Handmade Southern Virginia Wedding

When Joel and I began planning our wedding we had little to no budget. We sat down and wrote out what the most important parts about the wedding was to us. We wanted to give high importance to those things, and let the rest fall into place. Photography was at the top of our list. It has been said many times that the person who you choose to take your wedding photos is the person who holds the only real memory you will have to look back on and recount for your day. Next to your mental pictures, and the notes in your heart, these are the most important pieces of remembering your wedding day. We chose Kristin Partin from Kristin Partin Photography to be our photographer. We felt that she had the same vintage look to her photos that we wanted to capture in our wedding. We loved the soft sun glow that Kristin gives to her photos using natural sunlight. Joel also had a personal connection to Kristin, knowing her from school when they were younger. The next two most important aspects we wanted to pour into our wedding was our two personalities put together, and our faith. Joel and I have a unique personality that we have created as a couple, we wanted to be traditional and untraditional at the same time. Traditional wise, we wanted to have a Christian wedding that reflected God and His presence. Nontraditionally we didn't want that same stuffy air that seems to automatically come with most weddings. We wanted it to feel more like a party to celebrate and less like a wedding. Joel and I wanted to leave our guest feeling satisfied, and feeling just as much a part of the wedding as him and I were. The colors and the flowers were the next big thing for me. My favorite color is magenta, and I wanted bright shades of blue, purple, orange, green, and yellow to accent the magenta. For everything else, the bridal party, the venue, and our attire, Joel and I went with a natural tone look in shades of brown, taupe, and white. We chose flowers in bright colors to accent the neutral tones. My Co-wedding planner, Christine Ferguson, helped me choose the wedding flowers. She pulled some strings with a local whole sale flower company and we were able to get $1000 worth of flowers wholesale for $400. Thanks Christine! This was just one of the many ways God provided for our wedding. The bridesmaids helped Christine throw together ceremony and reception flowers. Thank you ladies for working so hard! The theme of our wedding was to be as homemade and hand touched as possible, and we couldn't have done it without the help of everyone involved. We had so many people pitch in and help on the wedding day, and a big thanks to all of you!

 A special thanks to...

Bride:

Make Up Artist: Caitlin Stone, friend

Hair Stylist: Jennifer Hope

Dress Designer: Stepha O'Brien Designs

Earrings: New York Adorned Tattoo Shop

Ring: Mother's Vintage

Shoes: Aldo

Bridesmaids:

Dresses: Various stores

Jewelry: Various stores

Groom: 

Outfit: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Tie: DKNY

Groomsmen Outfits:

Urban Outfitter Attire

Other:

Officiant: Pastor Gene Emerson

Photography: Kristin Partin Photography

Videography: KSLE Video Productions

Food Preparation: Linda Tripee, Friend

Flowers: Wholesale

Floral Design: Wedding Planner &Bride

Photo Booth Photography: Lu Anne List, friend

Venue: Ashland Berry Farm, VA

Rental Company: Party Perfect 

Wedding Coordinator: Christine Ferguson, friend 

Wedding Coordinator Assistant: Stephanie Jones, friend 

Band: Starline Drive 

Extra Helping Hands: Allen &Nancy Twedt 

Our Lives Are Parallel

The theme of my blog is dedicated to my brother &tattoo artist, Chris O’Donnell. He has inspired me throughout my life in many ways, his successfulness in particular. Chris, or as I like to call “bubba”, moved out of the house right out of high school, and pursued his career as a young and ambitious tattoo artist. I was just a baby when he moved, but as I grew older, oh boy did I look forward to my special afternoon outings with my big brother. Chris was my trick-or-treating buddy every Halloween, and would take me to places like Maymont Park and Discovery Zone. Not only was he my big brother, but in a lot of ways he was my hero and someone I admired, someone I looked up to. In 2000, Chris moved away from his Virginia family to live his dream in the bright lights of New York City. I was 10 years old when he moved, and while each of us cried as he left and hated to see him go, I in particular was very upset seeing my brother move so far away. Christmas became my favorite holiday, only because it meant my brother would be coming back home. Today, 9 years later, Chris is a well-sought tattoo artist doing very well, currently living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Over the years, as I’ve watched my brother build his career and live his dream, it has inspired me as I’m creating a dream of my own. I am 19 years old now, and have started building my career as a wedding planner. As I look back and reflect his life and mine, I see the resemblance of our paths in life. Neither of us enjoyed high school, it was merely something to get through and get over. We were both much more interested in being creative in our own ways, and could really care less about homework and math problems. Both my brother and I opted out of college, however, that did not leave us without a path in life to follow. After high school he developed a dream of tattooing, and after high school I developed a dream of future wedding planning. While I’m building my career, I can only hope to be as successful and talented as he has been.