Dianna + Garjae put together a wedding full of crafty pastel details that looks plenty thorough, thoughtful and laid back. We are just gaga over Dianna’s custom-designed ruffled dress, the fun balloons that her bridal party carried throughout the day, and the streamers lining the reception space with a festive air. Among the more obvious details, though, are also unique and subtle ones. Those place settings are lovely with their ribbon ties, but look closer and you’ll see that they’re resting on open books! I adore how thoughtfully those settings were put together and can’t imagine a prettier place to set some Southern comfort food on. Speaking of Southern comfort food, these newlyweds chose to hire Charlottesville’s popular donut truck for dessert! Now that’s a reception I’d love to attend! Big thanks to Megan W for sharing!
Describe the proposal. Far from typical. We were headed out of town for what I thought was a post-graduation trip for Garjae. While we were in the car, Garjae gave me a gift he picked up while he was in Porto. It was a love keepsake box, but when I went to open it there was nothing in it. I was expecting something to be inside it — don’t get me wrong, it was a pretty box, but it was sort of weird to get a box with nothing in it. He then, sort of absentmindedly, asked me to get him a tissue out the glove compartment. When I opened it, all I saw was this ring box. I remember asking him what it was, but after that, everything he said was almost like background noise, I spent the better part of his proposal crying and saying yes in between sobs.
Oh the anticipation! I love this photo for it. According to Dianna, the ceremony was the most memorable part of the day. “It was the first time that day when I was able to just soak everything in and enjoy the occasion. When the music started to play, I was just so calm, looking forward to finally being married to my best friend.”
I love this idea!! Tossing felted poms right after the “I do’s” makes the moment so joyful and fun.
Finding my dress was seriously a process. After being to over 5 or 6 dress shops, I would find dresses that were nice but only parts of which I liked, never the whole dress. It didn’t matter who the designer was, I always felt like I was searching for something more and I just wasn’t getting what I was looking for. In the end, I decided to reach out to a local atelier in Baltimore. After meeting Jill and Sara, I never looked back. They looked at my inspiration photos, we discussed what I was looking for, and they came up with an absolute perfect dress to fit my personality. Deciding that a pre-designed dress wasn’t for me and reaching out to Jill and Sara was the best decision I ever made.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert: I got the idea for our cake from an I Am Baker design. The cake was covered with a rose pattern from top to bottom. It was a lemon cake with blackberry and raspberry filling and a cream cheese frosting. We also served little petit fours that said “eat me” and apple cider donuts from a popular doughnut truck in Charlottesville.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The food. I’m from St. Louis (my family is originally from Arkansas) and Garjae is from North Carolina. We love comfort food, which we consider uncomplicated, incredibly rich and delicious. Having comfort food was an obvious choice for us. We had a tea and biscuit table during the cocktail hour and for dinner we served roasted chicken with mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and my favorite snack: corn bread.
How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Garjae and I met in college. We’ve been together since the beginning of our freshman year.
In what month did you get married? June 2012
How many guests attended your wedding? 70
Did you decide to do a “first look”? We decided against it. Garjae didn’t want to see me before (he’s big on tradition) and I could really care less either way. I have to say it was great seeing his face when he first saw me, classic.
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We chose three readings from the Bible: Ruth 1:16-17, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, and Mark 10:6-9, 13-16.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. We used two songs for walking down the aisle: “Turning Page” by Sleeping at Last and “Sweetest Thing” by Lauryn Hill. Our first dance was to Etta Jame’s “At Last.”
Describe your wedding flowers: We chose roses, peonies, and lamb’s ear. During the ceremony we had baby’s breath. I wanted something classic and romantic.
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? My dress. I really believe if you’re going to spend money on anything it should be attire and photography. Megan wasn’t exactly a splurge because we budgeted for her. I definitely broke some rules on my dress though and I don’t regret it at all. It was completely worth it. My dress was absolutely gorgeous and fit and reflected me perfectly.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our favorite detail was probably our invitations and save the dates. They were a labor of love from start to finish but came out absolutely perfect and really set the tone for our guests.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? If you plan on doing a lot of crafts for your wedding, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You will save yourself a lot of headaches and likely be able to finish all the projects you start. Creating the decor for your wedding is definitely worth the effort, but it’s not worth losing your sanity trying to do it alone. Enlist your friends and family to help. You’ll come to cherish the help once it’s all over.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We’re just working to build a life together. We look forward to starting a family, finding and designing our first home and also furthering our professional goals.
I may be partial to Charleston (this weekend!!) but I’m loving this Virginia shoot! The colors, the cake…all gorgeous!
OMG… LOVE this shoot. well done darlings
This will remain a very special memory for me, just as the Charleston shoot has. Thank you for the lovely opportunity to share in the making of this beautiful day!
That cake is to die for and I absolutely ADORE that gown!
Simply gorgeous! We’re in love with everything about this wedding.
Beautiful work you all!
[…] “Virginia is for Lovers“ – Being born and raised in VA, I have a lot of state […]
[…] Tree this weekend. However, this tinsel tree sure has caught my eye! I am really loving the "Virginia is for Lovers" shoot, especially all of those lovely dresses. I think some people forget that we as well have […]
Beautiful! Although I live in Chapel Hill, Tuckahoe Plantation is just minutes from my family’s house in Richmond, and the school I went to has an alumni oyster roast there every year. You did a fabulous job capturing it!
[…] Source […]
[…] Bailey, floral design by Wunderplant (via 100 Layer Cake) / Cocktails: Photo by Katie Stoops (via Southern Weddings) / Bride > Photo by Tory Williams Photography (via 100 Layer Cake) / Ceremony setting > Photo […]
[…] Ruffledvia lilac and grey via Southern Weddings via divine party […]
[…] image sources: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // see more fresh green inspiration in this lover.ly bundle […]
I love the round dinner menu on the plates! Haven’t seen this before. Nice touch!
phyllis from http://www.vaweddingbelles.com
[…] Wedding Idea was found by: YellowInDiego Wedding Idea From: http://iloveswmag.com/2012/11/27/southern-weddings-v5-virginia-is-for-lovers/ Photography: Katie […]
[…] Small Tulip bouquet photographed by Katie Stoops via Southern Weddings […]
[…] By This; tablescape by Jessica Lewis Photography via Wedding Chicks; invitation by Katie Stoops via Southern Weddings; bridal prep details by Rebekah Hoyt via Heart Love Weddings; bridesmaids dresses by Elizabeth […]
[…] {row 1} white loft studio via snippet & ink, english snow, katie stoops for southern weddings, karen elson for marie claire {row 2} karen mordechai via a cup of jo, […]
[…] I don’t have much to say to round up this week. As many of you know late Wednesday night a horrendous event occurred in our city of Charleston. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, those that were injured and our broken city. On Sunday at 10AM, all of the church bells in Charleston will ring as a resounding show of community support and unity for the victims of the Emanuel AME Church shooting. Please keep our little city in your thoughts. Katie Stoops via Southern Weddings […]
[…] I don’t have much to say to round up this week. As many of you know late Wednesday night a horrendous event occurred in our city of Charleston. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, those that were injured and our broken city. On Sunday at 10AM, all of the church bells in Charleston will ring as a resounding show of community support and unity for the victims of the Emanuel AME Church shooting. Please keep our little city in your thoughts. Katie Stoops via Southern Weddings […]