Winter Sunrise Wedding with an Evergreen Brunch Reception

To say this winter sunrise wedding has captured our hearts is to put it quite gently. This elegant manor wedding exudes an ethereal energy with its glowing natural light and rich evergreens – and can we give a shoutout to the total majesty of bridal capes again? Caroline Grace wears her pearlized accessory like it was made for her, and from the tartan scarf favors to the sugared donuts to the all-white bouquet with magnolia leaves, you’ll find the entire wedding was too. Congrats Caleb and Caroline Grace! We’re pretty enamored with every thoughtful wedding detail of your day.

Fawn with us….

From the photographer, Hannah Bjorndal: When Caroline Grace & Caleb started planning their December 30 wedding, certainly didn’t expect that it would be outside, or that they’d have their portraits taken at sunrise! However, as plans developed, this unique winter wedding format became the detail that made the wedding the most special.

Being that it was December 30 – not New Year’s Eve, not Christmas, but definitely winter – this sweet couple planned a wedding that totally embraced the winter without being cliche or holiday-themed. Caroline Grace chose a gorgeous, understated champagne wedding gown from BHLDN. She planned on adding a veil, but then she found the PERFECT topper from Jenny Yoo. The simple, elegant addition completely transformed the look. And her navy velvet heels were the finishing touch!

The ceremony was outdoors (YES, in Virginia, in December!) right after sunrise, so as a wedding favor, the couple gave each guest a beautiful scarf wrap to cozy up as they said their vows (and lined the aisle with heaters!). The bridesmaids also wore grey wool wraps, which were much needed on the 30-degree morning!

The family was an especially important element of this wedding day. Caroline Grace & Caleb had a wedding party entirely composed of brothers and sisters (they have a big family!) and this made the morning extra-sweet and family-centric.

The reception was everything you’d dream of for a wedding brunch – chicken and waffles, a mimosa bar, hot coffee, and, best of all, a donut truck! Rather than having a DJ (which felt a little weird at noon!), the couple chose to have a string quartet play a variety of classic and modern music all throughout the meal and into dancing.

One of my favorite details was all the evergreen-ery. The railings were lined with garland, and in the reception space, the couple brought it a bunch of live Christmas trees as decor. While this is typical of Christmas decor, this couple made it distinctly wintery without being holiday festive. I’ve never been to a wedding that so perfectly transformed the rustic into elegant!

Wedding Vendors:

Photography: Hannah Bjorndal
Wedding Planner: Alexandria of Purposefully Designed Events
Florals: Ash to Oak Floristry
Venue: Great Marsh Estate
Ceremony & Reception Musicians: Classical Strings Quartet  – MSE Productions
Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist: Salon Emage
Donut Truck & Wedding Dessert Donuts: Carpe Donut
Invitation Designer: Danielle Bleuse
Wedding Dress: BHLDN
Wedding Dress Topper: Jenny Yoo
Men’s Formalwear: Indochino
Bridesmaid dresses: Jenny Yoo
Catering: Savory Fare Catering
Officiant: Father Morgan Reed