Brian + Anna | Married

Anna and Brian’s wedding weekend was an absolute joy to be a part of, and MAN, do they know how to have a good time. Anna was the most cool, calm and relaxed bride from day one, always making jokes and keeping the vibe light and airy. Brian was the best compliment for Anna’s energy, as he seemingly melts into butter whenever Anna walks into the room. Together, their dynamic just feel like a warm hug; one that makes you want to squeeze extra tight, to ensure all that goodness was received.

Let’s take a look at some of my top picks from this gorgeous wedding, and enjoy 2 fun interviews surrounding the details of Anna and Brian’s amazing wedding weekend!

This was my first time working at the Walkerton Tavern in Glen Allen, Virginia. While it’s extremely close to home for me, it was a place I hadn’t yet explored, which always makes my adventurer heart happy. My favorite part about this space was how the sunlight hits just right behind the tree line during golden hour. That gorgeous light just emanated and kissed the yard with a delicious golden-orangey glow that I just wanted to wrap my clients up in. The grounds were beautifully landscaped, even as we approached the fall months, and I especially loved all the dreamy ivy throughout. (See example above- I’m not lying y’all!!)

Taking Anna and Brian out for their sunset portraits was probably my favorite part of their day. It was truly palpable how much these two loved each other, and when that’s the vibe of the moment, you can pretty much prepare yourself for incredible portraits to follow. I would describe their connection as both accepting and adoring; the quality of their love is just as good as gold, and I believe that really shines through in all my favorite photos from their big day!

I couldn’t get through this blog without giving Matthew of Bow Tied Weddings a major shout out. Not only was he incredible and professional to work with as a coordinator and a DJ, but he was also kind enough to surprise the couple by booking my photography services for their rehearsal dinner and wedding brunch as well! (Be sure to check out some photos from this fun wedding weekend after the jump! We seriously had such a blast!) To give Matt the recognition he deserves, and to introduce any of my future brides reading this blog to an incredible DJ/Coordinating team, here’s a short interview with Matthew of Bow Tied Weddings:

Question: So Matthew, tell us a little more about Bow Tied Weddings!
Answer: Bow Tied Weddings is a DJ and Coordinator for weddings designed to be fun for couples who are looking for a personalized experience before, during, and after their wedding weekend. 

Question: Which services were you hired to provide by the bride and groom, and how did they find you?
Answer: They hired me to be the DJ and Coordinator for their entire wedding weekend, from rehearsal through farewell brunch, so I pretty much was there to make sure they had an absolute blast all weekend. Anna’s mom actually met me while I was volunteering in the community and referred me soon after Anna and Brian got engaged. (there’s more to that, but let’s just keep it simple).

Question: How did you go out of your way to make this wedding weekend extra special for the couple?
Answer: Honestly, going above and beyond is my standard (I’m a Hospitalitarian), but surprising them with their photographer at their rehearsal dinner, and then again for brunch, was certainly a fun thing that we could make happen. The fact that she was able and willing to do this, and was the first photographer to ever come to a walkthrough, just really made the experience not only great for the couple, but very impressionable as a wedding professional. Look for their full story in the next issue of Richmond Weddings Magazine. 

*Ashley’s Note: Thank you, Matt, for being such a joy to work with. For the entire wedding weekend, you kept the energy upbeat and positive, while still making sure we all stayed organized to a tee. I can’t express to you how fun it was to be a part of the special gift you gave our couple, and to feel like a true team with you and the other vendors involved in making this day special. Thank you a million times over, and I can’t wait to work with you on many more fun projects in the future!

Now, let’s dive into my favorite part of every blog- MY INTERVIEW WITH THE BRIDE! Read along as I grill our gorgeous bride, Anna, about all things soulmates and weddings. And to all my future brides, be sure to check out the amazing vendors she chose and why she picked them! I would 10/10 recommend ALL of the vendors from this event.

Question: So Anna, how did you and Brian meet?
Answer: I wanted to try online dating and matched with Brian within the first 24 hours of trying. We went out to Penny Lane Pub to watch soccer during the World Cup. Brian was my first online date and last. Over our 3 years of dating, we continued to watch soccer, quote movies, gallivant around Richmond’s eateries and breweries, all while enjoying each other’s company. During quarantine Brian and I would take walks around Chimborazo Park, which was a few blocks away from our apartment. This is where Brian would eventually pop the question after eating brunch at one of our favorite spots. After getting engaged, we happily moved into our new house we bought together. We can’t wait to continue making many memories over the years.

