The Sweetest Garden Wedding at Salamander Resort That Feels Like Summer!

Julia and Dean envisioned a bright & summery garden party-style wedding celebration. Using the Salamander Resort as the backdrop, the amazing Simply Chic wedding planning team created a design that had a free-flowing, breezy feel while also maintaining elevated, fashionable touches. The vibe was easy-going and filled with lots of pretty floral patterns at every turn.

From the groom: "In 2012, Julia and I went on our first date at the ripe age of 15 as sophomores in high school. We were introduced through a mutual friend, as we went to different/neighboring schools. If you are familiar with diving laws, 15 is too young to have a driver's license. With that, Julia's dad, accompanied by her precocious brother, were the cauphers for the date. We were dropped off for dinner and hit it off immediately. After our date we walked and shopped around. Ironically, it turned into a familiar affair, as Julia and I ran into some of Julia's extended family members. As the date concluded, we knew there was something special. We went on to attend James Madison University, where our relationship grew stronger amongst many games, date parties, formals, and even attending some classes together. Following graduation, Dean went to pursue becoming a Marine Corps Officer and Naval aviator while Julia continued her education to become a teacher. With visiting and many flights over long weekends, we knew we were each other's person and wanted to get married. We had shopped for engagement rings around Christmas of 2021 so the proposal was coming. Julia is notorious for being a planner, especially when one of her best friends asked her to get her nails done. However, with the help of friends and family they worked hard to keep it a surprise. It was a long weekend where I was able to come up and had made "brunch" plans for a Saturday bunch. Little did Julia know, we went back to the same place where we went on our first date, reminiscing of that day. I was pointing out "this is where we had our first date, this is where we had ice cream... And this is where I will ask you to be my wife." On March 5th, 2022, I asked her to marry me and she immediately said "Yes!" Seconds later, our family and friends popped out from a reserved room in a restaurant where they saw the whole proposal happen! We celebrated with our closest friends and family."

Julia's gown was a classic, understated beauty, highlight be a stunning cathedral veil with floral appliqué all over. The veil was the perfect pop of pattern to subtly highlight the floral-focused wedding design.

The bridesmaids wore a beautiful variety of floral-patterned dresses with rosy, pale-pink hues. Each dress was remarkably different, adding to the wedding's authentic, organic, free-flowing vibe.

Cocktail hour took center stage for food because of the incredible garden setting for this portion of the dyay. The featured cocktails served during cocktail hour were the essence of summer in Virginia: Orange-deckled old fashioned's and a freshing, fruity moscow mules. Guests also enjoyed passed hors d'oeuvres before entering the ballroom for dinner. The couple served macrons, in a box tied up with ribbon, as a sweet favor to guests and optional pre-dinner treat.

Floral decor focused on a style that felt organic, free-flowing and pink-focused, mimicking the feel of right in a garden. The floral design used a wide variety of gorgeous shades of soft and vibrant pinks which gave a subtly feminine tone to the style. A floral arch bursting with blooms enhanced the look of the ceremony and highlighted the bride and groom as "guests of honor" during the reception. Bouquets were also bloom-heavy and just a little bit wild, creating a refined yet organic look to enhance the group's style.

The wedding cake was designed for understated elegance, with just a few bright accent flowers scattered along the cream, simple cake.

For a subtle change of style, Julia chose to adjust her hair style for the reception, going from an updo to a chic down-do. The small change was the perfect compliment to signal the celebration was going from day to night.