richmond wedding wednesdays: tuckahoe plantation
I’ve always thought it would be so much fun to plan a small wedding or engagement party at Tuckahoe Plantation’s stable. Before the thought of hosting a party in a stable turns you completely off, rest assured the stable is no longer a working stable. It has beautiful wide plank wooden beam floors, a large lawn in front (perfect for oyster roasts or s’mores), and plenty of rustic charm.
{images: stag invite by Chocolate Butterbean; stag horn flatware via Neiman Marcus; bride photographed by Lisa Pyden via Island Weddings; mint juleps via Matters of Style; bouquet from Brides via Snippet & Ink}
Bride and Bloom – Simply Elegant
A few months ago, my friend Janie at The Brides Cafe asked me to help design a table for the current issue Bride and Bloom Magazine, which was photographed by Elizabeth Messina at Veritas Vineyards. We wanted the table to feel rustic but sophisticated, and I think this concept is a testament to the versatility of burlap (one of my favorite materials). I love how burlap gives you a good neutral background.
Janie designed some of the most gorgeous flowers. Read more about them here.
Festive Fare in Charlottesville provided the linens and glassware, while Kristy at Monumental Designs created all of the paper. She is so talented!
I was head over heels meeting Kristine at K. Rose Cakes, who made this stunning cake. I’ve always admired her work.
We found the placecard holders at A Remark You Made on Etsy.
Thank you so much to Bride and Bloom Magazine for featuring our work, and a big thank you to Elizabeth Messina for partnering with us on this shoot!
Bride + Bloom
A big thank you to Bride and Bloom for featuring our work in the current issue! More details up next.
Bride and Bloom
Be sure to stop by next week to see more of the pretty table we designed for the current issue of Bride and Bloom magazine.
A Stitch in Time
A Stitch in Time {which appeared yesterday on Once Wed} was inspired by the true story of an engagement. We took the real life story and ran with it, breathing more and more inspiration and texture into the shoot everyday as we concepted.
I usually start projects with an inspiration board. Not every designer works that way, but they help me to narrow and focus. I also wrote a story that gave us a narrative to concept around. Then we got to work.
Kimberly at Chez Sucre Chez and Jen at Miss Pickles Press were the first people I called. I knew they’d be perfect for this project.
We found an amazing venue outside of Richmond called Amber Grove Inn. Amber Grove is a wedding venue operated by John McDermott. The barn {pictured above} was a dairy barn in a former life; now it hosts ceremonies and small receptions. There’s also a house on the property that John rents for events and a large tented area perfect for larger receptions.
Need Supply hooked us up with the coziest sweater for Jill to wear over her pink ruffle dress (found at H + M) and a pair of killer booties. We outfitted Chris with an assortment of things found, borrowed and purchased. His handsome bowtie came from Halcyon — an amazing vintage store in Richmond.
Check out that headband. It was designed by Lyndzee Ellsworth at Lady Vintique. All of Lyndzee’s pieces are one of a kind.
Janie made the prettiest bouquets full of red dahlias, and Miss Pickles Press hand stamped muslin bags. Each bag contained a special memory our fictitious groom scribed for his bride-to- be, which she found on her way to him at the end of the string of yarn, where he was waiting to “propose.”
Miss Pickles Press made signs that read, “will you marry me” and “she said yes” printed on wood veneer. Rumor has it that Jen will be adding signs to her shop soon!
Vintage spools of thread {found on etsy} along a fence at Amber Grove…
Drawer pulls collected at Anthropologie…wouldn’t this be a lovely way to display escort cards or pictures at a reception?
The talented people who brought this shoot to life are truly amazing. Big thanks to…
Jen at Miss Pickles Press
Ryan and Kelly at Kellan Studios
Janie Medley at The Brides Cafe
Need Supply Company
The Yarn Lounge
Erika Nixon at Makeup on Demand (contact Erika at makeupondemand@comcast.net)
Kimberly at Chez Sucre Chez
John at Amber Grove Inn
Moore and Giles (who loaned us the leather chairs)
and our models, my dear friends, Chris + Jill
Dan + Emily, South Boston, Virginia
Dan and Emily are super special to us. Dan and my husband have known each other forever and ever – they’ve played in bands together, traveled across the country together and Dan was my husband’s best man in our wedding. We couldn’t have been more thrilled to be a part of Dan and Emily’s celebration just a few weeks ago on Dan’s family farm in South Boston, Virginia. The property is gorgeous…beautiful horses*…amazing rolling hills…picturesque barns. Jason and Tammy Keefer were there to capture it all.
*(horses below photographed by me)
The weekend began with a lovely rehearsal dinner. The guys are pictured above lighting floating candles in the pond.
Dan’s mom made the sweetest votives from tin cans, punching heart shapes into the cans. The checkered tablecloths and wildflowers looked beautiful on the bank of the water.
Emily carried a bouquet of anemones on her wedding day and wore the cutest booties! Love it!
The guys wore boutonnieres made of cotton that Dan and Emily picked (yes, they picked it the week of their wedding!) at a plantation just outside of Richmond. Emily’s mom and bridesmaids arranged centerpieces made of wildflowers and cotton in blue mason jars.
Vintage hankies and boxes of matches with their wedding logo and vintage pictures were given as favors. Dan is an art director and made all of the paper…the programs, invitations and and the wedding logo on all of their printed materials.
We ended the night sending Dan and Emily off with sparklers. It truly was a magical weekend! We couldn’t have had more fun. Thanks for letting me be your coordinator on-the-fly guys! It was an honor! xo
{catering by Posh Nosh, photography by Keefer Photography, Emily’s gown and veil by Oscar de la Renta}
sneak peek: dan + emily, south boston, virginia
Come back tomorrow to see more from this beautiful wedding!
{photography by Jason and Tammy Keefer}
Anji + Josh
Anji and Josh were married on March 7, 2009 at Spaw Farm, a friend’s farm in New Ulm, Texas. They’ve faced so much as a young couple. It’s an honor for me to share their story here on little white book.
“The ceremony was really special because my dad, who is a Presbyterian pastor, married us.”
“My parents didn’t want to exclude anyone so, if we would have been married at the church, there would be an open invitation to the entire congregation — 4,500 people! No thanks!! Josh and I both wanted an intimate wedding day with no more than 100 people. We fell in love with a friend’s farm house in New Ulm, Texas. The owner had hosted every occasion at this house…the birth of babies, company parties, his first wife’s memorial service, a bar mitzvah, birthday celebrations, but never a wedding. We went all out on the farm theme: wild flowers, cowboy attire and pictures on the tractor (our creative photographer’s idea!!).”
“My blue item was scripture sewn into the hem of my dress: ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh,’ Ephesians 5.”
“Three weeks after our honeymoon I was diagnosed with breast cancer (at age 32). Josh and I were shocked! We got to practice ‘in sickness and in health’ way too early! I ended up getting a bilateral mastectomy — we made the decision with our Oncologist at MD Anderson. The recovery process has been unbearably painful. Josh fed me, bathed me and loved me every day.”
“You never know what life will bring you but it is all livable with a partner who loves unconditionally.”
All my best to you, Anji and Josh. You’re a beautiful couple, blessed to have found one another! Thank you for sharing your story with little white book.
xoxo
{photography by Kelly Hornberger}
