OUR WEDDING: VIRGINIA VINTAGE MEETS CITY STYLE
Weddings are a funny, beautiful, crazy thing. The day Sean proposed last July was the happiest of my life, it was such an amazing high. We knew we wanted to have the wedding in Virginia due to its proximity to our extended families, beautiful scenery, and more-affordable venue options (the average wedding in Manhattan costs $88,000, just FYI). A fall or winter wedding was too soon, anything past June is just too hot down South, and we didn't want to wait to the following spring, so that left April 2018 and nine months to plan. At the time, that felt like a long time. But everyone who said it would blow by turned out to be right.
Slowly, we did the checking off of the lists. Ford's Colony Country Club in Williamsburg was love at first sight. It had gorgeous grounds and the reception space was open and airy—it had me at cafe lights. Sean and I both love purple, so we easily settled on a mauve-and-lavender color palette. For months, I scoured thrift shops for bud vases, dug through bridal magazines for ideas, and read vendor reviews on The Knot. We made the guest lists, sent save the dates, asked our closest friends to be in the wedding party. Check, check, check.
The more tasks we completed, the more real our vision became. And of course, there was the dress. My mom is an extremely talented seamstress, so I immediately asked her if she would make my gown, and she happily agreed. We picked the pattern, fabric, and fit, so it was completely personalized. (More on how it came together soon.)
From there, the little details fell into place. Sean suggested doing something besides numbers for the tables and, since we're both English majors and avid readers, we quickly agreed on author names. I raided my dad's collection of classic, leather-bound books to give the tables more dimension and my friend Katie—who just so happens to also be a very talented artist—did the calligraphy for the table signs. From there, it only made sense to have bookmarks as favors.
I picked my bridesmaids' dresses (if you read this blog, then you won't be surprised they were Rent the Runway) and Sean his groomsmen's attire. For the shoes, I was lucky enough to attend a press event for Shoes of Prey where we could design our own pair. When the publicist there got wind I was making my wedding shoes, she brought over company founder Jodie Fox, who helped me execute every detail. I ordered my vintage blusher veil for $20 on Etsy (the exact same one at BHDLN was $300), borrowed pearl earrings from my grandmother, and also incorporated the blue garter she gave me from her wedding to my grandfather in 1954.
So here's the funny thing about weddings...You put all this planning into every little detail, and then the day comes and it all melts away and you're just so happy to have your friends and your family and most of all, your fiancé there. And then, the day flies by and you process the memories and wait for the photos to come back.
But when they do, all of those little details are so worth it. Everyone has been commenting how much the day just feels us. It does to me too, and it's thanks to all of those personal touches combined with all of the people we love in attendance. So even if no one reads this long post and just looks at the photos, I'm happy, because they speak to the day more than words can.
