Richmond magazine - June 2023

PERSONAL TOUCH

Stylist helps businesswomen look and feel their best

By Ananya Chetia

Growing up watching her mother coordinate fashion shows around Richmond and exercising her power to support other women inspired Lakisha Greene to build her own company, House of Le’laMone’ ( houseoflelamone.com ), which styles women to feel good inside and out.

Greene, a fashion designer, established her wardrobe styling company in 2013. At first, the business was facing di culties, she says. “My struggle was trying to figure out my place and trying to figure out my clientele,” she says.

With time, Greene recognized her company attracted female entrepreneurs. By solidifying her audience and marketing strategies in 2016, Greene says she became not only a stylist for women but also worked to style their businesses. “I’ve always had a deep connection with women,” she says. “ ey always end up telling me a story of their journey of where they are trying to go and how they are trying to get there.”

Greene says she ensures her clients feel physically and mentally beautiful by going through an initial consulting process that includes determining a woman’s personal style and finding

what feels comfortable for her.

She asks clients, “Who are you becoming as an entrepreneur and businesswoman?” is helps them stylistically and also challenges them to envision themselves as leaders for their businesses. Consulting, Greene says, is her signature strategy in discovering what works best for her clients.

“It’s such a blessing to help them along the way,” she says.

House of Le’laMone’ is located at 1731 Wall St., Suite 3655. Greene o ers services for customizing a personal wardrobe to best suit a woman’s body type and lifestyle and creating her business’s look.

Greene has also branched out and started Le’laMone’ Beauty (lelamone beauty.com ), a cruelty-free cosmetics line. She runs multiple brands, all with the purpose of serving women and making them feel confident, she says.

Despite running a business for several years, Greene says she is always learning on the job and wants to ensure her company is relatable and accessible. She says that she hopes to expand her company and become a global name.

“ is journey, to me, is about growth,” she says. “It’s personal.” R

Lakisha Greene, owner of House of Le’laMone’, aims to help businesswomen nd their style and focus.

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MORE CHEESE, PLEASE

A Staunton cheesemaker is one of Richmond’s sought-after purveyors

By Stephanie Ganz

Aline of shoppers winds around the Pizza Bones parking lot in Church Hill on a recent Saturday morning. But they’re not here for the pizza; instead, they’ve come for cheese made by Ballerino Creamery.

e Staunton-based creamery’s smallbatch, natural-rind cheeses range from fresh pot cheese, a so selection that lands somewhere between co age cheese and the slightly firmer farmer cheese, to caveaged wonders reminiscent of European varieties. e seasonally inspired, highly varied and variable offerings are only available at the Staunton Farmers Market, the Nelson County Farmers Market and, to the delight of many Richmonders, at the Saturday market at Pizza Bones.

“I’ve been traveling around di erent places in the city following Ballerino Creamery since the day I had my first bite,” Ballerino superfan Sarah Milston says. “I lament weekly that they are only here once a month. Each market we always buy one of everything they have.”

For Louella Hill, owner of the creamery, cheese making is a bit like parenting: “We think we control it,” she muses, “when really, we have to be like humble shepherds.” Hill, a mother of two boys, shepherds her cheeses into the world from the site of the 1940s-era Augusta Dairies near her home in Staunton.

Hill sources organic milk from a nearby farm and produces each batch by hand, pressing in fresh flowers or fig leaves or dipping the finished products in beeswax before bundling them in compostable packaging. At the markets,

each sample from Ballerino is paired with a backstory from Hill and cheesemonger Malintha Custer, who transports the cheeses to Richmond each month. Like good bartenders, Hill and Custer have a way of learning the tastes and preferences of their regulars.

Visiting Ballerino’s table at the Pizza Bones market is an exercise in trust. Leave your list at home and come with an open mind, ready to explore, and enjoy, whatever delights Custer describes and samples. On one visit, you may be re-warded with a dilly pot cheese, adorned with spring blooms and

sprigs of the herb. e following, perhaps you’ll find a wedge of Alpine-style Starfall, a nu y pressed cheese that’s delicious in quiche. Another encounter might reveal a petite wheel of Pa y Cake, a luxurious double-creme cheese that tastes as if it were plucked from a fromagerie in France.

