From the Bride…

Before the Ring:
Jordan and I grew up in a small town and had known of each other in high school but we both had different groups of friends and interests. In 2011 I was waitressing at a local pub and Jordan would come in after work sometimes with his coworkers. After a while, I began to notice he was coming in more often and would sit in my section every chance he could. We started talking a lot and getting to know each other, and he would pick me up early in the mornings after my shift ended. He would sit with me while I did my cash out then drive me home. We started dating shortly after.

The Proposal Story:
Jordan proposed end of August 2014 while we were camping with friends. We had recently purchased a side by side and were about to head out quadding for the day when Jordan asked me to put the registration in the glove box. As I opened the glove box, a gorgeous ring was sitting inside. I was so shocked! He got down on one knee and asked if I would spend the rest of my life with him as his wife and I said yes right away! He was so nervous that he was shaking and we had a good laugh about it afterwards.

Photographer:  Melanie Bennett Photography / Cake Designer: cake affair / Reception Venue: Clymont Hall / Bridesmaid Dresses: Davids Bridal / Makeup Artist: Melissa Bell Makeup Artistry / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

From the bride:

Before the Ring:
John and I met in February of 2011 when we were both living in Lynchburg, Virginia. We had met briefly through mutual friends and I was instantly attracted to him. One day, my roommate invited me to join her social running club. I knew that John also ran with this group so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see him again. Unfortunately, after running about 100 yards, I tripped on a speed bump, twisted my ankle and my body bounced off of a nearby curb. It was a disaster. There was blood everywhere and my left ankle was twice as large as the right. I didn’t want the new group (specifically John) to think I was a quitter, so I finished the 3 mile run and hoped that John wouldn’t notice. He noticed and spent the rest of the evening calling me “Ms. Stitches.”

We dated for about three months before John accepted a job in Jacksonville, Florida. At that point we assumed that we would never see each other again but it didn’t take us long to realize that distance was not going to stop our feelings. John and I took turns flying between Florida and Virginia every other month. Finally, we agreed that Florida was too far away and John requested to be transferred to Raleigh, NC so that we could see each other every weekend.

Engagement:
John is horrible at keeping secrets and I was sure that he was going to propose within hours of buying the ring. He was strong though and waited until our planned trip to Vermont to visit my parents.

I have been skiing at Bolton Valley Ski Resort since I was about six years old and John knew that would be a special place to propose. We skied with my parents all day and when my mom suddenly got cold (and told my dad that he was cold too), John and I decided to ride the lift one more time on our own. When we got to the top of the Alta Vista chairlift, I stopped to look at the large map on top of the mountain to plan our route down. When I turned around to get John’s opinion, he was out of his skies and getting down on one knee!

Wedding Planning:
I have known that I wanted to get married at The Old Round Church in Richmond, Vermont since I was about eight years old, but planning a Vermont wedding while living in Virginia was not easy. I was a full-time graduate student, working on 600 hours of internship, and a working part time job. I had to rely on my family in Vermont to help me with some of the details for the wedding. I knew I wanted my wedding to have a rustic-chic theme so we looked at several barns and venues for the reception. We fell in love at The Ponds at Bolton Valley and it seemed fitting that it was also where we were engaged.

We moved to New Hampshire after I graduated and I was able to spend a lot more time at home during the summer to finish the last minute DIY projects. In the month and a half before the wedding, I painted 4 cornhole boards that my dad constructed, spray painted vases and baskets, wrote vows, picked readings, and designed programs. My dad and his brother recently started making their own maple syrup and we all agreed that it would be a perfect wedding favor. Dad poured the syrup into little bottles and I designed, printed, and attached tags.

On the wedding weekend, all of our hard work paid off! On Friday we had drinks at Splash on the Burlington waterfront with John’s family before the wedding party rushed to the church for rehearsal ( not before stopping at Al’s French Fries for a burger first, of course). Later that evening we had a lovely rehearsal dinner at Echo Lake Aquarium in Burlington. On the wedding day, everything ran smoothly and we had the most special day. The bridal party spent the morning at Bridge Street Hair Solon in Richmond and John took his boys to tour the Magic Hat Brewery.

Photography: Floor Three Photography / Ceremony: The Old Round Church / Reception: The Ponds and Bolton Valley / Flowers: Holly Chase / Rehearsal Dinner: Echo Lake Aquarium / Catering and cake: Inn at Essex Resort / Hair and Make-up: Bridge Street Hair Salon / Justice of the Peace: Greg Trulson / DJ: Super Sounds- Jeff Davis

From the Bride…

Before the Ring:
Tim and I have known each other since High School as friends. We were reconnected though my best friend and Maid of Honor in college as they lived across the hall from each other in the dorms and I was going to school out of state. We became close friends and the rest is history!

