Simple elegance; that singular vision is what inspired this Bride during her planning and it sure paid off. Add in some of the sweetest, most sentimental family pieces – an heirloom punchbowl, grandparent’s cake cutter – and this wedding warmed my heart to the core. Jen Fariello and East West Productions captured that warmth and this sort of celebration is the perfect way to welcome the weekend ahead.
[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/102175948 600 338]
From The Bride… Trent and I first met in business school, but started dating after we sat next to each other at a Durham Bulls baseball game. After graduating from business school, I headed north to Pennsylvania and Trent stayed in Durham, NC. On one trip down, Trent surprised me with a picnic in the Duke gardens, where he proposed in my favorite spot. I apparently forgot to say yes! The surprises continued the next day: he arranged a brunch at our favorite restaurant with both of our families – it was the perfect proposal!
As we began our wedding planning, we both agreed we wanted to get married in Charlottesville, VA; it’s my hometown, but also where we spent one of our first trips away together. Pippin Hill’s simple elegance really aligned with our wedding day vision: to keep things simple yet timeless. We wanted to ensure that when we looked back at our pictures several years down the road, that we would still be happy with all of the choices we made. I would say that phrase (“simple elegance”) was really the inspiration for our wedding day: my dress was very simple and allowed me to personalize it with a beautiful lace bolero for the ceremony and an awesome beaded belt for the reception. What I loved was also incorporating meaningful touches into our wedding: we offered our guests lemonade out of a family punchbowl that had been in Trent’s family for several generations, we used my grandparents’ cake cutter for our cake cutting, I wore a family ring given to me by my grandmother, and included Hershey Kisses as our wedding favors, since I worked at Hershey’s.
I did want to take the more traditional route and wanted the first time Trent saw me to be me walking down the aisle. However, I did a “first look” with my two brothers and dad, which was very special to me. Seeing Trent, and walking down the aisle, was a surreal experience; you think about that moment from the time you’re a little girl, but nothing really prepares you for all of the emotion that moment brings. My siblings surprised us with a musical performance of Coldplay’s “Yellow” during the reception that was incredibly special and touching. We can both honestly say it was the best day of our lives, and we really appreciated having everyone we loved in one place and helping us celebrate.
Jen was our amazing photographer and gave us so many beautiful pictures, it’s hard to pick favorites, but there are a few that really stand out. There is one black and white picture taken from behind of Trent and I running down a hill. It captures our excitement, the light in the picture is absolutely incredible, and the motion in my dress surprised even me that it could look like that! Another one we loved was of us and our siblings sitting on the steps in front of the tasting room; it’s such a casual and fun shot that shows how much we all love each other. To name one more, Jen did a long exposure with Trent and I as someone else ran around us with sparklers; it’s an incredible shot that looks like it is straight out of a fairy tale.
Photography: Jen Fariello Photography | Videography: East West | Event Planning: Easton Events | Floral Design: Southern Blooms | Wedding Dress: Rivini | Cake: Favorite Cakes | Venue: Pippin Hill Farm