“My cheese stand is a bit more like a vegetable stand,” Hill says. “We don’t walk up to a vegetable stand in April and say, ‘Where [are] the cauliflower?’ We naturally understand that there’s a deep seasonality and that every week it’s going to be di erent.”

ere’s also at least one inten-

Ballerino Creamery mongers Kevin and Malintha Custer at the Pizza Bones market

Culinary Delights

CHEF CLAUDINE JOHNSON EADDY SERVES UP A MENU OF FAVORITES AND ADVICE FOR HIRING A CATERER

By GENEVELYN STEELE

“IT’S CHRISTMAS. I’m unpacking Christmas,” says Claudine Johnson Eaddy, owner and executive chef of Au tumn’s Catering & Café, as she opens boxes of spices. Her husband, Greg Eaddy, is threading chicken skewers, singing “It’s gonna be May” in reply, to the tune of the song “It’s Gonna Be Me” by pop band ’N Sync.

Chef Johnson Eaddy inhales deeply from the box of boutiqueblended Mexican spices. “I love playing around with new spice blends. These are expensive,” she says, her eyes dancing behind oversized glasses.

Johnson Eaddy is a classically trained chef with a French background. After 25 years in the culinary game, she still has fun in the kitchen, and she knows how to serve on the client’s budget.

A graduate of the former New York Restaurant School in Manhattan, John son Eaddy left her “cushy, corporate accounting job with benefits” in the late ’90s, to follow her passion cook ing. Now she channels deliciousness, helping folks craft perfect budgetcon scious catering menus for their wedding day. Helming Autumn’s Catering & Café (autumnscustomcatering.com) makes her happy in a way accounting didn’t.

“Working at different places and watching brides go broke, it broke my heart. I saw brides open their gift enve lopes to pay the bar bill,” she says.

Johnson Eaddy moved to Rich mond in 2001 and opened Autumn’s in Lakeside in 2003. Last March, she moved operations to Paragon Place in the West End. She conducts her catering business from a cafe that’s open MondayThursday. In addi tion to celebrating her 20th year in business, she made The Knot's “Best of Weddings” list and was a winner of Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice Awards for the second time.

Richmond Bride sat down with Johnson Eaddy (who hadn’t sat down all day) to ask her advice on planning a spectacular but affordable event.

RICHMOND BRIDE: Can you o er guidance on menu crafting?

CLAUDINE JOHNSON

EADDY: Start with the foods you absolutely love. Expand from that, talk about what allergies or restrictions your guests have. It’s your day. If you want grandma’s recipe, we’ll make it. Grandma doesn’t need to make food for 200.

RB: How much should someone budget for a guest list of 100?

JOHNSON EADDY: For food, at least $6,000 to $7,000. Much of that expense covers rising ingredients, sta ng and travel costs. I encourage clients to keep their total wedding costs to $25,000 max. You can host a very nice wedding for less.

RB: What is your advice to the newly engaged?

JOHNSON EADDY: Think date, location, catering, photographer; then focus on finding and scheduling

everything else. A wedding photographer only does one wedding a day, whereas you’ll have more time to find the perfect wedding dress.

RB: When should couples book their caterer?

JOHNSON EADDY: Peak season is March-June and September-December. If your event falls within these months, especially May and October, think at least a year out. We book quickly and we still get

Claudine Johnson Eaddy, owner of Autumn’s Catering & Café

S o M e TH i NG GREEN

by CHRISTINE WINDER

WEDDING MARKS THE START OF A LIFELONG PARTNERSHIP. Un fortunately, love isn’t the only thing that’s lifelong about your big day.

Kate Harrison, author of “The Green Bride Guide,” reports that the average wedding produces 400 pounds of waste and 63 tons of carbon dioxide. Multiply those numbers by the 2.6 million weddings that took place in the U.S. last year, according to The Knot’s 2022 Real Weddings Study, and that’s more than 1 billion pounds of waste and nearly 164 million tons of carbon dioxide. According to the Solid Waste Association of North America, some of this waste will take hundreds of years to break down.

