Tell us your story! How did you meet? How was the proposal?

Chris and I met in Fairfax, Virginia in June of 2013. Chris was fairly new to the area- he had been here about a year prior to our meeting. I grew up in the area and was getting ready to begin Nursing school. After our first date, we pretty much saw each other on a weekly basis and the rest is history!

Chris and I got engaged on May 6th, 2016. We were down in Roanoke, where Chris grew up, visiting his family and we had planned to take a hike up to McAfee Knob while we were there. We opted to go on a Friday in attempts to avoid some of the weekend crowd on the trail. The week prior, the area had experienced torrential downpours so the ground was still wet. We parked across the street in the visitor lot and carefully crossed the road with our pup, Bear. Chris had the leash and was walking in front of me. I attempted to jump across a puddle on the edge of the road and landed right in the middle of it. I was knee deep in water and mud. Chris asked me if I still wanted to hike or head home to try another day. Instead of going home, I asked him to wait there for me while I went back to the car to dry off. My shoes and socks were completely soaked. I decided to take off the socks, put on the wet shoes and continue up the trail. I was happy I did! About four and a half miles later,  Chris proposed at the top of the mountain with the most gorgeous view! I, of course, said, yes!

Tell us about your wedding day?

With fall being our favorite season, we knew we wanted a fall wedding. Two of the most important things to us were photography and our wedding venue. We coordinated dates with Big Spring and Katelyn James and ended up choosing October 21st, 2017! We had about 130 guests at our wedding.

What three words would you use to describe your day?

Romantic, whimsical, timeless

What drew you to Big Spring Farm (BSF)?

I actually found Big Spring Farm through Katelyn. I had already been in contact with her the weekend of our engagement and I was browsing through her blog to get some ideas for a venue location. I contacted Buddy to set up an appointment to come and tour the property and we immediately fell in love! With views of the mountains in an intimate setting, Big Spring Farm was everything we wanted and more. What really sold us was how wonderful Buddy and Jill are and that the property was ours for the entire day. Big Spring will always hold a special place in our hearts!

What element did you have the most fun planning?

I had the most fun planning the floral details, our arbor for the ceremony, signage, and atmosphere of the barn.

What was your least favorite part about planning your wedding?

I can’t really say that I had a least favorite part. I honestly loved every single minute of it! If I had to choose, I think the first few weeks of planning, as well as the week of the wedding, were the most stressful for us. We found that trying to lock in our date with all of our vendors, making sure that everyone had our date available was stressful and after that, it was a breeze!

What was the best decision you made for your day?

The best decision we made for our day was investing in professional, reputable vendors.

What is your favorite memory from your wedding day?

My favorite memory is my Dad seeing me for the first time in the barn prior to the ceremony and having those moments with Chris during our ceremony. We had so many friends and family present on our wedding day, but during the ceremony, I felt so connected with Chris it just felt like it was the two of us.

How did you personalize your wedding day at BSF to reflect your relationship and marriage?

Chris and I both have very relaxed personalities. We really wanted our wedding day to reflect that. I wanted the atmosphere to be tasteful and simple. Planning every detail well in advance, and hiring our wedding coordinator Jessica, allowed our wedding day to run smoothly and for everyone to have a great time.

So far, what’s the best thing about marriage and what’s the hardest about marriage?

So far, the best thing about marriage is prioritizing each other above all else. I think the hardest is avoiding falling into a routine and staying there. Life can get hectic. Taking time away from the everyday things and the mundane is something we look forward to. Our entire relationship I have been in school. So, right now I’m enjoying focusing on our marriage rather than having my nose buried in a textbook.

As a newlywed, what advice do you have for an engaged couple?

Enjoy every minute! Don’t lose sight of what your wedding is all about. Your love and commitment to each other.