Question: Tell us something else that encapsulates you and Brain as a couple?
Answer: The World Cup 2018: Brian and I had our first date to watch the World Cup. We were supposed to watch 1 game but it turned into 5 hours of talking. We continued to watch the World Cup at some of our favorite restaurants/bars around Richmond over a 2-week period. When the World Cup final came around, I was stressed on who watch it with…my mom or Brian. The 3 of us ended up watching it together, so Brian got introduced to my mom. The World Cup was the way we started our relationship to what it is now.

Question: What’s your favorite thing about Brian and why?
Answer: I love Brian’s positive and kind personality. Brian’s upbeat personality is very contagious and has helped me through hard days. Brian is very kind to all of my family and friends, which means the world. Brian can also make me laugh so hard that I can’t breathe

Question: Ask Brian to tell us his favorite thing about you and why?
Answer: Brian says he loves my outgoing personality, my smile and the the fact (even though it hurts to admit), I have more movie knowledge than him.  

*Ashley’s Note: It’s the World Cup for me. Y’all, the symbolism is so real, because you two just truly do complete each other, just as all the most infamous teammates do. As someone who grew up on the soccer field, I know what it takes to be a valuable asset to your team. It takes loyalty, passion, drive, trust, time, commitment, the wisdom to listen to your teammates, and leadership whenever necessary. You two both bring your own share of these qualities to the table, which is something I can tell that you value deeply in each other. I truly believe that the greatest marriages are built on teamwork, so I know this is a relationship that is built to last.

Question: Tell us a short story about a core memory you took away from your wedding day. 
Answer: The dance floor. We had the best time dancing the night away with all our friends and family. Our favorite was dancing to the Backstreet Boys! 

Question: Do you have a favorite memory from working with Ashley Dorton?
Answer: Ashley was the best!! It was very special to work with her not only on our wedding day, but the whole wedding weekend. We loved Ashley’s organization with the wedding timeline, photo requests and day of group photos. She also was super helpful with wedding questions that we had throughout the whole wedding planning process. I also really appreciated Ashley checking in on me from time to time during the wedding day! The wedding day can be so overwhelming and there were times where Ashley asked me if I was okay or just gave me little reminders throughout the festivities. By Ashley checking in with us, it really helped us stop, slow down, and take in the moments. Ashley went above and beyond to make us comfortable and relaxed the whole weekend. We love Ashley and hope to continue to work with her for future photographs. 

*Ashley’s Note: Awww, I love you both too!! I’m glad you mentioned the importance of choosing vendors who will help you through those stressful moments and will just remind you to breathe and enjoy. This is something I feel so passionately about, because this is truly such a big day for everyone and it’s certainly easy to get swept away in the details if your team allows it to happen. I’m glad I could be a source of comfort, peace, and ease for you and Brian on your special day. You both worked so hard to make this day happen, so it’s important to me that you both enjoy it to the absolute fullest.

Question: When planning the wedding, how did you pick each vendor? What stood out about each one?
Answer:  

-Cultural Arts Center: Walkerton Tavern: We wanted to be at a Venue close to our newly-bought home. We immediately fell in love with the outdoor layout of Walkerton Tavern. We loved the idea of a gazebo for the dance floor, the amount of guests it could hold, and the beautiful historic Tavern as backdrop to our wedding. We also had our rehearsal dinner in the beautiful art gallery in the Cultural Arts Center. The events coordinator was also so incredibly helpful with questions and set-up details.

-Bow Tied Weddings: My mom met Bow Tied Weddings at the Main Street Station a few years ago when going to vote. We loved the idea of having a coordinator and DJ all wrapped into one. We had the pleasure of working with Bow Tied Weddings our whole wedding weekend. They were absolutely INCREDIBLE! They helped run all the Friday rehearsal details, emceed and DJd our rehearsal dinner. On Saturday- wedding day- Bow Tied Weddings made our big day go so smoothly: from setup-details, emceeing, coordinating the whole day, creating the wedding time line and of course having the BEST DANCE PARTY we could ask for. For our Sunday wedding brunch, they were there to help us end the best weekend ever with playing fun tunes. Bow Tied Weddings went above and beyond professionally but also personally. We think so highly of them and all they did to make our wedding weekend so special.

