Richmond Micro Wedding | Claire & Phillip

Micro Wedding Richmond, VA

Claire and Phillip gave up their dream of a historic Main Street Station wedding and opted for a Richmond micro wedding instead. And everything turned out perfectly—complete with a horse-drawn carriage to whisk the couple away at night’s end!

As Fall drew to a close, Virginia saw a rise in COVID numbers across the state, and mandates for social gatherings grew increasingly stricter. When they realized they would no longer be able to hold their large wedding reception in January at their Richmond wedding venue, they forged a Plan B so they wouldn’t have to wait to marry.

So instead of postponing their wedding, Claire and Phillip preponed their big day and moved it outdoors. They were hoping by moving it up seven weeks that they’d have a better chance for warmer weather. And their 65+ degree wedding turned out to be a dream!

A family member offered to host the wedding on their property, and the lawn looked like it was always meant to have this wedding take place there. The ceremony itself backed up to woods and was the perfect size for the now smaller guest list.

One chair on the front row was reserved for the guests who couldn’t attend in person. In it, a laptop computer sat prepped to live stream. (A familiar sight at most 2020 weddings.) Various family members waved at the screen and welcomed their virtual guests before the ceremony began, making a few introductions to some of the in-person guests.

Highlights of the processional included a bridesmaid escorting the adorable baby girl who served as flower girl, and a grandmother escorting the ring bearer who happened to be the couple’s beloved dog.

Phillip and Claire both teared up as she walked down the aisle, prompting the officiant to make a joke to make them laugh. The officiant went on to tell the couple a story about how tiny acts of kindness can go a long way in a marriage. He shared that he used to leave notes on tiny scraps of paper for his wife on their fridge. Years later, he found a box in the closet and told his wife he thought a rat had made a nest in it! She told him to look closer, and he saw that the box contained 20 years’ worth of notes written on paper scraps.

Phillip is already starting his own tradition of reminding Claire how much he loves her. He had a hand-written note addressed to ‘the most beautiful bride’ delivered to Claire as she was getting ready.

After the ceremony, we took their family formals, wedding party photos and couple portraits while the guests enjoyed cocktail hour. One of my favorite portrait locations was inside the greenhouse that a family member had completely transformed into a Christmas wonderland!

When the reception came to an end, the guests lined the walk to the horse-drawn carriage for the couple’s exit. “Take us to the Jefferson!” Phillip joked to the driver. And while that was no longer a possibility from their Plan B reception site, I bet the ride down the country roads in the moonlight was even more romantic.

Claire & Phillip, your wedding day ended up being absolutely perfect. I’m so impressed with how you rolled with the punches and turned lemons into lemonades. May you always look at one another like you did on this day!

Here are a few of my favorite images from Claire & Phillip’s Richmond, VA Micro Wedding!