Google+ Pink and Green Virginia Wedding by Katelyn James - Southern Weddings

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Two words kept coming to my mind when I was reading Kaylie and Noah’s interview and scrolling through their wedding pictures: beautiful and happy. With the rolling Virginia hills in the background, lots of fluffy pink blooms and plenty of sweet details, beautiful is a given. But even more beautiful than all of those things? The joy on Kaylie and Noah’s faces in every single one of their pictures! It is so easy to see their happiness, and particularly when I read about Kaylie running through the mud in her new Badgley Mischkas because she was so excited to see Noah for their first look, I knew that those smiles were completely genuine and joyful. Just the way a bride should feel on her wedding day. :)

Hugs to Katelyn James for sharing this lovely wedding with us!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. My mom, Noah’s mom and my MawMaw came with me to Becky’s Bridal in Lexington, VA. We stopped at The Southern Inn for a quick lunch and then off to Becky’s we went! I had an idea of what I wanted in my mind and Becky at Becky’s Bridal knew the exact dress that I should try on. I tried on a few before the Maggie Sottero “Sarchi” gown, but as soon as I put it on, I fell in love! The fit and flare gave my figure shape and the beaded belt was the perfect touch. I also loved that the straps were removable. I was set on having a cathedral length veil as well.

Hydrangeas are my favorite flower, so I knew I definitely wanted to incorporate those into the flower arrangements! Mary at Country Garden Florist did an amazing job with everything and incorporated the pink and green from the wedding with pops of peach to add more depth. I knew I wanted the ceremony focus to be on us and the beautiful view of the mountains, so she made two urns full of gorgeousness to go on either side of Noah and I. The girls carried bouquets of simple baby’s breath and the MOH carried a bouquet of astilbe. The groomsmen had mini succulents as their boutonnieres.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. We had a string quartet for the wedding ceremony and a DJ for the reception. My Dad and I walked down the aisle to Trumpet Voluntary. I loved it, and the first time I heard it, I could picture the doors opening and this beginning to play for my dad and I to walk out. I knew it was perfect! Later on for our dance, my dad and I danced to Trace Adkins “Just Fishin” because as I was growing up, he taught me to fish and we still fish together to this day. It reminds me of a lot of memories that we shared during our fishing trips! Noah and I danced to “Our Love is Here to Stay” by Eric Clapton. We really liked the old-timey sound of the song.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Do we have to choose? We had TOO many favorites, including our beautiful venue in the mountains and our sweetheart table that my mom put together with our new china and monogrammed napkins!

