Gabrielle & Jerry | Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral & The Historic Wakefield Barn, Raleigh, NC

Gabby and Jerry met in optometry school, which feels like exactly the right origin story for two people who ended up with one of the most thoughtfully considered weddings we’ve had the privilege of planning. When you spend that many years training your eye (literally), it carries over into wedding planning, too.

Their wedding took place at the beginning of December, and the whole day carried a specific kind of chill in the air – the good kind – hushed, elegant, and wintry without tipping too far into “holiday”. Gabby had a word for it early on: frosty. We loved it immediately.

Photography by Rae Marshall.

The Ceremony

Gabby and Jerry were married at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, in a ceremony both traditional and deeply personal. They chose a “half” Mass – the full weight and beauty of a Catholic ceremony, but without a full communion. The whole service had a warmth and familiarity that felt specifically theirs.

Gabby walked down the aisle to Canon in D, and under that soaring white dome, it landed exactly the way it’s supposed to: overwhelmingly beautiful, and emotional. 

The Venue

From the cathedral, the day moved to The Historic Wakefield Barn, a venue that feels both grand and unmistakably warm, and one that we are intimately familiar with. Cocktail hour unfolded between the inside and outside, with just enough chill in the air to make everyone grateful for the open bar inside the Stables.

Upstairs, the barn’s vaulted ceilings and soaring whitewashed walls gave the whole reception a kind of hushed elegance. It is the sort of space that doesn’t need much to feel special, which is exactly why it was the right canvas for a “frosty” design.

The Design

Frosty, as it turns out, means a lot more than a color palette. Yes, there was the color story – hydrangeas, delphinium, and garden roses in soft blues and whites, linens in pale silvery blues – but the real signature of the design lived in the details you had to look twice to notice.

Translucent menus done on vellum menus echoed frost on glass. Frosted table numbers picked up the same effect in a different material. Greenery in the venue’s chandeliers gave a forest-like height to the space. Together, they gave the whole reception a soft wintry quality without a single snowflake or sprig of holly in sight. Elegant, not just seasonal, and exactly the type of vision that Gabby and Jerry asked for.

The Details

The design was quiet and cool, so the moments and details were where Gabby and Jerry’s warmth and heritage took center stage. The day before the wedding, a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony was held at Gabby’s parents’ home, separate from the main event but very much so its emotional foundation.

Gabby brought that heritage into the reception, too. Partway through the night, she changed into a stunning traditional red and gold áo dài, paired with a wide-brimmed hat, and made her way with Jerry around the room table by table. The dinner also included traditional Vietnamese wedding games, including one of our favorite moments of the entire day, where an envelope of money was dropped from above, and the couple had to catch it together, mid-kiss. It was playful, and the kind of tradition that signaled the party to come. And the dinner: a 10-course Vietnamese meal, served family-style to just over 200 guests. Talk about “wow” – both in taste and in logistics. 

Then there were the cake(s). Beside the wedding cake sat a second cake entirely: a surprise groom’s cake done up in University of Texas Longhorns touches, celebrating Jerry’s fandom. Judging by his reaction, it landed exactly as intended.

The Party

Discoboxx kept the dance floor moving all night, joined by a live saxophonist who showed up at just the right moments to push the energy over the top. By the end of the night, Jerry was being lifted above the crowd, Gabby was mid-air laughing, and the whole barn had turned into one very loud, very joyful room.

Gabby and Jerry, thank you for trusting us with a day that held so much of both of you in it — the quiet elegance, the heritage, and the pure, unfiltered joy on that dance floor. We loved every minute of it.

Vendor Team

Wedding Planning & Design: Vow & Verve

Photography: Rae Marshall

Videography: Single Story Film

Ceremony Venue: Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral

Reception Venue: The Historic Wakefield Barn

Catering: Canton House Restaurant

DJ & Saxophonist: Discoboxx

Floral Design: Heritage Floral Design

Rentals: Curated Events Raleigh

Cake: The Cupcake Shoppe Raleigh

Makeup: Peach Cowgirl Beauty

Guest Transportation: EcoStyle Transportation

Bridal Party Transportation: Reserve Party Bus

Vow & Verve is an award-winning luxury wedding planning and design team based in North Carolina that specializes in personalized design, thoughtful execution, and a warm, high-touch planning experience.