What contributes to this waste? Almost every aspect of a wedding. Invitations, programs, food, decor, flowers, napkins and favors often end up being thrown away. Things like travel, nonecofriendly labor practices and the importing of goods and materials also add to the overall carbon footprint.

Noelle Parent, owner of Blue Sage Bridal, has been in the wedding industry for 20 years and has seen “an incredible amount of waste” during this time. “Food goes in the trash. Decor goes in the trash. Flowers go in the trash. Basically, a wedding is a disposable event,” she says.

Previously working in the event industry and seeing firsthand how much waste is produced is what led Kristi Kim to aim to make more sustainable choices for her wedding to Zach Hernandez at Havana ’59. As of press time she was planning her May 2023 wedding. “It always really bothered me,” she says, referring to the amount of work and products that she’s seen go into creating a beautiful event, only for it to be thrown away at the end of the night.

This large carbon footprint can be a dilemma for couples who want to be ecofriendly and have the day of their dreams, but options are available to help curb the environmental impact of weddings.

Jennifer Bennour, an ecoconscious planner and owner of Fête du Jour Events, says, “People might say ‘It’s just one day, it won’t make a difference if we don’t make some swaps.’ But with about 2 million weddings happening in the U.S. every year, each one can absolutely make a difference.”

A ECO-FRIENDLY WEDDINGS MAKE A BIG IMPACT WITHOUT IMPACTING THE PLANET

illustrations by CARSON MCNAMARA

CL o TH i NG

ACCORDING to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, more than 34 billion pounds of textiles are discard ed every year with 66% ending up in landfills. Most of this waste is produced by fast fashion brands, including those in the wedding industry. A way to combat this is to opt for rental or consignment suits and dresses for your big day.

Blue Sage Bridal offers both sample and consignment gowns. Parent says that most wedding gowns are made to order overseas, which requires manufacturers to source fabric and materials then ship the gown to the buyer. This process creates waste and emissions, but purchasing a dress from a store like Parent’s can help offset these nega tive effects on the environment.

“The clothing industry has a huge impact on the envi ronment in terms of labor and the products [dresses] are made of,” Parent says. “If you’re choosing a dress that’s been worn before, that’s two or three people who have not had to put a new dress into production.”

Shoppers at Blue Sage Bridal often purchase consign ment dresses for costsaving and sustainability purposes, but others are still only interested in buying something

new. Parent contends this is due to misconceptions about wearing a secondhand gown.

“There’s a lot of stigma around consigned wedding dresses, that they come from divorces, which is not the case. A majority of the dresses we get are from people happily married but [who] don’t want to hang onto their wedding dress or they bought a dress and changed their mind and brought their first dress to us,” she says.

Blue Sage Bridal encourages brides to look through their consignment and sample inventory even if they come in thinking they want a madetoorder dress. “It’s sad to me that they’re closing themselves off from a sustainable dress,” Parent says. “I’d like to see more brides wearing a consignment dress.”

In addition to brides making sustainable choices for their dresses, Bennour recommends trying to cut down on singlewear clothing for the wedding party, too, to avoid pieces potentially ending up in landfills. “Let your wedding party pick their own dresses. They will have a better chance of wearing it more than once if it’s something they like,” she says.

daughter down the aisle, Kerry recovered enough to achieve his goal. Sheltering Arms even created a short video featuring the Fairview Farm wedding (streaming on You Tube under the title “Father of the Bride”).

“If I could relive that day multiple times, I would,” Allen says of her wedding. “Not one thing went wrong. All the food tasted great, the venue was beautiful, everything was turnkey as soon as you ar rived. I might be biased, but it was the best wedding I’ve ever been to.”