The Proposal Story:
The big proposal! Tim and I love taking photos as we try to document every moment of our lives, however we are definitely not professional photographers. On our 7th anniversary of dating I came home from work exhausted. We had told each other that we would cook a fancy meal and enjoy each other’s company at home. The big promise was that we would not exchange gifts. Well he lied (like every good man should)! When I arrived home Tim had flowers, a card and of course a wrapped up present waiting for me on the table. The present consisted of a beautiful photo album of all our journeys together. Each page represented a memory, trip, our sweet puppy Rylee or a holiday we had shared together. The very last page was a letter he had written expressing how much he loved me and asking me to spend the rest of my life with him. Before I could look at him he was on his knee asking me to be his wife for the rest of my life! I was beside myself and of course crying! (I did say “yes” in there somewhere, too). It was everything I could have wanted and more! 8 and half years later we are finally married and it is still perfect.

Details/inspiration for the Wedding:
We knew we always wanted to get married in the mountains and the Vail Wedding Deck in Vail knocked the wind out of us literally when we walked on to the wedding deck. We knew that we had to get married there the minute we saw the view. The sun was shining and there was not even a cloud in the sky when I walked down the aisle, it was beyond beautiful and perfect! We wanted the mountain modern feel expressed with touches of the clean white Aspens and bright yellow and grey patterns. We also thought that the mint green of the succulents brought out the little extra touch of modern that we loved! We wanted a bold statement lighting that everyone would just ooh and ahh over but would also blend everything together. The vine ball lighting did just that!

Most memorable moment/s:
Sitting with our bridal party next to the fire pit realizing how lucky we are to be surrounded by the most amazing family and friends on a perfect day!

Advice to couples in the planning process:
My best advice is to not be afraid of making your dream wedding come true and always remember the reason why you are getting married.

Photographer: Brinton Studios / Ceremony Site: Vail Wedding Deck / Reception Site: Donovan Pavilion, Vail Colorado / Event Planner: Ashley at Revel + Bloom / Event Design: Pink Monkey / Florist: Sweet Pea Flowers / Hair & Makeup: Lauren Perkins / Wedding Gown Designer: Justin Alexander / Gown purchased from: The Bridal Collection / Shoes: Badgley Mischka and Toms / Bridesmaid Dresses: Jim Hjelm / Men’s Wear: Ralph Lauren from Kaufman’s Tall and Big / Caterer: Footers Catering / Cake: The Bundt Shoppe / Officiant: Judge Herb Galchinsky / Band+Musicians: Jonny Mogabmo Band / Videographer: Chris Orwat with Pure Cinematography / Honeymoon Location: Thailand

From the Bride…

Before the Ring:
Sean and I met freshman year at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) in a two semester long class that is required for all new students. During the second semester Sean invited me out to Piccola’s for lunch and we ended up staying there for three hours just talking. We remained good friends for about two years before we started dating.  Before we started dating Sean moved into an apartment across the street from me.  Sean claims it was coincidence, but I think he may have planned it because we started dating shortly after 🙂

The Proposal Story:
Sean proposed back in January of last year, and it was a strange week.  Work had been crazy and he was acting funny all week long. One morning he told me he was going to have dinner ready that night, so I wouldn’t have to worry about it when I got home. Instead I came home to him and his friends partying that night. I went straight to bed and woke up and went straight back to work the next day without a word to him. The next night I came home and the table was set for dinner and there was a gift box on the table. In my head I was thinking, “oh great—he bought me a gift because he thinks I am that upset with him.” I opened the box and there was a ring box, I got nervous and opened it only to find a note that read “Whoops! Your gift is not in the box! You must collect all the pieces of the triforce to get it…” So immediately knew I was going on a Legend of Zelda (my favorite games) themed scavenger hunt to find my ring. The scavenger hunt allowed more time for me to get nervous and Sean laughed at me a couple times when I became flustered trying to find the pieces. It sort of became a family event because our two cats followed us around the house the entire time and even were rubbing against Sean while he was down on one knee proposing. I was totally caught off guard, but it was a beautiful moment that I will always cherish.

Photography: Audra Wrisley / Venue: Keswick Vineyards / Floral Design: Verde Natural Florals / Doughnut Truck: Carpe Donut / DJ: Andy Wilfong / Rentals: MS Events / Music: Classical Hillbillies / Cakes: Beth Christiano / Catering: BBQ Exchange 

Photographer:  Carina Photographics / Event Designer: Angie Hanson Photo Styling / Personal Stylist: Brooke Valley Master Stylist / Invitation Designer: Carina Creative / Event Planner: Carina Photographics / Jewelry: Dolce Vita / Dress: Vintage / Floral Designer: Nicole Chittenden Design Studio / Veils and headpieces: Ruby 3 / Jewelry: Stella & Dot / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

From the Bride…

Before the Ring:
We met in Savannah, Georgia where we were both students at Savannah College of Art and Design. Brinton will claim we met at the gym… But he actually just saw me, found out my name from a mutual friend, and then didn’t say anything to me until months later when our mutual group of friends were all out at a bar for “80’s night.” So I say the bar.

