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A Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Wedding | Dudley and Bruce

An Elegant Spring Lewis Ginter Wedding | Richmond Wedding Photographer

After almost 9 years of dating, Dudley and Bruce were finally announced Mr. and Mrs. Meyer at their Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Wedding! These two have been excitedly counting down the days ever since their engagement back in February of 2020. They wanted to plan a day of celebrations with their family and friends, full of traditional moments and non-traditional fun! All of their friends, family members, and amazing vendor team helped make the day well worth the wait!

See Their Engagement Session

It was a morning of gifts for the parents of the bride and groom. Dudley and Bruce clearly have such a strong support system with their families, and they are very important to them! They wanted to find unique ways to express their appreciation on their wedding day, for all of their love and support over the years. After Dudley’s mom, Rhonda, helped her into her gown, Dudley surprised her with her gift! Rhonda would always sing, “You are my sunshine,” so Dudley had the message scripted on a custom art piece for her. After some fun bridal portraits showing off Dudley’s glowing smile, her father, Mark, got his first look at his daughter! Dudley gifted him a frame engraved with the phrase, “Dad, of all the walks we’ve taken together, this one will always be my favorite. June 5, 2021.”

After Bruce and his groomsmen were done getting ready and having fun with their own portraits, it was time to give his mother, Robin, her gift. Bruce’s father passed away 15 years ago, and Bruce had his father’s wedding ring melted down to have his own wedding ring made. He had the left over gold made into a pendant for Robin, engraved with an, “M.” Robin was throughly surprised by this sweet gift, and couldn’t help but let the tears flow!

Finally, Dudley walked down the aisle to her groom. They shared a touching sunlit ceremony, and then Dudley and Bruce were finally announced Mr. and Mrs. Meyer! Cocktail hour was a whirlwind of gorgeous portraits and best wishes from family members, and then their reception began with parent dances that left guests sobbing. After a quick pop of champagne before the sun set, their Maid of Honor, Lily, and Best Man, Luke, shared hilariously touching speeches. Dudley and Bruce cut their cake, and then joined their friends and family on the dance floor to party the rest of the night away! It was SUCH a fun reception, and everyone was just so excited to finally get to celebrate Bruce and Dudley!

One of my favorite details about this wedding was the cocktail napkins. I know that sounds totally crazy! A few months before her wedding, Dudley wrote an amazing blog post about her experience planning her wedding during the pandemic. She wrote about how her best advice for brides-to-be is to plan the wedding THEY want, and to not worry about other people’s opinions (I second this advice!!). She wrote that if you wanted cocktail napkins that ready, “booty booty booty,” then do it! That comment had her friends and family (and me!) absolutely cracking up. A few weeks later I opened a text from Dudley, and found out that it wasn’t just a joke. She did indeed order 400 cocktail napkins that read, “Roses are red, true love is rare, booty booty booty, rockin’ everywhere.”

Something about this just perfectly encompasses Dudley and Bruce’s care-free nature, refusal to live life sitting down, and absolute inability to be anything other than themselves. They love each other so whole heartedly, and just can’t wait to start their new journey as husband and wife! It’s been a blessing getting to know you two and your families, and I hope you’ve been enjoying the first days of being newlyweds. Congratulations again Dudley and Bruce, and thank you again to both of your families for making me feel so welcome!