1 of 7
Loving Gaze: León’s garden-wedding dress came from Church Street Bridal in Lynchburg. Her blue-hued earrings were a gift from an uncle. Chappell’s pink bow tie mirrored the color scheme, and his tuxedo came from Bliss Bridal.
2 of 7
Garden Grandeur: The couple booked their wedding more than two years in advance to secure the Bloemendaal House gazebo at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
3 of 7
Strike a Pose: “We had a lot of traditional elements, but we wanted it to be fun and be silly,” León says.
4 of 7
With This Ring: León’s diamond and white-gold ring came from Diamonds Direct.
5 of 7
Wedding Forecast: NBC12 meteorologist Andrew Freiden, a coworker and friend of the groom’s, performed the wedding ceremony.
6 of 7
Stilt Walker: Northern Virginia DJ Iguana arranged for the seemingly spontaneous La Hora Loca, a popular Hispanic wedding trend.
7 of 7
Sweet Sentiments: Made by a friend of the family, the cake’s exterior was classic, while the layers differed: chocolate Oreo, lemon with raspberry filling, and carrot.
A winning combination of beauty and simplicity is what drew Rebecca León and Marcos Chappell to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. “We wanted to get married at a landmark,” Chappell says. “Once I saw the Bloemendaal House, I knew that was the place.”
With so much natural beauty at hand, decorations weren’t necessary. And Lewis Ginter’s team handles setup and takedown, so the couple — who planned the wedding themselves — was spared those details. But an outdoor wedding brings another concern: the weather.
Luckily, the pair had a ringer in their corner: their officiant, NBC12 meteorologist Andrew Freiden, who works with Chappell, a senior morning producer at the station. “During the ceremony, he joked that this was one occasion when he got to tell me when to talk,” Chappell says.
Freiden’s advance promise of good weather came true … mostly. While there was rain on the wedding day, it came and went before the ceremony. “All my anxiety went away when I saw the sun and walked down the aisle,” León says, with Chappell adding, “It was something like out of a storybook.”
For the reception, the couple had a clear goal: “We wanted to have a good time, and we wanted our guests to have just as good a time,” León says. Chappell admits that he wanted to “put on a show” for their guests, which came in the form of surprise performers who staged a La Hora Loca — literally, a crazy hour — featuring balloons and a stilt-walker. “I knew it was going to happen, but I didn’t expect it to be as awesome as it was,” Chappell says, adding that friends are still talking about their entertainment.
The couple agrees there’s nothing they would change about their day, but they did develop an appreciation for the craft of wedding planning. “Now I see why it’s a full-time job,” Chappell says.
Flowers: Flowers by Zoie
Cake: Stephany Dominguez
Ceremony Music: Mary Jane D’Arville, Classic Harps
Reception Music: DJ Iguana