NAVIGATING CHALLENGES

Blanton suffered a stroke in 2019 on the Friday morning of a twowedding week end. He was rushed to JohnstonWillis Hospital, where he spent the next 40 days. “I can only imagine what the couples were thinking,” Debbie says. “If I were a bride, I would be freaking out that the owner has had a stroke.” The Gordons credit their staff and family members with ensuring the weekend events continued as planned. They note that Colon, their soninlaw Brett and their son, Brice, stepped up while Blanton was in the hospital.

Blanton continues physical therapy to this day. He’s regained much of his mobility but can’t resume all of his former activities and duties. “It’s a slow process, but I always see improvements,” Blanton says. “I was a very active person and now I can’t run. There’s so many things you can’t do, but it’s getting better.”

As Blanton worked to recover, the COVID19 pandemic hit, forcing the post ponements of many weddings and putting the farm in financial jeopardy. “The only thing that saved us is the Small Business Administration loan, and we’ll owe that for the next 30 years,” Debbie says. They also received two small grants from the federal government and Powhatan County.

“You adapt as needed,” Blanton says. “You worry about the monetary aspect that keeps everything going, but with me the biggest worry is, if they’re not booking, why is that? Is there something we’re doing that’s not right or needs to be changed?

Before the stroke, before the pandemic, it seems like people were here all the time, and now something has changed.” With staffing and supply shortages, rising costs and spreading financial insecurity, Blanton believes the economy hasn’t fully recov ered from the pandemic. “There’s still plenty of things for people to worry about. The economy is really the biggest one, and the jury’s still out on whether the economy

is going to get better or not.”

Fortunately, given the trials of the past few years, the Gordons have finished rehabbing the historic structures. “We’ve had to go through such a challenging time, we really need to just not spend a bunch of money for a while, anyway,” Blanton says with a rueful chuckle.

WHEN YOU’RE HERE, YOU’RE FAMILY

Fairview Farm continues to be a family af fair. The Gordons’ oldest daughter, Mallory, lives behind the venue, and a cousin runs a farming operation on the edge of the land. Blanton enjoys welcoming couples who come on tours by sharing the farm’s family history. “I was so involved with it for so long as my home and a farm when my grandfa ther did it,” Blanton says. “I’m just telling people what it was and how it was, and a lot of people have appreciated that fact. They like the fact that it’s not just a venue.”

The welcoming environment appeals to

clients and vendors alike. Cinematographer Keith Reagan of Reagan Studios, a videogra pher and preferred vendor at the farm, says one of his favorite things about the venue is being greeted with a smile. “One of the neat things about Fairview is, every time we roll up in our van … you can almost start the clock: 5, 4, 3, and a little golf cart is going to pull up and the owner, Blanton, or the manager, Colon, would greet us,” Reagan says. “Before we even finish getting our equipment out of that car, they roll up on us and make sure we have everything we need and make sure everything is OK. We get to start the day feeling special.”

As for the future, the Gordons plan to continue sharing their home, allowing others to make precious memories just as they have with their own family.

Chelsea Moring, the wedding planner, says, “Their 10year anniversary, that’s a big milestone. I’m excited to see where it goes, what the future holds and what other clients come to Fairview, because they’re going to get a really, really great experience.”

Courtesy Chelsea Moring

A Backyard Fiesta

MAY 14, 2022

Asecond chance at love began for Laura Ellis and Mike Hedrick when they met at work in 2016. A year later, Laura and Mike who were each previously married reconnected outside of their employment and began dat ing. They got engaged over dinner at The Inn at Little Washington in 2021, after which they celebrated with a vacation at the Salamander Middleburg Resort & Spa.

Laura and Mike decided to tie the knot during a private ceremony in Riviera Maya, Mexico, on Feb. 14, 2022. Exactly three months later, they celebrated their nuptials with a grand Mexicanthemed fiesta, hosted at the home of a friend who lives in the couple’s neighborhood, Glen Allen’s Moun tain Run at The Federal Club. About 120 family members and friends attended the tented backyard soiree, which was envisioned and planned by the bride. “I absolutely love plan ning parties,” she says. “I’ve done birthday parties for my children for years. It was a lot of fun to put it all together.”

