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Monthly Archives: September 2015

When it comes to wedding planning advice, we’ve pretty much heard it all–some of which we wholeheartedly agree with, while other things make us cringe a little. Kimberly’s advice for brides falls very solidly in the first category: “If you put in the work early to find vendors you can trust, it makes everything else so much easier. I was so confident in my florist, DJ, photographer, and event staff, I knew that no matter what, the end result was going to be a beautiful, amazing, and fun party.” Following their own advice, Kimberly and Michael’s wedding turned out beautifully, but more importantly, choosing their vendors with care let them truly soak in and enjoy their special day. No matter what the specifics of your wedding are, enjoying the day should be a top priority, and we’re so glad Kimberly and Michael did exactly that!

Thanks so much to Kristen Lynne for sharing this special celebration with us!

Our flowers were one of my favorite details from the wedding! Coral charm peonies provided big pops of color among hydrangea, spray roses, and greenery. Juliet garden roses made my bouquet special and different from the other flower arrangements, in addition to poppy pods and hanging ivy. The poppy pods were added to honor my grandfather, who we called “Poppy,” and the ivy was in honor of my grandma and aunt, both named Ivy. This made me feel like those very special people were, in some way, with me on our wedding day.

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We did. We knew we wanted to spend cocktail hour with our family and friends who had traveled from all over the country. Our first look gave us the opportunity to have a moment that was completely honest and private, and to get out our pre-wedding jitters. With most of our pictures taken care of, we were able to spend almost all of our cocktail hour visiting with guests and enjoying the delicious food Pippin Hill had prepared.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. For the ceremony, we had a flute/string trio. The flutist helped us pick classic, but light, songs for when the guests arrived, when the bridal party walked down the aisle, and for me as both of my parents accompanied me to the altar. Mike has always liked classical music, so it was perfect for us.

One of my best friends is a writer, and he wrote a poem for us that he read during the ceremony. It was one of the most special gifts we received. Mike’s aunt also did a reading from Corinthians in the Bible.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? We knew we wanted to get married in Charlottesville since that is where we met. We wanted a simple and elegant outdoor wedding, and Pippin Hill provided the perfect setting for exactly that!

Besides the gorgeous backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, our wedding had a few other little Southern touches, including a sweet tea and lemonade hospitality station before the ceremony, barn wood boxes with burlap and lace details for our centerpieces, and large farm tables for us and our bridal party.

Our favorite detail was definitely our first dance. We secretly took lessons and surprised our family and friends with a choreographed routine, full of spins and dips. We don’t know what was more fun–the dance itself or seeing the shocked/excited expressions of our guests!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We met when Mike was finishing his first year of medical school, and I was finishing my first year of my Masters in speech language pathology at the University of Virginia. Our friends introduced us one night when we were out and about in Charlottesville, and we went out on a date right away. After only dating for a few months, Mike surprised me for my birthday by showing up in NYC with tickets to The Lion King. After a big gesture like that, I knew he was really something special.
Tell us all about the proposal! Because of Mike’s very taxing schedule as a medical student, it was difficult for us to find time together, especially around holidays. In early November, Mike told me he was going to give me my present since we weren’t going to be able to spend Christmas together. He took me on a hike to Old Rag, a notoriously difficult, but beautiful, hike in central Virginia, and then surprised me by taking me to a bed and breakfast in a town nearby. We had a beautiful dinner, followed by a movie by the fireplace in our private cottage. It was a night full of surprises, but the biggest surprise was when Mike pulled out a ring and ask me to marry him. Of course, I said yes! We immediately got in the car to drive until we could find cell phone service so I could call my parents–we were in the middle of the country, and didn’t get service for miles!
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 140
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? Wedding planning was truly a joint effort, and helped us to realize each other’s strengths when it came to decision making. We learned communication and compromise along the way, which I think are crucial in a happy and successful marriage.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? I think the biggest challenge was trying to honor and respect the wishes and ideas of our family members, while remembering the day was supposed to be about us as a couple. For the most part, all of the planning went very smoothly. We had a year and a half engagement, so we were able to spread things out and make one decision at a time, rather than deciding on everything at once. I think that in the end, we added touches and made decisions that we knew were meaningful to our families without compromising our dream wedding.
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? We were able to save money on flowers and decor for the ceremony and reception by picking a venue with natural beauty and elegance. We also used the standard tables, chairs, and china our venue provided, rather than renting our own.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Planning is important, but over-planning is the biggest mistake you can make. Inevitably, things happen, something will “go wrong” or have to be altered, so go in with that mindset in place. Do research on vendors and ask for recommendations and referrals. If you put in the work early to find vendors you can trust, it makes everything else so much easier. I was so confident in my florist, DJ, photographer, and event staff, I knew that no matter what, the end result was going to be a beautiful, amazing, and fun party.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are currently enjoying living together for the first time in our new home. We were able to buy a house in Charlottesville and move in with our dog, Jackson, immediately after the wedding. We are looking forward to dinners together every night, waking up together every morning, and making our new house a home.

