Make it a Fall Getaway
The 1812 Hitching Post sits on 26 acres of historic property in Harmony, North Carolina, with gardens, trails, mature trees and our five-acre rustic lake. The property gives couples quite a few places for photographs, and September is especially pretty for outdoor ceremonies and portraits. You’ll find the historic house, the ceremony lawn, the lake, the fields, the gardens, and mature trees including the largest white oak tree in Iredell County (3rd largest in the state).
Another advantage of September is the golden light. It sets between the giant oaks on the property which can cast a magical glow. The sun sets a little more quickly than August and night comes earlier.
We are so happy you are coming here because somebody you love is getting married. We want to help you all celebrate and we’ve designed our Guest Resources section for you to give you additional travel resources.
You may want to know more about the property. The house itself has an interesting story. There’s an 1812 log cabin underneath the later wood siding, which is one of the things that gives the property its character. A NC Lt. Governor was born here and it was the horse farm of a 5-term NC Senator. It’s not a hotel or a resort. It’s an old North Carolina property that we’ve turned into a place for weddings. And that’s part of what makes it fun for your guests, too.
September Is a Wonderful In-Between Month for a Wedding
When couples start thinking about a fall wedding, October usually gets all the attention.
I understand why. Everybody loves fall color. But with color, comes the cold nights. September has its own charm and warmth, especially if you’re planning an outdoor wedding.
The property is still lush and green. The gardens are still full. The lake is surrounded by foliage, and you don’t have to worry about waiting for the leaves to cooperate for your wedding photographs. The air is dryer and the humidity goes down. September afternoons and evenings can be much more comfortable than the middle of summer.
And if your guests are staying a few extra days, they can go looking for fall.
The mountains begin changing at higher elevations before the Piedmont does, so a late-September wedding can give your guests the possibility of experiencing two seasons during the same trip—green countryside around the venue and the beginning of fall farther west.
The National Park Service fall-color guide is a great resource for anyone hoping to catch those early mountain colors.
Your Wedding Can Be the Beginning of the Trip
I think this is one of the nicest things about a destination wedding—or even a wedding that simply brings people from out of town.
Your guests are already making the trip. They’ve taken time off work. They’ve booked a hotel. They’ve packed their good clothes. Why not give them a reason to stay another day?
Maybe your sister comes in from Virginia on Thursday and spends Friday exploring Statesville with your parents.
Maybe your college friends decide to visit a vineyard Saturday morning before the wedding.
Maybe your husband’s family stays until Sunday and spends the afternoon at Lake Norman.
Suddenly, the wedding isn’t just one evening. It’s a little family vacation built around something important. And you don’t have to organize any of it.
That’s the beauty of it.
What Your Guests Can Discover Around the 1812 Hitching Post
We’re in Harmony, just outside Statesville, which puts the 1812 Hitching Post in a really convenient spot for exploring.
You’re close enough to Charlotte and Lake Norman that guests can easily combine the wedding with places they may already know—or want to discover.
But you’re also close to the countryside, historic towns, vineyards and the foothills.
That gives everyone choices. The guest who wants to shop can go shopping. The friend who wants to drink wine can go wine tasting. The grandparents who would rather have a nice lunch and wander around a historic downtown can do that. And the family with children can find something outdoors.
For history lovers, Fort Dobbs State Historic Site offers another interesting look at North Carolina’s past. Historic sites like Ft. Dobbs can be a nice change of pace from shopping and restaurants. Wendy, the wedding coordinator and venue owner, is also a genealogist. Visit our history “hub” to learn more about the history of the families in this area.
Downtown Statesville has historic buildings, locally owned shops, restaurants, coffee shops, museums and other little places worth discovering. You can have breakfast or lunch downtown, walk around for a while, do some shopping and then decide where you want to go next.
Statesville also has a rather unusual claim to fame: it’s known as the Ballooning Capital of the East.
The Bristol Cafe in Statesville has a Mimosa Brunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This is a locally owned restaurant with a coastal vibe.
A Wedding Weekend in Wine Country
If I had guests coming from out of town for a September wedding, one of the first things I’d tell them about is the Yadkin Valley wine region.
September is a particularly interesting time to visit because the vineyards are moving into harvest season. It’s a beautiful time of year to take a drive through the countryside, stop at a winery, sit outside with a glass of wine and enjoy the scenery.
Pick a winery or two. Have lunch. Shelton Vineyards is one of the area’s best-known wineries with an on-site restaurant. There are plenty of other picturesque vineyards throughout the Yadkin Valley if you’d like to explore farther.
The Yadkin Valley events calendar is worth checking before your wedding because September brings winery concerts, tastings, harvest activities and other seasonal events.
This is one of those places where the journey is almost as enjoyable as the destination. Some of the best parts are the roads in between the places you’re actually going.
View our videos of local attractions on TikTok
And Then There’s Lake Norman
Lake Norman is another easy addition to your wedding trip. If you’re coming from somewhere without a big lake nearby, it’s worth seeing. And even if you live around here, it’s hard to complain about an afternoon at the lake. We have a yearly Labor Day tradition of renting a boat from Morningstar Marina – Crown Boat Rentals.
Depending on what you enjoy, you can go boating, kayaking, fishing, walking, shopping, or simply find somewhere to sit near the water and have lunch.
Lake Norman State Park is another option if you want to get outside and do some walking or hiking.
The Lake Norman area also has plenty of restaurants, shops and things to do, so you can make the day as active—or as lazy—as you want.
And If They Want to See the Mountains…
This is the one I’d save for guests who have a little extra time.
If someone is traveling from out of state and has never experienced the Blue Ridge Mountains, I’d encourage them to consider staying an additional day.
