A very special thank you to all of the wedding professionals involved in creating this fabulous wedding dream come true for Katherine Lee and Donnie. Cloud Nine Events, planning & coordinating; Deanna Casey Photography; Fair Winds Farm, ceremony and reception site; Milestone Cinema, Videography; Venture Tours, Transporation; Spivey Rentals, portable restroom trailer; Cake Delights, wedding cake; Distinctive Floral Designs, Flowers and bouquets; Distinctive Event Rentals, tent tables and chairs; Cloud Nine Events, ceremony music; Big Dawg DJ, reception music. We couldn’t have done it without you! Now a word from our couple:
Katherine Lee's outdoor barn wedding
1) How did the two of you meet?
My co-worker and her husband planned a weekend snowboarding trip to Snowshoe Ski Resort. I was invited to be part of the girls group, and Donnie was invited on the guys side… we didn’t snowboard together that weekend, but we did break it down on the dance floor!
2) What was the inspiration for your wedding ideas?
Autumn! I knew I wanted a Fall Harvest wedding (and I thought I wanted it in October)… with the burnt oranges, yellow, red, browns, touch of green… Then we drove up 64E to Front Royal,VA the first weekend of November 2008 to pick up our puppy. When I saw the mountains with all the color leaves, I knew we needed to change to a November wedding date!
3) What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
Oh wow, there were so many, it’s hard to pick… I love how all the browns came together. From the brown tuxedo’s to the brown dresses, and the brown in the little boys sweaters!
I absolutely LOVED my wedding cake! It was simple and elegant! and my little gold pumpkin on top turned out much better than I expected.
Donnie says: I liked how all of the stalls looked with the cake, food and bar. I thought it was really cool.
4) What was your most memorable moment?
Before the ceremony, all the girls were lined up in the hallway of the guest house – cold and super anxious with anticipation. One of my bridesmaids, Kelly, offered to say a prayer – we were all sobbing by the time she was finished!
Ceremony: When Mr. Rush was helping me onto Obie, Uncle Gary was there taking pictures. That was special… Riding Obie across the field to my dad at the bridge was magical. It was so peaceful and relaxing, I could hear Mrs. Rush speaking calmly and sweetly to Obie as she guided him. That helped me relax too!
Reception: Just before we cut the cake, Donnie and I were standing in the middle stall with the cake. I saw my brother-in-law holding my youngest nephew in the neighboring stall. He is usually very shy, but that night, he waved at me with both little hands. Then he came up to the wall and gave me kisses in between the bars of the stall! So sweet!
Donnie says: Most memorable moments were Katherine Lee riding up to the bridge with the sun setting. And when Norma sand her solo. Those were really surreal moments.
5) Describe some of the details and special things you provided your guests at the wedding.
We served our signature drink out of mason jars, which doubled as our favor. I spent weeks washing and labeling every jar. Our signature drink we named “Fair Winds Fresche” (pronouced fresh). It was a caramel apple martini – great fall colors! We also had pictures of us throughout the years hanging along the walls of the barn… as babies, children, teenagers, young adults, and then finally together! Instead of a groom’s cake, I surprised Donnie with S’mores! We love to camp, but before our first camping trip together I discovered he had never eaten S’mores… now he loves them 
Outside, under the stars at the farm was the best place to surprise him with his favorite treat! The guests enjoyed it too! They were able to toast their own marshmallows in a firepit we brought from my parents house.
6) Who designed your wedding dress? Can you provide details of your dress?
Anjolique… It is Ivory, and made of Silky Taffeta… Style is Trumpet… I didn’t want anything with too much bling, but this dress has the right amount of sparkle. I love how it gathers together on the side.
7) Would you have done anything differently?
I would have had guests get there early to enjoy the beauty of the farm in the daylight before the ceremony. I absolutely loved the sunset during the wedding, so I would not have changed the ceremony time! I also might have forced people to take mason jars home with them! I don’t think I made the guests aware that these were their favors… I still have 11 cases leftover!
8) What advice to you have for future brides?
If you’re like me, you may not know what you want, but you know what you don’t want. Listen to other’s ideas, but ultimately make your own decisions. If someone explains why something can’t happen or suggests a better way, be flexible! Also, even though your groom may not seem super interested, try to involve him in the big things! Showing him three options and having him choose his favorite is a good way to help him feel involved.
9) Do you have details or recommendations of the vendors that participated?
DeAnna Casey is the only photographer we met with and I’m SO happy we did! We knew we needed someone with an artistic eye to capture the special details of the day and she was amazing! I highly recommend an engagement session too! Donnie is pretty shy, and the session totally helped us “practice” for the wedding day – it’s not easy letting someone photograph you kissing! Catherine with Distinctive Floral Design is a gem! Again, I did not know what type of flower I wanted, did not know what I wanted my centerpieces to look like exactly, but I knew I wanted to use pumpkins as the base, and I knew I wanted “sticks” climbing out of the centerpiece. She made the process so easy by simply looking through magazines and telling her what I liked and didn’t like. Spivey Rentals was perfect for our potty trailor. Guests were super excited that it played music!
10) What’s next for the two of you?
haha well our amazing two week Caribbean honeymoon was short lived! It was right back to work, giant dogs, and cleaning house! We’re still sorting through gifts and writing thank you’s. Apparently Christmas is coming up real quickly too! But our next big plan is to purchase a house this Spring.
Katherine Lee and Donnie, it was our pleasure! We wish you both many years of happiness and great memories to come.
Andrea/Cloud Nine Events
