Lauren and Andrew are here to bring all the pretty with their gorgeous Mankin Mansion wedding in Virginia. Their day had a really whimsical feel with pastel tones, pretty blooms and tea party style decorations.
I adore their striking outfits, the garden ceremony complete with a special ritual and the fun firework finale. This is one very sweet day filled with sunshine and smiles.
Thanks ever so much to Willow Britt Studios for sharing with us these divine images.
Mankin Mansion Wedding
The Proposal
We met at a Georgia Tech 8:00 AM fraternity tailgate. Depending on which of us you ask, it was a different game day. Lauren remembers being hungry and meeting a sweet guy who gave her a burger. Andrew remembers meeting a cute girl and not asking for her number right away.
We met again on another game day, but this time, we talked the whole rest of the day. Even though Andrew was leaving for France the following semester, we started talking and decided to give long-distance a shot.
We got engaged in Charleston days before Christmas. Andrew planned the whole day downtown shopping at the Christmas markets, getting Lauren’s favorite queso for lunch, and snuggling with kitties at a local cat cafe before heading to a local park. Andrew asked the question with a custom Cinderella carriage ring box and a surprise photographer!
The Vision
We are huge lovers of fairytales, Disney, and magic but also enjoy spending time outside.
When we started talking about our wedding day, we wanted to combine those loves into a whimsical tea party one could have imagined Alice in Wonderland might have had for her wedding. Lots of flowers, teacups, and personal touches made our wedding vision truly magical.
The Venue
Mankin Mansion is the embodiment of a fairytale garden party with beautiful brick wandering paths, viney arches, adorable garden ornaments, and flowers everywhere! The venue has lots of extra decor that we were able to add as well to further create our vision, details like a chandelier over the arbor and an ornate, antiqued gold cake stand.
After touring and meeting the planning team, we were sold. Gillian was incredible throughout the planning process, guiding us through the schedule of the day, ensuring our vendors were organized and informed, and even placing our decorations before the event.
Your Outfits
Lauren wore a dress by Allure Bridal, purchased from Elegance By Roya in Alexandria, VA. I was going for a princess in a garden look and really wanted a long train, buttons, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and floral details. The dress had a slight blush color, which also fit the theme beautifully.
Once we picked the dress, my bridal consultant selected the 12ft monarch sparkly veil that my sister and I fell in love with immediately. And the pictures with the veil were so incredible! Lauren had 2 different shoes for the evening: the first was blush pink with bows from Badgley Mischka. The second pair were Betsey Johnson sparkly boots that I already owned but are so comfy and perfect for dancing!
Andrew wore a suit from The Black Tux in grey that was perfect with the bridesmaids’ colors and the bride’s dress. His bow tie was a custom floral pattern from Etsy, and he wore airplane socks (because he’s an aerospace engineer and loves airplanes!!).
The Ceremony & Music
Our ceremony was outside under Mankins’s beautiful oak tree and an arbor covered in flowers and a crystal chandelier.
Our music was an instrumental mix of some of our favorite Disney love songs, and the bride walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift.
The ceremony was officiated by the bride’s future brother-in-law and incorporated a wine box ceremony where we sealed a bottle of vintage port wine (our honeymoon was in Portugal), along with our vows, and a photo of the moment to be opened on our one-year anniversary.
Your Photographer
The Willow Britt Studios team was a highlight of the wedding planning process. Our photographer, Emily, was wonderful from start to finish, and we were so lucky to have her as part of our special day.
We first met Emily at our engagement shoot at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, where she got to know us and also taught us how to feel comfortable with the camera. It made our wedding day so fun because we felt like rock stars and could just enjoy the day while also getting an amazing set of memories that will last forever.
Stacie’s editing of our photos gave them that extra edge of wonder and whimsy; we couldn’t have asked for a better team to capture our special day.
The Styling & Decor
Our teapot table settings were by far our favorite personalization. We collected vintage teapots to adorn the tables, and our florist (Flowers by Zoie) understood the vision when she added wildflowers out of the centers.
Zoie also created a fabulous array of florals on the arch, where we also had a crystal chandelier that added to the charm. Vintage tea cups were the guest favors, and they were hand-packaged in adorable little boxes that were so cute!
The Honeymoon
We spent 2 weeks in Portugal exploring, eating, and drinking and had an absolute blast.
We started in the Azores, where we went to a pineapple plantation, whale watching, and hiking during peak hydrangea season. We then headed to Porto, where we had lots of port wine and pastel de natas. We did a short day trip to the Duoro Valley with a small tour group that included a vineyard tour and a 5-course dinner on a homestead, complete with homemade grappa! The highlight stay was in Obidos where we splurged to stay in the tower suite in an 11th-century castle – the view extended for miles around the countryside.
We ended the trip in Lisbon, were we visited Pena palace and did a sunset wine cruise on the Tagus River. Overall such a wonderful romantic and cultural experience that we will not forget.
Memorable Moments
From Lauren: I have 2 absolute favorite moments. One was our first dance. I was panicking beforehand because my dress was a little larger than we’d practiced, and I was worried about tripping on the back. Andrew held me and told me it was ok no matter what, and we went out to the dance floor and it went perfectly, even though we changed parts right in the moment! I’ve never had more fun on the dance floor, and we got to share a really special moment with our family.
My second favorite was the surprise fireworks. I absolutely love fireworks, and we decided to end the night with a dance under the stars that erupted in fireworks halfway through. It was a truly magical way to end the evening.
From Andrew: My favorite memory is the ceremony because I really thought that I would be a nervous wreck for it. But for all my nerves, right when the planners told me to start walking up, everything was so calm. Nothing else mattered because I knew we were about to be married, surrounded by our family and friends.
The vows were amazing, the wine box ceremony was a fun break, and the finale with us walking down the aisle was exactly as I imagined. The only thing that got me was a last-minute addition by the officiant (also my brother-in-law) who wanted to add in a joke at the very beginning of the ceremony that required me to act a bit!
Advice For Other Couples
Start early so that you can enjoy the time, get a great team of wedding professionals to help guide you, and don’t be afraid to DIY to really personalize the day!
Oh, how lovely!
Thanks so much to Lauren and Andrew for sharing with us their stunning Mankin Mansion wedding story.
Further Reading