The Blue Ridge Parkway offers scenic drives, overlooks, hiking and access to some wonderful little mountain towns. You don’t have to turn it into an expedition.
Sometimes the best mountain day is simply getting in the car.
Drive until you see something beautiful. Pull over. Take some pictures. Find a place for lunch. Keep going.
In September, the scenery can be especially interesting because the higher elevations may begin showing fall color before we see much change here in the Piedmont.
If that’s what you’re hoping to see, check the current Blue Ridge Parkway conditions before heading out.
You Don’t Have to Organize Every Minute
Here’s something I really want couples to hear:
You don’t have to plan a “wedding weekend.”
The phrase has gotten so elaborate that sometimes I think we’ve forgotten that people are perfectly capable of entertaining themselves.
You don’t need a welcome party, an organized excursion, a farewell brunch and a three-day itinerary unless that’s something you genuinely want to do.
At the 1812 Hitching Post, the wedding is the reason everyone is here.
Everything else is just extra.
Maybe your family arrives Friday and spends the afternoon in Statesville.
Maybe your college friends find a vineyard.
Maybe somebody takes the kids to Lake Norman.
Maybe everyone sleeps late the next morning and meets up for brunch.
Or maybe the entire plan is, “What do you want to do today?”
There’s nothing wrong with that.
In fact, after the excitement of a wedding, it might be exactly what everybody needs.
What Should Guests Do Before the Wedding?
If you’re arriving the day before the wedding, my advice is simple: don’t wear yourself out before the big day.
Have a good breakfast.
Take a leisurely drive.
Explore Statesville if you’d like.
Visit a vineyard if that’s your thing.
Have an early dinner.
Then get some rest.
There will be plenty happening once you arrive at the 1812 Hitching Post.
The historic house, the gardens, the lake, the ceremony lawn, the fields and those enormous old trees all become part of the experience.
You don’t have to rush through them.
Give yourself a little time to take it all in.
And Then Comes the Day After
This may actually be my favorite part of the whole idea.
The wedding is over.
The flowers are still beautiful.
Everybody is a little tired.
And for the first time in several days, nobody has anywhere they absolutely have to be.
That’s when I’d slow down.
Have brunch in Statesville. Head toward Lake Norman. Take a drive through the vineyards. Or, if you stayed another night, make Sunday your mountain day.
The day after a wedding doesn’t have to be another event.
It can simply be time.
Time to look at pictures from the night before. Time to laugh about something that happened on the dance floor. Time to sit around and talk a little longer before everyone heads home.
Sometimes those unplanned hours end up being the ones people remember.
What Should You Pack for a September Wedding?
September in North Carolina can be a little unpredictable—in a good way.
You can have a warm afternoon and a cooler evening. You can have beautiful sunshine and you can have a quick summer shower.
So I’d bring layers.
A light jacket or sweater is worth putting in the suitcase, even if the forecast looks warm. And if you’re planning to explore downtown, visit vineyards or spend time outdoors, comfortable shoes will make your life much easier.
As for the wedding?
Bring the outfit you’ve been looking forward to wearing.
We’ll take care of the rest.
Why I Love September for Weddings
October may get all the attention when people start talking about fall weddings, but September has something I really love.
Everything is still green.
The gardens are full.
The lake and countryside still have that late-summer feeling.
The vineyards are moving into harvest.
And farther west, the mountains are beginning their transition toward fall.
It’s a little window between seasons.
You get the lush scenery that makes outdoor wedding photographs so pretty, while your guests have the chance to chase the beginning of fall if they stay a little longer.
That’s a pretty good combination.
Your Guests Will Remember More Than the Wedding
Of course, when you’re planning a wedding, you’re thinking about the important things—the ceremony, the flowers, the food, the music and the photographs.
You should.
But your guests are having their own experience, too.
Some may be traveling a long way to be here. Some may be meeting family members they’ve never met. Some may turn the trip into a little vacation of their own.
Years from now, they may not remember exactly what was on the tables.
But they might remember sitting beside the lake.
They might remember that afternoon in wine country.
They might remember taking the kids to Lake Norman.
They might remember a beautiful September evening when everyone they loved was together.
That’s one of the things I love about weddings.
The day belongs to the couple.
But the memories belong to everybody.
Come for the Wedding. Stay a Little Longer.
You don’t have to turn your wedding into a destination wedding to give your guests a destination experience.
Sometimes you just have to choose a place that’s worth traveling to.
The 1812 Hitching Post is in the countryside of Harmony, North Carolina, but you’re within reach of Statesville, Lake Norman, the Yadkin Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
So come for the wedding.
Stay an extra day if you can.
See something you’ve never seen before.
Have a meal somewhere you’ve never eaten.
Take the scenic route.
Or don’t make a plan at all.
Just enjoy being together.
That’s really what this is about.
Planning a September Wedding at the 1812 Hitching Post?
We’ve put together a Wedding Guest Portal to make things easier for the people you’re inviting. Guests can find information about directions, parking, lodging, restaurants, attractions and other helpful details in one place.
And if you’re planning your own wedding here, you can start with our 1812 Hitching Post wedding information.
Then give yourself—and your guests—permission to enjoy a little North Carolina while you’re here.
Because the wedding may be the reason they came.
It doesn’t have to be the only thing they remember.
Helpful Local Resources
Visit Statesville — Things to do, restaurants, shopping and events.
Visit Lake Norman — Lake activities, restaurants, shopping and events.
Yadkin Valley — Wineries, vineyards and seasonal events.
Visit North Carolina — Statewide travel information and seasonal activities.
North Carolina Fall Color Guide — Find out when and where fall color is appearing.
Blue Ridge Parkway — Scenic drives, hiking, overlooks and mountain travel information.
Fort Dobbs State Historic Site — A nearby piece of North Carolina history.
