Photo by Chelsea Diane Photography
Even though Reilly Gemmell and Coleman Applegate attended the same high school, they didn’t start dating until they both moved back to Richmond in 2017 after graduating from college. The couple got engaged in November 2023 at Edinburgh Castle during a trip to Scotland, and they tied the knot on May 17, 2025, at The Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter in Richmond’s Capitol District.
Many of the details of Reilly and Coleman’s wedding honored their loved ones, including their floral three-tiered cake from Cameo Cakery & Cafe. “I really drew inspiration for [the cake] from my mom, who passed away,” Reilly says. “She loved beautiful, colorful flowers. She worked at a flower shop for many years.”
During their reception at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the couple cut the cake with a knife from Coleman’s great-grandparents’ silver collection. They chose two flavors of cake — Reilly wanted an almond-raspberry flavor with white buttercream, while Coleman decided on a yellow cake with chocolate buttercream as the filling. “Not only did it look beautiful, but it really tasted great, too,” Reilly says.
The cake topper was a gift from Coleman’s grandparents, who had used it for their own wedding in 1960 at The Tuckahoe Woman’s Club. “We were really honored to be able to carry that on as a tradition,” Reilly says.
The vintage theme was also at play in Reilly and Coleman’s photos.
Chelsea Diane Photography used a mix of digital and 35mm film. “We did some engagement photos with them as well, and they took some film [photos] for those,” Reilly says. “We just loved their style.”
