When two extroverts decided to tie the knot, their friends and family knew they were in for a night of belly laughs, epic dance moves and a Rickrolling good time at The Boathouse in downtown RVA!
The Story
We met on Bumble in July of 2018. Emily described herself as “Leslie Knope meets Linda Belcher” and Matt described himself as a “cynical optimist.” Our first date was at Pizza & Beer of Richmond where we connected over our love of craft beer and kept each other laughing. We decided to move the party to River City Roll where we shared our first kiss. We knew from the beginning that this was going to be something special.
The Proposal
Emily joined Matt at The Homestead for the Virginia Music Educators Association conference in 2019. Before dinner one night, Matt told Emily that she looked like she was missing an accessory. He got on one knee and asked Emily to marry him. She, of course, said yes!
The Dress
My dress was by Maggie Sottero and was purchased at Blue Sage Bridal. At first, I didn’t think I liked it. I have extremely fair skin and the ivory color way washed me out, but my mom could not stop talking about it. After I tried on a few other dresses at other dress shops, I kept looking at the one from Blue Sage. I found that it was offered with a blush underlay and asked Blue Sage if they had it in store. They didn’t, but offered to meet me at the store so that I could view another dress by the same designer with a blush underlay and pewter accents. The ladies at Blue Sage were amazing and went above and beyond to make sure I felt comfortable with purchasing a dress sight unseen. When I tried it on the second time, I realized that the lace reminded me of my grandmother who passed away in 2013. I sent a picture to my Maid of Honor and the first thing she said was, “I don’t know why, but it reminds me of your grandmother.” I knew right then that I had found my dress and ordered it right away. While I was waiting for it to come in, I found some blush Converse high-tops with silver polka dots.
First Look
We decided to do our first look at Linden Row before we left for The Boathouse. We really wanted to spend as much of the day together as possible and this allowed us to ride to the venue with our bridal party. I’m so glad we did!
Favorite Moment
There were so many amazing moments, its hard to pick just one! Matt’s son, Josh, surprised us with an impromptu toast at the reception. His vulnerability and sweet words had everyone in tears. We were so proud of him and touched that he wanted to share his feelings with our loved ones.
And I would remiss not to mention the fact that my Maid of Honor ran into the reception in an inflatable Tyrannosaurus Rex costume and proceeded to attack me while I scream-sang the Jurassic Park Theme.
We decided to Rick Roll our ceremony by having our string quartet, Ninja Strings, begin our recessional with a traditional fanfare that transitioned to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” It was epic.
Advice for future couples planning their wedding
If you are someone who isn’t a natural planner, I definitely recommend either selecting a venue that is all-inclusive, like The Boathouse, or hiring a wedding planner. Our wedding may not have ever happened if I was left to plan and coordinate on my own.
VENDOR CREDITS
Photography | Awesomesauce Photography
Venue | Boathouse at Rocketts Landing
Hair and Make Up Artist | Magnolia Artistry
Dress Store | Blue Sage Bridal
Groom’s Attire | Jos. A Bank
Bridesmaid Dresses | Azazie
Florist | Vogue Flowers
String Quartet | Ninja Strings
Band | Vinyl Headlights
Dessert | ChaHwa Teahouse
Linda Spencer is a wedding photographer specializing in wedding stories with spirit and romance. Her style is fun and photojournalistic, with a true to color look. If you’re looking for a Richmond VA wedding photographer, click the Contact button above and get in touch! Based in Richmond, VA available for travel worldwide.
