Cattleya & Chris’s Wedding at Virginia’s Rust Manor House

Cattleya & Chris’s Wedding at Virginia’s Rust Manor House

Even though Cattleya & Chris’s wedding was held on the July 4 holiday, no extra fireworks were needed for this fun-loving, sweet and motorcycle-riding couple. Theirs was a very family-centric, intimate event and they even had a close friend serve as officiant. While there was a little rain earlier in the day, it merely sprinkled a bit during their first look, and after just a few clouds during the ceremony, the sun made a glorious appearance in the misty haze just in time for some beautiful portraits around the historic manor’s grounds. Lather that evening, it was fun hanging out with all the kids (and kid-thinking adults) getting their fill on some late night Summer s’mores. Yum! All in all, we can’t think of a more perfect way to celebrate the Fourth.

Check out a few of our favorite moments and details below, then check out their full gallery. The password is Cattleya’s maiden name and is case-sensitive. Bonus points for correct spelling.

The fantastic team:
Venue: Rust Manor House
Catering: Great Blue Heron
Florist: Jennifer Morris

Bill’s faves of Anne’s:

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Anne’s faves of Bill’s:

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Some lovely details:

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Forest wedding ceremony

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Motorcycle cufflinks

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Wedding cake with Pinky & the Brain

Dear c&c,

Some of the moments we truly loved during your wedding include: How calm you both were while it was raining during your getting ready, as if there was nary a care in the world (there really wasn’t). Your cake toppers representing your nicknames for each other. (Although we can’t remember who was Pinky and who was the Brain.) Cat, when you finished getting dressed, that look of utter love your mom had on her face. Your “rain? what rain?” feeling you had during your first look. Including your grandma in the ceremony via FaceTime (we think she had a pretty good view)! Chris, your wedding ring designed to look like motorcycle tread. The huge smiles of, “We did it!” right after you kissed as your guests applauded. Pinky reaching in vain for the Brain, as it tumbled over the side of the cake after your cake cutting. And not technically a moment, but man, choosing between all those amazing homemade cakes, pies and S’mores was really, really hard. (Had to go for the S’mores in case you were wondering. Wouldn’t be the Fourth of July without them!)

Congratulations, you two and we wish you many, many fun loving Fourths in the future!

xoxo,
….a&b

 

Happy 11th Anniversary: Christy & Dave

We recently so thrilled to check in with Christy & Dave who were celebrated 11 years of marriage. They married at Wintergreen Resort the same year and month that Sunny & Erik did. C&D chose the Blue Ridge Terrace as the site for their I Do’s, though and it’s probably a good thing. After Christy walked down the aisle, a windy front blew in and it dropped about 20 degrees during the ceremony! And since it was October, there was already a little chill in the air. We remember during the prayers and everyone had the head bowed, Christy would take the opportunity to huddle close to Dave. So cute! Having their guests close to the resort was we’re sure very welcome so everyone could run inside as soon as the ceremony was over. We also felt for her brother who played with frozen fingers a song on this guitar.

We’ve been lucky enough to keep in touch with Christy and Dave over the years and even got to visit with them when we were in NYC several years ago. We’re absolutely thrilled for them and their new addition to their family. Could she be any cuter?

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– What challenges have you both faced & how did you handle them &/or learn from them?

We have learned a lot over the past eleven years. Some of the challenges we have faced felt insurmountable at the time. In retrospect, though, it seems clear that each challenge was specially designed to teach us something about what it means to believe that God really does care and really does have a plan that includes us. It seems counter-intuitive to two “type-A,” busy, driven people that there is freedom in knowing we do not have ultimate control over our health, our careers, or our families. In times when we had no choice other than to fearfully admit we were out of answers or solutions, God has been there. We’re still learning to trust that.

– Have you had any unexpected joys?

Absolutely! A crazy U-turn in life took us from New York City, where we’d spent ten wonderful years, to Raleigh, NC, where we had absolutely no connection. When we moved here, Dave was launching a new business, we knew no one, and we were struggling with infertility issues. Two years later, the business is thriving, we have incredible friends, and our daughter just turned six months old.

– Where has life found you since your wedding day? (career, home location, family status, etc.)

We spent ten years in New York City (shout out to the Upper West Side). Dave worked as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley, and Christy worked – and still works – for ESPN in Marketing. We’re in Raleigh, NC now. Dave founded an opportunistic agricultural investment firm, and Christy works for ESPN from home. We have a fabulous five-year-old French Bulldog named Penny, and we gave birth to our daughter Harper in May.

