Mary Ann + Spencer – A casual chic handmade wedding at Pocahontas State Park in Richmond, VA

 Surrounded by people they love on a crisp fall November day, these two teachers had a feast with a vegan food truck and partied the night away in Chesterfield, Virginia as documented by Awesomesauce Photography.

The Story

We met at Rushing Alpha Phi Omega a community service fraternity. We were friends for a year before we started dating.

The Proposal

One of our favorite things is to get coffee at Lamplighter and go for a walk in Byrd Park. Spencer planned to propose on one of our “coffee walks” but I was taking a nap and he didn’t want to wake me, so we started way later than he intended. So instead of having a lovely sunset, it was completely dark by the time we got to the park, he couldn’t see the poem he wrote, and he was super nervous.  It was perfect.

 

The Dress

My dress is an amazing one-of-a-kind from designer Ann Mason aka my freaking awesome mom. We bought the fabric from Couture by LK design so it’s gorgeous, but there was no pattern really.  I wanted something simple but a little modern with a classic element to it and my mom was a true champ and turned my wish list into reality!

 

Favorite Moment

Our first dance. It was such a fun moment.  The song was Let Me Sing You a Song by The Wild. It was one of my favorite songs off the first mix CD Spencer made for me when we started dating and then it just slowly became “our song.” We were worried that because we weren’t doing a traditional slow song and dance that people would find our jumping around bizarre, but as we were dancing, we got to see the faces of everyone around us. Everyone looked so supportive and like they were having a good time. It really showed us that we were surrounded by people who we loved and who loved us.

Advice for future couples planning their wedding

Keep. It. Simple. When we started planning, we started with a much grander affair at an expensive venue and about a month into planning completely scrapped it. It decreased our stress exponentially and saved us so much money. Did we have to do some more work ourselves? Yes, but it resulted in our wedding being so much more personal and not just another Pinterest post.

VENDOR CREDITS

Photographer | Awesomesauce Photography

Venue | Swift Creek Banquet Hall at Pocahontas State Park

Hair and Make Up Artist | FBJ Weddings

Florist | Petals & Twigs

Catering | Mean Bird Food Truck

Wedding Dress | DIY by Bride’s Mom

Accommodations | Courtyard Marriott Downtown Richmond

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