Category: Press

Hobbit Themed Wedding

As Seen On BurnettsBoards.com

Tolkien fans – hold on to your rings because today’s Hobbit themed wedding inspiration shoot from Kemper Mills Fant Photography has all the trappings of a Shire wedding!

I nearly fell out of my office chair when this shoot landed in my inbox. I’m that nerd who is front and center at the movie theatre dressed like Galadriel and can quote the books. So in my LOTR fan girl opinion – Amy McArthur of Amy Kristina Weddings did an absolutely fabulous job bringing the lighthearted side of Middle Earth to life!

From Amy – “I’ve wanted to design a Hobbit inspired wedding for years now. Growing up, I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series, by J.R.R. Tolkien, and fell in love with Hobbits. My love for them and the world they live in was only amplified exponentially when the movies by Peter Jackson came out. Even though it is a Hobbit inspired wedding, we wanted it to feel like an old, English garden wedding, which is very much what The Shire embodies.”

More from Amy – “We had four different set-ups. The first was the sweetheart table. I wanted it to look very organic and as if you could find all of these items around your house. I loved the idea of stitching together different doilies and using them as a tablecloth so that you could see the amazing table underneath. I also love bunting so I made a string of it to go around the front of the table and the colors tied into our overall feel. Since Hobbits love to smoke and drink, it was important to me to represent that by including tobacco tins filled with flowers, tobacco pipes at each place setting and a horn-shaped beer mug.

The second set-up was like the entrance to the wedding. We had a small washstand with a marble top that we filled with different plants like mums, ivy, kale and cabbage. I loved how it looked like plants that were picked from a garden. I also made the quintessential ‘No admittance except on party business’ sign to go on the table.”

From Amy – “I wanted our bride to look very natural. The overall feel of the shoot was homemade, organic, natural, simple yet beautiful so I wanted our bride to look the same. She was also barefoot, like any good Hobbit would be!

The flowers were probably my favorite part of this whole shoot. There were so many different flowers, herbs, vegetables, etc. used in this shoot that made it really unique. When Mark (of Creative Occasions) and I were collaborating about the flowers, I told him I wanted the flowers to look as if they picked them fresh from the garden the morning of the wedding. I didn’t want anything to look too contrived or planned out. And I let Mark be as creative as he wanted to be and that he did!”

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Photography: Kemper Mills Fant // Design & Coordination: Amy McArthur of Amy Kristina Weddings, LLC // Floral Design: Creative Occasions Events Flowers and Gifts // Model: Abby Broughton // Dress: AmRhein’s Brides and Formals // Hair & Makeup: Les Cheveux Salon and Day Spa // Venue & Props: Sundara, Virginia // Props: Charlotte’s Web Antique Mall and Primitive Gatherings // Pony: Warrior from Healing Strides of Virginia.

View original article here: StyleMePretty.com

It is real wedding Tuesday and you know the drill – every hour on the hour we are bringing you a little snippet of all of the fabulous weddings we are harboring in our vaults and you get to click on your favey-faves or if you have the time and a big cup of coffee you can peruse them all. There is going to be A LOT of wedding goodness so try to remain calm. Deep breaths always help.

Next up is this sweet, sweet wedding photographed by Meghan McSweeney. It has all the charm of a backyard wedding set in the wilds of Virginia and quite possibly the cutest (and largest) wishing tree we ever did see. If you want to see more of this pretty day, click on the gallery for a ton of rustic-infused imagery.

Although the couple live in NYC, they decided to get married in Roanoke, Virginia, which is where Grant’s family is from originally. The entire wedding weekend was centered on the family and friends – many of which traveled quite a ways (overseas even!) to be there.

Photography: Meghan McSweeney / Venue: Sundara / Wedding Planner: Nicole Fowler / Florist: Mark S. Frye of Creative Occasions / Caterer: Center Stage Catering / Music: Neal Nance of Posh Events / Dress: Gina from Adriennes Bridal NYC

Bridal show winners hold special day
Heather Hoprich and Scott Blessard won a $35,000 dream wedding with lots of extras that made their day special.

byRALPH BERRIER JR. | 981-3338. View original article here: Roanoke.com
Monday, April 15, 2013

BOONES MILL — The bride wore cowboy boots as she walked down the grassy aisle. So did the rest of the wedding party and some of the guests.

The flower girl fired soap bubbles from a plastic bubble shooter instead of tossing petals.

The newlyweds celebrated their vows by firing a potato cannon at the end of the ceremony.

It’s funny what you will see at a $35,000 wedding.

Heather Hoprich and Scott Blessard entered the realm of matrimonial bliss with a prize wedding they won last year at a bridal show in Roanoke. The Botetourt County couple won the first-ever “Dream Wedding Giveaway” at the Greater Virginia Bridal Show at the Roanoke Civic Center in January 2012. Not only was the prize a great wedding present, but it also was a great engagement gift.

“We had just got engaged on Jan. 13,” Blessard said. “Then we won the prize on Jan. 22. We didn’t even know there was a contest.”

Hoprich’s mother, Kathy Hoprich, had won four tickets to the bridal show from country music radio station Star Country (94.5 FM). (Blessard, being the gentleman, paid for his own ticket and let his wife-to-be, mom and future mother- and sister-in-law use the freebies.)

The couple won a drawing out of more than 300 entrants from the show. The grand prize included a complete wedding package of a venue, flowers, music, food, drinks, photography and other nuptial niceties.

Most of the wedding services were provided for free by the vendors. Sundara, the outdoor venue near Boones Mill owned by Patty and Tom Trostle, offered a splendid setting amid the flowering cherry trees and ancient tulip poplars and Southern magnolias.

