Wedding Day

Haywood Hall

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

Our Story

Our wedding party is made up of people we've known for decades and people who've only been in our lives a couple of years. Yet somehow, they all feel like they've been around forever. These are our closest people, our biggest supporters, and the ones who will absolutely be the last ones on the dance floor.

Savannah has been Caelan's best friend for 6 years. We've been told that's a long time to be friends with Caelan, but we would never say that ourselves. 

Savannah and Caelan met in a Target parking lot in Marshfield in 2021 — which feels exactly right for two people who were clearly destined to be best friends. In the years since, Savannah has been everything: kind, thoughtful, selfless, hardworking, and somehow endlessly patient. She is, in every way that counts, the sister Caelan never had.

We're pretty sure that in another life, they've already been married for 20 years. In this one, she gets to stand up front and watch Caelan marry someone else and do it with grace. That's just the kind of person she is.

Savannah Wester

Bryson and Sawyer first met at Haylee and Eric's apartment back in August 2025 — and by December, they were already the kind of friends where one helps the other remove his pants. To be fair, there was a bourbon station at the Renuity holiday party involved. These things do happen.

Sawyer came into the picture as Emma's boyfriend (now husband), and somehow went from "Caelan's friend's guy" to Bryson's best man in the span of a few months. It makes complete sense if you know Sawyer. He's the funniest person in any room he walks into, and he'd be the last one to bring it up. Laid-back, humble, down to earth, and genuinely one of those people you just feel good around. We're glad he showed up when he did.

Sawyer Barnett

Caelan and Chloe met through work in 2024 — the exact month is unknown, because they trauma bonded so hard it erased the timeline. What started as a professional connection turned into one of those friendships that's hard to put into words: Chloe is sporadic yet calm, a little crazy yet deeply wise, and one of the realest people you will ever meet. Caelan has looked up to her professionally for years, and somehow ended up with her as a best friend too. That's a win by any measure.

Chloe is also personally responsible for getting Caelan into Heated Rivalry and has shown zero remorse about it. She's known for her rugby skills, her leg wrestling game, and a well-documented obsession with green tea shots — so if you're looking for a friendly competition and a good time, you know where to find her. They've also had a matching tattoo plan in the works for years. Still pending. It's happening. Probably.

Chloe Jewell

Sloan is Caelan's little brother — emphasis on little, though that word stopped applying physically somewhere around middle school, which is also right around the time people started assuming Caelan was the younger one. At 22 years old and frequently described as a refrigerator with legs, Sloan has never once let Caelan forget it.

Growing up, Caelan and Sloan were about as opposite as two siblings could be — and somehow that's exactly what made their bond unbreakable. They balanced each other out in all the right ways, and the years have only made them closer. Sloan is hilarious, kind, and genuinely sharp, which makes him excellent company and a formidable opponent in just about anything competitive.

Speaking of which: the iconic game Song Quiz was invented by these two during their childhood, which means they have been arguing about music taste for longer than most people in this wedding party have known either of them. Sloan will tell you he has the better taste. Caelan will tell you it's her. Bryson has been aware of this ongoing dispute since August 2024 and has wisely chosen to stay out of it. We respect that decision entirely.

Sloan Welch

Caelan and Emma met at Haylee and Eric's apartment in August 2025 — and by the time they'd had a conversation in the bathroom that night, they both already knew they were going to be best friends. That's just how it goes sometimes. What started as a chance introduction turned into one of those friendships that feels like it's been around a lot longer than the calendar suggests. In a short amount of time, Emma has become one of Caelan's closest people, and we couldn't imagine this wedding party without her.

Emma is funny, matter-of-fact, smart, dedicated, and takes absolutely zero nonsense — which makes her an excellent friend and a formidable opponent. She is fabulous at ping pong, can put a Biggie Ball down with no problem, and approaches everything in life with the kind of focus and competitiveness that is either very inspiring or very humbling depending on which side of the table you're on. She also believes she is capable of managing Blackout Bryson. She is not. But we respect the confidence, and we love her for trying. Truly one of a kind, and we're so glad she agreed to go pee with Caelan that night.

Emma Barnett

Bryson and Jack met in April 2024 when Bryson hired Jack at Renuity — and what started as a working relationship quickly turned into something much more important: a genuine friendship and, some would say, a cultural institution. After Bryson and Caelan's move to Charlotte in September, the two of them singlehandedly built the in-office culture at the Renuity Charlotte office. We're choosing to take that at face value and we stand by it fully.

