Oh friends....these JDE Brides posts are quickly becoming my favorite posts. It's so much fun to relive each of my couples' wedding days & whole planning experience through the brides' eyes! It brings back all the feels every time and this post is no different. Rosalie and Troy's wedding was absolutely stunning, certainly a favorite wedding of all time for me. And Rosalie just holds such a special place in my heart. She's one of those brides that has become a treasured friend, as well as an amazing fellow wedding vendor! If you're in the market for wedding invitations or even branding for your business, she is your girl!
Introduce yourself! And your husband!
My name is Rosalie and my wonderful husband is Troy. I grew up on a 100 acre farm in the small, yet charming town of Culpeper, VA and Troy is a beach boy born and raised in Virginia Beach who could spend all of his days on the water. We grew up on separate sides of the state and lived such different lifestyles, yet somehow hit it off when our worlds collided in 2008 in Harrisonburg, VA.
What’s your love story? How did the two of you meet? How did he pop the question?
Troy and I met at James Madison University at a small gathering of mutual friends one random school night. I was not prepared for what this gathering turned out to be seeing that my roommate Janie and I showed up wearing pajama pants. These weren’t just any pajama pants though, mine had tiny elves holding Christmas trees on them. Of course, Troy would argue that they were gnomes but regardless, they were Christmassy and it was APRIL. Luckily for me, even though he will never let me live it down, Troy was able to look past the gnome-elves and we instantly hit it off. I am a sucker for a good sense of humor and Troy has an incredible ability to make people laugh, whether it’s his witty responses, sharing of random trivial facts, or just by making a really silly face at the end of a sentence. I'm not sure I had ever laughed as hard as I did that night and he says the same of me... so naturally we became inseparable quickly and that's where our love story began
We dated for 6.5 years before Troy proposed. It was a brisk December morning,12/13/14 to be exact, at Pleasure House Point, where we often take our dog for long walks. We were sitting in the sand overlooking the Lynnhaven River while playing with Reggie when he started fidgeting in his coat pocket… and after convincing me he was just looking for a piece of gum, he pulled out the most sparkly vintage diamond ring! He topped it off with the most heartfelt words a gal could ever imagine hearing, and I remember thinking “is this actually happening?!” (SO cliché, I know) even though it was no secret that I had long been waiting for the moment. Troy did such an amazing job with the ring! He had my great grandmother’s engagement ring setting from 1913 set with a diamond from his grandmother’s ring... Everything was so special, low key and perfectly us! And being as attached (border-line obsessed) to Reggie as I am, I love that he was there to take it all in with us.
What 6 words would you use to describe your wedding?
Coastal
Romantic
Classic
Intimate
Fun & heartfelt!
What were your favorite/least favorite parts of wedding planning?
As soon as we got engaged, we promised each other to make the wedding planning a fun, stress-free, and heartfelt journey... and I really feel that we accomplished that!
What I loved:
Trying on wedding dresses!
Having the best group of bridesmaids EVER
DIY craft sessions with Troy
Dreaming up a theme that represented both Troy and I. It was so much fun for me to blend my soft, playful, & feminine aesthetic with Troy’s rustic nautical roots to create our wedding day look! Being a graphic designer, I adored finding a way to incorporate this throughout every element of our day!
Meeting new people along the way. Aside from planning and experiencing the most amazing day of my life, the people I have met and the friendships I have gained through the process are truly invaluable!
Writing my vows and being reminded of the true importance behind it all
What I didn’t love about wedding planning:
Budgeting!
Accepting the fact that we would not be able to please everybody
Where did you go for your honeymoon?
We spent a week out west! We started out in Big Sky, MT before exploring Yellowstone National Park and ultimately ending the week in Jackson Hole, WY. We had such a blast visiting all of the local shops, trying new foods, hiking, horseback riding, more hiking, pool side lounging, trying not to get eaten by a bear watching wildlife, and more hiking.
Who were your vendors?
Venue & Catering: Lesner Inn Catering Club
Photographer: Shannon Moffit Photography
Coordinator: Just Dandy Events
Flowers: Fluttering Flowers
Invitations & day of paper goods: Ro & Co Designs
Cake: Jarod Clemente (Troy’s cousin)
Dress: Wtoo “Mimi” gown purchased at Ava Clara Couture Bridal
Make up - Melissa Roomsberg of Dhalia Edwards
Hair - Andra Del Rosario at Salon Vivace
Linens (table runners) - Waterford Event Rentals
Ceremony/Cocktail/First Dance Music: Jesse Chong
Reception DJ - Chuck Wills
If you could do one thing different throughout your entire wedding planning journey, what would it be?
Hire a videographer! I so wish I could sit back, press play, and revisit the moments that unfolded throughout the day. Especially being able to hear Troy and I recite our vows to one another.
Do you have any advice for future brides?
A few tips:
A First Look! One of the best decisions we made was to take a moment away from all of the madness to see each other for the first time before our ceremony. It allowed us to take a deep breath, let the moment sink in, and feel all the emotion we were about to feel all day. And to see Troy’s reaction in such an intimate setting was honestly the most special moment of the day (aside from hearing his vows!). It was also a great way to get the wedding party portraits out of the way so we were able to spend more time with our guests after the ceremony!
Try not to stress! Remember why you are getting married, and try to truly make it be an event about (and for) the both of you. Have faith in your vendors and wedding coordinator and trust that they will do their job well! And once it's happening, just go with it.
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