– What do you remember most about your wedding day when you look at your photos?

The photos bring all of our fondest memories flooding back. We had so, so, so much fun on our wedding day, despite the fact that it was absolutely FREEZING during the outdoor ceremony! Anne and Bill captured all of the best moments, from the look on Dave’s face when he saw Christy walking down the aisle to our friend Danny performing “Ice, Ice Baby” and doing “the worm” on the dance floor.

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Thanks for the update, C&D! Now when do you see a trip out to the beautiful rocky mountains in your future? 🙂

xoxo,
…a&b

Alison & Jasper on the COVER of Washingtonian Bride and Groom magazine!

Alison & Jasper on the COVER of Washingtonian Bride and Groom magazine!

We were so excited when the editors at Washingtonian Bride and Groom reached out to us recently after selecting an image of Alison & Jasper for the cover of their latest issue–Winter & Spring 2015!  A&J were married this past Spring at Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Virginia and we knew even then their wedding was unique. We’re so grateful, too to be one of their top photography studios on their Best Of list again! Other top area wedding professionals and couples recently tying the knot vote for the DC area’s best.

Thank you so much, Washingtonian Bride & Groom and thank you, A&J!

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Happy 11th Anniversary: Sunny & Erik

We were so thrilled to check in with Sunny & Erik who were married way back in October of 2013 so they just very recently celebrated 11 years of marriage! We have very fond memories of their wedding so it was such a treat to get to revisit their photos, as well as hear how married life has been treating them. They were our first and only couple who married at Blue Ridge Overlook on Wintergreen Mountain! Even though we now get to photograph weddings on slightly bigger mountains, this Virginia overlook is truly spectacular with some of the best views of those famed Blue Ridge peaks. We were so happy to see that Sunny, a former model is racing stock cars again which she was doing at the time of their wedding, too. How cool is that?!

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What challenges have you both faced & how did you handle them &/or learn from them? Have you had any unexpected joys?

Our challenges and unexpected joys are actually the same – we were surprised and blessed with identical twin girls after 4 years of marriage, and what a roller coaster of a few years that was! The girls are beautiful and wonderful, and luckily I went what is considered “full-term” with them, so they were born healthy. Our son was born not long after – they are only 18 months apart, so we felt like we had triplets for a while, which logistically and emotionally can be a huge challenge, but the silver lining is not only the immense love we have for our children but the strength it created in our marriage. Erik and I were simply “teammates” for a while, with diapers, feedings, and all the juggling that goes with the development of three little ones and that was ok, because our focus was on the kids, and now we have come out the other side of it stronger and able to focus on ourselves as well as our children.

Where has life found you since your wedding day?

We moved outside of Richmond to a rural county and we enjoy living in the country. My parents moved to the same county, so we luckily have them close by! I have resumed my love of motorsports by working for a sports car race team as well a picking up my own stock car racing again, which is my passion. Erik has been able to get back into fishing and we take the kids out on the boat alot.

What do you remember most about your wedding day when you look at your photos?

Erik says he remembers how happy our parents were. You can see the smile on my moms face and feel it. They were happy and proud. I remember how perfect it was. The day was just what I wished for a as a little girl, all my family and friends, on the side of a mountain, Puccini, in my mother’s fur stole, the leaves turned bright and beautiful for autumn, my dress, dancing with my father, my brother and my girlfriends! it was all perfect!

Have your little ones seen your wedding photos and if so, did they have any comments you wouldn’t mind sharing?

Yes, they have looked at the book, and it’s funny because the little white gloves that came with the album fit them perfectly! Finally, someone can wear those gloves! They don the gloves, turn the pages and point out all the people they know, that are still in our lives.They want to eat up the chocolate cake (one of the best we’ve ever had! -Ed.)! And they ask why people are throwing stuff at us? (birdseed was thrown instead of rice). We plan to vacation at the same resort this year.

I just wanted to let you know that Erik and I have commented often over the years that the money we spent with you and Bill was money well spent, it was the best decision we made about our wedding, it was the largest percentage of our budget, and it was SO worth it. We look at those photos every anniversary, and more with the kids now, but I can’t thank you enough for capturing those moments for us. It means a lot to me. Still.

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Happiest of anniversaries to you S&E! You have such a beautiful family and we’re tickled pink that you and your kiddos love looking at your wedding photos so often! :)

xoxo,
..a&b