Hoping to create the perfect laid back country chic feel for their big day, Jennifer Johnson & James Lightfoot, selected the rolling grounds of Silverbrook Farm to play host. Surrounded by gorgeous greeny at every turn, the couple worked to simply add to the beauty, creating a backyard country vibe. The bride and groom’s mother, over a period of 8 months, hand crafted coffee filter flowers, which along with some gorgeous old books graced the tables setting the chic tone. Elements of whimsy like hand painted signs, tassel garlands & a twine wrapped tree {complete with throw pillow lounge setup!} held images of the couple for all to see. JJ and James country affair was filled with laughter and love and in that vein, nothing short of a playful sparkler exit would do!
Novella of the Bride…
Both James & JJ are graduates of Texas A&M University, which is where they met. They were ‘set up’ together in the bridal party of some mutual friends’ wedding. The bride & groom thought we would be ‘perfect for each other.’ We started dating two weeks later. James graduated and moved to Virginia to start work as a structural inspector/commercial diver and JJ moved to North Carolina for graduate school, but our relationship continued to grow. James proposed in December of 2011 while we were hiking (one of our favorite things to do together). And now, three years after our friends were wed, we’re the ones getting married!
We’re both very easy-going people so we wanted a really relaxed, informal and comfortable atmosphere in a natural setting. So we chose an outdoor ceremony on a historical homestead outside of Purcellville, VA. Since J.J. is from Texas and James is from California, we decided to get married in Virginia (where we currently live). As the majority of guests would be flying in, we wanted somewhere near a major airport, but we also wanted a relaxed, outdoorsy wedding and that led us to Silverbrook Farm Bed & Breakfast. After visiting and meeting Dot Shetterly (the owner/operator) in her beautiful home we knew it was the place for us. She made us feel so comfortable and taken care of, we knew we would really be able to relax and enjoy our special day in an absolutely gorgeous location.
The reception was held on site inside a remodeled barn on the property. We wanted to really create a backyard party atmosphere so we had no assigned seating and hors dourves stations to keep an open flow and people moving about. Each of the flowers in the table centerpieces was handmade by JJ and James’ mother over a period of several months leading up to the wedding (each one took approximately and hour to make!) Petals were cut out of coffee filters, assembled by hand, then had multiple layers of water color paint applied to achieve the perfect color combination. The books we used were from our own personal collections, which made it a little more personal while the cake and all of the cupcakes (Vanilla Buttermilk with Lime Frosting) were baked and frosted by the bride’s friend Bissett Young and signs were hand-painted by Phil Martin.
Couple’s Favorite Moment: Groom~ “Immediately after the ceremony, my new wife holding her hand in mine, walking over the beautiful rolling hills towards the barn and seeing all of our friends and family in every window and door waiting to celebrate with us! Bride~ “Everyone out on the dancefloor breaking it down to Gangnam Style. People were having such a good time.”
Vendor Love
Venue: Silverbrook Farm | Wedding Dress: Sydney Gown by Watters Brides | Shoes: Old Gringo | Rentals: Select Event Rentals | Florist {Bridal Boquet}: Affordable Arrangements | Caterer: Grandale Catering | Baker: Bissett Young | Day-of Coordinator: Sara Lawrence | Photographer: Margarita Dussan Photography