[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]The bride desired a classic, simplistic design aesthetic so a neutral foundational palette of ivory tones was chosen. A soft gray/blue hue made up another large portion of the color palette, a favorite of both the bride and the groom. Then, accents of blush pink and golden autumnal colors were layered into the design to incorporate the natural foliage of Octobers in rural Virginia into the palette.
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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]Intentional. Lucid. Timeless. Comfortable. Refined. Romantic. These were the key words that design team, Jamie Lynn Signature Weddings, used to capture the overall vibe the couple wanted their guests to experience. The design was inspired by the couple’s love for nature and the outdoors, and a goal to blend the bride’s minimalism style with the groom’s desire for some vibrancy and unexpected elements. After creating the color palette based on the couple’s preferences, the vision for florals and design details easily fell into place.
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[field title=”Proposal Story”]From the bride: “Daniel surprised me and took me to our favorite winery in Charlottesville, Brent Manor Vineyards, which is a small local winery owned by a sweet couple. He proposed there and then all of our friends came to celebrate after. We served the wine from their winery at our wedding!”[/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]
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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]
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[board_carousel title=”First Look”]
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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]The bride wore an A-line satin gown, Mikaella, by Paloma Blanca which she found at Raleigh-based shop, Maggi Bridal. She completed her bridal look with a cathedral veil and white Manolo Blahnik closed-toe pumps.
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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]The bride opted to have all of her ladies wear the same style of tulle floor-length gown by Wtoo by Watters in the steely blue shade of “French Blue.” Bella Bridesmaids in Richmond, VA worked with the bride and her wedding designer to select the perfect dress style to complement a lucid, romantic wedding design aesthetic and our color palette. The tulle skirts created the soft, ethereal movement that only added to the romantic vibe of the wedding day.
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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]The groomsmen were dressed in black slim-fit suits to coordinate with the groom’s custom black tux, all with matching black bow ties. The groom’s initials were embroidered on his dress shirt cuffs.
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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Party”]
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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]
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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]
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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]During cocktail hour, the culinary team from caterer MOSAIC passed a variety of bite-sized hors d’oeuvres such as sriracha honey chicken meatballs, mini spanakopitas and sweet potato country ham biscuits. Guests at the bar were offered a wide variety of Virginia wines, beers and seltzers. The couple made sure to source some wine for their wedding day from the Virginia winery where they got engaged too! At the reception, guests sat down to a first course salad with a lemon vinaigrette, followed by a plated meal consisting of a seasonal duo of tomato basil chicken and herb roasted salmon filet served with roasted red potatoes and broccolini. Guests that had opted for a vegetarian meal were served butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sage sauce. Once dinner had wined down and the couple cut the cake, servers passed slices of the Ukrop’s marble pound cake with vanilla buttercream and the couple’s signature espresso martinis for dessert.
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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]The couple hired Virginia-based wedding designer and full service planner, Jamie Lynn Signature Weddings, to execute the vision for their wedding. Upon touring the venue for the first time, the main design goal became creating a more intimate, comfortable atmosphere within a very large, open space with tall vaulted ceilings. To accomplish this, the designer brought in several twelve-foot tall trees from a local nursery, added bistro lighting across the space, and collaborated with the floral designer to add statement arrangements throughout the room. The gray/blue hue in the wedding color palette was brought into the reception space in the form of velvet linens to create a sense of warmth and depth. The flowers were arranged in a garden-style manner by the floral team, A Morgan Floral. The arrangements consisted of fall foliage, vibrant greenery, cream blooms in varieties such as butterfly ranunculus and garden roses, and accents of pink and mauve with the incorporation of tulips and roses. Other accents included hydrangeas and berries. The ceremony focal point was the lush, yet not overpowering, floral arch which was repurposed to surround the cake table during the reception. Large white urns at the end of the aisle were transformed by appearing on some tabletops to balance with the scale of the ballroom post-ceremony. The 24-foot long head table for the bridal party was adorned with 3 large arrangements and a series of taper candles and votives in the shades “Mauvelous” from Creative Candles and “Antique Beige” from Yummi Candles. The place settings consisted of floral salad plates and classic gold-rimmed dinner plates with sleek gold flatware and cut glass water goblets. The dance floor was flanked by four of the tall trees and bistro lights which created a romantic canopy overhead as guests danced the night away in front of a 9-piece live band.
