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Dressed to Impress: Phoebe wore a fitted lace gown from Urban Set Bride. Mayme wore a custom-made tuxedo created by The Tailory in New York City that included her new initials (she took Phoebe’s last name) embroidered into the pockets.
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Mayme and Phoebe's footwear for the ceremony
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Celebrity Sighting: The couple asked their friend and fellow LGBTQ+ advocate Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney to officiate their ceremony, which took place on the steps leading to The Jefferson Hotel’s rotunda.
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Fresh Blooms: Phoebe’s mother coordinated the floral arrangements with The Jefferson Hotel. The reception centerpieces were made from white hydrangeas, roses, star lilies and fresh greenery.
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Chairs in the Air: Though the brides had a nondenominational ceremony, they chose to incorporate a cultural element of Mayme’s Jewish upbringing by dancing the hora at the reception with the help of their bridal party.
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True Colors: As a nod to their traditional-yet-nontraditional theme and in support of the LGBTQ+ community, the couple served a vanilla almond cake that featured rainbow stripes on the interior. “It was the first rainbow cake that The Jefferson had ever created,” Mayme says.
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Light up the Night: The couple purchased light-up sneakers for themselves and their bridal party members to change into for the reception. They also gave out more than 1,000 glow sticks to guests.
Fun-loving couple Phoebe Willis and Mayme Donohue met in law school at the University of Richmond in 2014 and began dating a year later. Mayme, who was named one of Style Weekly’s 2018 “Top 40 Under 40” young leaders in Richmond, popped the question first by taking Phoebe to The Byrd Theatre, where she had the phrase “Will you marry me?” displayed on the marquee. Phoebe returned the favor after secretly installing a basketball court in an off-street parking lot near the couple’s home. She revealed the court to Mayme while wearing a basketball jersey that said, “Will you marry me?”
The couple chose The Jefferson Hotel to accommodate their 325-person guest list. Their vision was to host a wedding that mixed traditional and nontraditional elements. “I have always had the most fun at weddings where the couple is having the most fun,” Mayme says. To bring their vision to life, the brides chose to have a sophisticated black-tie affair while incorporating fun elements into their Grand Ballroom reception such as multicolored lighting, light-up sneakers, glow sticks and sunglasses.
The Jefferson Hotel catered themed dinner stations with options such as carved beef tenderloin, crab cakes, roasted vegetables and a mashed potato bar. Later on, they kept everyone’s energy up with late-night snacks including mini sliders and tater tots.
Phoebe and Mayme’s favorite moment from the evening was looking down at their guests from the second floor of The Jefferson as everyone gathered in the rotunda for the ceremony. “We were enjoying our time together while looking out across all of our friends and family who were there just for us,” Phoebe says. “That’s something I’ll never forget.”
Coordinator: Katie Merritt
Event Designer: Ashton Hassan, The Jefferson Hotel
Florist: Rick Lunsford, Blooms at The Jefferson Hotel
Hair and Makeup: Elle Style Studio
Lighting: Blue Steel Lighting Design
Music: TFC Band