Proposal Story:
Brinton is from England, and each December we would go back and visit his family. He lives in the Southern part of England and there is a little fishing village named Looe, which is one of my very favorite places in the world. We were sharing a ‘pasty,’ which is also my favorite British food, overlooking the sea which basically looks like the Caribbean minus 80 degrees. As soon as Brint proposed it started pouring down rain, in typical British fashion.

Inspiration for the wedding day?
This might sound silly, but I can’t really say there was one point of inspiration. I really just have an obsession with beautiful florals. I’m always picking random flowers from all around town (Ssshhh don’t tell my neighbors) wanted the wedding to be focused around gorgeous floral arrangements that were a bit wild and free, with brighter, cheerful yet classy colors… Oranges, pinks, creams, etc. We based everything around the flowers, wanting those to be the focal point, as well as a relaxed, fun, authentic environment. I would say ‘mood and ‘feeling’ were the main inspirations, rather than a direct target or object.

Most memorable moment?
Probably when my family and Brinton surprised me during the ceremony with the release of yellow butterflies, which is a family symbol and sign for my big brother. That, and looking around during dinner at every single table and loving each and every person that was there. That was the best, most overwhelming feeling. Oh, and dancing with my bffs, like always.

Any advice to future brides & grooms?
Just chill! Seriously, chill. If you find yourselves getting all worked up, try to remind yourself (and actually listen to yourself) that this is just ONE day of your entire lives. It will be what it is, and that is more than likely going to be amazing. So just give it up to the universe and relax! Also, make sure the music you actually want is what gets played / performed. That’s another biggie.

Photographer: Taylor Lord Photography / Venue: The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge / Floral Design: Melanie Tipton of Last Petal / Day of Coordination: Ally with In Her Shoes Coordination / Bride’s Gown: Essence of Australia / Bridesmaid’s Dresses: J. Crew / Groom + Groomsmen Suits: Men’s Wearhouse / Groomsmen bowties: Chesapeake Tides / Cake + Cupcakes: Polkadot Cupcake Factory / Catering + Cocktails: Austin Catering / Rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals / DJ: DJ Chaney

From the Bride…

The Proposal:
We dated for about a year when we started talking about marriage. Rob told me that I could plan things so that when we actually got engaged, the wedding planning would be easy. I always showed Rob rings that I liked and always gave him a little nudge when we walked past a jewelry store. We were dating for almost 3 years when we got engaged.

We had planned to go up to his parent’s cabin in Utah for our 3 year anniversary along with friends (including the two that introduced us). We had planned to stay until Tuesday, but I insisted that we left Monday morning because I just really wanted to get home since I had a lot to plan for work – I was teaching summer school at the school I had been substitute teaching at. Apparently because I insisted on leaving a day early, I ruined his plans for proposing. He told me afterward that he wanted to take me on a ride to a spot that he really liked and propose there. We were leaving and driving down the road that led away from his parents’ cabin. He pulled over on the side of the road and told me that he had forgotten to do something and he started messing with something in the back seat. I thought that he had forgotten to put something away. He came around to the other side of the car and was so nervous that he forgot to even ask me to get out of the car. He kept saying “Jen!” but I wasn’t really paying any attention. Finally he said “Jen you need to look at me” and he was down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes! We knew that we wanted to get married the next summer, since I was finishing my masters and subbing it needed to be in June sometime after school ended but early enough so that we could go on our honeymoon before the next school year started for me. We quickly started looking at venues when we got back to LA and visited Camarillo Ranch and fell in love. We put a deposit down and started planning for a June 14 wedding.

Details of the Day:
I was determined to save as much money as possible so I planned, planned, planned via Pinterest and figured out a lot of DIY stuff. We spent the night before doing the bouquets and the centerpieces ourselves. I bought tablecloths off of a website so that I could sell them afterwards instead of renting. I sewed fabric bunting, painted canvases, collected decor, and browed eBay and Etsy for affordable items. I even bought the groomsmen’s pants from Express on Black Friday because they were 50% off.  Who cared if it was 7 months before the wedding. We bought the shirts from Macy’s clearance section. We did not want a $50,000 wedding. We were extremely fortunate to have so many friends help with set up the morning of and make our wedding go so smoothly and look so great.

Photographer: ByCherry Photography (violet vendor) / Venue: Camarillo Ranch / Dress: David’s Bridal / Hair: Chelsea Price from Salon Aguayo / Makeup: Linday LaRosa / Jewelry + Garter: Etsy / Flowers: DIY / Rentals: Chase 17 Party Rentals / Cake: One Stop Bakery / Catering: Firehouse Chefs Food Truck / Officiant: Rev. Christi Wychoff / Lighting: Wendee’s Occasions / DJ: Anthony Sanchez / Bartender: DJ’s California Catering / Signs and all other décor: DIY