Photographs by Brandilynn Aines Photography
This Real Brides & Weddings feature is from David & Ashley Jenkins. Their event took place at Piedmont Club in Haymarket. Ashley explains how they met they met along with details about their wedding day.
“My husband and I met back in College at Shenandoah University. He was a baseball player and I was a dancer. We dated from sophomore to senior year. When it was time to graduate the real world stepped in and we unfortunately had to go our separate ways. I wanted to pursue my career in dance and he wanted to become a head baseball coach. Over the years we tried to stay in contact but me dancing on cruise ships and him always busy with coaching, it was harder than expected.
It wasn't until almost ten years later when we found ourselves both in the Northern Virginia area and single. He asked me to dinner....and the rest is history.
When David proposed he had a bright idea to ask my sister to take Christmas card pictures for us. Knowing that he hates taking pictures was a little thrown off by this. We went to a beautiful area in Gainesville. At one point my hand was on his chest and I could feel his heart beating so fast. At that moment he confessed that we were not there to take Christmas card pictures. He pulled out a ring from his coat pocket which we both remember feel like taking forever! He got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. It was the happiest day of my life. We had found our way back to each other and were living out our real life fairy tale.“
B&W: What local vendors did you use?
Bride: Photographer: Brandilynn Aines Photography
Florals: Flower Gallery
Dress: Rosalin’s Bridal
Venue: Piedmont Club
DJ: The Pro's
Cake: Wanda’s Cakes
B&W: Three words that describe your wedding.
Bride: Intimate. Rustic. Charming.
B&W: What was your theme? What inspired you to pick that theme?
Bride: The theme of my wedding was Rustic/Vintage. I have always loved that rustic look and mixing the burlap, lanterns, and birdcages really made the theme come alive! I had so much fun planning out all the details.
B&W: What were your wedding colors?
Bride: The color scheme of dusty blue, dark burgundy, and tan really helped accent the décor.
B&W: Describe the dress you chose and the moment you knew it was the one.
Bride: The dress I chose was a lace gown with lots of beading and sparkle. I knew I wanted something with some embellishment but also didn't want to take away from the vintage feel I was going for. I saw this dress hanging up right when I walked into the boutique and knew it was the one. My favorite part was the back of the gown and loved how I was able to tie the birdcage veil into the whole theme.
B&W: Favorite detail from your wedding day?
Bride: My favorite detail of the wedding would be the birdcage center pieces. I love how they went with the theme and we could really make them our own. My Father is actually the one that painted them all to match our color scheme. I added burlap ribbon around to them all and loved how they looked at night lit up with the candle inside.
B&W: Describe the first dance.
Bride: The first dance was nerve wrecking! Funny I say that because I am a professional dancer. We picked A song we both adore but not a lot of people know. We just love the lyrics and how in pertains to our relationship. I gave my husband some slow dance tips but he didn't need them! It was his idea to add in some turns in and we ended our dance with the biggest dip ever, his idea. It was truly a magical moment.
B&W: Any advice for other Brides?
Bride: Some advice I give to future brides is just be organized! Start early, make a spreadsheet, and get a wedding organizer to hold all of your contracts, receipts, etc. It also helps to have an amazing mother and bridesmaids. I could not have done it without them!
