I first met Jennifer and Jeremy on the Main Street Weddings venue tour last Spring in Culpeper, Virginia. We had already communicated via email and I was excited to meet them. From the first time I saw them, I knew, and I mean I KNEW they were a perfect match. From that point on, I enjoyed getting to know them more and enjoying an amazing engagement session (and the barn at the end of that session has since been demolished!).

Jennifer and Jeremy had distance as an obstacle and so I was so happy for them when Jennifer told me she was moving to Virginia…which would also make her wedding planning a lot easier. They met on Christian Mingle and had since spent much of their relationship by phone, online and visits back and forth.

In Jennifer’s words, “Somehow Jeremy’s criteria on Christian Mingle for ‘location’ ended up at a few miles more than he had thought and he found me…in NJ. From the first message Jeremy sent (New Years Eve, 2012/2013!) I knew he was different. He was genuinely interested in who I was, his passion for God was obvious, he was charming, and so funny. We talked for about 1.5 months via email and phone getting to know each other. Our phone conversations would flow seamlessly from one extreme to the other funny, serious, deep, silly, sincere. One weekend Jeremy made the trip up to New Jersey (which I appreciated as a huge chance he was taking!) and we spent three days together all over New Jersey and NYC. We felt like we didn’t skip a beat from on the phone to in person. At the end of the weekend, he told me that he didn’t want to look for anyone else (I always tease him that he never actually asked me to be his girlfriend).

For the 2 years that followed, we both traveled back and forth to VA and NJ about every 3-4 weeks and there were a few times when Jeremy made surprise visits. Since we didn’t get to regularly go on dates, we tried at least once weekly to have ‘Facetime Dates’, intentionally set aside time for that face to face time to continue cultivating our relationship. After about 4 months of dating we shared with each other some things that God had been speaking into our lives, and agreed that we felt He was leading us to marriage. We began to pray, seeking God’s will for our relationship and working through a pre-engagement study. That study allowed us to work through some hard things, our relationship continued growing deeper and it became all the more clearer that God was leading us to marriage.”

Jennifer and Jeremy’s Brandy Hill Farm wedding was all about faith, family and friends. The entire wedding day was a joy from beginning to end. Leah Otten (second shooting) and I had an incredibly fun time and blessed time serving this couple and their families.

We both were amazed at Jennifer’s sweet gift for Jeremy – a homemade woodburned plaque with a personal message on the back that she gave to him after their time praying together from opposite sides of a wall. They had been reading specific verses each day right up until the wedding day, preparing for the best day of their lives yet together.

Despite a steady downfall from two hours before the ceremony up until ten minutes before we began, Jennifer and Jeremy were both upbeat about having to change plans and have the ceremony indoors if needed. But Jess Brose and her team from the Girls from Main Street were determined to help them have their outdoor wedding right in front of the wooden cross created by Good Earth Flowers. After her team finished wiping down seats and making sure rain boots were handy if needed, everything was ready for their gorgeous outdoor ceremony, including a bright sunny day. I also came pretty close to giving Jenn my flats to wear from the golf cart to the ceremony because even the golf cart’s battery was dying…but everything came together at just the right time!

It was evident from their ceremony that they intend to grow in their relationship with God and each other. Every detail from the cord of three strands ceremony to the exchanging of vows, spoke volumes about their commitment to each other and to God. In fact, Jeremy’s dad was their officiant and he confirmed that both of their families could not be happier and both were there to support them in this new journey. Even their proposal story shows how much they value their family. I just have to share it with you in Jennifer’s own words:

Jennifer’s words again, “Living long distance, surprises were hard to plan. But Jeremy showed up one Friday evening to ‘just spend the weekend together.’ On Saturday morning he picked me up and took me to The Fine Grind, the cafe where we met for the first time for coffee. As we were getting ready to leave with our drinks, he handed me an envelope. It was a personal note about the significance of the place to us. Throughout the day, he took me to four additional places that were significant to us and our relationship and gave me a sweet note at each one. The last place was High Point State Park, the highest point in the state of New Jersey and the place where we spent another one of our first dates together. We walked up to the monument there and asked a woman to take a photo of us to replicate one that we had taken 2 years ago. As we posed for the photo, he handed me the last sweet note. As I finished reading it, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! Unbeknownst to me, the camera had been on record, and the woman had captured the entire thing! As if that wasn’t exciting enough, he wanted to go to dinner to celebrate. He said he had a reservation at our favorite restaurant and we didn’t have time to stop and share the news with my family. As we walked into the restaurant, I spotted my entire family waiting to celebrate with us!”

Their rustic chic reception was classy and full of lovely details. Aubrey Driggers and Mandorla played throughout the evening and Shawn’s BBQ was enjoyed by all. In fact, Leah and I had our dinner break outside and we were privileged to see a ten minute rainbow!

I can’t begin to express how happy I am that God brought these two into my path. They expressed gratitude to everyone who served them and they brought light into the room wherever they went. I am so grateful for this lovely day as well as for the team of people who caught their vision and provided the most lovely details to create their dream wedding day!

Venue: Brandy Hill Farm

Planning and Coordination: The Girls from Main Street

Barn Doors and Decor: The Girls from Main Street

Florals and Decor: Good Earth Flowers

Cake: Gateau

Linens: Main Street Linens

Catering: Shawn’s BBQ of Culpeper

Music/Band: Aubrey Driggers and Mandorla

Dress: Mori Lee from Park Avenue Bridals

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal

Accessories: Park Avenue Bridals

Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse

Specialty Gifts for Bridal Party: Mark and Graham

Hair and Make Up: Jennifer Brimm with Studio 6

Second Shooting: Leah Otten

To see more Charlottesville Wedding Venues, click HERE.

Michelle Lieb with Lieb Photographic is a Charlottesville Wedding Photographer, Culpeper Wedding Photographer, Fredericksburg Wedding Photographer, Alexandria Wedding Photographer and a wedding photographer in the surrounding areas.