1. Real Weddings

An Airy, Sophisticated Wedding at the Woman's Club of Portsmouth, Virginia

Beth Arnette (31 and a jewelry designer) and Nathan Gabriele (31 and an industrial designer) grew up in the same town and went to the same schools in

Beth Arnette (31 and a jewelry designer) and Nathan Gabriele (31 and an industrial designer) grew up in the same town and went to the same schools in Virginia, but their paths never crossed. They both moved to Brooklyn, but they didn’t meet there, either. One Christmas, they both returned to visit their families in Virginia, and it was then that they finally met through mutual friends. They stayed in touch when they returned to New York and fell in love as they grew closer. Beth says she wasn’t surprised by the engagement. “We had been talking about it for a while, especially since we were considering moving to Europe together.” She showed Nate exactly which antique ring she wanted, but he made her wait a month before finally proposing. Nate and Beth wanted to get married near their hometowns, so they enlisted the help of the mother of the bride to help find venues. She found the Woman’s Club of Portsmouth, which had a recently renovated hall with cathedral ceilings and chandeliers. Nate and Beth decided on a dark, charcoal gray as their base color, with pale peach and pink accents and metallic touches. The accents were represented the flower arrangements, which were beautiful displays of ranunculuses, roses, dahlias, lilies delphiniums and dusty miller. Wedding party photos were taken in the old town section of Portsmouth, and featured the house where the bride's great-grandfather used to live. This wedding was truly a gathering of loved ones, especially since it happened right before the couple moved to Amsterdam. Beth says, “I cannot put into words how special it was to have so many people I hold so close to my heart in one room.”

Beth wore silver heels and art deco jewelry borrow from friends. She carried her grandmother's mesh silver purse and lace handkerchief on her wedding day.
Beth's bouquet consisted of peach and pink roses, white ranunculus flowers and dusty miller. The bouquet was wrapped in purple ribbon and held together with a rhinestone brooch.
Beth wore a one shoulder Maya Couture wedding dress draped with angled ruffles. The shoulder was decorated with rhinestones and the dress was fitted around the waist.
Nate wore a dark gray tuxedo with a black bow tie and vest. His white boutonniere consisted of white roses and dusty miller.
To compliment the groomsmen's charcoal gray tuxedos, the bridesmaids wore gray, A-line chiffon bridesmaid dresses that hit at the knee with black heels. Their bouquets were smaller versions of the bridal bouquet and included roses, ranunculuses and dusty miller. The wedding party is standing in front of the house where Beth's great-grandfather once lived.
Decor at the ceremony featured pedestal flower arrangements of white delphinium, peach hyacinth, peach ranucnulses, pink roses and white lilies placed on white pillars at the altar.
Centerpieces at the Portsmouth wedding included white hydrangeas, light pink dahlias and white delphiniums with sprigs of dusty miller in glass trumpet vases.
The wedding took place at the newly renovated Woman's Club of Portsmouth. The hall had beautiful cathedral ceilings with crystal chandeliers.
The white wedding cake was decorated with bands of silver dragees as well as pink roses and white ranunculuses.