Southern Weddings

Charlottesville, Virginia is one of my favorite Southern wedding destinations–so much so that my fiancé and I considered it for our own wedding! I wasn’t the least bit surprised when I read that Jane and Marty selected the gorgeous Pippin Hill Farm for their wedding after falling in love with its sweeping Blue Ridge Mountains views. Not only was it a breathtaking backdrop for their elegant spring wedding, it was also a perfect place for Jane and Marty to give their mostly Northern guests a little taste of Virginia. We can only imagine how much they loved it!

Thank you so much to Candi Coffman for sharing Jane and Marty’s wedding with us!

I selected Nicole Miller’s “Lauren” dress, which I bought at the Nicole Miller store in SOHO in NYC. I loved the lace back and how lightweight the dress was. I was able to dance the night away in it.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We decided to do a first look so that we could spend a little bit of time alone together before the wedding. It worked out well because we also got to spend more time with friends and family after the ceremony.

How pretty is Jane’s pastel bouquet? Pat and Sherry of Pat’s Floral Designs used peonies and ranunculus in the softest blush.

Music was a really significant part of our ceremony and we were lucky to have several musicians contribute. First, we had a wonderful classical guitarist play our ceremony music. The bridal party processed down the aisle to “Sheep May Safely Graze” by Bach. Then, both my mom and dad walked me down the aisle to Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” This was their wedding song as well, so it was really special to have them both there with me. Our wedding officiant is a family friend who also plays the banjo in a band, so he played “River” by Al Petteway as a musical interlude during the ceremony. Finally, our reception band snuck in and surprised everyone by playing “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles while we processed out. Everyone sang along and it was such a happy moment that I know I will remember for the rest of my life.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? When I first saw Pippin Hill, I fell in love with the magnificent view of the mountains and knew it was where I wanted to be married. We are from Maryland and most of our guests were coming from Maryland and DC, so Charlottesville, Virginia was a mini-destination for us.

What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? Colleen Miller, our day-of coordinator, was a life-saver. Leading up to the wedding, she had a ton of advice on vendor selection, planning the ceremony, etc. On the day, she took care of everything so that I was able to actually enjoy the day, and she was a wonderful, calming force. I highly recommend hiring a day-of coordinator if your venue doesn’t provide one. They make a world of difference.

I love dessert–it’s my favorite meal of the day! We decided to have a smaller cake and a dessert bar that included cake pops, petit fours, brownies, lemon bars, and more. My wedding coordinator, Colleen Miller, helped me to surprised my husband, who is a huge doughnut fan, with a tiered “doughnut” cake. Needless to say, he was thrilled!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Marty and I were introduced by a friend in college. We went to different schools and I moved abroad for a year after college, so Marty ended up chasing me around for about two years before we finally got together. We joke that Marty had to be really persistent to win me over!
Tell us all about the proposal! Marty and I live in New York City and he proposed to me during a walk in Central Park near the promenade. Afterwards, we went to dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant at the London Hotel and got a tour of the kitchen, which was really fun.
When did y’all get married? May 2013
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 150
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We wrote our own vows. I think it was a great way for us to reflect on our relationship and think about the things that are really important to us. Weddings can be big and crazy and stressful, but the most important thing about the day is that you are making a commitment in front of your closest friends and family to be with the person you love most for the rest of your life. When we exchanged rings, we both said to each other, “With this ring, I give you my heart. I have no greater gift to give.” That meant a lot to me and I still think about it when I look at my ring.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We did two readings, the Apache Wedding Blessing and a reading from The Velveteen Rabbit.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Marty surprised me on the day of the wedding with a gift and a print of a quote from one of my favorite poems by Pablo Neruda, “My love feeds on your love, beloved, and as long as you live, it will be in your arms without leaving mine.”
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? I have a few pieces of advice: 1. Prioritize the things that are important to you about your wedding and invest in those things. For example, having a great band was really important to us and we splurged there, but we built our own photobooth because we didn’t want to pay to rent one. I know that everyone says this, but it is easy to get sucked into thinking you have to spend a million dollars on everything, but if you don’t care about the invitations (for example), don’t spend a ton of money on them! 2. Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to “DIY” too many things. Take on manageable projects and make sure you allow enough time to complete them. 3. On that point, allow more time than you think you need for everything and try to get everything done a week before the wedding so you can relax a bit! 4. Be very selective about your vendors; they make or break your wedding day. We loved all of our vendors and I think they were a big reason why our wedding was such a fun day!

Photographer: Candi Coffman / Videographer: Ginger Topham / Day-of Coordinator: Colleen Miller / Venue and Catering: Pippin Hill Farm / Florist: Southern Blooms by Pat’s Floral Design / Wedding Cake: Favorite Cakes / Lighting: Blue Ridge A/V and Lighting / Band: Attraction / Ceremony Music: Rafael Scarfullery / Bride’s Gown: “Lauren” by Nicole Miller / Paper Products: Paper in the Park / Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Jennifer Saunders / Bride’s Shoes: “Sage” by Kate Spade / Bridesmaid Dresses: Bari Jay / Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Written with love by Lisa