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Hand-in-Hand: Virginia found her dress at Dillard’s and accessorized with a birdcage veil purchased on Etsy and a black faux-fur stole from Tulip Bridal. Molly’s suit ensemble is from Nordstrom. She even found Vans that complemented Virginia’s dress perfectly. (Photo by Chenla Ou)
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Walk the Line: Virginia’s father dressed to theme for the Halloween wedding by wearing a “Scooby Doo” tie. (Photo by Chenla Ou)
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Making Music: During the ceremony, Molly performed “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure, a song that holds special significance for the couple. Virginia says, “I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.” (Photo by Chenla Ou)
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Let Me Take a Selfie: During the reception, the couple set up a festive photo booth featuring a spooky-themed backdrop and fun props like witch hats and pirate eye patches. (Photo by Chenla Ou)
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Sweet Treats: Guests enjoyed delicious cupcakes that included chocolate with chocolate buttercream frosting, pumpkin with cream-cheese icing, and vanilla with Italian buttercream frosting. (Photo by Chenla Ou)
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Think Warm Thoughts: The couple had a ring warming during the ceremony in which their handcrafted bentwood rings were tied atop a piece of burlap and passed around among the guests, who “warmed” them with their love and good wishes. (Photo by Chenla Ou)
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D.I.Y. Projects: With help from Virginia’s family, the couple created and set up all of their own decorations, including paper honeycomb balls, gold triangle flags and white string lights. (Photo by Chenla Ou)
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.