Guests dined on Mexicaninspired fare throughout the evening. Appetizers included crabmeat and mango salad served in a cup made from cucumbers and spicy black bean empanadas, a raw seafood bar and a tapas station with Mexican fruit salad, street corn, Spanish meatballs and more. There was also a taco bar with shrimp and grits, barbecue chicken, Asian pork and chipotle chicken tacos. Desserts included traditional Mexican wedding cookies, key lime pie tartlets, sopapillas, mini cups of tres leches cake and churros.

The groom’s Richmondbased band, Mashup & Cozy Condition, performed at the celebration (read more about it on Page 80). One of the couple’s favorite moments was when the bride’s 13yearold daughter got onstage with the band and performed “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice. “She had memorized all the words and did the whole song perfectly,” Laura says. “I’ll never forget it it was hilarious.”

FESTIVE FLORALS: For the elevated table centerpieces, florist MaryAnn Webb of MaryAnn Blooms imported exotic flowers from Thailand, Costa Rica, Peru and Hawaii.

SHAKE IT OFF: Guests partied the night away with teal and magenta maracas from San Antoniobased party supply and decor company Amols’.

(Opposite page)

TOGETHER FOREVER: Laura purchased her satin flounce V-neck gown by Mac Duggal from Saks Fifth Avenue.

“It reminded me of the outfits worn by flamenco dancers,” she says.

Mike’s navy suit is from online retailer SuitShop.

Photos by ELLE LAPPAN PHOTOGRAPHY

FLORIST: MaryAnn Blooms

CATERER: Garnish

HAIR AND MAKEUP: Amanda M. Perry

(Opposite page)

JUST DANCE: The newlyweds smiled and laughed on the dance floor as the groom’s mother and his oldest son danced across from them. The groom’s band, Mashup & Cozy Condition, provided the accompaniment.

(Clockwise, from top left)

BON VOYAGE: The party favors table was decorated to reflect an international travel theme. The favors — bottle openers shaped like airplanes — were purchased from familyowned online business Beau-coup.

BOOZY BASH: The couple stood next to a round arbor from Paisley & Jade and greeted party guests with a signature cocktail, either a strawberry mojito or margarita. There was also a vintage mobile caravan bar from Get Cozy.

DOWN BY THE SEA: Laura and Mike love seafood, so they set up a raw bar featuring fresh James River oysters, jumbo cocktail shrimp and limescallion tuna ceviche, served in a rustic metal trough rented from Paisley & Jade.

BE MINE: This neon sign from Etsy seller Custom Gift King and hedge walls from RentE-Quip served as a popular photo backdrop for the couple and their guests.

SPARKLE ON: The bride’s engagement ring and wedding band are from Jared. Invitations and welcome signage were purchased from Minty Paperie on Etsy.

JOSANNE & LEE

That First Kiss

NOV. 22, 2020

Photos by JESSICA CAPOZZOLA, FOCUS ON JOY PHOTOGRAPHY

Though Josanne “Josie” Logan and Lee Callicutt attended the same Christian ministries conference in Atlanta in January 2020, they didn’t meet there. It was only when they each tagged the conference on social media that they stumbled upon each other. What began as DMs bloomed into an inperson date in May 2020, with pizza in a park ing lot and a walk around Maymont.

With Josie being from North Carolina and Lee from Maryland, Richmond was a good halfway point for the two. They continued to meet regularly at Richmondarea locations until Lee proposed at May mont in August 2020.

“We fundamentally had so much in common, and everything else was just almost downhill our personalities, our sense of humor,” Lee says. “She’s beautiful just inside and out.”

Just three months after their engagement, Josie and Lee held a wedding at The Renaissance. Due to COVID19 restrictions, their ceremony included 75 guests, but only 25 could attend the reception. The couple’s solution was to include all the traditional elements the first dances, cake cutting and toasts in the ceremony. Josie says the ceremony encompassed everything except the actual meal. And for the guests who couldn’t attend the reception, The Renaissance packed to go boxes of food, cake and mini bottles of Champagne.

