Leslie + Merritt - A Romantic Outdoor Wedding at Mayhurst Inn in Orange, VA - December

A luxurious and romantic outdoor wedding in April at the Mayhurst Bed and Breakfast Inn in Orange, VA

The Story

Technically we first met in college during our last semester at a baseball game for a few minutes, but Merritt didn’t remember that. We met again after we had both moved to Chicago at different times about 10 months apart. A friend of mine had a house party and Merritt’s roommate was invited. We hung out, danced, and 6.5 years later, after 2 moves, we’re married.

The Proposal

The proposal was not planned. We have talked about getting married in the past so we both knew we were on the same page and felt the same way but were waiting to be in a better place to take that step. We were in bed, getting warm after being out and about around the city on a cold December day. We were talking about us and I told him that my dad had proposed to my mom without a ring and it clicked for Merritt that he didn’t need to have a ring for me to say yes. He asked me, and I asked if he was serious, he was and then I said yes. He took the hair tie out of my hair and put it on my finger.

The Dress

My dress was the very last dress I tried on at the last store we went to, Love Couture in Potomac, MD. I went into my appointments with an open mind and was willing to try on different styles. It was a slightly different style than I had thought I would end up with. I had always assumed I would wear a strapless fit and flare dress, but ended up with a sheath dress with cap sleeves. My dress consultant actually picked it out for me and once I had it on I didn’t want to take it off. It was a little funny because the dress I bought is the style of dress I wanted when I was in high school, old Hollywood glam. It made me feel sexy yet elegant without showing off too much skin. I loved the back of my dress and the train. I told Merritt that my dress was a big princess ballgown with 17 petticoats and a crinoline though. He believed me for the most part and one of the first things he said to me, jokingly, after we had walked back up the aisle was that I had lied to him about my dress. He loved my dress and was blown away.

Favorite Moment

Merritt’s favorite moment was the 10 minutes or so we had after pictures but before we made our entrance to start the reception. Our coordinator Jazz brought us each a drink and our caterer had prepared a plate of the appetizers for us too. We were able to breathe, enjoy the work we had put into planning the menu, and enjoy each other alone for a few minutes. From the dining room where we were waiting we could see all of our guests enjoying themselves and what felt like an unending flow of fun. My favorite moment was when Merritt was reading his vows and he called me his partner in crime. It was a phrase that made me smile and I couldn’t wait to read my vows to him so he could see my own reference to him as my partner in crime. I bought this card to write my vows on that has three animals on it with eye masks that says “partners in crime.” It was a perfect moment for me because it just showed me how in sync we are.

Advice for future couples planning their wedding

Be organized and don’t try to overdo the details. We wanted our ceremony and reception to be very personal to who we are as a couple so we made the effort to incorporate personal touches from the bright floral centerpieces to the pictures of through the ages as well as the poppers/wedding program and the cornhole boards that went with our save the dates. These were items we knew we wanted to incorporate and worked on well in advance of the wedding day so we wouldn’t be scrambling too much in the final days. I would also add that something will go wrong on the day and it’s perfectly fine to let it go. No one will notice. The only issue we really had was the prosecco toast did not really happen, but everyone had drinks and it didn’t detract from the moment.

VENDOR CREDITS

Awesomesauce Photography offers colorful, fun, and emotional storytelling wedding photography at an affordable price. Based in Richmond, VA available for travel worldwide.