Glam Handcrafted Virginia Wedding
Our wedding for today was a true family affair. It took place on the groom’s family’s property, and both sides pitched in to ensure a carefully curated and stress-free day. Kaytee Lauren and Ballenger & Co Florals were a team to remember working on photography and floral design respectively!
From the bride, Christine: The location of our wedding was of special significance to us, because it’s Joel’s family home. Two of his other siblings have been married on the property, and it has been so fun to see how each family wedding has been so distinct, yet still so familiar and sweet. The best part of the wedding preparation process was both of our families. Since the wedding was taking place on the family property, everyone was pitching in. Have family everywhere meant that I never had to stress about things getting done, there was always someone was on top of it. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive family to help us achieve our dream wedding.
Bouquet recipe: Roses, Texas Roses, Peonies, Anemones, eucalyptus.
Joel and I spent about a week at our brother and sister in-law’s house working on decorations. We scraped, cleaned, and spray painted all of the gold bottles. All of my DIY projects were fun and exhausting. My mother, who is a professional graphic designer, designed the programs and menus. It was fun spending time with her getting the look just right. Joel and I spent hours and hours cutting each program into a circle, gluing them to a stick, and applying gold leaf.
The food was really important to both of us. We decided to forgo the traditional chicken or steak dinner for something that reflected our personalities. Shortly after Joel and I first started dating, we became Eggs Benedict connoisseurs. Throughout our relationship, we’ve hunted Eggs Benedict wherever we go. Before we go on any trip we Google search “the best Eggs Benedict” in that area and go out of our way to get it, so we decided to do breakfast for dinner. The catering company, Savoir Fare, told us they were so excited to be catering a wedding that wasn’t chicken or steak! They loved the breakfast for dinner idea and jumped on board creating a fabulous spread. Joel doesn’t like sweets so we opted out of a traditional wedding cake and served waffles for dessert.
Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Be confident in your choices, be gentle with your family, and be patient with each other.
Wedding Music:
Processional: “Buon Giorno Principessa,” Nicola Piovani
Recessional: “Diggin’ Up the Heart,” Brandon Flowers
First Dance: “Who Am I,” Will Young
Father/Daughter Dance: “Little Wonders,” Rob Thomas
Mother/Son Dance: “You Are my Sunshine,” Frank Sinatra
GORGEOUS decor, especially the linens and florals!
“Be confident in your choices, be gentle with your family, and be patient with each other.” Brilliant advice.