“We would be together and have our books and at night be warm in bed together with the windows open and the stars bright.”-Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
Erin & Judson: A Pharsalia Plantation Wedding
Erin & Judson’s colorful Virginia Plantation wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty this week! Pharsalia has one of the prettiest views I’ve ever seen and I can’t tell you how much fun it was to have a small part in this day. E & J are two people who you would want to be around all of the time. They don’t stop smiling! I love it. Enjoy! xoxoKatie
Here are some wonderful details from Erin about the big day:
Pharsalia Plantation is in Judson’s family through marriage (and has been since it was built by William Massie in 1814). In fact, he and his family always celebrate Thanksgiving on the property next door (Judson is from Lynchburg, VA). For the last several years, I have as well. We wanted a Southern rustic feel that really brought out our love for the outdoors. We looked around the DC/MD area for a while and literally smacked ourselves in the forehead when we remembered Pharsalia and its beauty. We both envisioned a laid-back wedding with lots of charm, small and meaningful details, great food (and lots of it!), and tons of music. Judson is a huge Motown fan and I love classic country. We were able to mix the two together with Attraction and Bennie Dodd. In fact, Bennie Dodd and Attraction even went so far as to learn a song together to accommodate our wishes (Bennie sang George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” while Attraction played the background music for our father-daughter dance). We heard Attraction play at a friend’s wedding and knew we had to have them!
We didn’t want the wedding to be too matchy-matchy, and one of our big things was that we wanted a lot of color. In fact, we didn’t even pick “wedding colors.” Instead, we told our florist to have fun and just use as many bright colors as possible. In short, we told her to “have at it” and do whatever she wanted. Our florist was Betsy Burton from Lynchburg, VA and she could not have been more amazing, talented, or creative!
Our favorite part of our wedding coming together was the sunshine, rainbow, and music at every corner (our friends told us they felt like they were at a festival). We had no back-up plan if it stormed, so we held a collective breath the week before the wedding. The day turned out amazingly gorgeous. During the cocktail hour, clouds rolled over the mountain, but never settled in the foothills where we were. Needless to say, we were blessed with a beautiful rainbow without the rain!
Event Design: Amanda Gray with Ashley Baber Weddings / Venue: Pharsalia/ Floral Design: Betsy Burton/ Hair & Makeup: Avenue 42/ Catering: Avenue Foods / Furniture Rentals: Stonegate Event Rentals /Lighting: Blue Ridge AV & Lighting /Ceremony Music: Bennie Dodd / Band: Attraction (SO good!) / Cake: Magnolia Foods /Invitation Design: Rock Paper Design with watercolor artwork by Bea Gates/ Linens: Festive Fare