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When Dave and I were looking for a wedding venue, one of our biggest priorities was a place that made our family and friends know they were somewhere special from the moment they turned up the road. As far as venues that create that magical sense of anticipation go, Tuckahoe Plantation is at the top of my list–Emily and I were practically giddy when we drove down its pebbly road for our Fabric of a Southern Belle shoot last year, and I can only imagine that Sarah and Chad’s guests felt the same way! For this nature-loving couple, a venue with plenty of beautiful outdoor space was a must, and historic Tuckahoe turned out to be the perfect rustic, but still elegant, place for them to become husband and wife. They made wonderful use of the property, choosing different areas for the ceremony (how gorgeous are those trees lining the aisle?), the reception, and, very importantly, the spot where a bottle of bourbon was buried to ensure sunny skies!

Thank you so much to Sarah Jane Winter for sharing this beautiful day with us!

Chad and I love spending time hiking and camping together, and the outdoors are very special to us. We considered a few other venues with outdoor spaces, but we knew Tuckahoe Plantation was the right fit for us pretty early on. With its expansive fields, gorgeous gardens, and rich history, Tuckahoe is timelessly elegant, but also has a very laid-back vibe.

Before I went to look at dresses, I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for: fitted, an elegant neckline, and allover lace. I’ve heard from so many friends who went into the store wanting one thing, but ended up falling in love with a completely different style once they started trying things on. This was the exact opposite for me–I ended up with the perfect dress that was exactly what I had originally had in mind. The dress I purchased was even the first dress I tried on!

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? Chad and I changed our minds about this so many times. On the one hand, we loved the idea of seeing each other for the first time as I was coming down the aisle towards him. On the other hand, we also loved the idea of getting to share some time together before all the hubbub. We ended up doing a first look, and we were so glad that we did! It was so nice to get to spend time together without any distractions and it definitely helped to calm both of our nerves during the ceremony.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: My favorite detail of the wedding was the ceremony space at Tuckahoe. The aisle is lined with rows of the most beautiful crepe myrtles that arch over the aisle, and almost look like a cathedral ceiling. Chad’s favorite detail was that a flock of geese flew right over us during the ceremony!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We buried the bourbon behind the ceremony arbor a month before our wedding to keep the rain away on our wedding day. It was actually pouring rain on us while we were out there burying it, which I think was double good luck!

Our friends Corey and Jesse Wells are talented local musicians who play with several bluegrass groups around town. We chose to have them play songs that were meaningful to us as a couple during the ceremony. The groomsmen and our families walked down the aisle to an acoustic rendition of “Fearless” by Pink Floyd. This is one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs and it set the stage beautifully for the rest of the ceremony. The bridesmaids walked in to another of our favorite songs, “Sandusky” by Uncle Tupelo. My dad and I walked in to Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing.” The wedding party recessed to an awesome rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie on Reggae Woman,” which kicked off the celebration! Chad and I chose “Further on Down the Road” by Taj Mahal for our first dance. Every time I hear that song, it takes me back to cooking dinner and dancing around the kitchen together in our first house.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? It was pretty amazing to have all of our friends and family members gathered together in such a beautiful place. It almost takes your breath away when you look around and realize how much love is all around you at one time. It really was the happiest day of our lives.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Chad and I met at a Widespread Panic show in Charleston. I was living in Richmond, Virginia at the time and he was living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although we didn’t know each other, we had tons of mutual friends and ended up hanging out all night together at the show. We instantly clicked and he drove up to visit me in Richmond the next weekend. We took turns visiting each other every other week for the next year and a half, and then Chad’s company agreed to transfer him to Richmond.
Tell us all about the proposal! After a few years of dating, we escaped the cold winter weather in Richmond and took a vacation down to Roatan, off the coast of Honduras. Chad proposed on the beach the first night of our trip. He even hired a photographer to hide and capture the moment!
When did y’all get married? September 19, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 250
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I borrowed my grandmother’s handkerchief to carry during the ceremony and my garter had a tiny blue ribbon on it. Chad also gifted me with a beautiful necklace the morning of our wedding that featured the diamond from his great-grandmother’s engagement ring. He had the stone reset, so that doubled as my something old and something new.
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? For a little over a year, we met with our officiant every six weeks or so. We usually went out to dinner together or just met with him at his house to talk about marriage. He had lots of good advice for us and we have come to really admire him and his wife.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $50,000-$75,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? One good tip the woman who made our cake shared with us is that you can opt for a smaller tiered wedding cake to display and cut, and then ask the baker to also make a sheet cake that will be cut in the back and served to the guests. The sheet cake slices can be a fraction of the cost of the tiered cake slices.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? We were engaged for over a year and I loved having a long engagement. We never felt rushed or pressured during the wedding planning process because we were so ahead of the game. Having that extra time allowed us to be really laid-back while we slowly ticked things off the list and enjoyed the process. If you aren’t planning to have a long engagement, my advice would be to focus on tackling things one at a time, and celebrate after you get each little task accomplished. When you first look at that long list of to dos, it can be overwhelming and intimidating. Just take it one thing at a time and don’t forget to enjoy the ride!
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are taking a honeymoon in Europe this summer and are really looking forward to it. Now that all the wedding planning is behind us, we are enjoying mapping out our next adventure together.

