Anne and Chris
October 27, 2022

There is no exquisite beauty, without some strangeness in the proportion. -Edgar Allan Poe 

In their own words, Anne and Chris shared their love story with us:

Some folks may think us a bit of an odd couple…probably for more reasons than one…but our story together here in Richmond spans 10 years, and we could think of no better place to say I Do.

Chris is a VCU grad and grew up in Richmond. I was born and raised in Roanoke, VA. My family moved to Chesterfield during my high school years, and I returned to this area after college.

We met at work a decade ago around 2012. A writer and hopeful journalist, I was working internships and freelance side gigs when I accepted a more stable office job. Chris had been employed there for several years and was leading a department when I was hired. Despite a bit of an age difference, and both of us being in long-term relationships, we could not help but form a friendship that seemed to be something more special. Ultimately, we decided together to take the risk and enter this new relationship. We knew there was quite a bit at stake, but more to gain. 10 years later and we are very happy we made that decision. We share similar interests and passions including literature & favorite authors (like Poe), history, music, cooking…and eating! Over time we grew to share new hobbies and now we are motorcyclists and gardeners as well. During the last few years, we both became entrepreneurs and owners – launching and managing businesses relevant to our careers (I am a Resume Writer and Chris is a Commissioning Agent).


We have spent the last ten years working to solidify our relationship and bring our families together. Chris has two children from a previous marriage, and it was extremely important to us that we had their support as well. It was New Years Day 2022 when we decided this would be the year to get married. My parents supplied my ring, a treasured family heirloom from my great aunt with whom I was extremely close.

When choosing a venue for their elopement and intimate ceremony, Anne was immediately drawn to the old architecture of downtown Richmond. Linden Row Inn was the perfect spot. Anne shares, “Linden Row Inn is such a beautiful Richmond treasure, tucked away and hidden, so thoughtfully restored and maintained. We were thrilled to select it and the staff was excellent from our first inquiry.”


For the ceremony, the couple added personal touches such as their 1920s Edgar Allan Poe Collection, their own vases, and wrote their own vows.

The WOW factor: “The historical Richmond settings, my dress, soft drama, Victorian style, candlelight ambiance, sunset on the brick and the river in October… even a bit Gothic (which is perhaps one reason I loved my photographer’s B&W photos so much!).”

Favorite parts of the day: “I loved getting ready and enjoying Linden Row Inn. I also loved taking photos and arriving at Bookbinder’s patio where all of our happy guests were waiting! My husband said his favorite part was the suite at Linden Row Inn and our car ride over to the restaurant.”

Biggest challenge: “Deciding to go big or keep it small. We wanted to include everyone and still keep things reasonable. I wanted the day to feel special and elegant, but the more I thought about walking in front of 100+ people, the more I realized that just wasn’t me. And a big event just wasn’t us… and our guests would likely agree. We decided to keep our ceremony very small, fitting everyone inside the Parlour Suite. We decided we didn’t need dancing, or a rehearsal, or rentals, tents, etc. Once we decided to go small, we were able to pick and choose where our funds would go and decide exactly what was most important for our day.”

Best advice: “Remember that it’s your big day and don’t try too hard to please everyone else; it’s most important that you relax and really enjoy the moment. I love our photos and have zero regrets about having a detailed photo plan! It was helpful knowing exactly what shots were important and then letting my photographer recommend some shots as well. I was quite certain that I didn’t want my photographer in the room when we were getting married, and at the last minute we brought her in, and she snapped some during the ceremony. I had no idea she was there and those are some of my favorite photos! Almost missed that opportunity! I am very glad that we ended up with ceremony photos! We also considered skipping professional photos for the reception, and I am SO glad we had our photographer come to our reception.”