It was a seemingly typical evening at a Myers Park neighborhood pub when Meredith Little and William Choate III first crossed paths in Charlotte. “It’s been a local spot since the ’90s and many people have met their spouses there,” notes Meredith, who recalls that the initial connection with her future husband was immediate. Will agrees: “It was like we had already been on a few dates and skipped right past the awkward parts of a first meeting.”

After attending a wedding together, Will knew he wanted to propose to Meredith. On the drive home, he called his mother to ask for his grandmother’s engagement ring: a two-carat antique marquis-cut diamond set in platinum and flanked by tapered baguettes. The heirloom ring, originally given by his grandfather in the early 1950s, had also been used for his parents’ engagement in the early ’90s.

With the ring secured, Will sought the blessing of Meredith’s father during Father’s Day Weekend. “I pulled out a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 14-year bourbon, and he politely poured himself the tiniest tasting,” Will laughs. “I told him that he needed to pour himself more than that because we had a big conversation to have.” His request was met with approval, and Will soon proposed aboard his father’s Boston Whaler in the backwaters of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, followed by a surprise engagement party.

The couple spent the following year planning their wedding in the city where their love story began. An alumna of Queens University of Charlotte, Meredith envisioned exchanging vows in the university’s onsite chapel, with a nearby country club hosting the reception. “Will grew up playing golf at Quail Hollow with his great-uncle, and I grew up attending the PGA event there every year,” Meredith explains. “It’s a place filled with memories for both of us.” For the design of the day, the bride worked closely with her planner and her future mother-in-law. “She’s a very talented designer and had such a beautiful vision for our wedding,” Meredith smiles.

On a spring afternoon, 200 guests gathered inside the light-filled chapel, adorned with fragrant florals and bathed in natural light streaming through expansive glass windows. A string trio performed classical selections as the ceremony began, with the groom and groomsmen processing in classic tuxedos, bridesmaids in soft blush gowns, and Meredith making her entrance in a hand- draped bias ball gown with a rose-inspired bodice. The traditional ceremony included scripture readings by Will’s aunt and a close family friend, culminating in the couple being pronounced husband and wife.

“We were told by guests that it looked like a flower garden inside the ballroom.”

Guests then made their way to the country club for an alfresco cocktail hour, where they enjoyed his-and- hers signature drinks – an Old Fashioned for Will and a Cosmopolitan for Meredith – served from a bar adorned with fresh greenery and florals in blush and ivory. A garden-inspired seating display guided guests into the reception space, where spring florals set a romantic tone.

“My mother-in-law was the true visionary behind our reception,” affirms Meredith. “She took our ivory, champagne gold, and blush color scheme and turned it into a timeless, elegant affair. We were told by guests that it looked like a flower garden inside the ballroom.” All of the bride’s favorite flowers – peonies, ranunculuses, tulips, English roses, orchids, hydrangeas, and more – adorned nearly every corner of the reception space. “Our wedding planner, Ann, also contributed greatly to making our reception the magnificent event that it was. She had the most amazing vendors to help achieve our vision,” the bride adds.

Loved ones were seated at a mix of round tables dressed in ivory linens and topped with towering floral centerpieces, as well as long mirrored tables styled with low floral runners and modern glass candelabras. “The ballroom was completely transformed into a flower garden that was so breathtaking,” Will reflects. Meredith agrees: “We were speechless when we saw the beauty that our florist was able to create.”

Following a delectable sit-down dinner service, guests enjoyed slices of a five-tier wedding cake adorned with exquisite sugar flowers before heading to the dance floor – or sitting for a custom watercolor portrait painted live during the reception, offered in place of a traditional wedding favor. “I had never seen it done before, and it was a surprise to both Will and me,” Meredith says. “Our guests loved it so much, and it ended up being one of my favorite details of the day.”

As the evening unfolded, the dance floor remained full. “The music was incredible,” Will confirms. “[Our band from EastCoast Entertainment] brought the energy and kept the dance floor full all night long… No one was seated once they took the stage!” Looking back on the celebration, Meredith offers simple advice: “Stay true to yourselves and find ways to incorporate what you love most,” she smiles. “We both love our families and wanted them to feel that it was a special weekend for all of us as our families became one.”

This real wedding was originally published in the Spring 2026 expanded digital edition of Inside Weddings magazine. 

To order a copy of the Spring 2026 expanded digital edition, visit our library of Inside Weddings digital back issues available for purchase.