Zoe and Seth
September 7, 2019

How They Met
Zoe and Seth met in March 2014 through their mutual friend, “Tinder.” Zoe says, “I actually messaged my best friend before we even met saying I had met my soulmate.” Once they finally met up, Zoe had 10 stitches in her face from a recent dog attack, but that didn’t deter Seth at all. “We spent every single day together after that until [Seth] had a work trip in May. Seth asked Zoe to be his girlfriend a little while later over lunch, and the rest is history.

The Proposal
In March 2018, Zoe and Seth took a trip to Iceland and Norway. Seth explains, “I had the ring in the very bottom of my backpack and I was freaking out having to carry it around. There was no possible way it was going to move upwards past everything in my backpack to fall out…but I checked every time we stopped moving.” While they were on a tour into the dark countryside to see the Northern Lights, Seth made up his mind that that was the moment. And as soon as they saw a glimmer of the Northern Lights, Seth got down on one knee. The ring was extra special because it was Zoe’s mother’s engagement ring that Seth had redesigned. Zoe, underneath the gorgeous lights, said yes.

The Details
The two loved The Hof as a weekend spot and since they had both an indoor and outdoor space, it fit their bill perfectly.

Before their rooftop ceremony, they had a cocktail hour, and since it was hotter than expected, the libations were the perfect distraction. They had their friend officiate the wedding, which included a handfasting ceremony and a hand prayer. Seth says, “Having my friend officiate was perfect. It felt a lot more personal to have someone I care about and who I know cares about us do the talking.” They said their heartfelt vows in front of a custom-built hexagon arch built by a close family friend. And according to the newlyweds, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Zoe, who did most of the DIY items, carried the hexagon throughout their entire wedding, from their invitations to their centerpieces. Their official colors were dark green copper, and a dusty rose in some spots. Zoe says, “I knew I wanted lots of greens and copper accents to add some color and shine.”

Since both Zoe and Seth are of German heritage, they were excited when they found out that was one of the options The Hof offered. For their sweets, they opted for a smaller cake and a big dessert table with all of their favorite desserts. Zoe explains, “My mom and I hand-stuffed 200 cannolis the day before…There were also macarons, donuts from Sugar Shack (and a donut wall), rainbow cookies, black and white cookies, and chocolate-covered strawberries.”

Favorite Part of the Day
For Zoe, her favorite part was sneaking up to the roof for sunset photos. ” I first looked at The Hof after seeing another Hof wedding featured on the Richmond Weddings™ blog and I saw the couple’s photos in the minaret…and knew I wanted a wedding photo like that.”

For Seth, his favorite part of the day was when the band said they had a special request for him and played ‘You Can Call Me Al’ by Paul Simon. “I love that song and they killed it! Zoe asked them if they could learn it as a surprise for me…It was awesome to dance with all of our friends while they were all screaming while  ‘You can call meeeee Alllll!” Seth said that the surprise embodied a big part of what their relationship meant to him. “[Zoe] takes the little things that I love and turns them into experiences I won’t forget.”

Biggest Challenge
Zoe says her biggest challenge was her plan to DIY everything, and how she originally planned to do it all alone. She relied on her friends and eventually put it all in her Day-Of Coordinator’s hands to decorate and bring her vision together. She describes, “They absolutely nailed it and my jaw dropped when I first walked into the room.”

Best Piece of Advice
Zoe says, “You can make your vision happen on your budget! Call in favors, people love to help out with wedding stuff. Reach out to people on Etsy if you need something made and can’t find exactly what you want. Scour Facebook Marketplace! Start early so you have time to get everything together and be patient.”

*All information in our Featured Weddings is provided by the couple. Richmond Weddings™ is not responsible for discovering and adding vendors who were not on the submission form completed by the couple.* All photos courtesy of Sarah Mattozzi Photography.