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A Sentimental Spot: The couple said their vows underneath Hillary’s favorite place on her parents’ property, a towering mulberry tree. “When I was growing up, I always thought it would be nice to get married under the mulberry tree one day, and we did,” she says.
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Be Our Guest: Hillary and her mother focused on incorporating unique details, such as vintage farmhouse bud vases paired with gold-rimmed antique glasses, into the table settings. Day-of coordinator Sabrina Hambrick added fresh peaches for a fun pop of color.
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Bits and Baubles: A friend at Noted Calligraphy created the couple’s vow books and place cards. Hillary’s wedges are Lucky Brand, and her French hair comb is by Mignonne Handmade. Her engagement ring is by Emily Warden Designs, and her earrings and heirloom wedding band were gifts from her parents.
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Flower Child: Hillary’s colleague, florist Amanda Burnette, sourced seasonal flowers from local growers. The bride’s bouquet included ranunculus, sea oats, distant drums garden roses, phlox and strawflower.
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Happy Family: Hillary’s parents, grandparents and brothers enjoyed the intimate ceremony.
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Picture Perfect: The couple had a Polaroid camera for guests to take photos and write an accompanying message in a guest book. They also set out two traditional film cameras and several disposable cameras.
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Rustic Backdrop: Hillary and Joey took post-ceremony photos around her parents’ 10-acre hay farm. Her ethereal, flowy gown is from BHLDN, and the groom’s khaki suit is from Murano.
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Cooped Up: Hillary’s mother strung up a glittery letter banner spelling the bride and groom’s names on an old chicken coop barn that has been on the property for years.
Natives of the greater Richmond area, Hillary Carr and Joey Anderson met through mutual friends in 2010. When Hillary moved back to Richmond after college, she and Joey reconnected, dating for three years before getting engaged in 2019.
Hillary, the owner of custom floral design and event styling company Vessel & Stem, was dealing with the impacts of the pandemic daily in her business. She and Joey decided to forgo a large wedding and officially tied the knot in June 2020 at Chesterfield General District Court, planning an intimate outdoor celebration at Hillary’s family home in early August. Using her parents’ 19th-century farmhouse as a backdrop, Hillary and her mother, Melissa Carr, the owner of Gather in Midlothian, styled the evening event by curating vintage decor from the store and mixing in unique family heirlooms.
Catered by New American restaurant Saison, the evening’s menu featured savory and spicy delights including Moroccan spiced chicken, curried monkfish with rice, smoked jalapeño chicken wings, shishito peppers, tomato salad with watermelon, and cast-iron skillet cornbread. Desserts from Fat Rabbit Cakes included an almond cake with almond buttercream icing and a vanilla cake with blood-orange curd.
The bride’s favorite moment of the day was the couple’s exchange of their wedding vows in front of their beloved families. “We both spoke for about three minutes each and expressed really raw, intimate feelings,” she says. “I don’t know if we would have been comfortable saying all of that if we had done a larger wedding, so it was a very special moment for everyone.”
Florist: Amanda Burnette
Caterer: Saison
Cake: Fat Rabbit Cakes
Hair: Ken Langston, JAK Salon
Day-of Coordinator: Sabrina Hambrick, Sabrina Allison Design
