I love that this posting has a plethora of Hill City Bride and clutch vendors … plus the fact that it’s stunning.

I would like to preface this post by saying that I like to follow a logical order when doing a posting … getting ready, ceremony, reception with details, leaving … etc. For this posting, I thought you may want a glimpse into the day of a photographer, so I decided to leave the images in the order that they were given. You will see that many of the detail shots are in the daytime at the beginning, and you will also see some again during the reception photos. It just goes to show that hiring a professional photographer is such a benefit, and they are there from beginning to end (if you hire them to do so!). Brides spend so much time planning out the details that to have someone there to document all of the elements of the day is so helpful, and the images will be there for years and generations to come.

Allegra of Allegra’s Studio was the photographer, and here are a few questions that she asked Crishaun and Patrick:

How did you meet? Patrick and I met in High School – we both went to E.C. Glass and knew of each other as acquaintances.  Then our senior year of college we reconnected.  My mom wanted new tennis shoes so we went to Lady Footlocker, Patrick was working there for Christmas break, and he helped her out. From that point on, we were inseparable. 

Tell us about your dress, shoes and other accessories. My dress was a ball gown by Eve of Milady, and my shoes were by Badgley Mischka. My jewelry was a combination pieces from Betsy Robinson’s and gifts from Patrick.

What detail did you like best about your wedding day? I loved my décor!  Sandra Guelzo from R.S. Exclusive did a phenomenal job making my vision come to life. Everything that she did – from the ceremony to the reception- was beyond amazing. I especially loved the beautiful centerpieces for my reception!

Describe your decor and how you chose it. Our décor was what I like to call sophisticated elegance. Our colors were various shades of pink, gold and ivory. I truly wanted to create a classy, warm and intimate mood.

What was your favorite moment during your wedding day?

Crishaun: My favorite moment was walking down the aisle with my dad to meet Patrick. I was able to have a special moment with just my dad, see all of our family and friends, and ultimately see Patrick’s face light up with a big smile as I approached him!

Patrick:  My favorite moment during the wedding was when I was waiting with the pastor and father of my bride; having that breath taking moment staring down the aisle at my wife to be.  That moment of joy, happiness and tranquility was the moment of the day for me.

Tell us about your food and cake. Our food was provided by Chef Michelle Hamrick, and everything looked and tasted fantastic! Our guests raved about the bacon wrapped chicken bites that were served during cocktail hour. Our cake was provided by LaBella Torta, and it had 3 delicious flavors of Strawberry Lemonade, Death by Chocolate and Snickers.  Simply divine!

Why did you choose Allegra’s Studio for your photography?  As soon as I saw Allegra’s website, I knew that she had to be our photographer! Her work is captivating and it speaks for itself. I particularly fell in love with her infrared photographs because they are so unique and beautiful.

What’s next on your calendar as a couple?  Enjoying the holidays as a newly married couple with our family and friends!  We are also looking forward to celebrating the New Year and anticipate many great things to come for 2013!

Ok, enjoy these photos. You are in for a big treat visually! Also, please take a peek at the full vendor listing at the end.

Again, great kudos to the amazing team of vendors!

Photographer: Allegra’s Studio

Wedding Coordinator, Florist, Decor and Invitations: RS Exclusive

Caterer: Michelle Hamrick

Cake Artist: La Bella Torta

Lighting: Official Entertainment

Videography: Stone Blue Productions (we will be featuring their video in a separate posting soon!)

Minister: Pastor Sean Womack

Wedding Gown by Eve of Milady

Brides, don’t forget that Bliss, a fine wedding fair is coming up soon. Be sure to register here … so fun. Paisley & Jade will be there!

I love vintage … it’s no secret around here. I’ve grown up with antiques (my mom had a shop!) since I was 5 years old. Right now it seems as though all things old are “new” again, and I love it!

One way to incorporate this is into your wedding, yet who wants to go to the expense of having to buy or schlep around a bunch of props and seating for your day? Well, let me say … that Paisley & Jade does! Their stash of lovelies (and I do mean a HUGE stash to suit such a variety of tastes and aesthetics) is available for you to rent. Imagine that. Not having to shop and search or buy or haul. How wonderful is that? I am really excited to have them on board for our 2013 issue of clutch, the bride’s guide to have and to hold. 

Enjoy some photos of their belongings, which again are available for rental, in these photos taken by Stephanie Yonce Photography. So fun!

All so lovely! Be sure to head over to their website to find out more, and they deliver all over. Thank you, Paisley & Jade!

Brides, don’t forget that Bliss, a fine wedding fair is coming up soon. Be sure to register here … so fun!! Paisley & Jade will be a part of it. So exciting!

