Courtney and Shy married in April at The Estate at River Run in Maidens, near Virginia in the USA, choosing the same spring weekend they first started dating. They had always pictured a beautiful. relaxed outdoor celebration that embraced all the florals – so the day was built around a chic garden wedding full of seasonal colour.
Spring played a vital role in the styling of the day – there were ibrant, blooming flowers, pale blue accents and relaxed, garden-chic details throughout. Courtney loves painting and flowers, so she incorporated both into the design in a very hands on way; she painted parts of the invitations and signage herself, and the couple commissioned a watercolour of their dog that appeared on the DJ booth and favours and now has a home on their wall.
Courtney chose a gown with an elegant train, finished with a cathedral veil. A ceremony led by Courtney’s brother, a poolside cocktail hour and an easy, generous evening of food stations and dancing all helped keep the focus on time together in the garden on a beautiful spring day.
Wedding Suppliers We Love
You’ll discover many more wonderful suppliers in our fully curated Wedding Directory
The Dress
Brocade Bridal
My dress was from Brocade Bridal boutique, with alterations by Fariba.
Bocade Bridal was awesome – my mother was able to come up from Florida and be a part of the try on and decision.
I went to several different stores and tried on many dresses with my best friend, and after trying on so many, we found one that I really liked.
The next week, my mom was coming into town, so we went to try on a couple of more dresses, then ultimately try on the one I chose the week prior. However, when I tried my wedding dress on, I truly knew it was the one for me. I felt confident and beautiful, and it felt like a true wedding gown. I love how it had lace but was still simple and had a trail.
I truly believe once you find the dress, you know it’s the right one.
I added a cathedral veil – also from Brocade Bridal.
For Shy, we knew we wanted to keep it light and relaxed, and decided to do a jacket and pants from Men’s Warehouse, keeping the vibe fun and light. We added fun pocket florals to really tie in the garden chic vibe.
The Ceremony
My dad walked me down the aisle to the sound of ‘Take Forever’, by Cooper Alan – specifically during the time he sings “so this is it, take it in – when the world gets hard girl remember this” and I remember just overlooking the balcony at my husband and all our loved ones and it’s a memory I’ll never forget.
My brother officiated our wedding adding a personal touch to our ceremony, a long with our personal vows being read to each other, this was one of my favorite times, because it was happy, cheerful, funny, and emotional all in one – guests couldn’t stop telling us how magical and special the ceremony was and how great of a job my brother did.
We did write our own vows. My husband’s vows were absolutely beautiful and made me tear up. We don’t actually have our vow books right now; they are being made into artwork.
How They Met
Our love story began on a typical move-in day, during our freshman year of college. As fate would have it, we were assigned to the same floor in our dorm.
With a mix of excitement and nerves, and with little knowing that I would soon meet the love of my life.
Feeling a little bold, I decided to leave my phone number on his door with a playful note.
However, it was not until two years later that our love story began, in one of the most unexpected places, a sorority banquet in Gatlinburg, TN on April 20th, 2017.
Thanks to a friend’s invitation, Shyheim joined us for the weekend getaway. Little did we know that this chance reunion would truly be the start of something new.
Seven years later, on the very same weekend, April 20th, we said “I do.”
The Reception
We knew we wanted our dog to be a part of our wedding day, so we commissioned a beautiful watercolor painting of our furry friend. This artwork was then printed onto our DJ booth, adding a fun touch! We also printed her on koozies for guests to take home.
Adding even more personal touches, I painted our wedding invitations and some of the signage. It was a fun way to express my creativity and make the day truly unique.
We also commissioned a custom wedding crest that incorporated all of our favorite things. This one-of-a-kind piece now holds a special place in our home, reminding us of the love and joy that filled our wedding day.
We wanted to make our dinner a truly enjoyable experience, so we decided to offer a selection of food stations.
Our guests loved the opportunity to choose from pasta, sliders, and barbecue, and the variety of options ensured there was something for everyone.
Evening & Dancing
The Perfect Duet by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé – felt like it truly captured our past being two younger people falling in love at college, and dancing the night away. While also capturing the past it shines a light on what we want for our future, overall a powerful and beautiful song that spoke to us!
Truly, every moment of our day was amazing, from the morning when we had a party bus pick up the girls and take us to the venue to get ready in the amazing suite upstairs. The guys getting ready at the pool playing games and having fun.
Another favorite surprise was my dad a picked our father daughter song, and surprised me the day of our wedding – truly making that a special moment.
However, I think our mutual favorite was cocktail hour on the poolside. We went for a fun tropical vibe, with margaritas and orange crushes, Lilly Pulitzer tablecloths, and fun glasses. The vibes were so fun, and really set the tone for the rest of the wedding… especially when shyheim and I went around and talked to all the guests as the new Mr and Mrs!
Our wedding was an incredible and magical day. From the first look, being so nervous but then seeing each other and the worries melt away, but also having butterflies and almost falling in love all over again.
I truly felt like everything went perfectly during our wedding day. From getting ready with all my girls, to walking down the aisle and dancing the night away everything went spectacular.
I can go on and on, but those are my tops!
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Pinterest is your best friend to start building your vision – and a wedding planner who can see your ideas and bring it to life truly goes a long way. We hired the wonderful Lane Stewart Events.
Register for a Free Love My Dress Account
Log-in and save all your favourite content to your own dashboard
Register here to be able to save all your favourite suppliers and venues to your own dashboard, where you can also save your favourite real weddings, shop items, ceremony readings and blog articles.
