Elegant Fall Wedding at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia

The Proposal

Katie and Nathaniel have known each other since 8th grade! However, Katie says she refused to date him until their senior year of high school! Then after a few years of dating, Nathaniel, a marine and police officer, proposed to Katie on a trip to Grand Teton National Park before his most recent deployment. She was so excited to say yes and get to spend the rest of her life with her best friend!

A Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Wedding

They fell in love with Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens as soon as they saw it, and they knew it was the perfect venue for them. (As their photographer, I also loved it because the grounds were so picturesque! There were so many good portrait locations!) The couple wanted a classic and elegant fall wedding with a neutral color palette (think soft shades of orange, yellow, coral… so pretty and romantic!). Katie says that her favorite part of planning was once the planning was finally done! (I think probably all brides can relate to that!)

They skipped the traditional wedding party and only had a flower girl and ring bearer. Katie also planned a more modern twist on the bouquet toss: she tied ribbons to her bouquet, and each girl took a ribbon and they all pulled until there was only one ribbon left to decide the winner! It was such a cute update on the tradition. They also used Nathaniel’s marine sword to cut the cake! And their grand exit was unique as well as they used LED glow sticks rather than sparklers, which looked really neat in the photos! I saw a lot of new things at this wedding and I loved every minute of it! Congratulations, you two!

Vendor Team

Venue: Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Photographer: M Harris Studios

Planner/Coordinator: Antonia Baker Experience

Florals: Good Earth Flowers and Events

Cake Designer: Pearl’s Bake Shoppe

HMUA: I Do Artistry

DJ: KJ Entertainment