GINA & DANIEL'S VIRGINIA WEDDING

Photographer: Jessie Walker Photo

Wedding Date: July 27, 2019

What was your wedding venue and why did you choose there?
Our wedding ceremony and reception were held at Burlington Plantation in Charles City, Virginia (United States).  This is very close to Richmond where Daniel grew up and where we met.  The ceremony was outdoors on the property and the reception was held inside.  We felt like the venue had the perfect mix of Virginia Country with a lot of timeless elements.

Did you have a wedding theme/style?
Our overall theme was classic with clean modern details inspired by summer textures.  The most important thing to us was that our guests had a great time and felt relaxed. 

How did you and your now Husband meet?
Daniel and I met at work five and a half years ago.  We were fast friends and did everything together.  A little bit of long distance, a move and lots of fun in between, we are married!

What is your proposal story?
We had been together for over four years, so it wasn’t really a matter of if, it was when.  In July last year, Daniel’s friend accidentally let it slip that Daniel, instead of going on a business trip, went to home to ask my parents to marry me.  After this I was highly suspicious.  Three weeks later our friends cancelled their plans to visit and he decided to propose that Saturday.  He planned a day at a winery and later while walking on the beach he asked me to marry him! 

How did you hear about Prea James Bridal?
Scrolling on Instagram led me to Hello May and then to Prea James’ website.  Right away I fell in love with the Arielle gown and kept coming back to it.  The dress was the first detail of the wedding (other than Daniel) that I was certain about and a lot of design details were inspired from it.

From where did you purchase your gown?
From another Prea James bride.

What do you love most about the gown? 
God, I love everything about this dress, mainly how relaxed, elegant and confident it made me feel when I put it on.  On top of this, the front detail and split paired with the quality of silk and back drape was my perfect balance of a non-traditional and classic design. 

Are there any special details about your wedding that you would like to share?
One of the most special details about our wedding day was that Daniel’s best man’s wife, Krissy, was our officiant.  Her personal perspective of knowing us since we met and way with words made the ceremony feel so magical.  She is one of the kindest people we know and we were honoured that she took the time to make the day unforgettable. 

Were there any details that you made yourselves?
I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA and there is a tradition of your friends and family baking cookies of their choosing for the guests at the wedding to enjoy.  A lot of these homemade cookies (1500 total) came from hundreds of miles away.  The cookie table is always a hit and we were so grateful we could bring this tradition to Virginia.

Finally, Do you have any words of wisdom for couples planning their big day?
Set deadlines to make decisions by, then move on and try to make dinner time a no wedding conversation zone.  Advice from our wedding planner, that I loved, was “try to make eye contact with as many guests as possible on the walk down the aisle.  This will help calm your nerves, you’ll be beaming from ear to ear seeing all these people you love so happy and you’ll have these vivid memories for a long time.”

Wedding Vendors

Photographer: Jessie Walker Photo
Jessie’s ability to truly capture the joy and emotion of the day is what we love about her.  She really did a fantastic job and we couldn’t be happier with how the photographs came out!

Hair & Makeup: Elle Style Studio

Wedding Planner: For Love of Love
Working with For Love of Love was a dream.  Lauren and her team’s professionalism, communication and design eye are unmatched.

Florist: Wild Fleurette
Lynn took our flower vision to another level and brought it to life.  In addition to being super talented florist she is one of the nicest people in the world. 

Stationery: The Modern Raven

Cake: WPA Bakery

Caterer: Mosaic Catering
Mosaic always knocks it out of the park

Hire/Prop furniture hire: Lounge Furniture- Paisley and Jade, Table Top- RentEQuip

Accessories: Veil- borrowed, earrings- Maison Roe (ceremony), Roni Blanshay (reception), Shoes- Alexandre Birman, bag- borrowed

Bridesmaids Dresses: They chose their own (Petal & Pup, Reformation)

Groom Suit: Beecroft & Bull

Band/DJ: DJ AntBoogie  

Live painter: By Brittany Branson
This was a complete surprise from Daniel’s parents!  We had no idea they had arranged this until we sat down for dinner and saw Brittany.  This was a such a special and thoughtful gift.

Venue: Burlington Plantation