Allie Strouse
- Jul 9, 2018
- 3 min read

Emily + Billy | The Mill at Fine Creek Wedding | Powhatan, Virginia

When thinking ahead to Emily and Billy's early July wedding, we fully expected to be soaked with sweat, sun burned, and taking hydration breaks throughout the day. Instead Emily and Billy worked some of their magic and bought themselves a beautifully sunny day with a high of 81!

We arrived at the Mill at Fine Creek to find Emily in the makeup chair surrounded by her bridesmaids, her mom, and Billy's mom -- all wearing floral print silk robes. 3/5 of her bridesmaids were her sisters so it was such a light hearted atmosphere and everyone was focused on making Emily feel special. As Emily was getting the final touches on her hair and makeup, the girls were putting the final touches on signage. The boys were finishing lunch in the Cottage with the World Cup on in the background and were excited to help Billy kick off his last day as a single man.

Emily and Billy are thoughtful, caring, and sentimental which showed in every detail of their wedding day. Billy brought the classic charm with a three piece suit sporting several pieces of jewelry that hold a special place in both his past and present. His tie was held down by his great grandfather's tie clip, inside of his vest pocket was a railroad pocket watch handed down through his family, and on his wrist was a brand new leather watch given to him by his future bride and a letter sealed with a kiss.

Beyond the watch, Emily had a few thoughtful touches of her own. Her something borrowed and something blue were both heirloom pieces that she showed us with pride. She told anyone who would listen how proud she was of the signage and reception name cards which were hand crafted by her younger sister, Hanna.

A lovely ceremony under the pergola quickly lead to some family portraits and then before we knew it, they were being introduced as a couple for the first time! Their well coordinated first dance ended with a romantic dip and kiss. Emily & Billy then welcomed their guests and brought the entire reception room to tears (including us) when she gushed about the reasons why she loves Billy and how from a young age she knew she would marry a "William" a.k.a. someone like her grandfather. How serendipitous is it that it worked out so well name-wise?! She also became "best bride ever" in our opinion when she used her speech-time to give us a thank you shout out. Our faces were 100% beet red.

A plated salad and buffet dinner followed. Emily and Billy used the time between salads and the main course to walk the room together, table by table, greeting and hugging their guests.

"Toasts" typically equal "roasts" at weddings, but not for Emily and Billy. Billy's brother and best man used his time to let his younger brother know how much he admired him and how thankful he was for Billy's term paper proof reading skills over the years. Emily's sister and maid of honor used her speech to thank Emily for always listening, being honest and direct with her advice, and for encouraging her passion for art. After some sips of champagne and a few hugs it was time to cut the pie....yes pie. No traditional cakes to be found here. Instead they had an assortment of Proper Pie goodies for guests to sample alongside their favorite Gelati Celesti flavors.

Emily and Billy both enjoyed a few moments of their parent dances before inviting all of the father/daughter and mother/son pairs to the dance floor. Minutes later, the dance floor was packed and guests enjoyed everything from Motown to boy band hits.

As the night came to a close, guests lined the driveway with sparklers and streamer poppers in hand. Emily and Billy were all smiles as they exited the venue, stopped for a kiss under a shower of sparks and streamers, then hopped into a chauffeured town car and rode off into the night.

Saturday was one of many chapters in the adventurous story of Emily and Billy. They spent one of the most beautiful days of the year surrounded by friends and family, walking hand in hand, with smiles on their faces and their hearts on their sleeves. Cheers to the new Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins!