Today we are sharing Sara and Joey’s Historic John Marshall Richmond wedding day. They just got here married here in Richmond at the John Marshall ballrooms. 

Sara and Joey kicked off our fall season of craziness, and this was such an amazing wedding to kick off the season.  They had such a great personalities and were there to enjoy the moment and didn’t worry about anything else.  And that is so hard for couples do to, but so great when you see it happen. 

They actually got married earlier this year, but this Historic John Marshall Richmond wedding was the big party and celebration.  They really treated the whole day like it was “the real thing” and they hadn’t gotten married already.  And all the events throughout the day mirrored that. 

They had an adorable first look and such a sweet moment while she was walking down the aisle.  They also both wrote their own vows which we always love. It’s something we wish we had done for our own wedding day but I can promise you that if we had, we wouldn’t have done it as good of a job at Sara and Joey did. Both of ours were so beautiful and so well written. 

Both John Marshall Ballrooms

Sara and Joey actually had their ceremony in the smaller of the two ballrooms at the historic John Marshall. We love the smaller ballroom because it has great big windows and it’s nice and bright and beautiful. It’s actually where we did their first look before going outside for some portraits. 

And then because no one else was getting married on that same day they were actually given the second ballroom for their reception by the John Marshall. It always makes it a really easy transition when that happens because you can go from one ballroom for the ceremony, to the lobby for cocktail hour, to the larger ballroom for the reception for the rest of the evening. 

It was SO nice for portraits that we were able to take portraits right in front, because for once there wasn’t anyone parking outside in the loading zone.  So that was amazing.  We also took them right after the ceremony for a few at a nearby parking deck to get the John Marshall sign in a few. 

Then we came back to kick off the party. And it was such a great party. They had an adorable first dance, really delicious stations set up for the guests, and such a fun dance party. 

The things you should steal from this

Historic John Marshall Richmond wedding

1 – Take dance lessons before the wedding 

It’s a fun date night and also something to help you prepare for the wedding day without decision making and stress of other parts of planning.  They didn’t like choreograph a dance or anything like that, it just made the feel a little more confident dancing in front of everyone (and it was such a good dance).  

2 – Plan a morning activity – Historic John Marshall Richmond Wedding

Joey is a big Premier League soccer fan. So he had all of his groomsmen meet at Penny Lane pub before walking across the street to get ready at the John Marshall. They grabbed a drink and some food and watched a couple of games together before starting wedding day prep. Such a good idea to hang out with your friends and get excited for the day. 

My sister before her wedding kicked off the day with a yoga class.  It was such a fun way to start the day.  So just think of something that fits in something you love, that fits your personality, that you can do to kick off the day. 

3 – Talk to the other couples getting married at your venue that weekend 

Sara and Joey really wanted uplighting for the reception. It makes such a big difference in that huge ballroom at the John Marshall to have that extra element of uplighting. It just adds great ambience to any reception space but especially a darker ballroom. 

So they decided to DIY their uplighting by renting some to use.  But they ended up not even having to use it!  They actually were able to use the lighting the couple the night before used.  It was all still set up, they literally just had to turn them on and it was all set to go. 

It’s such a smart idea if you know another couple is using your venue for that same weekend – find out if your planner or the venue can reach out to them and see if you can split the cost of some of your rentals.

Sara and Joey y’all did such a good job with this wedding.  I should also mention their wonderful planners from Simply Charmed events.  

Anyways, enjoy a few of our many favorites from this Historic John Marshall Richmond wedding.  Congrats Sara and Joey! 

The Creative Team
VENUE | The Historic John Marshall Ballroom, Richmond, Virginia
PLANNER/COORDINATOR | Simply Charmed Events 
FLORIST | Black Creek Flowers
DJ | Black Tie Entertainment 
HAIR & MAKEUP | Magnolia Artistry
BRIDAL SALON | Bel Fiore Bridal in Atlanta, GA; Designer – Essence of Australia

Other John Marshall Weddings: 

John Marshall and Church wedding 

John Marshall Wedding