Eco-Friendly Virginia Wedding

We’re always so tickled when we hear a photographer say their couple found him through Ruffled! Precious couple Jenny and Keith ran into the misfortune of rain (and tornado warnings!) on their wedding day, but the pictures from Gabe Aceves make it evident the newlyweds didn’t let the rain put a damper on their day. Bride Jenny was even fortunate enough to have two pairs of bright red shoes on hand — wedding day flats and lifesaver wellies! Have you ever seen a couple so smitten with each other? Enjoy the rest of the images in the gallery and make sure you check out the bride and groom’s cute blog!

From the bride, Jenny: Neither of us had ever really considered the actual details of getting married -– it seemed so easy when we were scheming our imaginary ideal wedding day before it became a reality! So we started planning the big day on a bit of a back foot -– and looking through false-veneered bridal magazines were sadly not of any help. The main thing we focused on was that it was important for us to have something personal that utilized our creative talents, and with that came the acceptance that things were not really going to follow the conventional route of traditional weddings. The big things for us were doing a lot of things DIY, making our wedding environmentally friendly, exploring our love of all things vintage, making sure we had enough time with our close friends and family, and never losing that “sense of self” that really makes the best weddings special.

The color scheme was something we both had trouble deciding on. All I knew was that we wanted a “vintage spring feel” and that didn’t necessarily come with it’s own Pantone number. The theme was “vintage adventure,” and having happily found inspiration on several blogs that seemed to “get” what we wanted (including Ruffled!), we started by gathering picture references to start crafting out what we wanted. As two creative people well-versed in planning events on a shoestring budget (we both worked for an indie record label, it’s a necessity), to keep costs down we decided to do many things ourselves when it came to the “look” of the wedding –- from the invites and website to the table decorations, menus, seating placements and cake topper.

Keith is the graphics master, so he handled all the design aspects of the wedding, taking the feel of what we wanted for the style and running with it, designing the invites, website, menus and even “Welcome brochures” for our guests staying in the area all consistent (my dad later referred to this in his father of the bride speech as “building our own brand”!) While the big things like venue/food were inevitably the most important, I am a details person and for us it was the little things that really brought the wedding to life. We had a “Treats” table filled with candy that guests could put in hand rubber stamped bags, in lieu of favors. We had a vintage suitcase with parcel tags with guests names on, to guide them to their seats, and matching tag place settings that, unplanned by us, many guests attached to themselves as name tags during the night.

All the plates and silverware were made of sustainable and recyclable bamboo. The gifts table had a vintage suitcase with a mini “Thank you” banner on it for cards, and an illuminated globe. Each table was named after a place of significance for Keith and I, with the story of its relevance typed in Ikea frames that we “distressed” to look vintage. We had postcards on each table with a blue mason jar of colored pencils for guests to write messages to us instead of a guest book, that they hung on a string of beads hanging in the reception hall. People blew bubbles for our exit down the aisle instead of confetti. Although at times it felt that we were in the middle of a 5-year-old’s birthday party rather than a wedding, I think it only added to the fun (and the open bar helped).

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? While you may be able to do everything yourselves, don’t feel you need to. Try to stay focused on the reason you are doing this in the first place -– because you love each other and want to start your life together -– and not get too buried by the sheer wall of baffling bridal nonsense that so often sends brides (and grooms)-to-be crazy. Stay true to what you want -– it’s your day after all. Even if you’re an unconventional bride, it’s ok to spend time on yourself making sure you have everything you want, and that you both are happy with how you look, even if it feels a little self-indulgent — the photos will stay with you for life.

See Also

A Bold Berry-Colored Vallejo Wedding

Don’t dwell on the people who can’t be there and why, put your attention on the people that made the effort to come. Make sure your inclement weather plan includes an umbrella that will look good in pictures. What is right for one couple may not be right for you, so remember the people you have coming to share the big day will roll with whatever you want to do. And plan an open bar. Whatever worries you have and gripes guests might get will be washed away after a few free drinks!

Gabe Aceves make it evident the newlyweds didn’t let the rain put a damper on their day. Bride Jenny was even fortunate enough to have two pairs of bright red shoes on hand — wedding day flats and lifesaver wellies! Have you ever seen a couple so smitten with each other? Enjoy the rest of the images in the See the rest of the wedding here

Wedding Songs:
Processional: Ingrid Michaelson, “Can’t Help Falling In Love”
Readings: Ryan Adams, “My Love For You Is Real”
Recessional: Starship, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”
Bridal party’s reception entrance: “Mariachi El Bronx”
Bride and groom’s reception entrance: Huey Lewis and the News, “Power of Love”
First dance: The Swell Season/The Frames, “Falling Slowly”

Wedding vendors (Middleburg, VA):

Ceremony and reception venue: Briar Patch Bed & Breakfast Inn / Wedding photographer: Gabe Aceves / Wedding Coordinator: Henriette Buell of Buelltiful Events / Flower arrangements: family friend / Wedding dress: Dolly Couture / Bridesmaids’ dresses: Courtesan Boutique / Groom’s suit: Calvin Klein / Groomlady’s dress: Moon Collection / Felt boutonnieres: made by bride / Wedding musician: Matt Moody / Wedding catering: Barn Door BBQ / Wedding cake: Market Salamander / Wedding invitations: done by groom