Meagan and Sam went to the same college, but funnily enough (because that’s how fate works sometimes), their paths never crossed until their post-college lives. Thanks to mutual friends, they met up again while they were both living in Arlington and the rest is history. The pair picked picturesque Crosskeys Vineyard because it’s close to their alma mater, James Madison University, and its grounds are impeccable. The drive up (which photographer Awesomesauce Photography got a photo of–win!) is something out of a fairytale with vast greenery, rolling hills manicured with neat rows of growing grapes, and a shadowy mountain face in the background. Though some crazy inclement weather made its way to Meagan and Sam’s wedding day, they soldiered on and by the smiles on everyone’s faces, a great time was had by all.
How did you meet?
We met through mutual friends while living in Arlington after college. We were the same year at James Madison University but somehow never crossed paths!
What is your proposal story?
Sam proposed while we were on vacation in the Amalfi Coast in May 2018. We were watching the sunset and Sam got down on one knee. Afterward, we went back to our Airbnb and got to eat all our delicious leftovers from our Italian cooking class earlier that day along with lots of limoncello and chianti. It was perfect!
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
The most important thing to us was having an awesome party with all our loved ones. The weddings we remembered the most were the ones where everyone was just having a blast regardless of whether it was a really expensive wedding or a low key wedding. We’re also pretty big foodies and it was important that everyone was wowed by the meal! We splurged mostly on the food, drink and DJ for those reasons.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
Our favorite part was the big dance party outside. When you have a hail storm come through 30 minutes before your wedding and everyone’s phones are beeping with tornado warnings, it gets pretty iffy if you’ll be able to go outside at all! The rain stopped just in time for the ceremony then started again during dinner and stopped just in time for everyone to dance the night away outside. We are still amazed at how lucky we got! People still tell us it was one of the best dance parties at a wedding they’d ever seen.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Have fun with it and if something doesn’t go as planned, it’s okay! No one will ever know!