Photographer: Sarah Jane Winter | Venue: Tuckahoe Plantation | Florist: Elizabeth Daly Designs | Cake Baker: The Buttercream Bee | Caterer and Lighting: Mosaic Catering + Events | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals of Virginia | Band: Soul Expressions | Paper Products: By Invitation Only | Bridal Salon: Jingles Bridal Salon | Hair and Makeup: Avenue 42 | Bride’s Shoes: Banana Republic | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Blair” and “Newbury” by Joanna August | Bow Ties: Collared Greens | Day-of Coordination: Tart Event Co. | Ceremony Musicians: Corey and Jesse Wells

lisa Written with love by Lisa
4 Comments
  1. avatar Sarah Jane reply

    Thanks so much for sharing this, ladies! What an incredible day it was :)

  2. avatar Dana reply

    I love that sign they put at the entrance with their name in flowers!

  3. avatar Zookbinders Wedding Albums reply

    What a lovely wedding! I love the location!

  4. avatar Alden Rykard reply

    Beautiful wedding! Love the venue and floral detailing!

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Though Emily is quite familiar with Tuckahoe Plantation from her V5 photo shoot days (you can see the Virginia is for Lovers feature here), we love getting a larger look at the Southern venue from the perspective of Terri + Andrew, whose coral outdoor wedding photographed by Julie Lim is dreamy perfection. Y’all know I never miss calling attention to my favorite string lights, which T + A used to tent their dance floor. I think it only makes their big day even more magical. Of course, the string lights weren’t the most memorable thing about the reception for the bride, who picked out her father-daughter dance as her favorite.

I think Terri summed it up best when she said, “My wedding day was a tremendous blessing for me, where I married my best friend and my other half, thanked my wonderful parents for all of their love, had special moments with my precious sisters, and celebrated my marriage and all that God has done for me. We had good food, lots of desserts, beautiful gardens, many laughs, lots of fun, and I could feel the love from everyone special in our lives.”

I was overwhelmed by the number of dress boutiques in the area, so I prayed and asked God to make it easy for me. I kid you not, the next search I did online brought me to Terri Lynn Bridal. My name is Terri Lynn, so I knew that was the shop! To make it even easier, my dress was the first one I tried on and was within my budget. As soon as I saw myself in the mirror, I began to tear up because it finally hit me that I was getting married. That dress made me feel like a bride. We all agreed it was “the dress.” The bridal consultant said it was the smoothest appointment she’s ever had.

Oh my lovely, that little peony bud boutonniere is officially one of my favorites!

One of my favorite details about the flowers (aside from their beauty) is that they were grown on the plantation. Another was that Hannah did an amazing job making each arrangement unique but complimentary to each other, just like the idea I used for my invitations. Our bouquets and each arrangement were full of the lush peonies from the plantation in various shades of light pink and white. Each bouquet was accented with beautiful corals, peaches, greens, blush pinks, and whites with a variety of flowers. There were two table styles: One with revere bowls and mint julep cups filled with peony arrangements and another with peony arrangements in mason jars, alongside ivory lanterns w/ floral accents.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. Pachelbel’s Canon is one of my favorites, so that was used for the bridal party processional. I picked a very special song to play as I walked down the aisle. It comes from the soundtrack of the very first movie Andrew and I saw together. I actually heard the song prior to watching the movie because Andrew sent it in our “novel.” When I listened to the song for the first time, I saw myself walking down the aisle to it! It was crazy for me at the time because Andrew and I were not even dating yet, but I felt like it was the song that was going to start our journey in life together. The song is a beautiful instrumental song played by a string quartet. Andrew worked really hard to find the sheet music, and one of our dear friends helped him find it. We were so blessed to have a string quartet to play that song for our wedding. Because the song is so special to us and it was a bit of an adventure to find the sheet music, we used the same song to walk back up the aisle. It was so sweet! Our first dance song was “Love You” by Jeong Yeop, which Andrew also sent to me through our novel at a very pivotal point in our relationship. The lyrics are so sweet and I also used a few phrases in my vows.

