Real Weddings/Rustic Weddings

Stunning Photos That Make Us Want To Get Married In Virginia Wine Country

Lavish Southern Winery Wedding – Molly Lichten Photography 55

More and more we hear about up-and-coming wine countries sprouting up in unlikely places – pinot noir taking over the Northwest’s Willamette Valley, New York’s Finger Lakes wine culture gaining esteem and even Texas has a burgeoning grape growing scene!

And while we’re thrilled to have more interesting bottles to drink (did you know I used to work in the wine biz?) we’re even more excited about what that means for the wedding world: more gorgeous under-the-radar places to get married!

No matter where you are in the world, wine country always means beauty – rolling hills, volcanic vines or steeply sloped vineyards – if you want a gorgeous backdrop for your wedding photos you can count on wineries to provide all the beauty you need.

Which brings us to today’s stunning real wedding in Virginia. We’ve lately seen an uptick in Southern winery weddings (see this one in Georgia & this one also in Virginia!) and boy, are they lovely. Pairing old-world rustic scenes with good old fashioned Southern Charm and you have the recipe for a gorgeous wedding day.

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Lavish Southern Winery Wedding – Molly Lichten Photography 15

Our Love Story

Of all the places we’ve been, somehow and some way, Tyler and I ended up in Nashville on the same day, at the same place, and at the same time. Today, we know without a doubt that we were put in front of each other on that day because we were meant to spend our lives together.

Being from Virginia and Tyler from New Jersey, we did not expect to meet our future spouses on a fun vacation away with friends in Nashville TN, but the moment I locked eyes with Tyler it was like something connected between us and everything stopped around me and I knew. It was only for a second from across the room, but he remembers that second as clearly as I do like it was yesterday. Love at first sight is considered a rare phenomenon, but something I think the two of us were lucky enough to experience.

We found this quote and we think it describes our love story perfectly: “The best kind of relationships begin unexpectedly. When you get that astonished feeling and everything happens so suddenly. That’s why you don’t look for love. It comes to you just at the right time; the time you never thought it would have.”

After meeting in Nashville TN, Tyler and I spent the next couple of months talking and face-timing for hours on the phone, visiting each other nearly every weekend. After about a year, Tyler moved to VA with Aubrey.

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The Proposal

Fast forward two more years, Tyler’s mom and sister were in town visiting and he wanted to take them to our favorite local spot, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant. As I was looking out at the fountain over the outside balcony, I turned around and Tyler was down on one knee asking me to marry him. I was so happy that my first reaction was “Omg are you serious?” I will never forget the elated feeling I felt in that moment. Minutes later, he surprised me again by having all of my best friends there to celebrate with us.

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The Venue & Style

Elegant, romantic, and glamorous describe our wedding style. I had dreamed of getting married at Morais Vineyards & Winery since I first saw it in a photograph many years back and we booked it the day after we were engaged. To me, it is the most stunning and romantic place I have ever seen and embodies everything I wanted for our big day!

To embody our wedding style, we had blush and neutral colors featured throughout our wedding, as well as gold and shimmery accents, and a splash of navy blue for the men’s tuxes.

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Lavish Southern Winery Wedding – Molly Lichten Photography 10

The Dress & Attire

I knew I wanted a wedding dress that was foremost elegant. After much research, I found that Martina Liana embodied my style in her dresses. Sexy and striking, my sheer sheath wedding dress from Martina Liana was the elevated style I wanted for a grand wedding day. The sheer bodice of the gown is complete with a plunging V-neckline at the focal point of the gown and extends effortlessly into organic lace straps and deep side cutouts. It only took one try to find my dress – it was the first one I put on and I knew it was the one.

To complement my dress and our wedding elegance, Tyler and the guys wore classic navy tuxes with gold jewelry and the bridesmaids wore lux chiffon dresses in the color rose quartz.

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Favorite Moments

My favorite part of the day was seeing Tyler’s reaction when he first saw me at our first look and then watching him tear up as I was walking down the aisle. Tyler says his favorite part was also the first look – he says he was ecstatic.

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The Flowers

Our wedding flowers were soft and elegant; we used blush, ivory, and neutral colors for the flowers. Roses are my favorite so we made sure to incorporate those. There were rose petals down the aisle and a blush and ivory floral wall backdrop for the ceremony. My bouquet and the floral centerpieces were simply stunning.

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The Details & Favors

All labels and stationery were designed by Becky J. Invitations. The gold mirror welcome sign and gold mirror seating chart had calligraphy done by Write Liz Write.

We included detailing with the word “love” throughout the wedding for our last name, and our signature drink was made with Tennessee honey whiskey for a touch of where we met.

The favors were the perfect touch to end the night of a beautiful wedding; custom ivory and gold labels wrapped around a mini bottle of champagne. The ideal nightcap to help all of our guests remember the best night of our lives.

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The Wedding Cake

Our wedding cake was simple elegance with a hint of romance. We used ivory fondant, pearl shimmer, and a pearl border around the base of each tier. We used gold for the base of the cake and a gold “love” topper as well as roses for a hint of romance. The cake was swirled with lemon and raspberry flavors.

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Lavish Southern Winery Wedding – Molly Lichten Photography 37
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Advice to Other Couples

It is so easy to get caught up in all of the details of the big day because you understandably want it to be perfect – make sure to take a step back and take in all of the special moments with the one you love because that is what is truly important and it goes so fast

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