I remember the day oh so well. It was the middle of the pandemic and I had a call scheduled with a couple getting married at one of my favorite venues in August. At the time, I was in the middle of rummaging through a friends cabinets [shoutout Kir Tuben!] attempting to pull together some sort of styled shoot to keep our creativity alive. I paused our creative binge to talk to, what ended up being, one of the sweetest couples I’ve met to date.

Lida and Mike chose The Market at Grelen to host their wedding day. To me, this venue is the epitome of plant perfection. The grounds themselves are meticulously landscaped in a way that makes you immediately feel like home. Whether you’re simply picking your first house plant or deciding to get married on their vast property, The Market at Grelen is the place to choose.

Whenever I jump into the planning process with my couples, I always ask for their wish list and priorities. I often also will ask for any hesitancies or fears they may have before we get started. For Lida, it was extremely important to her that we find a makeup artist who’s comfortable with Asian features. To me, that was the beginning of when we grew so close.

It’s wildly important to me that all of my couples look and feel their best on their wedding day (and, if I’m being honest, just always). There is never a time or place where I want for my couples to feel uncomfortable in their own skin or, worse yet, fear that their beautiful features can’t be seen or clearly highlighted like “every other bride”. We emphasized the importance of individuality and being authentic in your own skin and paired Lida with the ever-talented Rouge 9 Makeup Studio.

Rouge 9 flawlessly executed a natural glam look that highlighted all of our bride’s features perfectly. The end result was absolutely magical!

In true Angelica & Co. Weddings fashion, Lida and Mike made plans for a first look. These moments are memories you just want to remember. Having time to soak in the moments together, with just the two of you, before the sea of celebrations begins is so wildly important to us.

We hope that all of our couples have these memories to cherish, should they decide that a first look is right for them!

Just like our blushing bride herself, Lida’s details were soft and elegant. Her details so beautifully lived up to the tradition of “something blue” and made a bold statement. Everything from her fresh and fluffy bouquet hand crafted by Hedge Fine Blooms, all the way to the bright royal blue shoes on her feet everything together helped tell her story.

Her bouquet was a stunning combination of the seasons best blooms. Whenever possible, we work with floral designers who understand what’s not only in season but what’s also locally sourced from growers close to our community. By staying as close to home with everything we source as much as possible we help our communities continue to thrive.

Over the years, we build something together that’s hard to replicate…something so unique and almost impossible to replicate unless you’re a part of the movement yourself.

While the Market at Grelen offers on-site ceremonies, Lida and Mike decided to stay true to their faith. They held a tradition Catholic ceremony at a nearby church in Orange, Virginia. It was a vision they had that was important for them to honor, which is a friendly reminder to us all. So long as you stay true to yourself, not much else can truly go wrong.

After their Catholic ceremony, guests were shuttled back to their venue and were immediately greeted with a garden setting for cocktail hour. Harvest Moon Catering’s team had an incredible display of refreshing summer drinks and seasonal bites for everyone to eat. Personally, having worked in catering before, I’m a strong believer that food and beverage often are the heartbeat of any great wedding. Getting inspired and designing a menu that your guests are sure to love goes a very long way in ensuring that you all are creating memories meant to last a lifetime.

Lida and Mike, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for including us in your celebrations! We were absolutely honored to stand by your sides and witness one of the best days of your lives.

With love,

Angelica

Wedding Planner: Angelica & Co. Weddings

Ceremony: Saint Isidore the Farmer Catholic Church

Ceremony Pianist: Theresa Klopp

Venue: The Market at. Grelen

Photographer: Allie Atkisson Imaging

Catering & Rentals: Harvest Moon Catering & BBJ Linen

Florist: Hedge Fine Blooms

Hair: Studio 321

Makeup: Rouge 9 Make Up Studio

DJ: Beats by Goodman

Boba Tea: Kung Fu Tea Charlottesville

Transportation: Camryn Limousine