Dec. 22, 2018 • Commonwealth Club, Richmond
Photos by Ray Photography Co.
Elizabeth “Libby” Rosebro and Matt Chriss were married Dec. 22, 2018, at the bride’s childhood and longtime family church—Grace Covenant Presbyterian in Richmond—with a reception following at the Commonwealth Club, where the bride’s parents had their own wedding 35 years prior.
“Because we got married three days before Christmas and the holidays are my favorite time of year, that heavily influenced our vision,” Libby says. “We wanted rich emerald greens, whites, golds, silvers, and the occasional flash of red. I wanted the lights, candles, smells, and greens of the season to decorate the look and feel of the day.”
The couple’s tagline for their wedding was “Marry Chrissmas” (a play on their last name), and the theme showed up in all of their special day details, including green velvet bridesmaid dresses, holly berry and evergreen centerpieces, and—a surprise for the bride—red tartan bow ties and cummerbunds for the groom, groomsmen, and fathers of the bride and groom. Libby wore an elegant V-neck dress with a horsehair tulle skirt from Wtoo by Watters and, like her sister before her, wore her mother’s veil, as well as a pin and necklace from each of her grandmothers.
“It was a day bigger than words,” she says. “Matt told me that seeing my silhouette behind the stained glass door before I walked down the aisle was more than he could handle. Locking eyes at the altar was extremely powerful.”
The couple met in Richmond, Libby’s hometown, in 2014 and began dating about six months before Matt moved to Los Angeles for work. They continued their relationship long distance into fall 2016, when the groom returned to Virginia to attend law school at William & Mary, and the bride continued to live in Richmond, where she works as a digital designer.
“The distance over the years was challenging,” Libby says, “but we both knew from the moment we heard each other’s names back in 2014 that we were meant to be.”
Details
Photographer: Ray Photography Co., Charlottesville, RayPhotographyCo.com | Gown: Wtoo by Watters, Watters.com | Hair: Elle Style Studio, Richmond, ElleStyleRVA.com | Makeup: Stephanie Parker Makeup, Richmond, StephanieParkerMakeup.com | Paper: Party Plus, Richmond, PartyPlus-Richmond.com | Caterer, Cake, & Rentals: Commonwealth Club, Richmond, TheCommonwealthClub.net | Music, Reception: JTL Band, Richmond, Facebook.com/JTLBand | Lighting: Lighting Professors, Richmond, LightingProfessors.com
This article originally appeared in our February 2020 issue.
