Remember this gorgeous engagement session from Vicki Grafton that had us dreaming of everlasting summer? Well, that beautiful couple is back with their equally lovely wedding. Full of pretty blooms from Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, antique details and a stunning setting, Melissa and Isaac realized their wedding vision for a relaxed, elegant barn dance. See it all in The Vault!
From Vicki Grafton Photography…Melissa and Isaac said their vows in May 2015 at a historic country estate in the bride’s hometown of Leesburg, Virginia. Their wedding was a unique blend of casual elegance with blush and white florals by Holly Chapel Flowers, crystal candle holders, silk table runners, and vintage furnishings, all in a large relaxed country barn.
From the Bride… Although our backgrounds appear to be very different–Isaac grew-up in Saskatchewan Canada and became a professional hockey player, and I was raised in Leesburg Virginia and became a psychology major–our core values are very much the same which we wanted reflected in our wedding.
Both of our families nurtured us with an appreciation for nature and good old-fashioned fun, so our we agreed that our ideal wedding would be a relaxed barn dance set in the Virginia countryside. The only challenge was that we also wanted it to be truly elegant. Unfortunately barns and elegance aren’t a natural fit.
As we researched our options, we realized that our dream wedding had actually been held many times in olden days. People would clean-out their barns and bring-in their finest linens and silver along with other family treasures to create a bit of momentary magic.
We looked around our homes for what might work and contracted for artisan items such as a hand-stitched guest book that would fit our budget and the authentic heirloom character we wanted to achieve.
Our budget was helped by creating dried-flower arrangements rather than live ones at our ceremony and cocktail hour sites. And we stripped our parents’ houses of their cut crystal, silver and other antique items (mirrors from foyer walls for our head table arrangement and an art deco bureau from a sitting room for our dessert table) in order to keep costs down.
The result was more than we expected. By surrounding ourselves with heirloom pieces from our families pasts, as well as artisan creations that would become treasures we would pass on to our children, the authentic emotional landscape was in place.
The day turned-out to be glorious–forecasted rain that never arrived and wonderful guests who made sure that we felt the love every step of the way–and we were truly overwhelmed with what a miracle the blending of our energies and families had created.
Photography: Vicki Grafton Photography | Floral Design: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD | Wedding Dress: Matthew Christopher | Cake: Carolyn Taylor at Taylor Made | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Catering: Spilled Milk Catering | Makeup: Jan Scott | Hair: Abri Harrison | Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss | Venue: Riverside On The Potomac | Rentals: DC Rental