What was your favorite phrase, verse or line from your vows? My favorite line from Andrew’s vows was, “The more I got to know you, the more convinced I was of what God showed me — that you are truly the desire of my heart. You are my beloved and I am yours.” Andrew’s favorite phrase from my vows was, “Together by your side, holding your hand and you holding mine, I ask that you walk with me, always keeping God as our guide.”
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? The most special reading occurred when my Daddy prayed over us and read Genesis 49: 22-25 as the Father’s blessing: “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with the blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessing of the breast and womb.” We also had a few other great Scriptural readings from Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:21 and Ephesians 5:25-28.

I grew up in Georgia, so I knew I wanted a Southern garden wedding. What’s more Southern than having a wedding at Tuckahoe Plantation in Virginia? The plantation has beautiful gardens and we even were able to have most of our wedding flowers from the plantation. We danced under the stars and had a great time outdoors. We had some of my favorite comfort food, including mac and cheese, pies, and peach cobbler. We also had sweet tea and lemonade. My bubble and ring boys wore bow ties and I wore a lace wedding dress. In lieu of the typical lawn games, we had board games and cards that we love to play. I also had light green and pink parasols for the ladies as they strolled through the gardens. Although this is not exclusive to Southern weddings, we included a moment of prayer with the family (which was so important to me) prior to walking down the aisle. We had that special moment and we were able to make the ceremony about how great Jesus has been to us while celebrating that He brought us together.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Our biggest challenge was trying to finalize the guest list. We wanted a small and intimate wedding but found it very difficult to create a guest list to fit what we would consider small. We were blessed that so many people in our lives wanted to celebrate with us that it was difficult to determine to set a limit but we had to stay in budget. Also, it was very difficult to plan the wedding and to take care of the little details because our lives were so busy and we had so many important things going on that we could not put on hold. I did the best I could with the time I had. Although I did not get to finish all the details I planned for, God made it amazing and it turned out great!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Andrew’s most memorable moment was seeing me walk down the aisle, as he was overwhelmed with emotions. My most memorable moment was walking through the garden with my Daddy and turning the corner to see Andrew at the arbor with all of our loved ones surrounding us. Andrew had tears streaming down his face, and I could just see the love in his eyes. Also, dancing with my Daddy is so memorable and special to me. I still tear up now every time I think about it.

Instead of the traditional wedding cake, we wanted something that suited our personalities. I wanted my typical Southern favorites. I say that Andrew and I go together like pie and ice cream and milk and cookies, so that’s what we served. Who doesn’t love either of those? We had a selection of pies, including pecan, lemon chess, apple, and sweet potato, all with either a side of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. We also had chocolate chip, oatmeal and raisin, sugar, and peanut butter cookies with a glass of milk. Last but definitely not least, we had good ol’ fashioned peach cobbler. The caterer did a great job creating a beautiful display with all the desserts. The desserts were so good that people started digging in before the reception officially started!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story. Andrew and I met at church a few years ago, and I had a bad first impression of him. I thought he was extremely arrogant, so I didn’t talk to him for a long time. It wasn’t until we both started serving in the Young Adult ministry together years later that I started to get to know him. We talked through emails (that we called our Novel — cheesy, I know, but it’s so endearing and cute!) and phone conversations over the summer, but we still never went on a date. Then, we decided that we should seriously consider dating with the intent of marriage, so we prayed for 40 days and also did the Daniel Fast for 21 days during that period. At the end of the prayer period, we came together to share what God had revealed to us. At that time, Andrew told me that God had given him several dreams that I was going to be the one he married. Andrew saw many divine appointments at that time, but I was kind of clueless. Before we went on our first date, which was a week after our 40 days of prayer, he wanted to ask my parents’ permission to date me, but we knew there wasn’t going to be time. Even then, God set it up so that my dad had to go to Baltimore (near Andrew) that week for a business trip. My dad decided to take my mom with him, so in that week before our very first date, my parents went out with Andrew twice! We received our confirmations, and it was such a surreal and peaceful feeling to just trust God with everything! He was in all the details, and it was pretty cool to know who we were going to marry even before we started dating.
Describe the proposal. Andrew and I, along with my parents and two pastors, planed a trip to Israel for our church. One special day there, we decided the six of us should go to the Mount of Olives to pray where Jesus prayed. Prior to going there, though, we went to see this awesome woman who has a special ministry there that helps abused women. She has an amazing gift of prophecy, and one of the pastors arranged for us to meet her. She shared some amazing things with me, but she also said that this trip was going to be the start of my “season of romance.” I knew she was talking about my relationship with God, but little did we know it also had a literal meaning. After visiting her, we went to the Mount of Olives to pray. It was so amazing, so beautiful, and so peaceful! We found this nice flat rock under a tree overlooking Jerusalem. My parents and the pastors decided to go pray in another area nearby, so it was just Andrew and I under the tree. I began to pray. I prayed for everything that was on my heart, and I prayed for Andrew and me also. After I finished praying, Andrew prayed, but his prayer was mainly focused on our relationship. (He said I prayed for everything, so there wasn’t much else to pray for, ha!). As he was closing his prayer, he knelt on one knee in front of me and began to tell me how we started on the foundation of prayer, and he relied on prayer when asking God how to fulfill the next step — to get engaged. He told me that as he prayed for the next step, God showed him to propose to me on the Mount of Olives. For as Jesus will be coming back to the Mount of Olives for His Bride, the Church, Andrew has come to the Mount of Olives, for his bride, me! How sweet, romantic, and deeply spiritual is that?! As Andrew began to propose, my Dad came around the corner recorded the whole thing.
In what month did you get married? May
How many guests attended your wedding? 250
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: There are too many to write but I would say all the DIY details (invitations, programs, ring book, pie topper and signage) because each one had a special meaning to us, and I had so much fun working on each project with my sisters. We also loved the café lights at night. Instead of the traditional flower girls, I had what I called “Bubble Boys!” They carried little bubble guns down the aisle blowing bubbles the whole way. They were adorable.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Pray about the details, and know there isn’t just one right way to have a wedding. Do what you want, and have fun with it! I ran out of time and could not complete all the details that I wanted, so I focused on the few that I was able to complete. More importantly, I focused on the fact that at the end of my wedding day, I was going to be married to my best friend even if the little details weren’t all there.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? We were blessed to enjoy a great honeymoon in Fiji and we are planning a few more international trips this year before we think about starting a family. We have been serving together as co-leaders for our Young Adults Ministry as volunteers at our church and it has been a tremendous blessing. We look forward to starting a family soon and to see where God will lead us.