The couple wanted to ensure that they loved their ceremony rain plan as much as their “Plan A” outdoor ceremony concept. With careful planning in advance, the backup option became a ceremony space that the couple was just as excited about, and thank goodness for that since heavy rainfall ended up spoiling the outdoor ceremony plans. The ceremony was moved into the reception ballroom, requiring a room flip during cocktail hour. A large white drape installation blocked the cocktail hour space during the ceremony and created a romantic backdrop. The drape was designed to be pulled back to usher guests through to cocktail hour once the ceremony was over, closed for the ballroom flip, and then reopened by being tied back with velvet blue sashes to welcome guests back into the space for dinner. The wall of drapery was on the opposite end of the ballroom from the cake table installation with the floral ceremony arch, which balanced out the room and made it feel complete.
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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]The couple’s four-tier wedding cake was created by their favorite local Richmond, VA bakery: Ukrop’s. The design of the cake itself was kept minimalistic with a smooth buttercream texture in a taupe hue and no embellishments so that the addition of cascading, fresh florals on the wedding day could be the highlight. Florist, A Morgan Floral, adorned the cake with lush blooms in the same handpicked garden vibe of the rest of the wedding florals to create a focal point in the spacious reception ballroom. The cake sat atop a blue velvet linen and silk runner, and was framed by the couple’s ceremony arch that was repurposed to create this reception statement piece.
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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]Due to heavy rain the day before and the morning of the wedding, the couple chose to proceed with their much-loved rain plan and held their ceremony inside the venue’s large, vaulted ballroom. The bride was escorted down the aisle by her father to “A Thousand Years” played by a live violin/cello duo. A close friend of the couple was the officiant, adding an air of comfort and ease to the ceremony. The Apache Wedding Blessing and the heartwarming poem: “How Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog” were readings selected by the couple. The latter especially brought a smile to everyone with the words: “Love makes messes. Love leaves you little surprises here and there. Love needs lots of cleaning up after. Sometimes you just want to get love fixed. Sometimes love just wants to go out for a nice long walk…” Immediately following the ceremony, the white drapery was tied back for guests to venture to cocktail hour while the ceremony space was flipped for reception setup.
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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]The signature cocktail of the night was an Espresso Martini garnished with fresh coffee beans and accompanied by cocktail napkins with an image of the couple’s dog hand painted by the groom’s grandfather. The couple opted to serve these with dessert once the cake was cut.
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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]As guests bid the couple farewell at the end of the evening, metallic confetti streamers popped overhead and rained down on the couple as they left their reception.
It was important to the bride to have a statement seating chart, but one that was still in keeping with the minimalistic aesthetic that she loves. The wedding design team, in coordination with stationer Sara Lane Design, created a large freestanding display with oval escort cards tied to the board with luxurious silk ribbon and finished off with fresh florals and a custom wood monogram.
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[field title=”Special Detail #3″][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]
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Photography: Allison Dash Photography | Event Planning and Design: Jamie Lynn Signature Weddings | Floral Design: A Morgan Event Floral Design | Cake: Ukrop Bakery | Invitations: Sara Lane Design | Catering: Mosaic Catering & Events | Lighting: Blue Steel Lighting Design | Band: Sam Hill Entertainment | Ceremony Music: Perfect Harmony Strings | Transportation: James River Transportation | Wedding Venue: Burlington Weddings & Events | Beauty: Lou Stevens Glam Squad | Rentals: Rent Equip | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals Of Virginia