We’re not anti-tradition. We’re just pro-you.
Moonshine Micro Weddings exists to throw a wrench in the wedding industry, specifically the part of it that insists your day has to look a certain way, cost a certain amount, and feel like a performance.
Our story
Gabriella planned a micro wedding a decade ago — before anyone was calling it that.
She started in the wedding industry in California as an officiant, crafting ceremonies that sounded like the couple instead of a script. Her favorite compliment, still to this day: a guest walking up afterward to ask how she knows the couple, because she felt like a friend of the family.
When she moved to North Carolina, she started thinking bigger. What if the entire wedding day got the same treatment the ceremony did — every piece of it built around who the couple actually is, not what the industry thinks they should want?
That's Moonshine.
The name carries two meanings: moonshine the craft — handmade, independent, a little rebellious — and moonshine the light — the romance of the moon guiding our design sensibility. Heartfelt, handcrafted, and a little rebellious is our whole motto.
Why micro
Fifty guests is a deliberate limit, not a compromise. It’s the size where every person in the room has a genuinely special connection to you. It’s where your budget can go towards things that matter instead of feeding a crowd you half know. It also means we can design a truly custom event. Your decor isn’t replicated on an assembly line; it’s curated to reflect you for your day.
Our Core Values
Quality
Quality isn’t about perfection. It’s about meaning. The stuff that makes your day feel like it’s yours is usually tucked into the details; the song you danced to in the kitchen, the inside joke on the menu card, the way your people actually show up for you.
seriously unserious
The love is real. The pressure is optional. We honor the weight of the commitment without asking you to pretend it’s a production. Heels can come off at hour one. We can skip the cha cha slide. Cake can be pie.
joy
If you’re not present and enjoying your own wedding, what was the point? We build celebrations that feel good, not just look good in photos. Ease, connection, moments you get lost in. That is the standard.
Freedom & Creativity
Your wedding should look like your relationship, not like what’s trending. Cookie cutter isn’t our style and it isn’t yours either. We live in the “why not” and will find a way to “yes” every chance we get. We mean it when we say, “Your wedding, your way”.
Founder
Gabriella is the founder of Moonshine Micro Weddings. She hails from the San Francisco - Bay Area and finally relocated North Carolina after she saw the price of gas. She’s a wife, a mom, and an airborne Army veteran among other things. Gabriella has lived many lives and pushed many limits, all of which have led her to understand that LOVE transcends all.
This is the force behind wanting to help couples experience the joy of their wedding celebration without breaking the bank or being overtaken by the the theatrics. Thinking outside the box and getting s*** done is her specialty. She has a big personality, an even bigger heart, and will always find a way to “yes”.
Operations
Bre is the Director of Creative Strategy & Operations, and is probably the busiest girl you know (and somehow, she loves it that way)! A North Carolina native born in Rocky Mount, raised in Greensboro, and proud to call the Bull City home, she’s spent her life building community, chasing creative ideas, and keeping approximately 47 things moving at once.
She’s a social strategist, content creator, and creative director with a background in social work and a serious love for bringing people together. Whether she’s creating content, building a campaign, planning an event, or connecting people who need to know each other, Bre has a knack for turning ideas into experiences people actually want to be part of.
She’s always got an idea, a connection, or a “wait…what if we did THIS?” up her sleeve and she’s happiest when she gets to turn those ideas into something people will remember!
Admin
Andrei is the primary force behind the daily communications and operations at Moonshine Micro Weddings. Working as a dedicated remote admin assistant from the Philippines, he routinely works far beyond his local time zone to align with the team, ensuring the vision and mission of Moonshine are brought to life for every couple we serve.
He handles the process that keeps the day-to-day workflow running like clockwork. Whether he’s keeping the team accountable, tracking progress, or making sure everything stays organized, Andrei is the behind-the-scenes engine making it all happen.
He loves experimenting with new ideas, workflow hacks, and tricky technical fixes. No matter what comes his way, he’s always ready to figure it out and make it happen.
We’d love to hear your story
We're in Raleigh. We serve all of North Carolina. And we built Moonshine for couples who are ready to do this their way. If that sounds like you, let's talk.