-Flowers_by_MaryJane LLC: We had lived in Church Hill for a few years. Flowers_by_MJ had several flower pop ups that we went to during that time, and we loved the colorful and vibrant arrangements that MJ created for the pops up. Our immediate thought when getting engaged was to reach out to MJ as a florist. MJ was so helpful to take us to look at flowers/colors we were interested in. MJ created Anna’s perfect bright colored bouquet. They also created beautiful wrist corsages for the mothers, special flowered hair pins for me for the reception, and lovely boutonnières. 

-Ashley Dorton Photography- When searching for a photographer, we knew we wanted our photos to be bright, colorful and just capture in the moment photos. We stumbled upon Ashley’s Instagram and it was exactly those 3 things. The sneak peak photos we received were absolutely perfect! Ironically, a high school friend of mine had Ashley capture their wedding a few years ago, which was very exciting to know. 

-The Grapevine’s- Tipsy Grape Mobile Bar- with needing a liquor license/alcohol for the wedding we were a bit stumped for this portion of the wedding. Brian’s mom had seen the Tipsy Grape on the news and pitched the idea. So, we took our parents to the grapevine for dinner and then had planned to discuss the mobile bar idea. The moment we walked into the Grapevine, we felt so welcomed by the staff/owners. We immediately fell in love with the mobile bar and the Grapevine. Leading up to the wedding, we would go to dinner or happy hour at the grapevine and were always welcomed with smiles. The grapevine helped create delicious signature cocktails and even provided mocktails for our guests. The Tipsy Grape was such a COOL addition to the wedding. They even had a red carpet for the event. It was honestly one of our favorite parts of the wedding. We really loved all the Grapevine staff for just being so kind and for going above and beyond for us.

-Classic Party Rentals- They were recommended by several other vendors that we had talked to. They were the absolute best, especially handling all the many changes/additions over the wedding planning process. We were so appreciative of all their hard work of just finalizing all the tiny details. The staff was so nice, accommodating and so experienced that we both knew we were in good hands.

-Defazio’s Catering- We were honestly stressed about caterers, but Defazio’s made the process so easy! They were on the recommended list for Walkerton Tavern and had done many events there before. They gave great tips and were overall such a pleasure to work with. They were able to give great suggestions, and the food was SO delicious! 

-Whole Life Beauty- My mom and I went into Ulta Beauty to get a few things for the Wedding Shower. There, we met someone who recommended their friend’s Business: Whole Life Beauty by KK. Whole Life Beauty was amazing on our wedding day!! I absolutely loved my bridal look (and I’m not a huge make-up person). KK & her team made me feel & look the best on this big day. My makeup stayed in tact until the wee hours of the next day. The bridesmaids kept saying they loved their makeup too. My mom, who also isn’t a huge make-up person, loved her look and she was glowing the whole day. Whole Life Beauty was such a joy to work with. They were so kind, upbeat and just overall did an incredible job.

-Hollywood Hair Studio- I had her makeup locked down but didn’t have a hair stylist. KK of Whole Life Beauty recommended Lisa of HHS. I loved the fact that these two had worked together before and it totally showed on wedding day. Lisa did an amazing job on my wedding updo but also did amazing job on the bridesmaids and my mom. My mom and I loved Lisa so much, we will now see Lisa for all of our future hairstyles.

To Anna and Brian,

Thank you so much for inviting me to document your special weekend. Photographing you two felt so natural and laid back, and it also enabled me to see the power of your teamwork in action. You both are such kind and loving encouragers of each other in all that you do, and it served as a beautiful reminder to me of what we’re all searching for: someone who feels like they’re your number one teammate and your number one fan all wrapped up into one.

And finally, a huge ‘thank you’ to all of the amazing vendors mentioned in this blog, who played a special part in making this wedding such a success! You’re all true professionals, and I hope to work with you many more times in the future!

Here’s to teamwork making the dream work!

Xo,
Ashley



(Blog designed & Written by Sarah of Aligned Artists)

*Bonus* Check out a few bonus photos from Brian and Anna’s Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding Brunch, provided by me as a gift from Matthew of Bow Tied Weddings! I truly LOVED being a part of this entire wedding weekend and documenting everything from start to finish!