Modern day fairy tales are the absolute best. This Virginia wedding is just that – a soiree fit for Cinderella, Snow White, or this lucky, beautiful bride and her Prince Charming. Everything about the day was stunning – but to really turn up the grandeur, the ballroom was dripping in pretty in pink petals from Isha Foss Events. Jeff Greenough | Photographer captured the magic wonderfully, and was fabulous enough to fill an entire gallery with more – just for us!
When Matthew proposed, he worked hard to surprise me (not an easy task to surprise a nosey girl like me!). One night, Matthew told me that he had to work late in Maryland and would not be able to come visit for the weekend. I made dinner plans with my friends at the Blue Talon in Williamsburg. During dinner, Maddie told me that she just received a text message that there was a research group at the Williamsburg Lodge and she really wanted to go get their autographs. After dinner, Maddie, Kaci, and I drove to the Williamsburg Lodge until Maddie stopped her car and asked me if she knew of a garden near the Lodge because that was where the group was meeting. I, still oblivious to what was going on, said “Well there is the rose garden where Matt’s parents got engaged to your left.” Maddie swerved her car to the front of the rose garden and Kaci and Maddie both screamed “Get out of the car!” while speeding off with me still thinking they were playing a trick on me. I decided to walk down the stairs of the sunken rose garden only to find no one there. I kept walking until I saw Matthew come out from behind an archway with a huge smile on his face. Matthew walked toward me, knelt down on one knee with an open box in his hand, and asked me to marry him in the same spot that his father asked his mother to marry him. Matthew then told me that he planned a weekend for us in Ocracoke, North Carolina to celebrate our engagement!
While planning our wedding, I knew I wanted our personalities to shine through in every aspect. Both Matthew and I have traditional, classic taste with a modern twist. We decided to have our wedding ceremony in the Catholic Church where my parents were married and where I grew up. Matthew’s father is an Anglican pastor, so we wanted to incorporate both of our families’ religious traditions. He gave a memorable and personal sermon that made the ceremony seem intimate even with a room full of 400 people. The ceremony music was also very important to us. We had a trumpeter, organist, a string quartet, and a soloist who all beautifully performed songs we selected together. As I walked down the aisle, I wore my great grandmother’s diamond and sapphire ring as my something old, borrowed, and blue. My grandmother passed away one month before my wedding, so honored her by carrying her handkerchief in my bouquet.
Matthew and I chose the Chrysler Museum of Art for our reception venue not only because we loved the Renaissance style of the museum’s atrium, but also because I studied Art History in college. For the flowers and décor, I wanted a romantic atmosphere with blush tones, ivory, and metallics. My team at Isha Foss Events transformed my vision into a breathtaking display of draped arches, cascading crystals, and various tones of pink flowers.
While our wedding was a formal black tie affair, Matthew and I wanted our reception to be a party for our guests to enjoy good food and great music. For this reason, we decided to do heavy hors d’ ouvres instead of a sit down dinner. We had themed food stations around the museum with our favorite cuisine including fresh seafood on the rocks, a southern fare station, a beef carving station, and a chocolate bar. Instead of assigned seating, Isha Foss designed a lounge-like cocktail set up that outlined the dance floor and gave a contemporary spin on the traditional black tie affair.
My two favorite memories from our wedding day were our First Look and walking down the Chrysler’s marble staircase into the reception for the first time as husband and wife. Matthew and I met in the museum’s garden before the ceremony. I loved being able to share a quite and private moment with my soon to be husband before our night of craziness ahead. I will never forget the look on his face when he first saw me (luckily, my photographer Jeff Greenough captured this moment on film). My second favorite memory from our wedding day occurred when my father introduced us to our reception. I felt like royalty on my new husband’s arm as we walked down the staircase and moved straight into our first dance. The entire day was the perfect representation of Matthew and me as a couple, and it could not have been possible without the hard work of our family and all of our fabulous vendors.
Ceremony Venue: Sacred Heart Catholic Church / Reception Venue: Chrysler Museum of Art / Photography: Jeff Greenough | Photographer / Event Coordinator: Daylily Weddings / Floral Design: Isha Foss Events / Catering: Cuisine & Co. / Entertainment: Right On! Band / Lighting: Blue Steel Lighting Design / Cake: Glenna Cason, Sugar Art / Videography: Digital Dreammakers / Rentals: Distinctive Event Rentals, AFR Furniture Rental, & Isha Foss Events / Transportation: Royal Coach / Hair: Al Kelly from Changes Salon / Makeup: BridesMade by Kim Wadsworth