One of my favorite times of year at Meadowlark is the holiday season. Claire and Jonathan agreed -- which is why their wedding was the Saturday before Thanksgiving. That way, they were assured, the venue would already be decorated in their gorgeous greenery and lights for the end of the year!

As guests arrived for the ceremony, they were greeted with hot drinks and cozy blankets for the short ceremony outside. What the groom did NOT know (but the bride and I did!) is that she was surprising him by walking down the aisle to the theme of the show they had been binging for MONTHS, The West Wing. (I had a TV themed wedding -- why did I not think of this?!?!?) For those in the know, it was a very sweet nod to their relationship.

Guests came inside for cocktail hour and dinner, where Growing Wild accented the already gorgeous space with greenery, lanterns and pinecones, as well as beautiful florals. The Instax Guest Book was explained by the couple's adorable dog, Scout, and guests enjoyed taking photos and posing for the camera.

Although the couple isn't from the Pittsburgh area, they DID wisely choose to have a cookie table like we do in Pittsburgh! They also added some delicious truffles and candy to the mix!

Enjoy this beautiful winter wedding - with stunning photos from one of our faves, Shawnee Custalow

Vendors:

The Atrium at Meadowlark: @theatriumatmeadowlark

Shawnee Custalow Studios, Photographer @shawnee_custalow

Florist, Barbara Von Elm, Growing Wild @growingwildfloral

Cake, Buttercream Bakeshop @buttrcrmbakeshop

Hair and Makeup, Tres Belle Beauty @tresbelleweddings

Guys. I sort of don't know where to start with Sally and Brendan. Perhaps they can best be described by the fact that they printed out and framed hilarious quotes from their Match.com courting days and had them on each dining table. Or the fact that they, and everyone else, laughed through their entire ceremony (especially when Brendan said, "I, Charlize Theron, take you, Sally" in reference to Sally's obsession with Ms. Theron). They are effing mad funny. Thus, they were an absolute pleasure to work with. I did partial planning with them and helped them line up some vendors, as well as month of coordination. Also, I miss them. Also, they got me one of the best thank you gifts EVER and knocked my socks off. But I digress...

They got married this past July at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. Sally is stunning, but got a little bridal boost thanks to Alison Harper & Co (dude - her hair... her HAIR). After getting ready they had a great ceremony filled with the most adorable flower children you'll ever see, the aforementioned Charlize Theron reference, and pure joy. Cocktails and photos followed, and then we had a great meal and got down to the dancing (the photos of which will also show you exactly how amazing these two are). Rusty from DJ DMAC kept them on the dance floor, they served donuts from Astro Doughnuts instead of cake (though Sally surprised Brendan with a cheesehead cake from Charm City Cakes... again: rad), and everyone partied all night long. One last shout-out to Emily from LoveBlooms who did beautiful modern arrangements and some stunning modern bouquets as well. And finally, big thanks to Hannah Hudson Photography for the gorgeous photos! Sit back, get ready to laugh and smile, and enjoy: (and congrats again Charlize and Sally!)