Sarah at Pastry Love did an amazing job with our cake! When we went to the cake tasting, we fell in love with her amazing lemon cake and raspberry buttercream. She alternated layers of lemon cake with raspberry buttercream and lemon cake with vanilla buttercream. We thought the flavors were perfect for our summer wedding. I brought a picture of an ombre ruffle cake I had found online and she did such an amazing job recreating it how I asked—it turned out perfectly!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Noah and I attended the same high school and after he went away to college (he was a year older than me), we reconnected. For our first date, he came home from school to watch me cheer in my last home football game and surprised me with flowers and a date to our favorite restaurant! After I graduated from high school, I went off to Virginia Tech and luckily, he was right down the road at Radford University. He popped the question on Valentine’s Day 2012 and we were engaged for a little over a year before getting married in June 2013.
Tell us all about the proposal! Noah and I have a love (OK, it’s an OBSESSION) for Chinese food! He came to pick me up on Valentine’s Day morning and told me to be ready for breakfast. He showed up dressed in his best sport coat with flowers, two HUGE stuffed animals and two mason jars full of homemade fortune cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. We have this tradition where when we go out to eat, he holds the two fortune cookies in his hand and I get to pick one out. That morning, he told me to pick one from one of the mason jars, but I couldn’t open it until later. We got in the car and he drove onto Virginia Tech’s campus to the Duck Pond and walked me out under a willow tree (my favorite tree at the Duck Pond). He told me I could open the fortune cookie now. As I opened it, he got down on one knee, pulled out a BEAUTIFUL ring, and I read fortune, which said, “Will you marry me?” Obviously, I said yes!! Then we went to our favorite French restaurant in Blacksburg for brunch.
When did y’all get married? June 15, 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? About 150
Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? One reason that we chose Katelyn James as our wedding photographer (other than that she’s AWESOME!) is because she LOVES to do first looks. Noah and I really liked the idea of seeing each other before the ceremony because not only would we have time together alone on our wedding day, but we also really wanted those intimate moments captured for us to cherish for years to come. Not to mention, first looks definitely calm the nerves!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? No, we had the pastor do traditional vows—we wanted a short and sweet ceremony!
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I used Essie’s “Bikini So Teeny” on my toes for my something blue and thought that it would be fun with my pink ruffle shoes. I wore a silver square ring with my “old monogram” on it. I had three something new’s–a beautiful set of diamond earrings with pearls that my Dad gave to me the night of the rehearsal dinner and an Origami Owl locket. Also, all my girls and I had matching Tiffany & Co bracelets to add to my something new. My mom put the Origami Owl locket on my bouquet and told me that each of the ladies in my family had chosen a charm to go inside that represented a memory that they had of me! I can wear it now as a necklace!
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The rehearsal dinner was at the Southern Inn in downtown Lexington and guests had a choice of local rainbow trout, meatloaf, or Southern fried chicken. The wedding was at the Irvine Estate, which sits high in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is surrounded by beautiful hydrangea bushes—my favorite! We loved the idea of our invitations being handkerchiefs. The guests brought them to the wedding to wave them as we exited. We thought they could use them to dry tears, and they can keep them for years to come to remember our special day. Our invitation suite was designed by my wonderful mom and printed using Spoonflower. And of course, the bowtie that Noah wore was definitely Southern!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Deciding on a color scheme was definitely hard for me! Pinterest can be helpful, but also distracting at times. I knew that I didn’t want anything too crazy to take away from the venue, so that helped me narrow down the choices. Once I finally settled on pink and sage as our main colors, everything was much easier!
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? We really loved the venue we chose because they provided everything we needed, from the china, silverware, tables, chairs, food and drinks! We didn’t have to deal with a million different vendors for rentals because everything was already there and it took a ton of stress off of us when planning the wedding. And of course, we wanted to remember our wedding day forever, which is why we chose Katelyn James as our photographer. She and Michael capture the special moments in such an awesome way and we knew we wanted them for our wedding—we’re SO glad we chose them!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My most memorable moment about our wedding day was going to see Noah for our first look. I picked a spot down the road with a willow tree that I thought would be perfect for our pictures! After Katelyn got permission from the owner of the property, we made our way down toward the pond with the willow tree. The only problem was that it had rained the ENTIRE week before the wedding and the ground was super muddy! I trudged down the hill through the mud in my pink ruffle Badgley Mischkas, not thinking twice because I was SO excited to see Noah for our first look! By the end of our first look, my shoes were covered in mud before the wedding, but I didn’t care!!
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Relax and enjoy it! I found myself getting so caught up in every little detail sometimes that I would forget the big picture: that at the end of the day, we would be married and be able to share it with our family and friends. Also, don’t let Pinterest get the best of you. It is a great resource to find so many ideas, but sometimes those ideas can sidetrack you! Once you set a “theme,” delete anything off your wedding board that doesn’t vibe with the theme and feeling that you are trying to have on your wedding day! And don’t be afraid to ask people around you for help!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? Settling into our place in Richmond, VA and exploring the city. Noah will be finishing up grad school at VCU in the spring and we are excited about that as well! Oh, and we would LOVE to get a puppy soon :)

Photographer: Katelyn James | Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Irvine Estate | Florist: Country Garden Florist | Wedding Cake: Pastry Love | Caterer: The Irvine Estate | Rentals: ASAPLinen | DJ: Joey Crawford | Bride’s Gown: Becky’s Bridal, Maggie Sottero “Sarchi” | Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil/Jewelry: Becky’s Bridal | Hair Stylist: Monica Ouimette from Penny’s Pioneer Salon | Badgley Mischka “Adele” in Pink | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: David’s Bridal | Groom’s and Groomsmen Attire: J.Crew Factory | Invitation Printing: Spoonflower | Invitation tags: Christina Williams Etsy Shop | Pink Shimmer Cards and Envelopes: LCI Paper | Guest Book Design: Bleu de Toi Etsy Shop | Mustache Favor Buttons: Button Arcade Etsy Shop | Balloons: Shop Sweet Lulu | Set of Forks: Onecraftivist Etsy Shop | Monogrammed Napkins: KatieClaire Memorable Monograms Etsy Shop | Garters: Glitz and Garters Etsy Shop | Bridesmaids’ Necklaces: Otis B. Jewelry | Bridesmaids’ Bracelets: Tiffany & Co. | Monogrammed Flutes: Vinyl-E-Yours Etsy Shop
Katelyn James is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
5 Comments
  1. avatar Dana reply

    this wedding is so sweet! her dress is beautiful!

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  4. avatar Hattie reply

    Love the handkerchief invitations! Where did you have those made?

    • avatar Kaylie Johnson reply

      Hi Hattie! better late than never, right?! My mom deisgned them and had them printed from Spoonflower.com! A friend cut and finished the edges for us :)

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