Lindsey + Kevin: Karaoke at the Chateau

Near the end of her junior year at Radford University, Lindsey and her roommate, Brittany, decided to go down the street to Macado’s for karaoke night. It began as a simple outing; they had no idea how the stars had aligned! When Lindsey went to the DJ’s station to request a song, the usual DJ Rob Baron was out and a certain young man named Kevin was filling in for him. Lindsey requested to sing one song with Brittany, but from then on she lingered around the DJ station, “talking Kevin’s ear off.” It was a classic case of right place, right time!

On May 5, 2012, the day after their 3 year anniversary, Kevin and Lindsey went to Attimo Winery for a tasting. Kevin asked Lindsey to choose her favorite so that he could buy a bottle for her (it turned out her selection was named “I do!”) Continuing their tour, they left Riner, Virginia and headed towards Floyd, Virginia. They stopped by a rock garden they’d visited many times over the past 3 years. After feeding their donkey-friend a mint and swinging on the garden’s wooden swing for a while, Kevin set his camera on a stone table and they took a few pictures together. In one of those pictures, he got down on one knee and proposed. He said, “Well, here you go; will you marry me?” Lindsey just laughed and said, “Yes!”

As Lindsey began to plan the wedding, she knew she wanted it to be modern, fun, and preppy. Years prior, when Lindsey first stepped foot upon the grounds of Chateau Morrisette Winery in Floyd, Virginia, she fell in love with it. Its castle-like features and breathtaking natural surroundings were impossible to turn down when it came to selecting a venue. Though other options were considered, they kept coming back to Chateau, which was fitting since both L+K love wine and Floyd is Kevin’s hometown.

Moving on with the planning, Lindsey selected a lively combination of pink and lime green, very Lilly Pulitzer-esque, satisfying her vision of “preppy!” Hydrangeas were a must from square one, and our Hydrangea wedding invitation was just right to set the tone for the big day!

Halfway through the wedding-planning process, Lindsey and her family were faced with a complication nobody could have anticipated. In January 2013, Lindsey’s mother, Terry, was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. She had been a big participant in the wedding planning and was beyond excited for her daughter’s upcoming dream wedding. After multiple surgeries, Terry became paralyzed on one side of her body. Lindsey’s older brother, Bart, could see that his tender-hearted sister was very upset and continually told her, “Mom will be at your wedding. Even if I have to carry her down the aisle… she will be there.”  The next few months were like a roller coaster ride, full of ups and downs. One day Terry would seem to be better and the next, worse. It was an emotionally trying period for everyone. On May 5th, a year after Lindsey and Kevin’s engagement, Terry passed away.

“She fought so hard; the nurses and doctors called her superwoman. They were constantly being amazed by her. Bart hugged me and said, ‘She will be at your wedding.'”

The wedding was supposed to take place under a tree in front of the restaurant at Chateau Morrisette. The day of the wedding, it poured down rain. The staff started putting plan B into action, but just before the ceremony, the rain stopped!

Lindsey & Kevin's first look

It was about this time that Lindsey and Kevin met up for a “first look” with their photographer, Chelsa Yoder. The soon-to-be-wed also used this time to exchange cards and gifts. Kevin presented Lindsey with a monogram necklace and ring, while Lindsey had something a little bit less shiny up her sleeve:

“For Christmas 2012, I had bought Kevin concert tickets to see Sigur Rós in Northern Virginia.  The concert was in March and my mom was very sick at [the] time. I didn’t want to miss a day of not seeing her, so I told Kevin that we couldn’t go [to the show]. I promised him that we could [go] another time. As a wedding present to Kevin, I surprised him with tickets to see Sigur Rós in Charlottesville, Virginia. I kept my promise! It was great to see his face when he opened the card with the tickets.”

Lindsey, Kevin and Bart light a memorial candle for Terry, late mother of the bride

L+K were still able to get married outside, underneath a tent in front of a waterfall. “I know that my mom kept the rain away that entire night. She was definitely at my wedding,” Lindsey said.

Watercolor portrait of Lindsey's late mother, Terry

As a wedding present to his sister, Bart commissioned Waynesboro artist, Don Whitson, to paint a watercolor portrait of Terry. He escorted the painting to her chair, where she remained for the entire ceremony.

Aisle petal design, bridesmaid attire, groom

While Kevin and his lime-accented groomsmen waited at the front, the bridesmaids made their way down the aisle in hot pink dresses, pink-and-green bouquets (containing hydrangeas!), and custom-made jewelry by Anne Vaughan Designs in Floyd, Virginia.

Father of the bride escorts Lindsey; Hydrangea Program from The Green Kangaroo

At last, Lindsey’s father escorted her to the beaming husband-to-be. At the beginning of the proceedings, Bart, Kevin, and Lindsey lit a memorial candle together to symbolize Terry’s presence.

Pink and green reception decor inside Chateau Morrisette

To bring things full-circle, L+K hired DJ Rob Baron to handle the reception! Near the end of the reception, guests enjoyed singing karaoke together. As another surprise for Kevin, Lindsey had asked his step-grandmother, Carol, a special lady and wonderful cook, if she would make a groom’s cake. Carol created a Twilight Zone pinball groom’s cake (Kevin is a pinball enthusiast), which he loved!

Reception: Groom's cake, purple mashed potatoes, bridesmaids sing karaoke

Mashed potato bars are great, but L+K’s buffet featured purple mashed potatoes! Talk about unique!

L+K toss bouquet and garter from the balcony

Before it got dark, Lindsey and Kevin did the traditional bouquet and garter tosses… off of the balcony of Chateau Morrisette!

Lindsey & Kevin's guests give them a sparkler send-off

After everyone was karaokied out, family and friends gathered outside the doors of Chateau Morrisette to give the newlyweds a dazzling sparkler send-off (and were rewarded with a passionate kiss!)

Earlier in the day, L+K had participated in a love letter ceremony, which involves the bride and groom placing their favorite wine and two goblets into a box. The night before the wedding, each write a letter to the other and then, on their 5th anniversary, open the box and reminisce. If there are any troubles before the anniversary, the couple is to open it and rekindle their love by reading the letters and drinking the wine.

Here’s to Lindsey + Kevin! May that wine age a full five years before it’s opened!

All photographs courtesy Chelsa Yoder Photography.

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