After meeting online and dating for eight months, Virginia Lamneck knew Molly Kenyon was the person she wanted to spend her life with. Knowing her love for the night sky, Virginia borrowed a telescope from a friend and proposed to Molly while looking at the stars in their backyard last July. Virginia even picked out a ring containing meteorite to continue the evening’s theme.
The couple chose to have a fall mountain wedding at the Frontier Culture Museum in Virginia’s hometown of Staunton, Virginia. Despite the chilly weather, the casual ceremony was held outdoors before everyone moved into the Octagonal Barn for the reception. Guests were encouraged to dress up in celebration of Halloween night. “We wanted it to be a big, fun party,” Virginia says.
Virginia and Molly added to the venue’s rustic ambience with baskets of mums at the altar and reception centerpieces of leaves and branches in burlap-wrapped mason jars sitting on wooden tree-stump bases. All natural elements were gathered from Virginia’s parents’ yard, which borders the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
At the reception, guests enjoyed seasonal salad and their choice of four pizza options; including vegetarian Margherita pizza and No Bull pizza (NoBull Burger crumbles, red and green peppers, caramelized onions and mozzarella). Molly’s favorite moment from the evening was their first dance to a mash-up of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling.” Virginia, however, most enjoyed performing their love-locking ceremony: “There’s a bridge in Norfolk that’s similar to Paris’ Bridge of Love where we had previously locked locks on a date. During our wedding, we interlocked new locks to signify our lives coming together.”
Cupcakes: Paris Cake Company
Catering: Blue Ridge Pizza Co.
Dining and Cooking