Adria Wilson and Amanda Septien
April 27, 2018, at Keswick Vineyards
Photography by What Em Sees
While Adria calls it “a jumble of bright details,” Amanda says their wedding had “a romantic vintage feel that mixed in personal touches of our cultures and past.” However it’s described, one thing is clear about the couple’s spring nuptials: They were truly personal.
“My family is Cuban and Adria’s is Italian-American, so we wanted to pay homage to both of our families’ heritages,” Amanda says. “We did that through the food offered and the music played—lots of Buena Vista Social Club and old-school big band music mixed in with our favorite bluegrass and indie tunes.”
The other elements—a mix of DIYed pieces from friends and family; bright, tropical-inspired floral arrangements; and romantic centerpieces—capitalized on the BHLDN-esque vibe the ladies wanted to achieve. Says Amanda, “Somehow it all worked together really well!”
Photo: What Em Sees
Photo: What Em Sees
Photo: What Em Sees
Hands-on
For some of the personal details, the couple turned to friends and family—Amanda’s sister designed the invitations, donation cards, and itinerary sign, while her dad cut wooden rounds for the centerpiece platforms. Adria wrote the table numbers on blue talavera tiles herself.
Photo: What Em Sees
Photo: What Em Sees
Photo: What Em Sees
Decisions, decisions
The couple was based in Washington, D.C., but knew that, come wedding time, they’d have family traveling from New Jersey and North Carolina. “Picking Charlottesville seemed like a great compromise,” says Amanda. And, since Amanda worked at WeddingWire, they were able to research venues in the area that supported same-sex weddings. “The second we drove up [to Keswick Vineyards],” says Amanda, “we knew it was where our big day would be.”
Photo: What Em Sees
Photo: What Em Sees
Photo: What Em Sees
On the menu
The couple wanted to incorporate both Adria’s Italian background and Amanda’s Cuban heritage into the food. That meant a menu where mojo pork shoulder and rice and beans mingled with lemon and rosemary roasted chicken and grilled broccolini with garlic butter on the buffet. “The most feedback we received from our guests after the wedding was how good the food was,” says Amanda. “And it truly was!”
Photo: What Em Sees
Photo: What Em Sees
Worth the wait
Amanda and Adria met via OkCupid in 2013—while Adria was in the middle of finishing up her doctoral dissertation (“she was extremely busy,” Amanda says). But Amanda “stuck it out long enough to get past that madness,” and they’ve been together ever since.
Photo: What Em Sees
Fancy fleet
“It was the coolest thing ever to get carried off from cheering guests in a pearl white 1940 Senior Packard Limousine,” says Adria.
THE DETAILS
Event planner: Angelica Laws of Angelica & Co. Officiant: Jeremy McClure Catering: Harvest Moon Catering Flowers: Ginger & Blooms Cake: Passionflower Cakes Music: Sound Enforcement DJ Services Brides’ attire: BHLDN Shoes: Jessica Simpson (Amanda), Michael Kohrs (Adria) Wedding party attire: Lulu’s Air of Romance (bridesmaids), The Black Tux (“manmaids”) Rings: Ken & Dana Designs (NYC) Hair and makeup: Glo-Out Glamour Bar (hair), Cindy Allwine (makeup) Transportation: Albemarle Limousine
