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All you need is love: The bride and groom shared a kiss during first-look photos on the lawn of The Historic Mankin Mansion. The bride’s favorite aspect of her dress from Bella Rosa was the beautiful detail on the back. (Photo by Stephanie Yonce)
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Twilight celebration: The couple planned a sunset reception featuring a full-service bar, twinkling Italian lights and a variety of seating for guests to relax and enjoy a cocktail. (Photo by Stephanie Yonce)
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Rock ’n’ roll: A Richmond band, The Oligarchy, entertained guests during the reception. (Photo by Stephanie Yonce)
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Butterfly kisses: The bride grew up loving butterflies because of her grandmother, so her mother gave her the idea to hang white butterflies underneath the altar. (Photo by Stephanie Yonce)
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Personal preferences: A mutual friend served as their officiant during the outdoor ceremony. “It was so much fun having a good friend marry us,” Sarah says. (Photo by Stephanie Yonce)
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Cloaked in elegance: The bride’s veil, made from Belgian lace, is a family heirloom that has been worn by her mother, aunt and cousin. (Photo by Stephanie Yonce)
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Spring has sprung: The table arrangements at the reception featured flowers in gray and purple (Sarah’s favorite color) with blush pink and bright green accent flowers for contrast. (Photo by Stephanie Yonce)
Sarah Burton and Jordy Bauer’s long-fated romance started at a young age — fourth grade, to be exact, when Jordy moved to Sarah’s neighborhood in Richmond from Long Island, New York. They became close friends, but didn’t officially start dating until they were 17.
Nearly 13 years later, the pair was living in California while Sarah studied at the Gemological Institute of America to become a jeweler. One Friday evening, they were walking their dogs before meeting up with friends when Jordy said he had to get a rock out of his shoe. He bent down and pulled out a different type of rock, proposing to Sarah with “the dogs as witnesses,” he told her.
Sarah’s career inspired a jewelry theme for their springtime wedding at The Historic Mankin Mansion. Each table at the reception was named after a different gemstone, with correlating plastic jewels sprinkled around brightly colored floral centerpieces. Sarah’s favorite element was the handmade brooch bouquet her mother made for her using antique jeweled brooches belonging to her grandmothers and great-grandmothers.
The couple represented their Southern hometown pride with a biscuit bar at the reception, but their West Coast lifestyle was reflected in an L.A. limeade signature cocktail. Sarah says they got so carried away during the reception that she almost forgot to cut the cake and toss the bouquet.
“We had to rush at the end to do everything because we were having so much fun that time got away from us,” she says. “But it was still a fun ending to an amazing evening.”
CAKE: The Buttercream Bee
CATERING: MOSAIC Catering
WEDDING PLANNER: Kate Miller from Historic Mankin Mansion
MAKEUP: Brooke Johnson
HAIR: Avenue 42
PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephanie Yonce
