Hand warmers and mimosas kept everyone feeling cozy on this sunkisssed November wedding day at Historic Polegreen Church in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Story as written by the bride and groom with photos by Awesomesauce Photography.
The Story
We both swiped right.
The Proposal
When we first started dating, we would go on dates around Richmond playing Pokémon Go. This continued throughout our relationship to spend time together and explore. January 27, 2017 was an unusually warm day, so Dustin suggested that we go Poke-hunting at Deep Run park. After walking around the park together, Dustin suggested that we go down one last path. We found a bench off the side of a path and sat together, reminiscing about our first dates. On our way back to the car, Dustin stopped, got down one knee, and proposed. My first words were: “Oh my God” and “Are you kidding?”, but then I quickly said, “YES”.
The Dress
Comfort was my main priority. Through my research online, I found out about a great plus size brand called Kiyonna. They have their own website, but in order to save money, I searched on Amazon. I picked out about five styles and began ordering them one at a time. The dress would come, I’d try it on, decide I didn’t like it, then ship it back, and wait for it to clear on the credit card. Dress number three came in the mail and I was so excited to try it on that I made Dustin hide under the covers so I could immediately see what it looked like. I put it on, and I felt beautiful (and comfortable). Dustin said he knew that I thought it was the one by the sound of my voice. It was perfect – I didn’t want to take it off.
First Look
We did see each other before the wedding. It was 100% the right choice for us. Walking down the aisle in front of so many people was one of the most anxiety inducing thoughts of the whole wedding process for me, so we knew a first look would be necessary. I don’t remember most of it – it was a blur – but I do remember being able to take a deep breath and look into his eyes, which really helped lower my anxiety level. Linda captured such incredible pictures of us during this moment and she was able to do it without either of us noticing.
Favorite Moment
The whole day was a dream. Honestly, I think being surrounded by our family and friends and celebrating our love. Also, I know it’s cheesy, but looking across the tent at the guy who had just become my husband and seeing him smile was pretty magical too.
Advice for future couples planning their wedding
Start planning early and break things into manageable chunks. Dustin and I knew early on that we wanted to get married. This helped a lot with our wedding planning process. Once we made the decision that eventually we would take the next step, we started planning. We picked a date, venue, and paid the venue deposit all before he even proposed. The early planning did not take away any of the magic of the proposal and getting engaged; we were just able to get a head start and that gave us great momentum to get everything organized.
Vendor Credits
Photography | Awesomesauce Photography
Caterer | Mosaic Catering
Dress Store | Kiyonna
Groom’s Attire | Men’s Wearhouse
Ceremony and Reception Venue | Historic Polegreen Church
Florals | Vogue Flowers
Event Planner |McBride Events
Rentals | Classic Party Rentals
Dessert | Pearls Cupcake Shoppe
Awesomesauce Photography offers colorful, fun, and emotional storytelling wedding photography at an affordable price. Based in Richmond, VA available for travel worldwide.
