Southern Weddings

Welcome to the fourth installment of our Southern Hospitality feature! Each month, we pick a Southern city and an expert host. Our host shares their favorite items custom to that city that would be perfect packed into a welcome bag for family and friends at a weekend wedding. Just one more perk of attending a destination wedding!

This month, we’re headed to Richmond, Virginia, the bustling capital of the Commonwealth. I had the pleasure of visiting Richmond last spring and actually happened to make many Richmond friends at our V4 shoot in Williamsburg last summer! One of the talented people I met was the stylist for the shoot, Courtney Spencer of Merriment Events. This was before she had her precious baby girl! Courtney also styled one of my favorite real weddings from V4, Katie + Max. You know I love colorful weddings, right?

Since Courtney is based in Richmond, we knew she would be the perfect expert. I hope you’ll enjoy her picks!

A. Petites Bouchées Macarons. French macarons made locally in Richmond by Veronica Perez. Can be made to coordinate with your wedding colors! (priced per order)

B. Popptags. These quirky, letterpress gift tags are made by my friend, Anya in Richmond. Anya also takes custom orders and could personalize a tag for your wedding using your logo, monogram, etc. ($9.95 for 3 or priced per custom order)

C. A Bottle of Virginia Wine. A bottle of wine would be lovely paired with a custom wine tag from Popptags (above). Wine can be purchased locally in bulk from Once Upon a Vine. (price varies)

D. Carriage House Cheese Straws. No self respecting Southerner would ever entertain without cheese straws! These are made here in Richmond. ($6.95 for 6 oz bag)

E. Blanchard’s Coffee. Roasted in Richmond. (price varies)

F. A Ticket for a Trolley Tour. Richmond was one of the first cities in the country to travel by electric street car, and this year, the trolley is making its return to Richmond. Wouldn’t it be lovely to treat guests to a trolley tour of historic Richmond? (custom pricing)

G. Hub’s Virginia Peanuts. (price varies)

H. Chocolate Cravings. Made here in Richmond, it’s truly some of the best chocolate you’ll ever taste! Wouldn’t it be fun to work with the owner to concoct a signature flavor for your wedding? (price varies)

I. Route 11 Chips. Made in Virginia and a staple locally. ($35.00 for a case of 30 2 oz bags)

J. Richmond Gungho Guide. The definitive pocket guide to Richmond produced locally by Kelly Brown. (free)

K. A Copy of Virginia Living Magazine. ($4.95)

L. Lavender Fields Farm Roobios Loose Tea. Perfect for pairing with Lavender Fields honey! ($6.00 for 2 oz bag of tea, $7.50 for 8 oz jar of honey)

M. RVA Playing Cards from Quirk Gallery. 52 reasons to love Richmond from 52 Richmond insiders. ($9.95 for pack)

N. Virginia is For Lovers Pencils. ($49.90 for 100)

We paired Courtney’s expert picks with a custom tote design from another Richmond native, Lauren of Lauren O’Neill Design, who designed this adorable Richmond is for Lovers tote for us! Want one? Simply download the overlay here and take it to your local screen-printer. Thank you for the fun design, Lauren!

From the Richmond area and have additional suggestions to add to our tote? What did you love about Richmond if you’ve visited before? Have a city in mind for future posts? Comment below and let us know!

Check out past totes:
Nashville
Atlanta
Austin