Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Wedding at Bloemendaal House in Summer

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Wedding | Erin + Alex

Virginia Wedding Photographers Botanical Gardens

Erin and Alex’s Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Wedding at Bloemendaal House in summer was made even more special when their beloved pup stopped by for portraits!

Alex and Erin met while they were attending James Madison University here in Virginia. A friend set them up to attend a date party together, and they’ve been each other’s dates ever since. On one of their adventures together, they went on a four-day hike in Peru. When they got to the top of Machu Picchu, Alex proposed. Erin was amazed and adoringly said yes!

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens is a gorgeous wedding venue and one of the country’s prettiest botanical gardens. The sprawling grounds at the property are stunning and offer a romantic garden setting so many beautiful locations for ceremonies and receptions, including Bloemendaal House.

Their wedding day started perfectly, while the couple enjoyed spending time with their wedding party before their ceremony. Alex and Erin wrote letters to one another to read while they were getting ready. Erin’s letter to Alex was accompanied by the gift of a new watch for him to wear that day. Erin enjoyed reading her letter from Alex in the outside gazebo, surrounded by gorgeous flowers and greenery. His letter to her brought a beautiful smile to her face that only a woman in love reveals.

Erin shared a first look with her father before they walked down the aisle together. He had the biggest smile when he turned around to see how fantastic his daughter looked.

They had a storybook ceremony in front of a luscious white arbor covered in florals. During their ceremony, all of their guests reached their hands out to pray for Alex and Erin. This was a special touch for them as they became husband and wife. After the ceremony, family portraits were taken, and of course, their sweet pup Oslo joined in for some camera time! (And stole the show—he could be a dog model!)

Their reception was full of fun, as they shared a first dance and then danced with their parents. During toasts, Erin stood up to say a few words, and then went sprinting across the reception site to join her sisters for a surprise dance routine! The sisters first started performing for their family when they were small children, and you could see how delighted family and friends were that the girls had revised their act!

A funnel cake truck made an appearance for their guests to enjoy later in the evening, and Erin took hers right out on the dance floor so she wouldn’t have to stop dancing while she ate her treat. To thank their family and friends, they kept with the garden theme and gave plants as their thank you gifts. Needless to say, their guests felt truly loved. Their fantastic day ended with their guests lined up with a streamer exit for them.

Thank you, Alex and Erin, for allowing me to be such a big part of your day! It was great meeting all of your wonderful family and friends. I wish you all the best!

Here are some of my favorites from their Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Wedding at Bloemendaal House this summer!