Meet Lauren and Wes!

Lauren and Wes got married on June 17th, 2022 at The Seclusion in Lexington, VA, and have been together for five and a half years. They were a blast to work with and had the most beautiful day. After graduating from college, Lauren met Wes through Wes’s cousin who she had become friends with and Wes happened to live across the street from her. He actually helped her move in and kept trying to get a look at his cousin’s “cute new roommate”! They eventually met at a family gathering, and finally started dating a year later!

Wes proposed the weekend before Christmas in Ocean City, Maryland. Lauren says, “I had always wanted to do a bonfire on the beach at Assateague Island and it was an unseasonably warm December day, so we decided to go! The weather was beautiful and there was a gorgeous sunset, so I asked my dad to snap a few photos of us. Wes then got down on one knee during one of the photos and luckily my dad kept snapping away. I was totally shocked and completely surprised! Little did I know that Wes, the guy who hates taking photos, was trying to find the right moment to ask to take a photo without sounding suspicious. I totally teed it up for him without realizing it.”

Lauren and Wes had a beautifully romantic and whimsical style wedding. Due to some crazy rain on their wedding day, their ceremony had to be moved inside but everything turned out beautifully. We were able to switch out the head table for their ceremony flowers and cross and bring in some couches for family to sit in two rows in the front. They were able to get married inside, in front of the fireplace. Their guests sat at their dinner seats and the aisle went right through the middle of the tables.

For Lauren and Wes, “We were really focused on the guest experience. Every person at our wedding played such a huge role in our lives that we wanted to make sure everyone had a great time! Food and music were our top priorities and both of those vendors really delivered.” Their band was the Bachelor Boys Band and their catering was done by Purple Door Gourmet Kitchen.

And what was the best part of your wedding day?

“Having all of our most cherished friends and family in one place. When will that ever happen again?!” We love that!

Lauren and Wes chose the wedding day management package. They had a short, six-month engagement, so they started working with us two months out from their big day! Lauren was no beginner in the field of event planning so we were able to collaborate with her to fill in any gaps she needed help with! “However, looking back, we both say we wish we had done either the Partial or Full Planning package because there really is so much that goes into your big day that we hadn't realized”, Lauren said.

When asked if there were any tips they have for other couples, Lauren said, “Don't skimp on a planner in your budget! We loved that we had check-ins with Julie and she kept us on track with our to-do list. She truly took the stress out of planning and we knew we were in great hands. Julie was absolutely invaluable day-of when we had to quickly switch gears for an indoor ceremony. The engagement season and your wedding day are such special moments and you don't want to look back and only remember being stressed!” Thanks, Lauren!

Lauren’s dress: “I said yes to the dress at Betsy Robinson's Bridal Boutique and chose a Watters wedding dress! It was unlike anything I had ever seen and is so special to me.”

Wes’s tux: Men’s Warehouse

Their venue: “We had known well before getting engaged that we wanted to get married at The Seclusion. We fell in love with it after seeing photos online and reached out the day after getting engaged to schedule a tour! We loved that they included so many beautiful rentals (cross-back chairs, farm tables, chargers, flatware, etc.) in the venue fee, had spacious get-ready locations on site and had the most spectacular view. We also wanted a venue where we loved the inside just as much as the outside in case we needed to move the ceremony inside because of rain. Little did we know that we would actually have to use our backup plan.”