Carolyn McMillan of McMillan and Wife Photography and Flowers directed the wedding and photographed it with her husband, Jerry. Carolyn was the person who came up with the dream wedding prize and pitched it to Angeline Frame , publisher of Virginia Bride Magazine . The Blessards’ wedding will be featured in an upcoming edition of the magazine.

Other vendors offering their services included Blue Ridge Catering; Music, Music and More Music; Prestige Limousine Service and Casey’s Cakes — although the Blessards’ three-tiered cake was made by Scott’s mom, Lisa.

Hoprich’s wedding dress, a sleeveless, one-strap gown made by Ella Bridal and provided by Becky’s Bridal of Buena Vista, was part of the package, as is a honeymoon to Cancun, Mexico.

“I would never have dreamed of something like this,” said Hoprich, who will add Blessard to her own surname. “We could never have afforded to do anything like this by ourselves.”

Still, the couple paid for a few extras themselves.

“You’d be surprised how fast that goes,” Blessard said of the thousands of dollars worth of free stuff.

To be sure, the package did not include cowboy boots, Mason jar wine glasses and the spud-launcher — a gas-powered tube that fired a ‘tater toward Cahas Mountain. Those were the most personal touches for a couple who met on a ballfield.

Hoprich, 32, a sales representative for Carter Surgical , and Blessard, 28, who works for Altec Industries in Daleville, met playing on a co-ed softball team in Botetourt County. He was pitching batting practice and she kept scorching hits up the middle. Nothing says love like ducking a line drive aimed for your noggin.

They were together a little more than a year before getting engaged and winning the contest. Then, the pressure was on to stay together for another 15 months until the dream wedding.

Actually, there was no pressure.

“We had that covered,” Hoprich said.

“We were meant to be,” Blessard added.

The couple will reside near Fincastle.

Surrounded by Love in the Blue Ridge Mountains
August 29, 2012. View the original article here: LuxeMountainWeddings.com

Christina & Thomas | July 7th | Roanoke, Virginia

From the bride:
Thomas and I dated for over ten years (yes, high school sweethearts). But even with all of those years under our belt, when I woke up that morning with butterflies in my stomach and so much excitement I could barely stand it, I knew it was going to be an amazing wedding day. I told Thomas since the day we got engaged, that I don’t care if it’s 105 degrees, if it doesn’t rain, I am not saying a word…Well, I got my wish with a 101 degree, sunny, and beautiful day! Though the day was extremely hot, we had a perfect Blue Ridge Mountain summer wedding at Sundara. I am a real sucker for toasts and speeches, so one of my highlights during the reception was listening to the heartfelt toasts given by my dad, my sister, and Thomas’ best man, as well as the prayer by my good friend and bridesmaid. The amount of thought and time put into each of the speeches was truly touching and will never be forgotten! And of course, by my many fun facial expressions, dancing was another highlight of the evening!

Photography by Sam Dean Photography

View original article here: RuffledBlog.com

The adorableness of this wedding is too much for words. With just the right dose of whimsy, Erin and David’s wedding shot by Jodi Miller Photography makes me weak in the knees. It’s no secret how much I love her Melissa Sweet tea length gown, but I particularly love how it ties in with their super darling nuptials. More to see and pin in the gallery.

“Jodi Miller Photography makes me weak in the knees. It’s no secret how much I love her Melissa Sweet tea length gown, but I particularly love how it ties in with their super darling nuptials.”

Erin + David’s handmade Jewish wedding took place at the historic home, Sundara in Boones Mill, VA. They wanted a playful, but sweet wedding with lots of personal details made by the bride herself. They had originally planned for their entire wedding to be outside, but because of a long afternoon storm, their wedding plans were quickly changed and everything was held under the reception tent. To play up their whimsical wedding, they incorporated hearts all over the wedding, from the invitations, to the centerpieces and the balloons Erin carried around during their “first look”. Even Erin’s dress, hair piece, and cute pink flats added an amount of whimsy to their wedding aesthetic.

Wedding Venue and Vendors (Boones Mill, VA):

Venue: Sundara / Photographer: Jodi + Kurt of Jodi Miller Photography / Event Coordinator: Patty Trostle of Sundara / Makeup: Jolene of Les Cheveux / Hair: Brandy of Les Cheveux / Cake/Caterer: Center Stage Catering / Florist: Creative Occasions / Officiant: Mr. Robert Freed, Uncle of Bride / Band: The Winn Brothers Band / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet purchased from Priscilla of Boston / Hair Accessories: Twigs and Honey / Shoes: Badgley Mischka, Steve Madden / Groom’s suit: Indochino / Stationery: The Paper Ship / Calligraphy: Katherine Meiller / Ketubah: Stephanie Caplan / Other paper goods and streamers: DIY

View original article here: TheKnot.com

Kelly & Jason in Boones Mill, VA

Things seem to work out in the end for Kelly Pollard and Jason Paxton. Losing touch after high school, the Virginia natives reunited eight years later at a local eatery. After reliving old times (aka flirting), teacher Kelly and student Jason started dating-and before she knew it, he was proposing atop a ski mountain. THE BRIDE Kelly Pollard, 27 THE GROOM Jason Paxton, 29 THE DATE July 24
– Kathleen Murray

photos: Wedding Photojournalism by Rodney Bailey, Springfield | event planning: Caroline Hammond and Sharlene Caldwell, White Glove Event Production | venue: Sundara in Boones Mill, Virginia