Southern Weddings

Melody + Wil chose to wed amongst their minister and their photographer, Tine of {TM Photography}.  Besides that, it was just the two of them embarking on the next stage of their life as a married couple.  The intimate ceremony had Tine feeling incredible honored and she utilized the moments of emotion to capture these stunning shots.  Our team was captivated by the stunning beauty of the bride and her dress.  The blue details chosen by Melody to add color into her ensemble are absolutely fabulous.  To see all the amazing details check out Tine’s {Blog}.

Ronda + Brian’s Southern soiree was held at the {Farmington Country Club} in Charlottesville, Virginia. The wedding was planned by {Easton Events}. How fabulous are these details!?   I love love love the Mason jars and monogrammed drink stirrers.  Beautiful!  For more, check out Patricia Lyons’ {Blog} to see the images and slide show. 

Weather on our wedding day: Was stressing me out! The morning was warm and sunny, but by the time we left to go to the church, there were dark storm clouds everywhere! It was raining at the chapel when we arrived before the ceremony, and a tornado was actually spotted a few miles away. But the skies parted and it was sunny and clear by the time we exited the chapel. We drove through a couple of rain showers on the way back to our reception, and when we arrived it was clear with big chunks of blue sky peeking out to greet us and our guests as everyone moved to the lawn for photos and cocktails.
Design inspiration for your wedding: I knew I wanted the large traditional four-day wedding weekend. We began with an informal welcome bar-be-que on Thursday night for the bridal party and younger couples. We had a beautiful bridesmaids’ luncheon at the home of a family friend on Friday, then we had our ceremony rehearsal and rehearsal dinner for about 90 guests on Friday evening. For an overall concept for the wedding, I knew I wanted the day to feel classy in a southern country club style but yet highly tasteful and sophisticated. We began by selecting our color scheme of dusty rose and wedgewood blue. We put together an abundance of lush flowers, beautiful glassware, and elegant calligraphy to set a traditional “bridal” tone to the event. Then we threw in some great Southern details in our food and beverage (e.g. cheddar and ham biscuits and a specialty bourbon cocktail served in mason jars.) Overall the unifying theme was definitely the use of our new married monogram. It was included on our ceremony programs, cocktail napkins, drink flags, a design on the dance floor, our cake, our favors…the list goes on!
Favorite design element of your wedding: The fabric draping and lighting that we brought into the Ballroom added so much elegant and uniqueness to our reception. We had spotlights on all of the table centerpieces and our cake, and the most dramatic ribbons and swags hanging from the ceiling and cascading to three huge crystal chandelier focal-points. It really dressed up the interior of the room. Thank you Blue Ridge Light forms!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I had been to several different bridal salons and tried on about 20 dresses, and I was simply not excited about any of them (the stores or the dresses!) One of my bridesmaids was married the summer before, and she suggested that I visit Emma at the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Richmond. For the moment we walked into the bridal suite, I was thrilled with Emma’s kindness and knowledge. She brought several dress out after I told her what I had envisioned. There was one that I liked somewhat, but, again, I left without thinking that I had found ‘the one.’ On my second visit to Emma, she told me that at that time she happened to have a dress on loan from another store that she thought I might like. Ever since the engagement, people told me when you first try on the dress in which you will be married, you will know it deep down inside. I never paid much attention to the notion, but I can now tell you that it is true! The hair stood up on my arms, and I got tears in my eyes. I had finally found it. My dress was a strap less full ball gown duchess satin {Reem Acra} gown with hand-embroidered crystal and pearl details on the bodice and the on the cathedral-length train. It seriously weighed about twenty pounds! It featured a beautiful scalloped edge on the train and buttons down the entire back. At the reception, I wore it with three bustles on the back and sides. Throughout the planning and actual wedding day, there was always this wonderful essence and beauty of the dress that fit in so well with the design elements of the day. The dress is like a piece of art to me…I am so sad that it has to be stored in a box and that I will probably never wear it again.
Describe your wedding flowers: We wanted to have a lot of flowers! We met with Randy and Joey at Floral Images Design Studio and began describing what we had in mind…lots of large blown-out roses in off-whites and soft pinks. We wanted some texture to our displays, so we added gardenias, hydrangeas, and cascading English ivy.
Describe your wedding cake: Our cake was made by the pasty chef at {Farmington Country Club}, Ricky Lasher. We wanted something big that would be a focal point when our guests walked into the ballroom and saw it under the spot light. We went with a round cake make of 6 different tiers of varying heights. Several of the layers were carrot cake while several where lemon custard filled. The cake was decorated with wedgewood blue butter cream icing and hand-drawn white icing details showcasing our monogram on the front. It was truly a work of art!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I would have to go with the specialty drinks. Not only were they a delicious blend of muddles raspberries, mint, bourbon and white cranberry juice, but they were served in a mason jar. The vessel was then topped of with a straw, a lime wedge, and a drink flag showcasing our monogram.
Biggest challenge you had to overcome when planning your wedding: I am a very bad decision-maker, so I agonized over making so many decisions. Luckily I had the great minds at {Easton Events} helping me out and giving me excellent advice every step of the way!
Any special family traditions you included in your wedding: We were married at St. Andrew’s Chapel at the {Woodberry Forest School}, where Brian and his father both went to boarding school. Brian’s parents were also married in that same chapel years ago, which was wonderful. We also restored and used my great-grandfather’s 1951 Chevrolet as a bridal car, which was such a special treat.
Scariest Moment: The weather was worrisome, as it was the one thing that we were not able to plan out months in advance.
Funniest Moment: Apparently many guests found that my wedding toast in which I thanked my parents and Brian was quite funny.
Three adjectives to describe the day: Beautiful, fun, emotional.
What advice would you give to someone planning a wedding: FIRST: Use a wedding planner. It was not only such a fun process to work with such an accomplished team, but it made the entire planning process and actual day of the wedding stress-free. It was so organized and efficient. SECOND: Work with a great photographer. Your wedding day flies by, and over time those memories will fade. Hire a photographer who you are confident will capture all of those important moments for you to look back upon often in the years to come.
Best advice/most memorable comment made to you during wedding celebration: Take a moment to look around and see all of your friends and family from all the different times and parts of your life who have traveled so far to be there together in that one room just for you. It is humbling.
What’s next for you as a couple? We took a couple of days after the wedding weekend, and we went over to the {Greenbrier} in West Virginia. Now we are trying to figure out somewhere warm to go this winter for a longer honeymoon.
What are you looking forward to as a couple? Growing old together.

