and more couples portraits on the sidewalk just outside the venue. The groomsmen were the perfect hype squad for Gova! The light blue bridesmaids’ dresses and the guy’s dark blue suits with Gova wearing gray, was the perfect color combination!
Intimate Indoor Ceremony
I loved the intimate space that The Elia wedding venue provided for Gova and Karen’s indoor ceremony. Even though the bride and groom shared a first look, Gova still got teary as Karen walked down the aisle surrounded by all their friends and family. Nothing will ever beat that moment, even if you share a first look!
Because all of the main portraits were taken before the ceremony, everyone moved right into the reception where the party got started! Karen and Gova made their official entrance and went right into their first dance. Karen shared a dance with her dad and then the wedding couple took a seat for speeches from the best man and maid of honor. As the sun starting setting, I took the couple outside for some golden hour portraits around downtown Wilmington.
After Gova and Karen cut their wedding cake, Karen danced with her mom. One of the highlights of the reception was Karen’s mom and her friends surprised Karen with a line dance. They all put on cowboy hats and danced! It was hilarious and Karen had no idea -she was so surprised! You could tell the moms worked hard for that dance and they all did such a great job! Karen and Gova kept the dance floor alive all night, having fun with their friends and family!
Thank you to Gova and Karen for trusting me with your beautiful fall wedding at The Elia in Wilmington! I’m so excited to shoot here again for future couples! Let’s start planning your intimate wedding at this venue!
Wedding Vendors
Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Elia, Wilmington, NC
Planner: Planning With Paige
Wedding Photographer: Stephanie Alberse Photo
DJ: Coastal DJ Video
Rentals: Martha My Dear Rentals
Catering: A Thyme Savor
Cake: One Belle Bakery
