Every wedding we are a part of is special to us, but this wedding takes the cake! As a member of the All The Dainty Details team, getting to plan my wedding with Mallory was amazing. All of my fairytale wedding dreams came true!
I can’t choose a favorite thing about Dover Hall. I found it doing venue research for a client and immediately fell in love. She didn’t end up choosing it, but it went to the top of my list. How could you not pick a castle in the middle of Virginia horse country?! The minute you enter through the giant, medieval entrance door, you are transported to a whole other world where magic and fairytales are possible. Dover Hall was my dream castle venue come true as a cross between Hogwarts and an English manor house. Perfect for a fairytale wedding.
The whole day was a dream, but my favorite part would have to be seeing my vision come together.
Getting to hear our guests audibly gasp and say “wow!” when they entered both for the ceremony and then for the room flip was the best! The goal of the entire day was to make our guests feel welcomed and be wowed by everything. The venue itself is breathtaking in its scope and details, but our florist, Noah, out did himself. From our first design call, I knew he’d knock all of my extravagant, innovative ideas out of the park. Ultimately, my breath was literally taken away by his designs! Everything from the massive fireplace installation to the THREE different centerpiece designs, to my bridal bouquet, to the ladies’ tiered and lit flowers, was gorgeous!
Mitchell’s favorite part was being with all of our friends from across the country; dancing and celebrating FINALLY being married. I totally agree! I remember sitting at the top of the ballroom stairs that morning at 6am just staring at the greenery base of the floral installation and reflecting on life, excited for the day and to marry Mitchell.
In many ways, Mitchell and I are opposites.
I’m glitzy, glam, and color, while he’s chucks, a band t-shirt, and jeans. Everything about our day was showing our dichotomous personalities. The wedding cake had exotic flavors, but his groom’s cake was peanut butter and chocolate. I wore custom designed shoes that were my something blue and incorporated lace from my dress, he had custom vans. I think we did a great job of showcasing this in so many aspects of our wedding planning. It’s important to have both the bride and groom represented on their big day!
There were so many personal and special moments that meant so much to us. From the brother of the groom’s e.e. cummings reading, to our stand-up comedian friend officiating with both humor and tradition, many of our close friends and family were active participants throughout the day. My best friend’s daughter, Hazel, was our flower girl, and my DAR/DC mom, Katrina, helped me carry out some Daughters of the American Revolution traditions. Everything we had planned was so intentional and we made memories that will last a lifetime!
At the end of the day, our wedding went perfectly. Almost all of our vendors were friendors (vendors who are friends!) which made it even more fun. We had a blast with each and every one of them. It truly was a fairytale wedding!
