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Baby, It’s Cold Outside: “During pictures, I remember everyone asking me if I was cold and if I needed a jacket, but I was just so happy that I felt totally fine,” Katherine says. Her lace gown, featuring a delicate cutout in the back, is from Caryn’s Bridals in Farmville.
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I Do: The bridesmaids wore merlot-colored, full-length dresses from Caryn’s Bridals, and the groomsmen wore gray suits from Total Package Menswear.
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Glitz and Glamour: The bride incorporated sparkly gold and white accents throughout the wedding, including her rhinestone earrings from Nordstrom. The invitation suite was crafted through Minted.
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Wintry Mix: The bridesmaids’ burgundy gowns and Katherine’s colorful bouquet of anemones, roses, lilies and dusty miller popped against the freshly fallen snow.
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Sweet Tooth: Guests dined on three flavors of cupcakes from Frostings that were chosen by the couple and their parents: blueberry pancakes, chocolate-covered raspberry and banana pudding.
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Mother and Son: Grant danced with his mother to the country song “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts.
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Say Cheese: The couple had a Polaroid-photo guest book at their reception.
It’s not often that two people on a blind date — much less a blind high school prom date — end up getting married. But Katherine Willis and Grant Harmon bucked the odds. After being set up by a mutual friend for their junior prom, the pair became inseparable and dated through high school and college. Grant proposed to Katherine in November 2016 during a visit to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville.
Attracted to The Mill at Fine Creek’s gorgeous 10-acre scenery and all-inclusive offerings, the pair planned a winter wedding at the Powhatan venue. Though some friends and family assumed Katherine was planning a holiday-themed occasion, that was not the case, though unexpected snowfall on the big day likely had guests dreaming of a white Christmas. “It was not the ideal situation, but everyone really came together to pull it off,” Katherine says. “I’m actually really happy it snowed now — we had a lot of fun taking pictures outside even though it was freezing, and the photos turned out great.”
The bride and groom exchanged vows under a canopy of seasonal flowers and greenery in an intimate indoor ceremony. Guests kept each other warm at the lively reception, decorated in shades of red wine, charcoal gray and metallic gold. The couple involved each other’s parents in planning the menu, so they had a smoked salmon display in honor of Grant’s father during cocktail hour. Their buffet dinner included pork tenderloin, chicken piccata, roasted potatoes, haricots verts, and a fresh seasonal salad with cranberries and orange vinaigrette.
“Walking into the reception was such a joyous moment for me,” Katherine says. “The pressure of the ceremony was over, and all the nervousness was gone. It was time for us to have fun.”
Wedding Coordinator: Colleen Kimbrough at The Mill at Fine Creek
Catering: The Mill at Fine Creek
Cupcakes: Frostings
Florist: Coleman Brothers Flowers Inc.
Hair and Makeup: Allison Haley, Aveda
DJ: Bill Gilliam, Black Tie Entertainment