Congratulations to Ronda + Brian. We wish you a blissful life together!

This Southern wedding is so dreamy!  This color palette is so lovely, isn’t it?  Floral design by Floral Images, stationery by {William Arthur & Crane Co.},  brides dress by {Reem Acra}, bridesmaid dresses by {Amsale}, and photography by {Patricia Lyons Photography}.  Thank you so much, Patricia, for sharing this beautiful wedding with us today!  More to come in part II…

How did the two of you meet: Brian and I met in Charlottesville on June 25, 2004 when we were introduced by a mutual friend. Brian had recently moved back to Virginia Beach from San Diego, and I had just graduated from the University of Virginia. I think we were both immediately drawn to each other’s sense of adventure and innate ability to laugh and have fun. Soon we were traveling back and forth between Charlottesville and Virginia Beach to visit each other almost every weekend. During this time, we spent a lot of time getting to know each other’s friends and family. Ronda had recently begun work as a Realtor in Charlottesville in the summer of 2005. Meanwhile Brian was running his own small construction and renovation company in Virginia Beach. Needless to say, we racked up many miles on our cars and many hours on our cell phones keeping in very close touch day in and day out. Together we cultivated our love of wine tasting, the University of Virginia Athletics and travel. After dating long-distance for two and a half years, Brian moved to Charlottesville in January of 2007. Although he was born by the beach, and is a dedicated surfer, Brian now feels at home in Central Virginia amongst the Blue Ridge Mountains. He joined me as a Realtor at Montague Miller and Company in September of 2007
Describe the proposal: Brian: During the last week of June 2007 I invited Ronda’s parents to lunch with the intention of asking for their daughter’s hand in marriage. Ronda was in Miami, Fl with friends, and I decided it was a great opportunity to speak with her parents alone. That hour and a half at lunch, as I think back about it, was the most nerve-wracking of times. The food on my plate remained uneaten, until finally I found the courage to suggest we talk about the future and plans for my relationship with Ronda. This was, of course, a rather timid presentation, as I was doing more asking than stating! But, phewww!, I made it through and to my delight, they agreed to support me in my decision and said that they would love to have me as their son. It’s quite peculiar to hear someone other than your parents refer to you as “their son”, but at the same time overwhelmingly joyous, as I do not know of a higher compliment.
Towards the end of the summer we decided to make a quick trip down to Virginia Beach, as our life in Charlottesville was about to busy itself with weddings, work and all the little things that crowd time. I did not want to wait until after the stretch of weddings to ask Ronda to marry me, and I realized that a walk on the beach in my hometown at sunset would provide the perfect scenario. So we walked, ring in my pocket, down the beach, with the sun setting beside us. The whole time my head spinning and only slowing down enough to appreciate the uniqueness of the moment. Atop a dune, I came to a knee and proposed. Ronda cried, my eyes moistened, and she said “yes”, which was followed by more happy tears. After a short while spent laughing and wiping faces, we continued down the beach, with the ring now on Ronda’s hand, to a restaurant where we ate, drank and called family and friends to let them know of the good news.  Ronda: When August 2007 rolled around, Brian and I were gearing up for a busy end of the summer. We had been invited to three weekends of weddings at the end of the month, and then Virginia Football season was about to begin in September. Since we hadn’t had a chance to get away together for much of a vacation all summer, Brian suggested that we drive down to Virginia Beach for a night to relax and get a break from Charlottesville before we were booked with work, weddings and tailgates for the next month and a half. The weather was breezy and beautiful, and we decided to walk down to a new restaurant on the beach from Brian’s mother’s house at the oceanfront. We have always spent a lot of time on the beach when we were in town, so I didn’t think that a stroll on the sand was anything out of the ordinary. Then after walking for a bit, Brian took my hand and led me up into the dunes overlooking the waves and the setting sun. He suddenly grew quiet and seemed nervous. I sensed something was not normal, but before I could ask what was wrong he dropped to his knee and pulled a box out of his pocket. With tears in his eyes he asked me to be his wife. I said yes, of course, and then he presented me with his great-grandmother’s ring. After I regained my composure and my legs stopped trembling, we continued on the restaurant where we toasted each other over a bourbon cocktail. I immediately called my parents back home in Charlottesville to share in the excitement. They had known of Brian’s plan and were eagerly awaiting my call with the news! After a lovely dinner we returned to his mother’s house where she (who was also in on Brian’s plan!) greeted us with a bottle of fine champagne. The next morning at 9 A.M. on the dot I was on the phone with {Farmington} checking on available dates to reserve the Ballroom for our reception!
What attracted me to my husband was: His handsome good looks! The first moment I saw him I thought it was a crime that someone could look so good in a pair of ratty jeans! And then once we got to know one another, I was totally smitten with his kindness.
Why do you love your husband: He encourages me to try new things and branch-out from my usual habits, thoughts, and ideals. Plus we have a lot of fun. We are constantly joking around and laughing.
A date we went on we’ll always remember: We drove down to Cape Hatteras one weekend in August, a couple of months after we met for a mini-vacation. Brian had intended on us camping, so he had packed his whole truck with a tent, sleeping bags, and other gear. Once we got to the island, I convinced him that we would have a much nicer stay at a bed and breakfast than in a campground. We still laugh about it today.
Most memorable moment of the wedding: Looking down the aisle and seeing Brian waiting for me at the altar…it was the moment every girl dreams of!

More to come from Ronda + Brian!