Please enjoy memories of our special day captured by our amazing wedding photographer, Rachel of Naturally Captured Photography!
Wedding planning almost instantly begins after the ring is placed on your finger. Everyone is excited for you and congratulates you both, then the first question is, “have you picked a date yet?” Talk about pressure, I was barely getting over the idea that I was engaged and we were getting married. I knew I wanted at least a year to plan every detail of my dream wedding and to save up. After browsing the Saturday’s in a 2013 calendar, we quickly came upon July 13, 2013 and it was a perfect fit. My parents were married on the 13th (Friday, November 13th to be exact) and his parents were married in July so we felt it was a perfect combination and a date set aside for us.
We soon found out that selecting the date was probably the easiest of the tasks (besides knowing we wanted to marry each other) because the to-do list can get overwhelming quickly. You have to book a Ceremony Venue, Reception Venue, Caterer, DJ, Photographer, Baker, and so decorate. TJ was the sweetest and most understanding of my constant desire to discuss my ideas and visions for the wedding. He bought me wedding magazines which simply added to the many things I wanted to do. Off the bat, we knew our reception would be held at the Front Royal Moose Lodge because that is where we met for the first time and felt it was appropriate. The Moose Lodge is an amazing place to hold a reception because there are very few limitations on what you can and can’t do (#1 rule: you can’t put anything on the moose). I had an empty canvas. I had tables, chairs, dance floor and stage that’s when the vision came to life! I knew from the beginning that I wanted the wedding colors to be purple, white, black, and gray. I wanted a very elegant but fun evening.
One decision that didn’t take much time to make was when it came to my wedding dress. I knew for as long as I can remember that I wanted to be a princess on my wedding day. I will share the story of the wedding dress next week to avoid making this post too long. I absolutely love my dress and wish I could wear it again without everyone looking at me funny. Can you blame me?
After the reception venue was selected we went on a search for a ceremony location, which was easy once we found Boggs Chapel located on the grounds of Randolph Macon Academy. It is gorgeous with elegant columns out front and lights of light for amazing photos, because you know that is on my mind as a photographer. As you can tell, Boggs Chapel was a gorgeous backdrop for formal photos.
See those beautiful bouquets? Those were done by Kristen at Fussell Florist in Front Royal. She was amazing to work with, she helped aid in my flower vision but didn’t push or take over even though she knew exactly where I was headed. My bouquet was gorgeous and the bridesmaids didn’t disappoint. Fussell Florist was available any time I called with questions, additions or changes. They were very accommodating and delivered the flowers on time the day of the ceremony. If you have any florist needs please contact Kristen and tell her I sent you!
A majority of our vendors were referrals from another person which made that much less stressful because we had first hand recommendations. We selected the Apple House for our catering because we heard nothing but great things from them. Not to mention we have had breakfast there a few times and it’s always good but their doughnuts are to die for!!! If you haven’t experienced them I suggest you drop what you’re doing and head there NOW!!! The Apple House didn’t disappoint, the food was delicious, the service was amazing, and they took care of everything as promised for a reasonable price. I would highly recommend them for any catering needs.
Our cake was done by Sarah of The Cake Boutique in Winchester, she was referred by another baker in Front Royal that wasn’t taking on any more wedding cakes at the time. She was very prompt in responding and answered all of our questions. We quickly selected the flavors we wanted to taste and scheduled our tasting. We arrived to find that Sarah worked out of the cutest shop with pink everything and the most adorable old school refrigerator and stove. The cupcakes we tasted were to die for and not something I should be writing about since I am trying to “be good” and healthy. This reminds me that we have our top layer of our cake in the freezer to be eaten in 2 weeks…eck!
As a surprise I had golf ball cake balls made for TJ and his guys as they waited for the ceremony to start. The cake balls were made by Becky from Beckaboos Cakes in Winchester. She was referred by Sarah who told us Becky was the best person to contact for cake balls and she delivered. The guys were surprised and the cake balls were delicious even though I only had one!
I knew early on that I wanted a videographer to capture the day’s events and the feelings everyone felt. I wanted a video that I could watch and relive the day and one day show our children because I always loved looking through my parents scrapbooks and asking lots of questions. I know that you will always remember your special day but it is so surreal to watch it on video and be the actress of the best movie in the world. Not to mention the number one regret of brides is not having a videographer. I was afraid that it would be out of reach for our budget but we were shocked to find videgraphy services at a reasonable price based on what I was expecting. When we received our DVD’s I couldn’t wait to watch it and we have watched it numerous times and each and every time I cry as if it was the day of. We will probably watch it again in two weeks.
Photography was tough for me to decide because there are so many wonderful wedding photographers in the area and I emailed many of them with lots of questions. We selected Rachel from Naturally Captured Photography in Strasburg. Rachel photographed some of our friends weddings and I loved her images and everyone was pleased with her on the day of the wedding. We were not disappointed by Rachel, she delivered so many images. We received DVD’s and all the images in 4×6 in leather albums to share with our family and friends. I highly recommend Rachel, however after this year she won’t be taking on weddings, which is a shame. Her work is too good to deprive other couples of her great images.
Last but not least was the life of the reception, Hampton from Special Occasions Entertainment in Winchester. Hampton was referred by Rachel because they have worked together previously and it was obvious because everything was seamless and he played music to our taste and went along with all the crazy ideas that I had to incorporate.
All of our vendors were amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to work with on such an important day but they all delivered on their promises and I was very pleased with how our wedding day came together. Next week I will tell you the story of “The Alfred Angelo Wedding Dress.”
