Peyton and Jonathan's original wedding date was planned to be September 6th 2020 on the brides grandmother's land in northern Pennsylvania. However, early on in the pandemic the couple knew they would not feel comfortable holding a larger celebration this year, putting their friends and family members at risk. As a result they decided to hold an intimate ceremony and dinner with their immediate families in June.
Jon and Peyton met in high school through their cross country running team. They began dating when they were sixteen and currently reside in Richmond, Virginia, where Peyton is a photographer and Jon is pursuing a career in accounting. The couple love to go on picnics, travel, watch movies, run, cook, and create together. Documentation of both of big ventures and day-to-day life over the years has also been really important to their relationship. "You can always find some sort of film camera, disposable, or Polaroid (most likely all three) on us. We have boxes and books of hundreds of Polaroids from our entire relationship, which has been incredibly special to look back on. Because of this we thought it would be really sweet to have our families involved with photos and documentation, so we scattered out a few disposable cameras and my dads vintage polaroids to shoot with as they pleased, from their point of view." Photographer Kaytee Lauren also documented Peyton and Jonathan's day beautifully.
The whole celebration took place at Jonathan’s childhood home in Virginia, where the couple met and spent much of their early days together, 8 years ago. There were 18 guests total - and 4 beautiful dogs! "My mother and sisters helped me get ready and our dads officiated the ceremony together. A lot of our details came from our families, which made our day feel very personable and meaningful." Peyton's wedding band is a family heirloom and is engraved with her grandmother's initials and wedding date from 1937. The couple had their family members bring chairs from home and they used a lot of vintage dinnerware and serving dishes from both their families personal collections. All the details were thoughtfully brought together by Sabrina Allison Design.
Peyton and Jonathan had a taco bar catered from their favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant Soup & Taco, where they used to go on many dates together. Peyton's grandmother sadly couldn’t make the celebration, but they had two of her homemade pies as a part of the dessert table, along with a cherry almond cake that the bride baked herself the night before. The bride also calligraphed the place setting cards and dessert labels.
The couple's styles are both simple and minimal, and overall Peyton and Jonathan wanted to go for a timeless look. "We favor off-white natural materials and linens and wanted to find Jon a suit with these features." Peyton is inspired by vintage styles, and fell quickly in love with a silk lacey dress from Doen. She paired it with a beautiful natural colored veil from Ann-Marie Faulkner for the ceremony and traded it for a custom made crown by Mignonne Handmade for the dinner part of the evening. The couple both wore boots from The Frye Company. Peyton also had a second outfit option including a dress by Sleeper and a polkadot veil by Ann-Marie Faulkner. She photographed both on the morning of her wedding and only made her outfit decision at the very last minute (how very anti-bride!)
Peyton and Jonathan's plans changed many times through their wedding planning process due to Covid however, ultimately the couple wanted to plan a special and fun day to celebrate their marriage with their closest people. As they had to scale down the numbers, they felt that they were able to pay more attention to the details that mattered to them and the experience of their family who were present. While the couple didn’t have any specific traditions, they did incorporate a lot of personal heirlooms and touches from their loved ones. "Everything we did, and everything we included in our day was thought out and hand picked by us." As a result every little detail was considered and had special meaning to both the bride and groom.
Their advice to other couples getting married during Covid? "Embrace the uncertainty and do what’s important to you as a couple! Scaling down doesn’t mean you lose the specialness of your day. With less things to think about and plan, you are really able to focus on what is significant to you and make your day so much more personable and memorable. I am really close friends with everyone who was involved with our day (they are my dream team and kindred spirits) which made everything so much more special. It was more beautiful than we could’ve ever imagined, and we are eternally grateful for all the hard work and support from our families and friends who made this day happen!"
Ceremony and Reception Location: Private residence (Groom’s parents backyard) in Stafford, Virginia USA | Photographer : Kaytee Lauren, & family members @kayteelaurenphoto | Celebrant : The couples fathers | Styling : Sabrina Allison Design @sabrinaallison_design | Flora : Vessel & Stem @vesselandstem | Catering : Soup & Taco @soupntaco | Cake : Homemade by Bride, and her grandmother made the pies | Floral Cookies : Loria Stern @loriastern | Name Place Cards : Silk & Willow with calligraphy by the Bride @silkandwillow | Table Decor Rentals : Shop Gather @gathergal | Tables : Signature Event Rentals | Dinnerware : family personal collections | Bride's Dress : Doen @shopdoen (Option Two : Sleeper) | Groom's Suit: Bar III @macysmen | Groom's Shirt : J crew @jcrew | Groom's Hat : Will & Bear @willandbear | Rings : Engagement ring: Natalie Marie Jewellery @nataliemariejewellery + Bride's band: her great grandmothers from 1937 | Bride + Groom's Shoes : The Frye Company @thefryecompany | Veil : Ann-Marie Faulkner @am_faulkner | Bride's Crown : Mignonne Handmade @mignonnehandmade | Makeup : Bride’s younger sister | Bridal Party Attire : Bride's sisters, mother, & best friend also wore dresses from Doen @shopdoen