Maroon and Navy Fall Southern Lakefront Wedding [Midlothian, VA Photographer]

A lakefront wedding at Celebrations at the Reservoir is the perfect location for a fall wedding in Virginia!

I honestly do not have enough wonderful things to say about Mary and Taylor! I was lucky enough to meet them by chance last year and shot their engagement session. You can read more about that story here. These two are such a fun and sweet couple, their love just fills the room. I was so excited for their wedding day. Outdoor by a lake, laid back but elegant, natural decorations, amazing family and friends, a fun party, purely simple and beautiful. And boy does she know how to use some monograms! They were incorporated everywhere and oh so cute.

It was a cloudy, slightly cool day in October. The manor house where Mary and her bridesmaids were getting ready was buzzing with excitement, nerves and anticipation. As I walked up I saw Mary on the back porch in gorgeous hair and makeup with her veil, monogrammed button down and yoga pants, pointing out where paper lanterns should be hanging. She turned to me and gave me the biggest smile and warm hug. I couldn’t wait to get started.

Here are a few favorites from Mary and Taylor’s super awesome fall wedding at Celebrations at the Reservoir in Midlothian, Virginia 🙂 And if you are planning a southern wedding, or want to use some of these elements, there are some great ideas in this post, so scroll on down!

Mom’s hands helping Mary into her dress. The moment she “becomes a bride”. Always sweet.

I love how Mary got all of her girls these adorable monogrammed button downs.

Navy, maroon and khaki. The guys looked great in this combo!

Can’t get much better than a simple gold necklace and lace sleeves. So pretty.

The handsome groom taking his turn at modeling, he did pretty good!

What an absolutely beautiful bride you are Mary! I could have shot these all day long 🙂

I always talk about how much I love a “first look”. The bride and groom take a few minutes to see each other for the first time in private (so much more intimate) and love on each other a bit before the ceremony. Also great for calming any nerves 🙂 This was so sweet, they actually made me tear up!

I mean, you can just feel how much she loves him. The best.

The decor was simple and super sweet. I love the use of apples everywhere, the pop or red was gorgeous, and who doesn’t love apples? 🙂 And gold and burlap are just what we southern brides like to do!

Below is Mary’s mother holding a embroidered handkerchief from her daughter. I love that.

In the bottom left corner you can see part of the beautiful monogrammed quilt that mom made. Instead of a guest book, there were pens laid out to sign the quilt, and the sign to go along with it is just perfect. It reads “Please sign our Wedding Quilt. With threads of joy & happiness & blessings from above. The bride and groom will always be covered in your love.” What a great idea!

Celebrations is such a beautiful setting for a ceremony. The tall trees and lake in the background. Just picture perfect!

The bridal party looked so perfect together, with the bridesmaids in floor length maroon flowy dresses, each unique. And the groomsmen complimenting that with navy blazers, khaki pants and maroon ties.

I just want to take a minute to acknowledge this weeping willow tree. I love it so much!!

Mary had to get a shot with her flower girls, she was just loving on them all day, so cute. It took a few tries to get them in place, but they did such a great job!

I absolutely love the idea of using apples as place cards. Simple and effective. And you get an apple! lol

Ok, so Mary is a woman of many talents. Doesn’t this bouquet look like it’s from an expensive florist? Mary put this together herself with flowers from a local grocery store! And it’s so perfect. Reds, oranges, yellows and greens. Perfectly laid out with the addition of little sprigs of wheat! Wrapped in lovely lace.

For favors, everyone got a personalized drink koozie in their wedding colors, which read “Eat Drink and be Married – Taylor and Mary” And they had a signature drink, posted below. I thought it was just apple cider, but was wanted by the bartender that it also had bourbon, so I’ll admit I wanted to give it a try. A small try, mind you. 🙂 just a few sips, and wow was it delicious! Perfect pairing for the night.

First dances are always so wonderful. They danced to “Home to You” by John Michael Montgomery. Followed by equally sweet father-daughter and mother-son dances. Taylor was the sweetest groom I have ever seen dance with his mom, it was just precious! You can see Mary’s face glowing below as she watches them. What great families.

DJ mFace taking a quick selfie with the bridal party to kick things off, so fun!

Have you ever seen pizza made on a grill? It’s pretty wonderful. There was a little something for everyone when it came to the buffet. Delicious beef, to die for mac & cheese, potatoes, veggies or course, and the pizza bar was a great touch.

Watching Mary and Taylor cut their cake really showed how selfless they are as a couple. The flower girls wanted in, so before they gave any to themselves, they were sure to smear some cake on the girls’ noses to make them feel included. (somehow I left that photo out here, but it was so cute!)

And then onto the dance floor! They had a pretty solid party going for a few hours. Fun had by all, a wonderful time for friends and family. I wish I had some video, because grandpa here was shakin’ it all night long! He’s amazing! I think everyone stood back at one point to take it in 🙂

And the perfect ending to a perfect wedding day, a pretty sparkler sendoff.

Congratulations Mary and Taylor! It was a true pleasure to work with you and I wish you many years of happiness, love and laughter!

Vendors:

Venue and Catering: Celebrations At The Reservoir, Chef Jeff O’Neil

Bakery: Baker’s Kitchen

Hair/Makeup: His Or Hers Salon

Music: DJ mFace

Wedding Dress: Caryn’s Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Angelo

Groom & Groomsmen: Men’s Wearhouse

Photographer: Tina Take My Photo

Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

I hope you enjoyed the photos. If you live in the Virginia, Maryland, DC area (or if you don’t!) I’d be honored to shoot with you! To book a session or just to say hi, send me an email, I’d love to chat!

And of course, let’s be social!