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
9 Comments
  1. avatar Michael from Bohemian Weddings reply

    Ohhh Cookies and Milk?! I’m sold! What a cool idea.

    I love the bright natural feel of the imagery and the sprinkle of lovely pastel colours. It really does have a unique feel about it!

  2. avatar Tuckahoe Plantation Wedding : Terri + Andrew » Julie Lim Photography Blog reply

    […] you Southern Weddings to featuring Terri and Andrew’s gorgeous wedding!  Check out our feature […]

  3. avatar Dee Shore reply

    Stunning. Just stunning.

  4. avatar Jess reply

    Where did you find your guys ties? I’m having coral dresses too and need to find ties!

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  9. avatar Ben reply

    I LOVE all the pretty pastel colours and the beautiful barn! The daddy/daughter dance was particularly special.

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Hi, friends! The V5 engine is humming steadily in our office! We’ve completed seven (7!!) photo shoots so far, and we have three more coming up before the end of August. The completed images have started rolling back in from photographers, too – I always know when one arrives in the daily mail haul because of the excited squeals!

I wanted to give you a little sneak peek at a shoot we produced a few weeks ago at the beautiful Tuckahoe Plantation in Richmond, Virginia. It was an extremely HOT day – about 95 degrees and sunny – as evidenced by the sleepy dogs and cats we found all over the property.

Our cast of characters for this shoot included a professional model, Chelsea, as well as three Southern Weddings readers! One of them — Marissa — has actually modeled for us once before, in last year’s polo shoot. (Yes, she got to wear the famous skirts!) She’s a total pro by now!

We were also reunited with part of our fabulous team from last year’s Williamsburg shoot, Courtney from Merriment Events and Katie Stoops! We’re very fancy, with our dish towel shade screen and all :) Also, aren’t the gardens at Tuckahoe just gorgeous?

Fun fact: Courtney headed out to a nearby farm the day before the shoot to gather extra hydrangea when our floral order didn’t arrive as planned. The blooms were so beautiful, and we loved that they came from a local farmer!

P.S. Want more V5 sneak peek goodness?
Shoot preview with Jen Huang + Poppies & Posies

P.P.S. Want to reserve your ad spot in Southern Weddings V5? Just shoot Marissa an email! In fact, we’re running a special right now in honor of National Pecan Pie Day! :)

emily Written with love by Emily
4 Comments
  1. avatar jaime reply

    http://pinterest.com/pin/162270392794385762/

    i found this dress on pinterest it leads back to your page. do you know the designer of the dress?

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Jaime! Yes, that dress is Monique Lhuillier, and I believe the style name is “Devotion.” Hope that helps! You can see the full post here: http://iloveswmag.com/2012/02/08/dreamy-watercolor-wedding-by-tec-petaja/

  2. avatar Desiree reply

    ooooh can’t wait for more! that location is to die for! eeek :)

  3. avatar Marissa Rogers reply

    I had such a fun (and steamy!) time with y’all! Thank you for letting me be a part of something so special once again, and I can’t wait to see the finished product. :)

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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