A Vibrant Wedding With a Ferris Wheel in Virginia

Although they met in 2015 and ran in the same circle in New York City, Laura Fitzgerald and Niall Hines never really got to know each other. It’s a story until I do a share house in. [weekend] Neil, a big fan of provocative questions, asked me which guy and which girl in the house rose the most in my book [over the course of the trip]I boldly answered in front of the whole house. he was a man The rest was history. The girl Laura got to know her best that weekend became one of her bridesmaids. “It was a good weekend for me!”

Three years later, at the start of the pandemic, Laura and Niall fled New York and moved in with their parents in Virginia for six months. “Unbeknownst to me, by the end of April, Niall had spoken to my entire family and plans were underway to propose.” With Diamond, he did just that.

The couple decided their Gloucester home, located on the water, named Wilson Creek Farm, would also be the perfect wedding venue. It’s a special place and it quickly became a special place for Niall,” says Laura. “Ever since I was little, I imagined getting married there.”

Having planned Laura’s sister’s wedding several years earlier, the mother of the bride was ready to take on the task. ‘, says Laura. “She also has great eyes and creative ideas, and was a lot of fun to work with to bring her vision to life.” In a few months we had Taylor Butt of Allison Taylor Events as a partial planner and finally said ‘I’ll do it’ on October 9, 2021, Niall’s birthday. See all the fresh, bold details captured by Ashley Cox Photography.

Their vision for the wedding was “fun, happy, bright and beautiful,” says Laura. “We wanted our guests to feel the joy of the day as soon as they arrived and saw the colorful scene.” spread. “I also hid a little smiley face and heart in the invitation!”

Laura also wanted to brighten up with beauty. “[I wanted a look that was] Naturally bright, with lots of highlighter and still being yourself,” she says. And she included one of her own signatures. “I always wear blue mascara and eyeliner and I was thrilled to find the blue eyeliner that my makeup artist uses! It really brings out my eyes and makes me feel more like myself.” It made me feel like.”

“I put a lot of pressure on myself [to find a dress] I wanted a really special dress, but I didn’t know how or where to find it,” says Laura. “My mother was a little worried that I was focusing too much on wearing ‘weird’ things.” After all, it was ivory, a high-to-low bubble-hem gown by Vera Wang with a cut-out bodice and the word “love” on the skirt. Boldly embroidered. “Later, when I was doing fittings at Vera Wang, they told me I was the first bride to wear this dress. It really reassured me that I made the right choice,” she said. say.

Laura’s “loan” that day was her younger sister Johnny’s veil.

Neil wore a blue check Havana suit with del Toro loafers. .

“For our first look, everything felt real,” says Laura. “There was a lot of speculation about what I would wear, so it was nice to see his reaction up close.”

Laura kept the bouquet bold and whimsical, despite the season. was a little unexpected!” They chose florals in pinks, yellows and oranges and kept greenery to a minimum. .

“A few days after our engagement, when I kept saying that I just wanted to make the day ‘fun,’ my dad jokingly suggested a Ferris wheel,” recalls Laura. “I immediately booked the Big Round Wheel and it set the tone for the day.” He also set the tone for the playful portraits, conveying everything from the color palette to the decorative details. I kept it a secret from everyone, so the surprise when the guests arrived had a big impact.Grandpa was on board too!”

“I asked my bridesmaids to wear white dresses of their choice. “The white set the ceremony apart from the guests,” says Laura. “I was very anti-tie with both Niall and the groomsmen,” adds Laura. “It took a little persistence to get Niall on board.” But in the end it looked better.”

Chairs for the 350 guests were placed under a transparent tent on the lawn, with colorful ribbons tied to the back row of seats. Kristen Wiley of Olivera Floral Design covered a Gothic arbor with flowers in greens, pinks, yellows, and oranges to serve as the focal point of the altar.

The bride’s brother, Fitz, officiated the ceremony. “He did a great job. Almost stole the show!” she says. They exchanged traditional vows and made readings playful, including Winnie the Pooh poems.

“Confetti cannons were strewn across the chairs for the guests and placed in the back of the wedding party. After my brother said ‘you can kiss the bride’, everyone shot them down It was like magic,” recalls Laura. “Niall didn’t think we would do that, and I didn’t think I would either. that ground. Photos are my favourite. You can feel how happy and excited everyone is. A string quartet played Justin Bieber’s “Anyone” as confetti wafted around them. “It felt like me, but still traditional. ”

A second tent (this single piece of canvas) served as the reception space, with pink, apple green, and lemon yellow drapes hanging from the ceiling. Custom his bar was adorned with art that matched the envelope liner of the invitation suite. As for florals, the designs were vibrant and whimsical. “Locally-grown dahlias took center stage, alongside cosmos, zinnias, and billy balls, ranunculus, snapdragons, lisianthus, and tulips,” says Laura. “Flowers delivered a punch of color and unique design elements throughout the event.”

The LED-lit Ferris wheel with the couple’s logo in the center remained the centerpiece and was reflected in the menu. “We wanted our guests to spend time socializing, riding the Ferris wheel, and dancing, so we decided to have a station rather than a plate dinner,” Laura says. “In a subtle nod to the elegant carnival atmosphere, we have mini corn dogs, spicy hushpuppies, and mini grilled cheese.” Retro candies filled with candy bracelets, candy button strips, pixie sticks, ring pops and more. We also had a table.

They chose another Bieber track, “Holy,” for the first dance, and made sure the band had some special requests queuing. “‘Love Train’ is a pretty classic wedding song, but I made sure to play it in honor of her late grandmother, who over the years wore a conductor’s cap and led the Love Train.” says Laura. “It was so much fun to see all the guests, young and old, hanging out around the tent singing and dancing.”

Real flowers are organically placed around the buttercream cake and wired to create a “grow” effect. As the newlyweds carve out, they alternate layers of lemon cake and lavender honey buttercream, almond cake and Biscoff his buttercream.

The bride swaps out her heels for “my go-to shoes: white cowboy boots” for the dance, and the newlyweds have an impromptu photo with Niall’s dad’s 1970s Oldsmobile convertible before the sparkler send-off. I ran outside to take pictures. But the party wasn’t over yet. There was one more celebration in order. “Niall was worried about being the center of attention, which was on my list of things I was most looking forward to, but he was adamant about not making a big deal about his birthday. “Of course, we had the band sing a song for him and put him on stage. He was living it, dancing it, leading the crowd. A few minutes later he said, ‘I want to go back on stage! I was overjoyed. ”

The moment highlights Laura’s best advice to other getting married. If you do, your guests will be happy and enjoying themselves!”