Other then a holiday mini-session round-up, this will be our last post for the week! We are headed to (hopefully) sunny Key West for the next week for my sister in law’s wedding and my 3-year wedding anniversary! As always though, when I get back there will be a giveaway and a new discount promo for you all to make up for the lack of posts while I am gone!
Today’s real Virginia wedding feature is just so beautiful in its simplicity. It nearly broke my heart though to read the first line of the bride’s email, saying: “I’m a little nervous as our wedding wasn’t that awesome by wedding blog standards – we didn’t really have cute and kitschy details that I can think of. But I still ended up marrying the world’s most perfect woman, so I’ll take it.”
Nothing pains me more than having a couple feel their wedding was less than spectacular because it didn’t have the details that a blog would consider “worthy”. This is where wedding blogs, quite frankly, really piss me off. They are sending the wrong messages about weddings — it’s NOT about the details, it’s about the love & commitment of two individuals. That is why I am downright honored to share Katie & Kendra’s intimate, backyard wedding today, full of love and happiness, regardless of the number of details. Katie & Kendra’s love story is beautiful (brought tears to my eyes) and their wedding is no different. Thank you to Olivia Jacob Photography for submitting!
Katie & Kendra’s Intimate, Beautiful Backyard Wedding in Virginia
Photographer: Olivia Jacob Photography | Cake: DIYed by Mother of bride | Brides’ Dresses: Maggie Sottero via BlueSky Bridal & Handmade by Kendra’s mom | Venue: Parent’s Private Property | Submitted via Two Bright Lights
How they met:
Kendra was selling torpedoes for the government and I was working a public library. We met online, where all librarians and torpedo-sellers meet. From our first date in DC (breakfast burritos from Tortilla Cafe eaten sitting in Lincoln Park), we were inexorable.
The proposal:
A year after that first date, we got engaged, and I don’t mind saying that I wobbled on one knee, went to two, burst into tears, and ruined the speech I had. She understood the gist, so she said yes and we were blissfully happy.
Details on their DIY, Virginia wedding:
I had known for ages that I wanted to get married on my parents’ five acre property in Stafford.
^I can see why they’d want to have their wedding here!! Gorgeous! Click inside for the rest of Katie & Kendra’s intimate, DIY backyard Virginia wedding!
I didn’t want to buy a new dress and I had heard good things about BlueSky Bridal (all true) and I lucked out on a Maggie Sotero dress and I think is probably the prettiest thing I’ve ever worn. Kendra’s mom, amazing woman that she is, made Kendra’s dress and they had many whispered phone conversations about the finer details of dressmaking.
Like many others in our situation, we got ceremony-and-priest married in Virginia but then had to get courthouse-married in Seattle in order for ours to be a legally recognized marriage.
We got some sheets from Goodwill and made loads of bunting, including our favourite piece, the Welcome sign, which guests walked under as they came into the backyard.
Kendra’s mother also made us TWO cakes. I had a really hard time finding a cake-topper that reflected us accurately as most had one woman in a dress and the other in a suit. I finally found one on Etsy where both women were wearing white dresses.
Congratulations Katie & Kendra! Thank you for sharing your beautiful love story and handmade, backyard Virginia wedding with us! A special thanks again to Olivia Jacob Photography for sharing the images in today’s feature via Two Bright Lights.
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1 comment
Just lovely.