Jack is funny, level-headed, responsible, and independent — the kind of person who doesn't have to try to draw people in, but somehow always has a crowd around him anyway. He handles everything with a calm and steadiness that makes the people around him better, and he shows up for the people he cares about without being asked. Bryson is lucky to have found him at work, for both metric-based and socially-based reasons. He is also a proud cat dad to Geraldt and Percy, which tells you everything you need to know about his character.

Shortly after Jack adopted Geraldt, Caelan and Bryson came over for a little birthday get-together and Caelan promptly could not remember the cat's name and called him Gimbus for the rest of the night. To this day, there are people in this friend group who genuinely believe that cat's name is Gimbus. It is not. His name is Geraldt. We are so sorry, Geraldt.

Jack Vilas

Caelan and Haylee met through The Charlotte Table — but while most people in that space connect through group events, they went off the beaten path entirely, added each other as friends and just met up one random night in uptown Charlotte. No fanfare, no group setting, just two people deciding to skip the formalities. It was very on brand for both of them.

Haylee is extra, spicy, endlessly creative, and always looking for content to be made. She has a genuine eye for the decorative and the beautiful, knows how to throw a party, and has a rare gift for making people feel truly special — which, not coincidentally, also makes her an incredible teacher. She brings that same warmth and intentionality into everything she does, and Caelan is a better person for having her in her corner.

A highlight of their friendship: one afternoon, the two of them set out to run two errands and somehow spent four and a half hours doing it — largely because neither of them had a physical card to use at Hobby Lobby. What followed was an odyssey that is difficult to explain and truly had to be witnessed firsthand. What we can tell you is that the iconic phrase "All roads lead to Boston" was born that day. That's all we're giving you. It's a long story.

Haylee Bellina-Faria

Bryson and Eric met at the Charlotte Beer Garden in June 2025 and haven't looked back since. Eric is loyal, communicative, always down to hang, and genuinely one of those people who makes every hangout better just by showing up. From the jump, it was clear this was going to be a long friendship — and given the current role, that's proven true.
A few other things you should know about Eric: he is exceptionally good at song quiz, provided all the artists are Rod Wave. He may or may not be slightly better at golf than Bryson — this is disputed and we will not be taking further questions. Some have called him the next Rory McIlroy. Those people know who they are. When the girls need a photo op, Eric is there, camera ready, no complaints — a true team player. And if the dance floor ever needs a moment, Eric is a former gymnast who can still throw a back handspring on command. Consider this your warning and your invitation.

Eric Bellina-Faria

Bryson and Bran have been friends since August 2024, brought together by the fact that their partners — Caelan and Savannah — are best friends and, frankly, a lot to keep up with. From the beginning, Bryson and Bran found an unspoken kinship in the shared experience of looking at each other across the room while Caelan and Savannah scheme up their next plan. It is a bond built on mutual understanding, patience, and a healthy appreciation for a quiet night in.

Bran is an old soul in the best possible way — and at the distinguished title of oldest member of the wedding party, he has earned that label. He is into all things vintage: film photography, classic movies, typewriters, and a good glass of red wine. He and Bryson share what can only be described as grandpa energy, and we mean that as the highest of compliments. He is thoughtful, genuine, and exactly the kind of person you want in your corner.

He also wishes more people would compliment his shoes. Consider this your reminder. Take a look.

Brandon Baltus

Caelan and Shannon met at a Charlotte Hornets game in October 2025 — and that same night, Caelan invited a whole group of girls to her Halloween housewarming party the next evening. Shannon was the only one who showed up. That is Shannon Chapman in a nutshell, and it tells you everything you need to know about her before we even get started.

Shannon is selfless, kind, funny, and the reigning world champion of trivia — on virtually any subject, at any time, in any room. She is a devoted Hamilton enthusiast, which is not a personality trait so much as a lifestyle, and we respect it deeply. She is also the person Caelan turns to when life gets a little existential, because Shannon somehow always has the right answer. It's a gift, and Caelan is very lucky to have it on speed dial.

On a practical note, Shannon is Bryson and Caelan's go-to dog sitter for Charlie and Bayla, and she has never once shown up to anything empty handed — not even when Caelan has already made four courses of food and explicitly told her not to bring anything. She brings something anyway. Every time. We've stopped fighting it.

Shannon Chapman

Wedding Party

Ultimate Formal Attire Shopping Guide

25 Hand-Picked Formal Guest Dresses

Tux vs. Suit: What's the Difference?

We're celebrating in one of Raleigh's most storied historic homes, and we'd love for our guests to dress the part. Formal attire is requested — suits and dress attire for gentlemen, floor-length or formal gowns for ladies. Color is encouraged.

We'd love for our guests to feel at home in our color story. Here are the shades that will surround us that evening:

Caelan & Bryson

Caelan & Bryson

Dress Code

DRESS CODE - FORMAL

Ideas & Advice