Inspiration shoots are always fun, and they are full of ideas! I was so excited when I received this one from Courtney of Dogwood Events. Hear the thoughts behind their shoot from Courtney herself:

This October, we got together with an amazing team of wedding professionals for a fun vintage rustic fall inspiration shoot at Riverside on the Potomac in Leesburg, VA. We wanted to show engaged couples that you can create a relaxed, rustic look for your wedding that can still look elegant and won’t end up breaking the bank. We searched for a location that not only had a gorgeous barn, but gorgeous landscaping and views as well. With a renovated barn overlooking the Potomac River and endless amounts of photo opportunities, Riverside on the Potomac was the perfect location for us to shoot.

We chose to set up in Riverside on the Potomac’s barn’s long stable gallery with amazing tin chandeliers and burlap curtains, which fit our vision perfectly. We were lucky enough to be able to borrow some antique furniture for the shoot from Riverside on the Potomac’s owner’s extensive collection. We chose an antique farm table for our reception table with mismatched antique chairs. We used another antique farm table for our dessert table and some antique benches and chairs to place around the room for a more intimate feel.

As part of our shoot, we wanted to set a reception table with a rustic vintage feel to it. We wanted to show off the beautiful antique table so instead of using a table cloth, we made a burlap runner to give some texture to the center of the table. We used burlap ribbon to make chair sashes and tied them on every other chair to keep the mismatched look. Instead of vases, we used vintage graniteware to hold our floral arrangements. We collected the vintage mismatched china and silverware that we used for the place settings from local antique stores and wrapped the silverware in twine to add to the rustic look. For our water glasses, we used mason jars and decided to use traditional wine glasses to keep everything from looking overly rustic. For our place cards, we pinned calligraphed names onto apples. We tied cinnamon sticks to our napkins, which added some interest to the place settings and smelled amazing.

For our signature drink,  we decided to make spiked apple cider and place it in a large mason jar dispenser. Our beverage station was made by stacking crates that we purchased from a Leesburg farmer and decorated with more of our fall flower arrangements and apples.

We wanted to put together a dessert table featuring several fall dessert options. To dress up the rustic table, we used an antique lace table cloth and more floral arrangements in the vintage graniteware. We used more of our crates to add some height to the table and placed trays of whoopie pies and chocolate caramel apples on top of them. We decided to use white platters and a white cake stand to make the desserts stand out. To display our pumpkin spice cake, we placed the white cake stand on top of an overturned graniteware bucket. On the table, we scattered miniature chocolate, apple, pumpkin and pecan pies and some apples. We used more apples for our dessert table signs with the same calligraphy as the place cards.

There are so many fun spots to take pictures at Riverside on the Potomac and we took advantage of all of them. The property has an incredible stone manor home with beautiful porches and the original cabin and smoke house still stand right next to it. The owners of Riverside also have a fantastic antique car that they let us use to take pictures with. At the end of the day, we got a chance to venture out into the fields for some amazing shots with the horses.

Below is the team that put the styled shoot together. Thank you so much for submitting this to Hill City Bride for our readership!

Planning and Styling: Dogwood Events

Planning and Styling: JEM Events

Venue: Riverside on the Potomac

Photographer: Djijo Studios Photography

Florist: EightTreeStreet

Cake: Cakes by Casey

Pies: BakeHouse

Whoopie Pies: Whoopsies! Gourmet Whoopie Pies

Calligraphy: Meant to Be Calligraphy

Hair and Makeup: Makeup Artistry by Tracie

Jewelry: Fornash

Brides, don’t forget that Bliss, a fine wedding fair is coming up soon. Be sure to register here … so fun!!

It’s all in the details … at least that is where brides draw their inspiration, and this wedding doesn’t fall short. Combining beautiful florals with a rustic feel (and a peacock!), the colors and emotions portrayed in this wedding by Sam Stroud Photography is full of ideas and beautiful views. The last photo of Heather is one of my favorites … she looks so at peace and in love (not to mention the fact that she is stunning!). Enjoy this beautiful outdoor wedding.

Thank you again to Sam Stroud Photography for submitting this wedding to inspire our brides.

When I saw this wedding by Crystal George Studios, I just knew that it had to be on the blog for several reasons. For one, it was photographed by Crystal (if you haven’t gotten to know her, you should!), and I know the bride, Caitlin. She’s a sweetie, plus her wedding is filled with color and details. This wedding also features the many talents of Love Is in the Air, the ladies who truly can do it all.

Enjoy these photos, and be sure to check out the vendor list at the end. Ross and Caitlin, I wish you all of the best and many wonderful years together!

Photography: Crystal George Studios

Ceremony: Snidow Chapel, LC

Reception: The Rotary Club, Boonsboro

DJ and Lighting: Official Entertainment

Catering, Cake and Decor: Love Is in the Air

Hair & Makeup: Arte De Capelli

Bridal Dress: Church St Bridal, YWCA

Also, don’t forget to register for Bliss, a fine wedding fair by clicking here!