Photographer: Kristen Lynne / Venue: Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyard / Florist: Blue Ridge Floral Design / Dessert Baker: Sweet Haus / DJ: Derek Tobler / Paper Products: Minted / Bride’s Gown: Allure Bridals / Hair Stylist: Salon Druknya / Makeup Artist: A More Beautiful You / Bride’s Shoes: Betsey Johnson Blue / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J. Crew / Groom’s Attire: Jos. A. Bank

lisa Written with love by Lisa
3 Comments
  1. avatar Emily King reply

    What a gorgeous venue and such a sweet love story. Kimberly’s dress is so beautiful, love the lace detail. I love how Kristen captured those fleeting, emotional moments of the bride and groom. :)

  2. avatar Zookbinders Wedding Albums reply

    Gorgeous bride! Love her dress and also the dress of the bridesmaids! Incredible pictures of an amazing location!

  3. avatar blushcheek reply

    romantic wedding, amazing wedding dress and hair accessory.

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With cooler weather and changing leaves knocking at the door, if you weren’t already craving pumpkin everything and snuggling up for movie nights, Katherine and Weston’s Tennessee wedding will push you right over the edge! Their florist, The Enchanted Florist, brought Katherine’s vision of fall colors mixed with pinks, blush, and cream to life with stunning blooms that only made our Blue Ribbon Vendor venue, CJ’s Off the Square, even more lovely. And, those gold pumpkins at each place setting? I think I need a few for my own dining table!

We’re so happy Amy Nicole was on hand to capture this cozy fall celebration!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress. I imagined dress shopping would be much more difficult than it was. I found my dress during my first appointment, and it was the last dress I tried on. I had tried on about nine dresses and none really felt like “the one,” when y mother and maid of honor pulled out one more. When I tried it on, I felt like a bride, and everyone started crying!

I only had one meeting with my florist, and she brought exactly what I had shown her to life–the fall colors, the greenery, everything was perfect! I still wanted pinks, green, blush, and cream incorporated, even though it was November, and she was able to make it work.

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? At first, we did not want to do a first look, but due to the time of the ceremony, we changed our minds and did one so that there would still be light when we took pictures. I am so glad we decided to do a first look! It got out all of the nerves, and I love the pictures! Amy did such a great job capturing the emotions of the day.

I loved getting ready to walk down the aisle. There were about five minutes when it was just my dad and I, and I was able to reflect on the day and on our relationship.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We set up corn hole for the guests and were able to have an outdoor wedding in November!

Describe your wedding cake. I wanted something simple and classic. I found a cake that I loved on Pinterest, and changed a few things to my liking. We didn’t do a grooms cake, so we made the cake four tiers, each tier in a different flavor.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. He worked at a movie theater and I worked at the Starbucks down the way. I was friends with his boss, and they would come over and get free coffee in exchange for free movie tickets :) We started hanging out more and more that summer, usually grabbing dinner or going to parties together. He finally asked me to be his girlfriend on July 1, 2009!
Tell us all about the proposal! He proposed at the same movie theater we met at! After our movie got out, we were sitting in the lobby just chatting, and I was starting to wonder why we hadn’t left yet. He then said he thought he had seen something in the hallway. When I looked down the hall, all of the movie marquees were lit up and said “Katherine, will you marry me?” I turned around and he was on one knee! It was absolutely perfect and so unexpected.
When did y’all get married? November 8, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 120
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? I lived in Memphis for about four months of our engagement and then moved to Franklin. Weston didn’t move until three months later. Planning from another city was difficult, and then planning without the groom present was difficult. We had to schedule meetings around his visits, which was tricky, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle! Wedding planning went pretty smoothy overall.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $50,000-$75,000
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are enjoying being married. We definitely are going to start a family, but also want to take a year or two to spend time together and travel.

Photographer: Amy Nicole Photography / Planner, Venue, and Lighting: CJ’s Off the Square / Florist: The Enchanted Florist / Cake Baker and Caterer: Main Event Productions / Rentals: Southern Events Party Rentals / DJ: Jason Middleton of Premier DJs / Paper Products: Minted / Bride’s Gown: “Paz” by Augusta Jones / Bride’s Jewelry: BHLDN / Veil: Toni Federici / Hair Stylist: Leah Blanco / Makeup Artist: Lisa Johnson / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “165” by Bill Levkoff / Groom’s Attire: Black by Vera Wang

CJ’s Off the Square is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
5 Comments
  1. avatar Amy Nicole Cherry reply

    Today is SUCH a joy! I’m SO thankful for this beautiful couple to be featured!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

  2. avatar Kelsey reply

    That color scheme is to die for! Perfect for fall.

  3. avatar Tricia reply

    What a gorgeous wedding! I love all the colors and florals. Amy Nicole’s images are always so rich and vibrant! Well done!

  4. avatar Occasions In Print reply

    Love the colors used for this fall wedding! Beautiful flowers too!

  5. avatar lisa johnson reply

    i just love the vibrant colors and details of this wedding! such a lovely sweet bride and family!

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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