The couple’s first kiss was in the presence of friends and family. Josie says, “We did not kiss until the officiant said, ‘You may kiss your bride.’” Lee adds, “And we’re still kissing.”

Reception attendees enjoyed a dinner featuring chicken marsala and roast beef. Sides included green beans, mashed potatoes and an arugula salad with raspberry dressing. The cutting cake, made by Incredible Edibles Bakery, was vanilla with a raspberry filling; guests were treated to sheet cake featuring the same flavors.

Josie says her favorite moment of the day goes back to that first kiss. “It just was so worth the wait, and it was sweet, because when I think about it, it’s like he purposefully saved himself for me and realized that I was worth the wait for him it was just so special.”

HAND IN HAND: Josie initially didn’t consider an arbor for the ceremony, but as the big day approached, she asked King William Florist if they could create one, giving them freedom in the design. The first time she saw the final product was on the wedding day. She says it’s exactly what she was looking for.

HE’S GOT THIS: Using an online template, the couple created their invitation suite incorporating their wedding colors of navy, burgundy, dark violet and soft pink. “Lee really enjoys designing things, so he pretty much took the reins on it,” Josie says. “He pretty much did it by himself.”

(Opposite page)

AT FIRST TOUCH: Josie and Lee didn’t want a first look, but instead opted for a first touch on Quirk Hotel’s rooftop prior to the ceremony. Josie was able to see Lee, but photographer Jessica Capozzola had to get creative with her shots to keep the groom from seeing the bride prior to her march down the aisle. Josie’s ivory and soft blush Stella York gown is from The Bridal Boutique in Columbia, Maryland.

COORDINATOR: Emmett Hickam, The Renaissance

FLORIST: King William Florist

CATERER: The Renaissance

CAKE AND SHEET CAKE: Incredible Edibles Bakery

CEREMONY MUSIC: Andreea (violin); Michael Faircloth (piano)

DJ: Andrew Nelson, Black Tie Entertainment

LIGHTING: Leap

MAKEUP: Nicole Laughlin, The Beauty Soiree

(Opposite page)

BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS: The bride requested eucalyptus for her bouquet but gave King William Florist the creative freedom to produce the assemblage of florals. “I just knew it was going to look good,” she says. The bouquet includes roses, ranunculus, dahlias, eryngiums and hypericum berries.

(Clockwise from top left)

THE DUNDIES: Josie and Lee are fans of the NBC sitcom “The O ce,” so when Josie found customizable Dundie Awards based on the show on Etsy, she knew it was the perfect wedding gift for Lee, who is a pastor.

BETTER TOGETHER:

The couple’s first dance was to Jack Johnson’s “Better Together,” so they fittingly adorned their cutting cake with this topper purchased on Etsy. The cake, created by Incredible Edibles Bakery, is vanilla with a raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream icing.

JUST THE GUYS: Lee purchased his Tommy Hilfiger suit online, and it arrived fitted to his measurements. “It was kind of a gamble because he had never purchased a suit online, but he kept saying when he got it, it was the best-fitting suit he ever had,” Josie says.

LIGHT THE WAY:

The bride purchased lanterns from a local craft store, and King William Florist painted them navy to match her wedding colors. The florist placed fairy lights inside and added florals.

Beauty BOMBSHELL

Five-diamond customer service paired with all things unexpected and unconventional set the stage for your experience at Bombshell! Now with three booming locations in Richmond and a fourth in downtown Las Vegas, you can style with ease. Bombshell is a full-service salon with a retro vibe offering everything from practically painless Brazilian waxing, advanced skin care treatments  including red light therapy and Micro Needling with steam cells , custom air-brush tanning and fabulous Hair services! Looking to live “La Dolce Vita” at your wedding? Let Bombshell take care of you for your special day! ilovebombshell.com

