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Erin says:

“Both of us are illustrators with day jobs, working our way towards making art full-time. We have a lot in common: we both love making things, video games, taking walks, caring for our cats and plants, and teasing each other.

He’s the one who sleeps in late and tries new recipes in the kitchen, while I’m the one who fixes things around the house and makes people take off their shoes when they come inside.

We met in college as freshman. At the time, we had mostly hung around each other with other friends involved, so on our first few dates we were nervous and not sure how to talk to each other. I worried things wouldn’t work out... but today, we’re completely at home around each other.

Choosing our venue was a combination of cost, efficiency (venue, catering, and planning services all in one, what’s not to like?) and falling in love with the space. We went for dinner on the suggestion of Stephan’s parents one day, came back to tour it with the events coordinator, and were pretty much hooked from then on. It was cozy, a little rustic, and charming — a type of space we both like.

We opted for tattooed rings instead of traditional physical ones — just a simple black band on the top of our fingers. Additionally, right after we got engaged, his mom gave me a beautiful gold ring that she’d had for many years. Even though physical rings aren’t my favorite, it was such a sweet gesture of blessing that I was really excited to wear it, too.

We wore matching suits, ties, and boutonnieres, but different color tie bars for just a little variety (Stephan chose silver and I chose gold).

We had a very quick, simple ceremony! As everyone was gathering it hit us that we hadn’t even really planned an entrance and didn’t really have an aisle to walk down; we just hopped up in front of everyone. Both of us wrote our own vows, each talking about our excitement for the wedding, our favorite things about the other, our promises to each other, and concluding with poetic back-and-forth vows (he’d say a line, then I’d say a line). Our officiant (a good friend from college who met us in the same class in which we met each other), said their piece, gave us permission to kiss, and that was it!

We had our guests blow bubbles from tiny bottles as the ceremony ended, which was fun for everyone and made for some magical pictures. We were both a little nervous — there were certain moments we didn’t have an exact script for, and so were awkward for a moment — but knowing that everyone there was thrilled for us, we felt comfortable to be a little informal and come up with things on the fly.

So much pressure is put on people to have the perfect wedding with every last detail planned, but in the end, simply having a fun day with the people we loved most was what made the wedding special.

Words by Erin, as told by Amber Marlow. Photos by Sarah Schultz-Taylor.

intimate wedding richmond virginia empty chairs in sunny room havana 59

intimate wedding richmond virginia bottle of bubbles on table

intimate wedding richmond virginia city buildings and overcast sky from balcony

intimate wedding richmond virginia chandelier

intimate wedding richmond virginia empty tables for reception

intimate wedding richmond virginia table with floral and small log centerpieces

intimate wedding richmond virginia gold ring on plant leaf

intimate wedding richmond virginia couple hugging, focus on erin’s hands, one with tattoo and one with gold ring

intimate wedding richmond virginia couple holding hands and laughing while talking down brick street

intimate wedding richmond virginia couple in front of old brick wall holding hands

intimate wedding richmond virginia embrace holding hands and leaning against wall

intimate wedding richmond virginia portrait shot of erin leaning against brick wall

intimate wedding richmond virginia portrait shot of stephan leaning one arm against wall

intimate wedding richmond virginia stephan kissing erin’s cheek

intimate wedding richmond virginia couple sitting on stairs, stephan kissing erin’s forehead

intimate wedding richmond virginia erin and stephan holding hands with tattooed rings

intimate wedding richmond virginia couple dancing in front of wall mural

intimate wedding richmond virginia stephan twirling erin in front of wall mural

intimate wedding richmond virginia kiss sitting in front of wall mural

intimate wedding richmond virginia embrace in front of wall

intimate wedding richmond virginia couple on balcony overlooking city

intimate wedding richmond virginia stephan reading vows

intimate wedding richmond virginia stephan and erin holding hands as they read vows

intimate wedding richmond virginia ceremony kiss

intimate wedding richmond virginia couple toasting with cupcakes

VENDORS:

Photography | Sarah Schultz-Taylor Photography

Venue, Food, and Planning | Havana 59

Cupcakes | Pearl’s Bake Shoppe

Wedding licenser | Tiny Chapel Weddings

Favors | The Succulent Source

Boutonnières | Liga Asere

Ties | My Tie Shop

Bubbles | Kate Aspen

Ring tattoos | Black Rabbit Tattoo | Kiss of Ink Tattoo

SARAH SCHULTZ-TAYLOR

I'm a Richmond native, mama, and photographer.

As a photographer, I strive to capture all of your special moments in an honest, non-cheesy way! I thrive on real emotion (sweet kisses, sobbing families, and side splitting fun)! In an industry that tends to be super bride-centric, I consider myself couple-centric!