Bea and Jeff were married at one of our all time favorite venues ever–Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards. Le sigh. Everything is just so lovely. Their absolutely beautifuil day included family cultural traditions, unique DIY details, Brazilian jazz during cocktail hour, and a few more traditions you are bound to love, so be sure to read Bea’s story along with the gorg photos by Sera Petras.
What made the wedding special and unique?
We spent a long time thinking about and visiting venues in our current city, Brooklyn, as well as in my home town of Charlottesville, VA; we even flirted with the idea of a tropical destination. However, once we visited Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards in Charlottesville, we couldn’t settle on having the wedding anywhere else. The sweeping Blue Ridge mountain view, delicious food, and elegant reception area were perfect. Even though we ended up having the wedding in the semi destination of Charlottesville, we were thrilled to have so many friends and family travel from all over the world to celebrate with us, joining us from South America, the South West, and the North East.
One thing that was important to me was to make sure to incorporate my family’s cultural traditions from Brazil throughout the day. For example, we found an AMAZING local bossa nova band (Quatro na Bossa) who filled the summer air with classic Brazilian jazz during the cocktail and dinner. Our minister, my husband’s childhood pastor and who traveled from Connecticut to officiate the ceremony, was kind enough to learn a few Portuguese phrases so that my non-English speaking family could understand some of the ceremony. Additionally, rather than the American tradition of “his vs. hers” bridesmaids and groomsman, we used the Latin American tradition of Padrinhos as the bridal party. We chose 6 married couples, our friends and family members whose marriages we look up to, to stand with us and provide blessings. Lastly, my mom, aunt and grandmother meticulously baked 500 varied truffles (docinhos) made from chocolate, coconut, peanut, and walnut, a tradition no Brazilian celebration would go without.
Tell us about your gown and where/how you found it!
When I started on my gown hunt I was on a mission to find a cap-sleeve, fitted, lace dress. After a very long search, I was finally convinced by my dear friends to try on this beautiful Elizabeth Dye gown (Tempest) at Lovely Bridal in NYC. I fell in love with it’s romantic simplicity. It’s subtle two-tones (top is white while the skirt off-white) made me feel like it was just enough of a non-traditional look for me.
What were some touches added to make it personal?
We had many talented friends and family contribute to DIY details that made our wedding very personal and one of a kind. Our friend, and bridesmaid, made the bridesmaids clutches that we used in place of bouquets. We had a fun time shopping for the leather and hardware in NYC’s garment district a few months before the wedding. Since the girls wore their own choice of dress, the matching clutches helped to add some cohesion to their looks while still giving them the flexibility of being comfortable in their own choice of style. My 88 year old Great Aunt lovingly hand stitched my veil and also made the sweet flower girl headpiece. Though she couldn’t make the trip from Brazil, it was fun to share Sera Petra’s beautiful photos with her.
My husband, the architect, is definitely the more creative and crafty between the two of us and he played a much larger role in the details than most grooms do. He really stepped it up by making our gorgeous welcome sign, by pulling together the salvaged windows listing our guests’ table assignments which we surrounded with photos of our parents and grandparents on their wedding days, and by creating our awesome vintage-style post card table markers featuring places we visited or lived together as a couple.
Finally, though not a DIY project, I was so honored to have two meaningful “something borroweds:” I wore my paternal grandmother’s vintage earrings and my maternal grandmother’s antique necklace – the same one she wore on her wedding day 67 years earlier!
What was the most memorable part of the day?
By far the most memorable part of the wedding day was when the dark storm clouds starting rolling in, in the middle of our outdoor, un-tented ceremony. I think all our guests were anxious for the pastor to wrap things up when without a minute to spare, the rain came down just as we were pronounced and kissed! Our much rehearsed exit the day before went by the way side and everyone ran for cover. The clouds and rain made for some fun photos as well as heat and comic relief. And of course a little rain on your wedding day is always seen as good luck!
Tell us how you met/proposed!
We met on a blind date at a cozy Turkish Wine bar on a Tuesday evening in Union Square, NY where he very sweetly brought me back to 4 years later the day before Valentine’s day (again a Tuesday night) to propose.
Vendors: Photography Sera Petras // Hair + Makeup: Virginia Glenn // Flowers: Verde // Venue: Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards // Dress: Elizabeth Dye via Lovely Bridal shop // Shoes: J.Crew // Grooms suit & shoes: Paul Smith // Bridesmaids clutches: Sofia Fima // Cake: Chandlers // Music: Quatro Na Bossa