Katelyn and Austin’s Lavender Wedding Celebration

Like so many great love stories, the tale of Katelyn “KK” Kelley and Austin Harris’s happily ever after stalled before it started. The two were introduced in 2007 by a mutual friend when Austin, a chief financial officer, stopped by the Richmond restaurant where KK, now a brand manager, was working at the time. “I felt right away that I wanted to know her,” recalls Austin, who friended KK on Facebook the very next day, only to find out she had a boyfriend. A year later, after KK’s in-real-life status went from “in a relationship” to “single,” he asked her out. This time, she was on the same page. “I remember melting when I saw him again,” she says, “and sensed it was the start of something special.”

That intuition came full circle six years later when KK, in a dramatic fit-and-flare satin gown, walked down the aisle at St. James’s Episcopal Church in Virginia to a folk song (“Peace Like a River”) performed a capella by the parish’s choir. The 170 loved ones who attended listened as the reverend read words that KK and Austin had written to each other. “It’s a custom among couples marrying at St. James’s that you write a letter to your beloved, a part of which is read by the priest during the ceremony,” says KK.

Afterward, everyone made their way to the stately Commonwealth Club, built in 1892. “I love to surprise people by mixing traditional and modern styles together,” says KK. To that end, old-school elements like the historic venue, the groomsmen’s white dinner jackets, and the bridesmaids’ long gloves were juxtaposed with unexpected touches, such as the foil-printed invitations and watercolor menus. Dinner was a five-course meal of favorite family dishes, including German schnitzel and hummingbird cake. Then came the dancing to an eclectic mix of electropop, R&B, and Top 40 tunes played by a Las Vegas DJ flown in for the day. As evening turned to late night, the couple put one last contemporary spin on a classic moment: Amid a joyful chia-seed toss (a nod to Austin’s job at a natural-foods company), the newlyweds made their getaway in a pedicab playfully painted with the words Chia Later.

The foil-stamped suite featured a custom crest by Happy Menocal. KK spent months gathering vintage stamps to adorn each item.

Guest room baskets contained a collection of goodies made in Virginia. Each included homemade Virginia apple-pie moonshine, harvested sunflower seeds from the bride’s family farm, candles, which the bride hand poured, and lavender sachets from a local farm.

KK designed her sapphire-and-diamond band (top), which happened to match the day’s lilac and fuchsia palette.

The groom’s monogrammed seersucker cummerbund coordinated with the bride’s pale lilac Austin Scarlett gown. Wedding portraits were taken in nearby Charles Gillette garden on the grounds of KK’s favorite historic home in Richmond. “It was such a nice way to honor the beauty of Richmond’s historically built environment,” she says. 

The Harris crest, which decorated the stationery, also appeared on cuff links made by Benson & Clegg.

KK found her bridesmaids’ dresses at T.J.Maxx, then had them tailored to suit the girls’ taste.

Austin’s sister-in-law needlepointed the couple’s crest onto the ring pillow, which was backed with extra fabric from the bride’s gown.

The bride and groom became husband and wife at St. James’s Episcopal Church, the third-oldest Episcopal church in Richmond, against a backdrop of stained-glass Tiffany windows.

Hummingbird punch, a vodka-based concoction created by KK’s mom, was served from a 1910 Limoges punch bowl.

“The wedding was full of sentimental touches that honored our grandparents,” says KK. She repurposed her late grandfather’s handkerchiefs as napkins for the cocktail hour.

More than 700 vintage china pieces and milk-glass vessels, all collected by KK and her mother, graced dinner tables at the reception at the Commonwealth Club.

Floral watercolor details, lifted from the crest design, accented menus.

Reception tables were dressed in lilac linens and showcased either vintage milk-glass vessels or cherubic compotes that held lilacs, roses, scabiosas, and greenery. Vintage ceramic flowers served as place-card holders and votives, painted by KK’s mother, added a warm twinkle. 

Ceremony Location: St. James’s Episcopal Church

Reception Location and Catering: The Commonwealth Club

Event Planning: Merriment Events

Flowers: Janie Medley Flora Design

Photography: Katie Stoops Photography

Officiant: The Rev. Carmen Germino of St. James’s Episcopal Church 

Stationery: Happy Menocal [crest]; Worth Higgins & Associates [printing]

Calligraphy: Mary Sue Sanderlin

Cake: WPA Bakery

Reception: DJ Tina T 

Bride’s Gown: Austin Scarlett

Bride’s Accessories: Bespoken by Stepha O’Brien veil; Halcyon 

Vintage Clothing jewelry; Bygones Vintage Clothing gloves; J.Crew shoes 

Hair: YY Salon

Makeup: Stephanie Parker Makeup 

Groom’s Tuxedo: Hugo Boss

Groom’s Accessories: Ledbury shirt; Jos. A. Bank dinner jacket; High Cotton bow tie and monogrammed cummerbund; Benson & Clegg custom cuff links 

Rentals: DC Rental; La Tavola Fine Linen Rental

Lighting: Event Technologies, Inc.

Audio Production: Choice Entertainment 

Pedicab: Spoken4 

Tea Towels: Maison Midi 

Embroidery: Atlantic Embroidery Works 

Engagement and Wedding Rings: Cheryl Fornash 

Seamstress (for Bridesmaids’ Dresses): Heidi Story

Servers’ Bow Ties: SolidColorNeckties.com