Kelly and Michael’s fall wedding at Silverbrook Farm embraced the natural beauty of the Virginia countryside with elegance and warmth. Their vision, crafted with planner Jane Kestner of Cheers Darling Events, combined vintage textures, velvet seating, and antique tabletop details to create a timeless celebration. The warm-toned florals by Wollam Gardens framed their ceremony arch, softened each table, and echoed the colors of autumn around them.
As the sun set, string lights and taper candles filled the evening with a golden glow, while the couple and their guests danced under the stars. Every detail was heartfelt yet effortless — from the personal beverage program honoring family traditions to the curated wine selection that made the reception feel like an intimate dinner party. Rooted in romance and a love of community, Kelly and Michael’s wedding was as joyful as it was beautiful.
“Our shared life together is bigger, better, and more amazing than any one of our singular visions.”
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
Like many others, we are a product of the Hinge dating app. Our first date was at a local DC bar/restaurant on a Sunday evening in the fall. Michael thought Kelly was kind, warm, and intelligent. He literally had butterflies leaving the first date because he had a hunch this could be the one. After a string of bad dates, Kelly was pleasantly surprised to discover countless shared interests with Michael, like their mutual love of building community. She ended up breaking her rule of one date per week…she saw Michael for three dates just that first week!
Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship!
We are torn between two stories!
We had our wedding on the most beautiful farm in the Virginia countryside (Silverbrook Farm). The lovely venue owner has been hosting weddings at her farm for decades. Our wedding was the FIRST to ever receive a noise complaint from a neighboring farm. We’d like to think that’s just a testament to our band and the amount of fun everyone had!
We had a church ceremony the day before our larger farm wedding and Michael was adamant about wearing a bow tie, not the clip on kind. He woke up early and had a leisurely breakfast with his parents before the ceremony thinking he had plenty of time — but he completely forgot how to tie the bow tie and was late to his own wedding — he was so late the organist ran out of songs to play. Finally, his Mom helped him out after watching YouTube videos. He made it but had the priest and families sweating! Moral of the story — practice your bow tie ahead of time.
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
While there wasn’t one hurdle that sticks out to us, we did begin wedding planning with very different visions. We had to learn how to respectfully develop a shared vision. Michael, comes from a big midwestern family, was eager to host a traditional 200+ person blow out. Kelly was dreaming of a 20-30 person intimate outdoor gathering. We worked together to come up with a shared vision that was better than either of our singular ideas – a 100 person ceremony with mountains, a dinner party under the stars, followed by an epic barn dance party.
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
We used the beverage program as a way to tie in family traditions. As a nod to Michael’s German heritage and Northern Kentucky roots, we served Hofbrauhaus beer and Michael’s Dad, over many months, sourced a solid bourbon selection. Kelly paid tribute to her Floridian upbringing with her signature Rum Punch beverage served throughout the night.
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
Writing our own vows was extremely important to the both of us and allowed us to outwardly express our promises for our marriage in front of all our friends, family, and support system.
What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another?
This ties back to the previous question – but we are learning that our shared life together is bigger, better, and more amazing than any one of our singular visions. We make room for individuality, but it’s amazing what two brains bring to the table – this applies from everything like our honeymoon, a combined beach / hiking extravaganza [overwater bungalow in Tahiti – Michael’s idea, New Zealand hiking and fjord cruise – Kelly’s idea], to small moments like what we are having for dinner – veggie forward (Kelly) but on the grill (Michael).
What is your favorite thing about each other?
Michael loves that Kelly is calm and cool headed – she is super steady and provides a beautiful foundation for Michael to feel at home. Kelly appreciates Michael’s love of adventure and the passion and care he puts towards everything he does.
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
We really enjoyed curating a fun drink menu and enlisted a local woman-owned wine shop in DC (Nido) to help us source unique wines for our guests. The owner went way above and beyond and invited her distributor who brought his pet iguana to the beverage tasting. We probably went a little overboard, but ended up having about 12+ different beverages (including many non-alcoholic options) for folks to choose from throughout the evening including orange wine and a piquette instead of champagne.
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. When you’re wedding planning there’s a lot of pressure to have the perfect tablescape, decor, etc. Decision fatigue is real and sometimes you just need to make a decision and move on. No one will notice that the votives don’t perfectly match or that you’re missing a bar sign. The same goes for the day of – it goes by so quickly, so don’t waste a single moment worrying about logistics or decor — just enjoy yourself!
What is the most honest thing you can say about love?
Love is a team sport. It’s about being there for each other — on the joyful days, like your wedding day, and on those days when one or both of you is hurting or going through something difficult. It’s not always the easiest thing, but it’s certainly dang rewarding.
Photography: Nessa K Photography / @nessakphotography
Venue: Silverbrook Farm / @silverbrookfarmweddings
Hair & Makeup: Georgetown Brides / @georgetownbride
DJ: Double E Entertainment
Planning: Cheers Darling Events / @cheersdarling_events
Catering: Spilled Milk Catering / @spilledmilkdc
Florals: Wollam Gardens / @wollamgardens
Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate
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