1. Real Weddings

Tanya & Jason: A Garden Wedding in Warrenton, VA

Tanya Mainville and Jason Green's Virginia wedding exuded Southern hospitality and warmth, from the garden-style bridesmaid dresses to the custom-desi

Tanya Mainville and Jason Green's Virginia wedding exuded Southern hospitality and warmth, from the garden-style bridesmaid dresses to the custom-designed favors. It's the kind of attention to detail that can come only from thoughtful planning -- though this pair also does well spur-of-the-moment. The Bride Tanya Mainville, 26, graduate student The Groom Jason Green, 26, software engineer The Date May 23 When Jason got it in mind to go ring shopping, he bought a ring for Tanya and proposed the very same day! Plans for a springtime garden wedding soon began to unfold.

After the ceremony, guests walked up the hill to the manor house, where tables were set up on the front porch and veranda. Tanya and Jason had purchased tangerine silk dupioni that they cut into large squares to place atop the white linens, and three different styles of centerpieces were arrayed on the various tabletops. The idea was that if you looked over the tables on the veranda, it would feel like being in a garden, Tanya explains. Inside, one room housed the band and dance floor, another featured the cake table, and in the last was a lavish buffet.
The Ceremony
The Site
Tanya and her father arrived at the ceremony in a horse and carriage -- part of the wedding plan that Tanya and her mother kept secret right up until the wedding day!
The three-tier cake was covered with buttercream frosting, edible flowers, and ferns, and incorporated layers of two different flavors -- traditional white wedding cake with raspberry filling and rich chocolate cake filled with hazelnut mousse.
Thoughtful, personalized details made the day complete. Using her degree in graphic design, Tanya designed paper napkin rings and favor labels that fit the wedding theme to a tee. At each place setting, guests found a miniature bottle of sparkling apple cider featuring a label designed with two apples, stems intertwined, and printed with the saying Golden Delicious Love, along with the couple's names and the wedding date. Tanya wrapped the tops of the bottles in orange twine to match the wedding colors.
Tanya wore an ivory, strapless A-line gown by Venus, featuring an embroidered floral overlay with a satin cummerbund that extended into two long sashes at the train.