Lovely Family Heirloom-Themed Wedding Video in Richmond

JR and Sarah’s story of a lovely legacy-themed wedding all started when he surprised her with a detour beach trip….and an engagement ring! This classy-cute couple used historical aspects and family heirlooms to make wedding decorations that were personal and priceless to them. Check out their wedding video in Richmond to see all of the excitement, happy tears, and amazing reception exit!

Photo Credit: Katelyn James

JR and I met in college at a small liberal arts school. I honestly don’t remember our first encounter or how I was officially introduced to him, but our friendship started simply and then eventually developed into something deeper over time. He was a couple years older than me in school and we had several mutual friends, so every time we were together in groups we got to know one another a little better. Then, in my senior year of college, we officially started dating.

We dated for about a year and a half before JR proposed on the beach where we’d had one of our very first dates. The day he proposed, was one of the absolute best days of my life. We were heading to see my parents for Easter and decided to stop for lunch on the way. After lunch, JR suggested we drive around and do a little site seeing. One of my all-time favorite things to do is window-shop for houses. JR and I will get in the car and drive for hours looking at beautiful and often historic homes dreaming about what it might be like to live in one. Since we had time and I love to look at houses, I immediately agreed.

After about an hour of driving around, I was ready to go, but JR wasn’t. We drove around for about another hour, looking at houses and then stopping to get coffee. I was starting to get a little frustrated. Why wouldn’t he just take us to my parents’? I started to wonder if he was avoiding them or holding out as long as possible before spending time with them. Did he not like my parents? Rather than make a big deal, I decided not to say anything, but I was so confused. Finally, he headed toward the highway and we were on our way when suddenly he pulled off on the wrong road. I’m not very good directionally, so I thought maybe he was taking a scenic route along a river until he pulled over and parked the car. At this point, I was very confused and slightly frustrated. We were supposed to leave for my parents over an hour ago. Why was did he want to look out at the river we’d seen so many times before?

As I got out of the car and walked toward the river with him I decided I needed to say something. It was better than making up questions and answers in my head. I turned to say something to him and started acting very strange. He wouldn’t let me walk behind him and when I started walking one direction he told me I should go another. Finally I said to him, “JR, what is going on, you seem like you’re trying to do something or have some plan but zero direction, are we going to see my parent’s this weekend or not?”

With a big cheesy smile on his face, he said to me, “Well I sort of had a life plan I wanted to talk to you about…” and he then got down on one knee and proposed. If I’m completely honest, I don’t remember much of what he said but that I was a big mess. I immediately started freaking out and said “Oh my Gosh!” about a million times. Smiling he told me to turn around to find our friend and amazing photographer, Katelyn James hiding behind a tree to capture the entire moment. We took a few post- engagement pictures and then headed back to my house, not my parents. He had contacted both our families and several of our friends and planned a surprise post-engagement party.

Following the proposal, JR and I immediately began planning our wedding. I always wanted to get married in the fall, so although it was a short engagement, we decided on November 9th. I have planned and coordinated several weddings in the past, so the length of time didn’t stress me out too much. Through those opportunities I knew what I did and did not like and was able to make quick decisions. We made it an effort to not only incorporate what we loved into the experience but also worked to focus on all of the people who loved and supported us along the way. Throughout our planning we kept referring to our theme as legacy using several family heirlooms and pieces of history into our decorations.

The wedding day was perfect. The weather was gorgeous and every aspect worked together better than we could have planned. We were so thankful for all of our wonderful friends, family, and vendors and all the hard work they put into making our day possible.

WeddingMix was one of the best choices we made because we were able to document our entire experience literally from the moment I woke up and the day started, to the very end. The team did a wonderful job answering all of our questions and compiling all of our footage for us. We were so impressed! As I help future brides plan their weddings, I will gladly recommend them again and cannot thank them enough for helping us remember the day is such a special and unique way.