When asked, 95% of little girls will answer that their favorite color is pink. And with good reason! Pink is lovely, feminine and vibrant. Which is why many brides stick with what they love and feature pink details on their wedding day. Today’s sweet Virginia wedding features a color combination that I adore: Navy and pink. They compliment and enrich one another. And on top of it all, our bride and groom, Alexis and Jay, manage to make an already gorgeous southern vineyard even more beautiful. All brought to life through the lens of Joey + Jessica Photography. Phew! What’s not to love? xoxo Chantale from La Belle Bride
Alexis fills us in on all the juicy details: When we first started planning the wedding, we knew right from the start that we wanted to have a southern wedding that highlighted my home state of Virginia. We planned a spring wedding to take advantage of the beautiful weather as well as the Dogwood trees being in bloom. Most of our friends and family would be traveling to Charlottesville for the wedding, many seeing my hometown for the first time. I wanted to make sure that people fell in love with the city I had grown up loving. It was important to me to infuse touches of the South into our wedding day. In an effort to introduce many of our family members to the South we incorporated dogwood, sweet tea vodka, mint julep cups (it was Derby Day after all), Virginia wine and ham biscuits. We also made sure that our venue highlighted the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our ceremony took place with the mountains serving as the backdrop.
When you start planning brides, wedding magazines and coordinators often offer the advice of determining the three most important aspects/details of your wedding and focusing your budget there. For Jay and I our top three factors were: venue, band, and pictures. We wanted our wedding day to be a day of celebration and fun. I did not stress over the invitations or the food or the chair cushions because I knew that in 10 years times my friends and family would remember being on the dance floor surrounded by loved ones instead of whether or not our placecards were calligraphy. In the end I think we nailed it. Our friends and family cannot stop talking about the fun they had.
When searching for our venue I was looking for a venue that could incorporate the outdoors with the use of the indoors. It was also important that our venue include a variety of in-house services. That was important to me because I was planning a Virginia wedding from Chicago so the in-house services provided took a number of issues off my plate. The band, the Dickens, was a vendor that we reached beyond our budget for but they were worth every penny. The band was important to me because I wanted to make sure that our friends and family had the time of their lives and a good band was going to ensure that. Our choice for photographers was a no brainer. Joey and Jessica were recommended to us by friends who had booked them for their wedding in 2009. Once I saw their photos I was sold. After our engagement photo shoot, where everything was comfortable and laid back, I absolutely knew we had made the right decision. With our three priorities set I knew that the wedding was going to be a wonderful day. After our venue, band and photographers were all lined up I knew that all the rest would fall into place.
We were blessed to have a hot but sunny May day. Seeing Jay for the first time will forever remain one of my favorite moments from our day. The added bonus of seeing each other beforehand is that our bridal party got to hang out together as well. It was nice to gather in the ballroom and snack and socialize before we were consumed by wedding duties. The idea of being holed up in a room trying to sneak around the venue so Jay and his groomsmen wouldn’t see me would have been a nightmare for me. It was also nice to have our photos done early so that we could start the party soon after the ceremony. While the day had been very hot a welcome breeze settled in as my mom and dad walked me down the aisle. My favorite part of the ceremony had to be when Jay’s cousin, Kris Boevers, sang Lullabye by the Dixie Chicks. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house when she was done. My second favorite part of the ceremony was when cows began mooing over Jay’s vows. Now, it doesn’t get more Southern then a cow moo-ing its congratulations! I have never felt happier than when I walked down the aisle with Jay to the cheers of our family and friends. I cannot begin to thank and express my gratitude for Jay, our vendors, and our family and friends. I would go back and relive the day tomorrow and every day after that.
Photography: Joey + Jessica Weddings / Catering: Veritas Vineyards and Winery / Floral: Pat’s Floral Design /Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet through Priscilla of Boston / Jewelry: Earrings – Mikimoto Pearls, Ring – family heirloom, Bracelet- Kate Spade / Hair Stylist: Moxie Hair Lounge / Make up: Heather Williams / Band: The Dickens / Ceremony Music: Mike D’Antoni / Cake: Rachel Willis, Mountain Girl Cakes