Nadine + Josh
May 29, 2021
How they met/the proposal
Nadine met Josh when she was visiting a friend at Virginia Tech when Josh was a freshman. However, they did not go on their first date until a year later when Nadine joined him at school. Their first date was a snowy day in January, complete with a visit to the Roanoke Transportation Museum, lunch in the mountains, and dinner at Macado’s. Not long after, Josh asked Nadine to be his girlfriend by giving her a whale necklace the asked “Whale you be my girlfriend?” Nadine tells us, “I love a good pun.” It’s no surprise that this would also become a part of the proposal. While on a weekend away in Charlottesville, the pair went on a hike and Nadine was met with a large, stuffed whale, in the middle of the woods.
The wedding day
On the day of their wedding, the rain let up just in time for the ceremony under a large tree that had lanterns hanging from its branches. “We had lots of greenery and flowers as decorations and lots of wood accents to tie in our love for nature. Our ceremony was officiated by a good friend of Josh’s family and we wrote our own vows to make our declaration of love more intimate. The evening commenced with family toasts and lots of partying on the dance floor.”
The WOW factor
The goal was for guests to have a great time, “from children to grandparents and everyone in-between.” The whole reception was their “WOW” factor. The night started with passed hors d’oeuvres, signature cocktails, and a delicious buffet. The evening continued with socializing, desserts, and music from all decades to get everyone out on the dance floor. The night was complete with a fun sparkler exit celebration!
Favorite parts of the day
“Both of our favorite parts included getting to spend quality time with our bridesmaids and groomsmen before everything took off for the day. We both really enjoyed getting to relax and have fun. Our other favorite part was the first time we saw each other at the start of our ceremony, and the whole ceremony that followed.”
Biggest challenge
“The biggest challenge we faced planning our wedding was accepting that something would go wrong and it would still be the most magical day ever. Looking back, we definitely stressed too much about the little things, small imperfections, that didn’t end up mattering, and it took us way too long to just enjoy all of the planning and ‘being engaged’ and accept that something may go wrong… which of course it did, but that didn’t change anything, and our wedding day was perfect.”
Best piece of advice
“Our best piece of advice is to enjoy wedding planning, and enjoy being engaged. Don’t get wrapped up in the little things or let anything stress you out. Your day will be perfect no matter what. Ask for help, divide up your to-do list, and let your wedding party and family help you. Make this as enjoyable as possible. You are marrying the love of your life!”
Post wedding update
“We bought a condo for us and our dog and have settled in Richmond!”
