wedded in williamsburg
Just a few pictures courtesy my trusty iPhone of a classic wedding we had the pleasure of planning & designing for our clients who were married in April at The Wren Chapel. Following the ceremony, Cailin & James invited guests to celebrate in a clear top tent in the Oval Garden at The Williamsburg Inn. Janie Medley rocked the flowers, as usual!
artful wedding
I had the pleasure of working with Janie Medley on her table for Artful Wedding, Richmond Bride’s annual event at VMFA, where Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty spoke this year. To read about all of the details, click over to Style Me Pretty Living. Photography by Jodi Miller.
Southern Weddings Volume 5
We had such a great time working with Southern Weddings Magazine again, this time on a concept set at Tuckahoe Plantation in Richmond, using a classic palette of green and white accented by the palest blue. I can’t wait to show you more behind the scenes of this shoot (photographed by Katie Stoops), but for now, you can get your copy on newsstands or by ordering here.
The Hook’s Summer 2012 Wedding Special
Thanks so much to The Hook in Charlottesville (and especially to editor Stephanie Marie) for including me in the summer 2012 wedding special. You can flip to page 26 to read the full story. I’m honored to be included with such remarkable women! Thank you so much again, Stephanie!
some recent work…
“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’” ~Robin Williams
{bouquets by me!; photos by katie stoops)
happy valentines day and a wedding full of heart!
Katie and Max’s May wedding at home last May on the Northern Neck was truly full of heart. From the brightly colored heart confetti that accompanied their letterpress invitations, to the hearts throughout the reception…along the walkway to the ceremony on the waterfront, handmade muslin hearts on each place setting, brightly patterned hearts on escort card tags…so much love was put into this celebration. Happy Valentine’s Day!
photography by jodi miller; design a collaboration between the bride, groom and merriment; floral + styling by merriment
Writing a wedding brief, or how to start planning your wedding
In a former life, I worked in advertising as a strategic planner. Planners are responsible for articulating the client/brand goals in a way that is compelling to the creative team (who will ultimately create the creative product) and in a way that is compelling to the audience (the people who will ultimately consume the work/the people who you want to communicate with). I think a lot about the creative briefs I used to write and how the format can be adapted to be a really useful tool for couples planning weddings. With SO much inspiration and so many ideas floating around, it’s good to focus, focus, focus. Hopefully asking yourself these questions and committing your answers to paper will help you focus your efforts and energy during your planning.
What’s the one thing we want to remember?
What’s the one thing we want our guests to remember?
We’re standing at the altar and we turn around to look at the congregation, these are the people we hope to see…
Three words that describe us as a couple…
If we imagine the look and feeling of our wedding, we’d use these three words to describe it….
These are the things we can’t live without. They’re mandatory….
Our budget is…
Now, go pick three images that match up with your vision for your wedding. Not 300. 3. They can be of anything…interiors, food, clothing. Use those three to remind yourself of where you’re going when you’re in inspiration overload.
photo of Katie and Max’s wedding by Jodi Miller Photography
Southern Weddings V4 – Williamsburg Wedding Inspiration
We’re so honored to not only have a featured wedding in the latest issue of Southern Weddings Magazine, but to have also contributed to an editorial shoot that appears in the magazine.
On a hot and steamy day last June, my lovely assistant, Danielle, and I packed up and headed east for Williamsburg, where we met Sierra and Emily from Southern Weddings Magazine and Katie Stoops for a shoot at Colonial Williamsburg.
There are so many beautiful spots for weddings at Colonial Williamsburg. We shot at one of the Colonial houses on the property, and, although that particular house is not available for events, a few houses on the property are available for rental for wedding weekend lodging. Just imagine spending your wedding weekend with friends and family in an historical house on the Colonial Williamsburg property…so cool! You might also consider The Williamsburg Inn on the property for your wedding as well — gorgeous, classic location.
I love this favor, and it’s something that is super, super easy to recreate. We made poppers and filled them with peanuts as a nod to Virginia, which is known for its yummy Virginia Peanuts. Moya Minns with MMInk calligraphed the names, so the favors could do double duty and also function as place cards.
We imagined a couple named Susannah and Gardner Lowell, and developed a story around the two, imaging that both grew up in Virginia and met while attending William and Mary. Our fictitious couple returned to the town where they met to celebrate their wedding with friends and family. Although you can just barely see it in the image above, we incorporated a drawing of the campus’ Crim Dell bridge on the wine label. Crim Dell is also known as lover’s bridge. It’s said that if two lovers cross the bridge together and kiss at the crest of it, they will be together forever. Love that story…
This shot was a happy accident. We intended to shoot the table in a garden, but just as we finished setting the table and placing the flowers, black clouds moved in. We literally had seconds to move the table before the heavens opened. In the end, the alternate location really worked, don’t you think?
Classic never goes out of style, which is one reason why we really adored helping bring this story to life. Thanks to the Southern Weddings team for having us! We had a ball! And without further ado, the fabulous people who made this story happen…
Photography by Katie Stoops; Styling & Floral Design by Courtney Spencer of Merriment, assisted by Danielle Hines; Hair & Makeup by Avenue 42 Designs; Flowers provided by Fifty Flowers; Bridal Gown “Arabella” by Christos; Location, chairs, flatware; cake, petits fours, tarts and ham biscuits – Colonial Williamsburg; Invitation & Program designed by The Lettered Olive with calligraphy by Elizabeth Porcher Jones; Linens - La Tavola Linen; Glassware, plates and some silver trays- Festive Fare; Monograms, menus, place cards, popper wraps, drink sign – Moya Minns of MMInk; Coaster and wine label – Magpie Paper Works; Beau Bar sign – Chocolate Butterbean; Bride’s shoes (“Forbes” by Nina) & colored bridesmaid dresses from Bella Bridesmaid; Ivory bridesmaid gowns by Saja
pretty pink & orange flowers…
…designed by Janie Medley and photographed by Adam Barnes for a June client. So lovely! Congrats Megan & Daniel!
making a design outline
I think the most challenging thing about designing a wedding is feeling overwhelmed by ideas and projects you want to accomplish. A good way to tackle design is to think about your event in three parts (or four if you’re moving from the dining tent/dining room to a separate area for dancing & dessert following dinner). The three parts are, ceremony, cocktail hour and reception.
Because I live by lists, I put one together outlining of all of the places your design can come to life – of course every event is different and you may need to modify the list to suit your event.
You’ll want some repetitive elements throughout the three parts of your event to create some cohesiveness, but each does not have to look exactly like the others. This event featured on Snippet and Ink is a good example. Part one (the ceremony & cocktail hour) and part two (the reception).
