Caroline and Emmett were married on March 23, 2024, at Charlotte Country Club — but Caroline, a former New Yorker, had one clear vision for the reception: she wanted it to feel like a hotel lobby bar in the city she'd left behind. Dark wood paneling, crystal sconces, and gold velvet lounge seating gave the room that old New York glamour, while jewel-toned florals — magenta peonies, blush garden roses, chartreuse hydrangea — kept it warm rather than stuffy.

The whimsy came through in the details: their invitation suite, hand-illustrated with butterflies in chinoiserie green and lilac, echoed later in the printed lampshades and monogrammed napkins scattered throughout the night. Cocktail hour bloomed with towering delphinium against gilt mirrors, and the night closed with fireworks lighting the drive away.

A little bit Charlotte, a little bit uptown New York.