By Aubrey Austin / Photography by Kelsey Nelson, www.kelsey-nelson.com
Sarah Wilson and Alex Waldorf met at Guy B. Phillips Middle School, but they really got to know each other and began dating during their sophomore year at East Chapel Hill High School. They parted ways after graduation – Sarah went to East Carolina University and Alex attended Georgetown University – but the two still kept in touch and saw each other over breaks. Sarah and Alex focused on their post-graduation careers, which eventually led them both to New York City. After a job interview in 2018, Sarah serendipitously ran into Alex on Fifth Avenue, and they rekindled.
In August 2019, Alex and Sarah went to dinner at Salinas, the location of many previous dates and Sarah’s favorite restaurant in the city. Alex proposed after dinner in their apartment with flowers and a bottle of Champagne. Sarah and Alex flew to Chapel Hill the next day for a surprise engagement party planned by Alex. They celebrated with close friends and family, including Alex’s parents, Gary Waldorf and Rosemary Waldorf, and Sarah’s parents, Timothy Wilson and Elizabeth Wilson.
Oct. 10, 2020, began with rain in the morning, but the clouds cleared for Sarah and Alex’s first-look pictures at The Carolina Inn and the ceremony on the Ingle family farm in Chatham County, where Rosemary grew up. Bowerbird Flowers and Apothecary designed the floral arrangements for the ceremony while Guglhupf Bake Shop provided European-style desserts. The night ended with live music performed by Sarah’s brother-in-law, Andrew Shillito. The couple lives in New York City.
