A Southern Gothic wedding with black nails and neck tattoos

RJP17638 — *Photography by Renee Jean Photography*

Offbeat Couple: Christine & David
Date & Location: 2/12/2023, The Estate at River Run in Richmond, VA

Christine loves the Victorian era, delicious ghost stories, and possesses the regal vibes of a woodland queen. While searching for a venue, she and David fell in love with The Estate at River Run – an opulent mansion sitting high on a bluff overlooking the James River, just outside of Richmond, Virginia. They knew it could handle the moody, lush winter wedding they hoped for!

Tell us about the Southern Gothic couple

David and Christine originally crossed paths by chance at their place of work a few years ago. Christine joined a conversation that David was a part of, and made a mental note of how handsome he was. Later, after some social media snooping, it was realized that David was not available at that time, and so life went on as usual.

Years later, everything changed: Christine and David were both single, and unbeknownst to Christine, David had been crushing on her, even calling her his “work wife” to his friends!

The two of them had hardly ever chatted but would say hello if their paths crossed in the hallway. One day, Christine’s work group had a project to complete that required assistance from David’s group. David concocted a plan to volunteer himself so he could have an opportunity to chat with Christine.

During the project, Christine and David chatted about their tattoos and common interests. When they parted ways, Christine decided to reach out to David to ask a simple question that she already knew the answer to as a sneaky way to keep the conversation going. From that moment, David and Christine would have lunch together at work almost daily, over which they would share long, deep conversations.

They found that their differences were striking as their similarities. Nevertheless, without knowing how it would unfold, both David and Christine took a leap of faith and became a couple.

Tell us about the Southern Gothic wedding planning

It only took them six months to realize they never wanted to part ways in life again, and so they got engaged in a gorgeous yet spooky mausoleum/chapel in Hollywood Cemetery.

When Christine (the bride) met Christine (the planner/bridal shop owner) during the former's bridal appointment at Urban Set Bride, they fell in platonic love immediately. Both of them shared their mutual frustration by the trend of pale blush, eucalyptus and ivory that has taken over the wedding industry over the last few years.

Christine wanted to look like Regina from Once Upon a Time, and once she found a full lace ballgown with illusion sleeves from Sottero and Midgley and paired it with a cape fit for a queen from Justin Alexander Signature, the vibe was locked in and our planner/bride relationship was sealed.

They designed the florals to be filled with rich shades of burgundy, merlot and crimson to balance out the pops of black and gold throughout the ceremony + reception.

Their cake, designed by Sweet Fix, featured hand-carved cherubs on an ivory and gold two-tier cake.

Tell us about the Southern Gothic wedding ceremony

Their ceremony was held before gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows in the mansion with free-standing architectural pieces to frame the couple.

Finally, here's a snippet of their vows to one another – we'll be featuring them in toto next week:

“…to place my focus on being better, not being right, because I know accountability and self-awareness reflect true relational maturity. To celebrate and encourage you – stepping back when it’s your moment to step up. To be unconditionally invested with my time, energy, and finances in order to provide for our new family. And finally, to never laugh at your choices… because I am one of them.