Dessert

PUBLIX BAKERY

Your wedding is a special and cherished moment in your life, and you deserve the perfect cake. One that’s delicious and beautifully decorated to match your colors and reception. Count on Publix to give you the very best at a great price. We’ll make a custom cake that feeds as many people as you need and looks the way you want. As you browse our cakes and begin selecting flavors, know that we can customize nearly anything. Prefer a color other than the one shown? Want more tiers? Want a different shape? We can do it! Let’s start planning today. publix.com/ido

PUBLIX WEDDING SERVICES

Bring your vision to life with Publix. Wedding cakes are our specialty, and we pride ourselves on making it just the way you want. We’ll customize just about anything! Whether you’re looking for multiple tiers to feed a crowd or a specific flavor or filling, we’ll make sure it looks as amazing as it tastes. You’ll also find our floral collections are comprehensive and available in a variety of colors and packages. We provide everything from the bridal bouquet and aisle markers to the centerpieces and garland. Publix is here to help you every step of the way. publix.com/wedding

Flowers

VOGUE FLOWERS

Vogue Flowers is a local, family-owned florist that has been supplying RVA with beautiful blooms, professional design, and excellent customer service since 1985! With an eye for luxury, trending styles and the promise of unbeatable prices, any bride is sure to have her expectations exceeded. Offering everything from bouquets to boutonnieres, from tablescapes to on-site installations, Vogue does it all! Vogue even offers a DIY workshop, wholesale pricing, and precise, temperature-controlled refrigeration for our Do-It-Yourself brides. Book a complimentary consultation and share your vision with Vogue so they can take your unique style to the next level. Call 804-353-9600 or email us at weddings@ vogueflowers.com to book your appointment. vogueflowers.com.

Gi s & Home FRAÎCHE

For the elegant, modern bride: Fraîche’s bridal registry is personal and user-friendly giving our brides the option to edit and add products from home or face-to-face. The Fraîche way is in the details, carrying the finest lines of china to intricate, textural linens — from tabletop to bedroom. Refined and casual, we balance chic furnishings with unique accents, entertaining essentials and always have the perfect gift for any occasion. fraichehome.com

Gowns

PURITAN CLEANERS

Bridal gown preservation from Puritan Cleaners is a wonderful wedding gift. Our specialists can clean and press your gown, removing soil and “invisible” stains that ruin fine fabrics, trims and decorations. Then your gown will be carefully packaged in a triple-sealed, custom designed box to protect it from air, sunlight, moisture and insects. It will remain in pristine condition until you open it again. Let Puritan Cleaners preserve your beautiful gown for the next generation. puritancleaners.com

Honeymoon JOURNEYS INC.

Journeys Inc. can personalize any type of honeymoon or wedding getaway. Whether you’re looking for a tropical retreat, a relaxing cruise, or even an adventurous zip line through the rainforest, our Certified Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialists can create the perfect honeymoon for you. Journeys has consistently won the Wedding Wire Couples Choice Award & Richmond Bride A-List Award because our honeymoon and destination wedding clients rated us the best in the Richmond area. Our goal is to plan the most amazing vacation for you by working with our key onsite contacts to ensure a seamless vacation. Contact us at hello@journeystravelinc.com or journeystravelinc.com.

Invitations

MERRYMAKER

Locally owned since 1979, Merrymaker has been helping Richmond couples express themselves with beautiful wedding invitations for over 40 years. Our Carytown shop is open Monday –Saturday, and we welcome you in to peruse hundreds of samples of invitations, save the dates, programs, menus, napkins and more. Call or email to make an appointment for a design session to get detailed information on pricing and printing options. We look forward to working with you! Merrymaker Fine Paper, 3022 West Cary Street, merrymakerpaper.com and on Instagram.

PAPETERIE FINE STATIONERY & GIFTS

We know that first impressions count! Your invitations are the first glimpse your guests will have into your wedding and one of the few tangible keepsakes of your wedding day. Papeterie has had the pleasure of working with countless brides locally, nationally and internationally to bring their wedding stationery dreams to life. Our custom invitations reflect decades of design experience, unparalleled wedding etiquette knowledge, and the joy of making our client’s design experience fun and memorable. Our design studio consists of