Jenna and Sam’s gorgeous wedding captured by Dawn Derbyshire Photography combines girlie glam with manly marine in the most romantic way. Be sure to read their story, as her very first ‘swipe right’ turned into a true love story and a fairytale wedding!
HOW THEY MET
From the Bride, Jenna – “The best bet I ever lost and the consequence was to make a Tinder account. That was Wednesday, October 14th, 2015. Thursday, we started talking and by Friday, October 16th, 2015 (also my parent’s wedding anniversary) we had our first date at O’Connell’s in Old Town Alexandria. From that day forward, we knew we had found something special. We instantly found a love within each other that was easy, strong, supportive, fun, authentic and our love of CrossFit made it obvious that we found our swolemate…I mean…soulmate!”
THEIR ENGAGEMENT
From the Bride, Jenna – “Our engagement began during a magical weekend in Charleston, SC, September 10, 2016. Sam, being a Charleston native, showed me around the city, touring the historic buildings and appreciating the old architecture around us. As the sun was setting, he proposed, on one knee, in the center pavilion at White Point Gardens. It was like a dream and of course, I said yes!”
WEDDING STYLE
“It was all about texture and layers of whites, creams, champagnes, blush tones and rose gold to create a soft glow of ambiance and to really appreciate the architectural details of the venue with its exposed brick and beams.I really wanted to combine some cultural touches from India with the Moroccan lanterns but compliment them with soft, subtle florals and succulents for romantic, visual texture.
My old childhood friend tapped into her passion for doing floral arrangements and after seeing her on Instagram I was obsessed. It brought us back together and she truly captured exactly what I wanted – blush peonies and dahlias, white roses, succulents and silver dollar eucalyptus.
Decor and aesthetic aside, we really wanted our wedding to be a celebration of our love but also, celebrate the family and friends that we love and cherish that have support us from the beginning. I think that is what really made it magical. Surrounding yourself with people who genuinely love and support you is the best choice we made. You could really feel it in the air and that is what made is amazing!”
THE DRESSES
“The attire, we wanted it to be formal, especially since the groom was in his Marine Blues. There’s just something about a man in uniform! I also wanted my bridesmaids to feel beautiful and glamorous and what a better way than Badgley Mischka rose gold dresses!? They were stunning and were the perfect compliment to my wedding dress.
With regards to my wedding dress – as my mom said when we were wedding dress shopping, the dresses weren’t special enough. Well, that was until we found the Collins dress from Hayley Paige. I stalked the dress on Instagram but never would have thought that was actually going to be my dream dress. The beading and the silk silhouette was the perfect compliment to the man in uniform and the overall look I was going for.”
FAVORITE MEMORY
“My favorite memory was actually walking down the aisle, with my father to my right, seeing my brother (who married us) standing behind my handsome husband to be. It was the 3 men in my life, that I couldn’t love more and was a very special sight to see. It brings me to tears thinking about it. It was very unique to have that moment!”
ADVICE
“Current brides and grooms to be: Get as much as you can get done in the early months of engagement, manage your time and set goals of completion of things and stay true to what you and your groom want. Listen to your gut and have fun. Do your best to get everything done a few weeks before the wedding so you can actually enjoy the time coming up to it and not be stressed. That’s what I did and everyone was like, what do you mean we just relax…we don’t have anything to do? Nope, done and done. It makes everyone involved happier in the end!”
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Photography: Dawn Derbyshire Photography // Floral: J & Co. Florals // Videography: Brian Shaub // Linens: Special Occasions & Queen Street Linens // Hair: Whitney Burkhart Upstyles // Makeup: Katarina K Makeup // Wedding Dress: Hayley Paige // Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka // Bridesmaid Dresses: Rent the Runway // Headpiece: Whitney Burkhart Upstyles // Submitted via: Matchology // Venue: Cork Factory Hotel in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
