I might as well just come out and say it, farmhouse weddings are my favorite. Framed with natural elements, Beehive Events dressed this duos day in rustic elegance in the form of farm tables and geode filled centerpieces. From the handmade soap favors to the hay bale portraits, every detail Jen Fariello Photography is drownright darling and you can see them all here!
From the beautiful Bride… Andrew and I met through mutual friends in Charlottesville, Virginia while at the University of Virginia. Considering that we grew up, took our educations, and met all within a 100 mile radius, it’s a bit ironic that we ended up getting engaged in Greenland!
I work for Visit Greenland, the national tourist board of Greenland, so I am constantly traveling back and forth between Greenland and Washington, D.C. In April 2013, Andrew visited me while I was in Nuuk. He used the opportunity of being in such a beautiful and unique setting – sailing in Nuuk Fjord on a snowy day – to pop the question! Despite a proposal at the top of the world, there was no question that we would bring it back home to Charlottesville for our wedding.
The decision to have our wedding at Fat Cat Farm took all of three seconds! In fact, I used to work with Beehive Events at Fat Cat Farm – their private home/studio/gardens. The farm is very near and dear to my heart, but Shawn Marie Cossette and David Dienner even more so! Getting married at Fat Cat Farm was as close to getting married at home as I could get!
Enjoying nature and the outdoors is part of everything I do, so bringing in as many natural elements as possible to the wedding was essential. Everything from the farm tables and wooden chargers to the reindeer antlers and geodes in some of the centerpieces conveyed a love for the natural world. A neutral palette of creams and ivories, blush pinks, and sage greens woven in through the flowers and luxurious linens finished the dressed rustic look that Beehive Events has perfected.
Where to begin! Our wedding day was filled with personal elements! Our invitations were a custom letterpress design featuring a subtle bubble motif – an exact replica of the design on the first ring Andrew ever gave to me back in 2008. Just before the wedding ceremony, Andrew and I presented our mothers with matching bracelets adorned with heart charms saying the word “Mom” in many languages. They were the perfect complement to the floral bracelets they each wore.
Everyone knows the tradition of having something old, new, borrowed, and blue on wedding day, but I had never heard the “…and a six pence in your shoe!” part. Well, I was lucky enough to receive two – one from my sister-in-law and one from my Matron of Honor – so I wore one in each shoe. The imprints are still there! Speaking of shoes, my red designer peep-toe shoes from Iceland were the pièce de résistance for my otherwise classic wedding look. As a child I was attracted to any and everything red, so some things never change!
The strongest memory is absolutely being surrounded by so many family members and close friends! They came from all up and down the east coast, and even my dearest friends from Greenland made it all the way to Charlottesville just for us. Andrew’s brother is a true entertainer and a natural at the microphone, so his Best Man speech during the reception (which was actually one part toast and one part roast) was the perfect lead-in to the most fun part of the evening. I can still hear guests roaring into laughter. My father and I danced to Last Dance by Donna Summer for the father-daughter dance. What started as a slow and sweet dance soon broke into an unexpected and choreographed fast little number one might find on Dancing with the Stars! My father was beaming the whole time.
Jumping on a hay bale was so much fun! I admit I saw this one on Pinterest, but I just had to copy it. Between my photographer who made all of my photo bucket list wishes come true and Andrew who had the honor of hoisting me up onto said hay bale, I’m not sure who showed more patience. The whole affair was a crowd pleaser that no one has forgotten!
As guest favors, we gave handmade goat milk soaps in Oatmeal Honey scent by The Freckled Farm Soap Company out of Richmond, Virginia. Having been Charlottesville residents for 7 years, the localvore lifestyle is engrained in us! We wanted to give our out-of-town guests a way to take home a bit of central Virginia.
Photography: Jen Fariello Photography | Event Design: Beehive Events | Floral Design: Beehive Events | Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau | Cake: Maggie Austin Cake | Invitations: Digby & Rose | Ceremony Venue: Fat Cat Farm | Reception Venue: Fat Cat Farm | Bridesmaids' Dresses: J.Crew | Make Up: Rouge 9 | Hair: Daphne Latham | Tent: Skyline Tent Company | Wedding Ring: Gabriel Ofeish