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Eskimo Kisses: Pattengale’s dress came from Church Street Bridal in Lynchburg. Blunk’s suit was custom-made by Indochino.com.
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I Do: Officiated by Gary Ezzo, a pastor and friend of the groom’s family, the ceremony took place under light strings and handmade bunting.
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Taking Flight: Blunk’s airplane cufflinks symbolize all the air travel involved in the pair’s long-distance relationship.
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Warming Glow: A comfortable couch with a “sweetheart” table is where Pattengale and Blunk visited with friends after the ceremony. Flower petals were florists’ castoffs, dried at home on wax paper.
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Natural Touches: Pattengale made her attendants’ necklaces from walnut wood with gold-tone wire. Greenery was purchased wholesale and foraged from friends’ yards.
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Love Seats: The couple softened the church foyer by adding rented peacock chairs, candles and containers (found at Goodwill) filled with greenery.
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Ring Toss: Inspired by an online post, the doughnut towers were a fun and affordable dessert that included gluten-free options.
Tara Pattengale knew that she and husband-to-be Stephen Blunk would shoulder a lot of the cost of their wedding, doing as much as they could on their own. And she knew from her experience as a wedding photographer that the DIY approach can sometimes look,well ... DIY.
“I wanted to find the middle, where we could cut costs and have a luxurious experience,” she says. “We had to bootstrap a lot of it, but I didn’t want to sacrifice quality.”
An additional challenge was logistical: Pattengale was in Richmond, and Blunk was in Missouri. Though they’d met at a summer camp as teenagers, the pair had never lived in the same place, but they had kept the relationship alive through regular visits to each other’s respective towns. For that reason, Pattengale says, she also wanted to make sure she and Blunk collaborated. “It was our first time to plan and experience something together,” she says. “Ambiance is really important to both of us.”
Pattengale enlisted a wedding planner and began talking with family and friends — many of whom are also wedding professionals — about the vision. She says she “may have given [our planner] a heart attack a couple of times” with some of her ideas, which ultimately included using the same space for both the ceremony and reception. The foyer of Commonwealth Chapel in Midlothian was “flipped” during a one-hour standing cocktail reception, with guests in an adjacent space.
To keep details in check, Pattengale created a master spreadsheet that outlined everything from helpers’ jobs to items loaned for the event — from a couch and pillows to more than 70 brass candlesticks.
“Attention to detail is what makes or breaks a wedding,” Pattengale says. “I didn’t want to fixate on the color of a napkin — I wanted to fixate on that I never have to say goodbye to this man again.”
Planner: Nicole Brantingham, Stag & Lily Event Company
Invitation Stationery: English Tea Paperie
Hair & Makeup: Mandie Waagner
Cake: Whisk
Rentals: Swoon Soiree
Doughnuts: Country Style Donuts & Sugar Shack Donuts
