Nothing is more Southern than magnolias and this charming Richmond wedding from Kathryn Ivy Photography inspired by the tree is the epitome of Southern elegance!
Matt and I both grew up in, live in, fell in love in, and got married in Richmond. Richmond was like the third person in our relationship, so it was really important to me for the feeling of our wedding to encapsulate ‘Classic Richmond.’ To me, Classic Richmond means brick, trolleys, porches, ivy and hydrangeas, heat, humidity, and cobblestones. Richmond is where England met the South, and it was important to me to keep that feeling throughout. As we researched tons of venues, the only one I felt truly encapsulated this feeling was The Branch House, and I couldn’t be happier we chose it.
My engagement ring is Matt’s family heirloom. The stone is from the 1860’s and the setting is from 1925. It’s a gorgeous Art Deco stunner and the fact that it has been in Matt’s family for so long makes it all the more special. It made me feel like a part of the Ward family in a really symbolic way from the very beginning!
We also used a gateleg table that has been passed down in the Miller family as our guest book table for the ceremony and moved it inside to use as the cake table. It’s been stained, painted, sanded, stripped, and oiled – the lot- but I think those imperfections made it so pretty.
The favorite part of the day was reading my vows to Matt. It felt really empowering to be able to say the way I felt about him and make those promises to him out loud in front of all of our friends and family in a really personal and intimate way.
Our colors were ‘Magnolia Leaf Green’ and white with pops of ‘Dusty Rose Pink’. We tried to keep the palette modern, but still classic and sophisticated. Pink can sometimes be aggressive if a super-pigmented hue is chosen, but by using a “dustier” slightly grayed tone instead, it kept it looking more old world and classic.
We featured a family photo frame collage we made with our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles on their wedding days. It was nice to have the classic photos, people really enjoyed them and it felt nice to have those family members that had passed, as well as those relationships that formed the basis of our relationship represented in that way.
The most important thing to Matt and me while planning was that we stayed true to ourselves. I think it’s really easy to make the day about everyone else and their wants and needs, but we tried to keep in mind the purpose for the event. In the end it was about our love and celebrating that, so we made sure to go with our gut, ignore the critics, and did what felt best for us, hopefully in a gracious way!
Photography | Kathryn Ivy Photography | Venue | The Branch Museum | Planning | Sarah Taylor | Florals | Strawberry Fields Flowers & Finds | Dessert | WPA Bakery | Rentals | Classic Party Rentals | Catering | White House Catering | Paper Goods | Designed by bride, printed by Total Printing | Dress | Custom Made by Evelyn Battaglia | Veil & Shoes | BHLDN | Hair & Makeup | Bombshell Salon | Bridesmaid Dresses | Azazie | Groomswear | Hickey Freeman | Band | Three Sheets to the Wind | Transportation | Taylor’s Classic Travels | Ring Box | The Mrs. Box
