Irvine Estate Wedding in Lexington, VA

Here we gooooo! I’m finally blogging this gorgeous Irvine Estate Wedding! This couple, what can I say? They were two of the most amazing people to work with, their wedding party was sweet and fun, their families were so genuine… I felt as though I was surrounded with kindness and beauty this entire day (and even before then, too).

Before the Big Day

I had met Megan once before the wedding to talk about the big day over drinks and appetizers at American Tap Room in Clarendon. I did not have the chance to meet Rob until their party the night before the wedding. It would have been awesome to do an engagement session with them, but living in different states makes that difficult. Regardless, every time I was given the chance to catch up with Megan about wedding plans and I got to hear about how excited she was about particular aspects of the day, it made me more and more excited to get to Lexington for their wedding.

They invited me to their pre-wedding dessert and drinks party, which being me, I felt a little awkward walking into, but I did it to congratulate them and finally meet Rob. They were so welcoming and already looked like they were having a fantastic time being surrounded by friends and families. Rob talked to me about stars; I was entertained when he pulled out the star map app on his phone. I’m pretty sure his mother took a photo of me at some point, too, which I just remembered while typing this.

The Wedding

Anyways, the day of the wedding I show up to their getting ready location, which is beautiful (when I say I was surrounded by beauty all day long, I’m not joking), and I meet all the bridesmaids who are all done with hair and makeup and looking gorgeous. I then go searching for the groomsmen and they’re enjoying the afternoon, telling stories on a big nice porch. I won’t spoil too much, because I think the photographs I captured tell a really nice story, but here a few special things from this wedding!

• I broke the grooms boutonnière. Yep. I was trying to be helpful as the boutonnieres were difficult to pin annnnddd I broke it. The flower came off. Rob was incredibly nice about it and I felt awful but it was all sorted out completely fine. I vow to no longer help with boutonnieres for fear that I do that again.
• There’s a black and white photo of Megan sitting on a couch, which I posted on my Facebook and Instagram, that is becoming iconic. Random people I barely talk to/barely see have been like “wow Nikki you posted this image of this bride on a couch and I can’t get over it, it’s like my favorite photo ever” – no joke it’s happened SO much. The story behind the photo is that it’s in a dining area of the getting ready inn. With the help of a couple of Megan’s brides maids, I moved chairs and tables around, and simply had Megan sit on the couch and look to the side. Obviously, there’s the photo work I had to do, but it was Megan’s idea to take pictures on one of the couches in that area.
• Megan’s dad’s reaction was SO perfect. I escorted him to the area where he would see Megan as a bride for the first time and I counted down for him to open his eyes and it was just perfect.
• The view from the Irvine Estate was gorgeous, if you can’t tell, and I think all the guests were amazed by the whole ceremony and location.
• Rob and Megan’s families were so, so, so sweet. Rob’s sister & her husband, Megan’s brother & his wife, and Megan’s sister & her daughter & son, were all part of the wedding party. Also, Rob has the most beautiful grandmother’s around!
• Their first dance song made me flip out. It was to my favorite song and it was beautiful. (Ben Howard – Only Love).
• The wedding party was seriously fun. I enjoyed the maid of honor and best man speeches a lot, and I’m holding Alex to getting married in Boston and having me photograph it so I have a reason to go visit Boston again. I struggle with names for large wedding parties sometimes and I think at one point I called a guy Pants but I could be wrong, I know I called him something ridiculous and all the other groomsmen were laughing… such is life.
• The band was great! I’m a big music person so I’m always bopping around snapping pics singing to the music – and they were great. It helps when it looks like everyone is having a fantastic time – especially the bride and groom, and there are some FUN photos of Megan and Rob dancing.
• These two were so genuinely happy and having a wonderful time and that made it so easy to capture awesome moments. They were dancing and singing and hugging and kissing and they are so in love and it’s easy to tell.

Enjoy the photos of this Irvine Estate Wedding!!

Vendors:

Wedding Dress Designer & Place of Purchase – Jim Hjelm, La Jeune Mariee Bridal Collection (Columbus, OH)

Florist – Everafter Cakes and Flowers (Bedford, VA)

Band Name – Hitplay 304 (West Virginia) Cake Baker/Designer – Everafter Cakes and Flowers (Bedford, VA)

Hair/Make Up Artist – Azario Salon (Roanoke, VA) Catering – House Mountain Inn (Lexington, VA)

Wedding Planner/Coordinator – Carrie Irvine (Lexington, VA)

Venue – Irvine Estate (Lexington, VA)

Bridesmaid Dress Designer & Place of Purchase – Donna Morgan, La Jeune Mariee Bridal Maids (Columbus, OH)

Groomsmen/Groom Attire – Men’s Warehouse

Designer/Rentals – chairs from Festive Fare Classic Event and Party rentals (Charlottesville, VA)

Bridal Suite- Hampton Inn Col Alto (Lexington, VA Historical District)