High school sweethearts, Jesse and Jonathan, were married May 2, 2009 at
King Family Vineyards in Crozet, Virginia.
Jesse, her mother and friends made nearly everything - the centerpieces, all the paper goods and decorations, while
Pattersons Flower Shop designed the bouquets and boutonnieres. "The most important thing that we did ourselves, though, was write the ceremony. There were parts in it that we weren't sure everyone would 'get,' but I think they appreciated it."
"Once it was time to get married, my now-sister-in-law (my brother got married a month and a half after us) did a wonderful job of officiating an 'unofficial' ceremony that we designed ourselves."
"We incorporated an old tradition from Swiss (my grandfather) and Dutch (Jonathan's Dad's family) culture, where the couple plants an evergreen tree after their wedding to symbolize their relationship. We expanded on this during the ceremony, and used water and soil as a substitute for a unity candle to pour onto the tree. We had everyone on my side (attendants, mom, grandmother) carry bud vases of water and everyone on Jonathan's side carry bud vases of soil. The concept really worked, but, again, I got some weird looks when trying to explain it to people beforehand!"
"I made 'pomanders' out of cupcake liners to designate the reserved rows during the ceremony, which everyone thought was crazy until they saw them."
"I had something old (my grandmothers pearls), something new (my dress), something borrowed (a last minute garter from a friend, even though we did not throw the bouquet or the garter), and something blue (Jonathan's grandmother's ring setting that his mom gave me with my birthstone, Aquamarine, in it)."
"Right after the ceremony, Jonathan and I snuck away to be legally married by a retired magistrate in a secret, five-minute ceremony. After that, it was time for the reception and lots of fun!! Thankfully, the rain held out until late into the reception. Some things went wrong (gnats in the wine we drank during the ceremony, empty toasting flutes during the toasts, and everything running a bit late), but none of that mattered to us and only added to the day."
Jesse and Jonthan rented a 1959 MGA from Sports Car Rentals for their get-away car.
"We also had a wish tree made from branches I bought online and used in place of a guest book. Each guest took a wish/fortune that we wrote and left us a wish in its place hanging from the tree)."
Placecards were displayed in lentils.
It's so funny to hear Jesse describe the look on people's faces when she told them that a key design element would be burlap. They couldn't picture it! Clearly it turned out beautifully. Jesse said, "We wanted everything to be simple and natural-looking, so we went with green and burlap as the color scheme (and, yes, I got a lot of weird looks when I would use the word 'burlap' to describe the wedding during planning). We also wanted to have as many elements as possible that showed who we were as individuals and as a couple. And most importantly, we wanted everyone to feel relaxed and have a good time. "
Jesse loves math. Jonathan loves engineering. So it was only fitting that table numbers were math problems for their guests to solve.
Jonathans' grooms cake was made of three wheels of cheese purchased at
River City Cellars.
"We wanted our wedding to be fun, simple and unique." And it was definitely just that! Congratulations Jesse and Jonathan! And a big thank you to
Worthington Photography for sharing these beautiful pictures with little white book!
{photography by
Worthington Photography; catering by
20 South; wedding cake by
Albemarle Baking Company; cheese for groom's cake from
River City Cellars; flowers from
Pattersons Flower Shop; Jesse purchased her gown at
Jingles; Jonathan found his suit at
Banana Republic; DJ, Mega Mike from
Nyce Productions}
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When I saw the confetti I died. Really. How cute is that? Melia and Brandon are high school sweethearts who are getting married on October 17, 2009 at Boxtree Lodge in Vinton, Virginia.
They're planning what only can be described as a rustic/cozy/fun affair, "We really are using the rustic charm of our venue and the gorgeous backdrop of colorful fall leaves along the Blue Ridge Parkway as inspiration for the wedding. We plan to create a cozy warm feel with vibrant jewel tones and rich fabrics to create the look. The dahlias and other fall flowers will match the colors in the changing leaves perfectly."
"We are planning a lot of D.I.Y projects to help make the ceremony and reception personalized. I am creating a lot of the décor myself including moss pomanders to line the aisle, centerpieces for all the tables, and lots of paper crafts including menu cards, table assignments, and a special guest book."
Melia and Brandon started dating during their senior year of high school! "We had a government class together and just happened to sit next to each other. By the time the wedding gets here in October, we will have been together for ten years!"
"We are so excited to be getting married after ten years of dating and we want to celebrate with all the people that matter to us. The flowers and decorations will make the event beautiful, but more than anything we are excited to begin our married life together!"
Congratulations and best wishes you guys! You're a beautiful couple! xo
