August 8, 2015 • Kent-Valentine House, Richmond
Even before they met in early 2014, Karen Miller and Dave Ellsworth were sort of a wedding waiting to happen. Karen, who is director of the Garden Club of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week and editor of its guidebook, had previously worked as an event planner and owned a catering company with her sister. Dave, a professor of film and video at St. Mary’s College in Maryland, has produced documentaries and independent films. So, flowers? Check! Food? Check! Photographer? Check! Truly a couple with resources for a personalized wedding and reception, Karen and Dave, with help from their friends and family, created an intimate and flower-infused wedding. The small, family-only backyard ceremony was officiated by a close friend and sited under the canopy of a majestic white oak at Karen’s Westover Hills home where she and her youngest daughter had worked for months preparing the garden. Afterward, the couple celebrated with family and close friends at the Garden Club of Virginia’s headquarters in the historic Kent-Valentine House (c. 1854). Karen left the floral arrangements in the capable hands of the Ashland Garden Club. “I only asked that all of the flowers be seasonal and garden grown,” she explains. “One of the ladies even planted zinnias in her garden just so she could use them for our reception.”
Sources
Venue: Kent-Valentine House, Richmond Photographer: Allison Fiebert of Capture Photography, Richmond Floral Design: The Ashland Garden Club, Ashland Catering: Ryan Traylor of Mosaic, Richmond and Tanya Cauthen of Belmont Butchery, Richmond Cake: Hillary’s Kitchen, Charlottesville Lighting: Ryan Traylor of Mosaic, Richmond
