The Blue Heron Retreat

Our LEGO Museum Opening Gala

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception & Dinner

Our Wedding

The couple can’t wait to welcome everyone to their wedding and Lego Museum in less than a month! We are sharing some important reminders and information to create a seamless experience for all. Event Dates &amp; Arrival Times Our Lego Museum Opening Gala: Friday, September 19, 2025 | 7 - 9ish pm Wedding: Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 4 - 10ish pmGuests can begin arriving at 3:30 pm. Please be in your seats for the ceremony by 3:55 pm. Venue Address The address for both the gala (Friday) and wedding (Saturday) is 185 Sir Walter Drive, Bumpass, VA 23024. Please note that there is also a 185 Sir Walter Drive in Henrico, Virginia, which may appear as a similar distance in your GPS, but this is not the correct address. The venue is in Bumpass along the bank of Lake Anna. Please don't knock on that poor person's front door in Henrico asking where the party is. Dress Code Gala Attire: <a href="https://www.theknot.com/content/cocktail-wedding-attire" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cocktail</a> Wedding Attire: <a href="https://www.theknot.com/content/what-to-wear-dressy-casual" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dressy Casual</a> Color Guidance: The adage that you can’t wear white to a wedding doesn’t apply to this one. The bride is not wearing white, so if you’ve ever wanted to wear white to a wedding, now is your chance! No colors or patterns are off limits. Please do not feel obligated to buy something new to wear to either event. Parking There will be parking available in the gravel loop in front of the venue. Street parking will also be available nearby (just don't block any driveways or mailboxes!). Carpooling is recommended to reduce the number of cars. The venue is in a residential neighborhood, so we want to be good neighbors.&nbsp; If you plan to drink and are staying nearby, we recommend scheduling a rideshare. If you'll need to leave before the end of the reception, you may not want to park in the loop in front of the house, as there's always the chance you'll get stuck. Accommodations For those attending the gala who wish to stay overnight in the area, the closest options will be a rental like an Airbnb or vrbo. The nearest hotels include: Hotel Lake AnnaBoardwalk Hotel on Lake AnnaThe Boxley Place Inn Other hotels can be found near Kings Dominion in Doswell, about a 30-minute drive from the venue. If you have trouble finding accommodations, please reach out to the couple for help. Wedding Day Schedule Saturday, September 203:30 - 3:50 pm: Guest arrival4:00 pm: Ceremony4:30 - 5:30 pm: Cocktail hour5:30 - 6:30 pm: Dinner6:30 pm: Speeches7:00 pm: Dancefloor opens8:00 pm: Cake cutting9:00 pm: Lego raffle and game prizes10:00 pm: Soft ending of reception Menu At the gala, hors d'oeuvres will be served along with beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages.&nbsp; At the wedding, the menu is rooted in southern barbecue. Expect a menu that has something for everyone. If you have dietary restrictions we need to keep in mind, please be sure you noted that when you RSVPed. (Feel free to reach out to Sarah or Hunter to make sure they saw your request for specific dietary accommodations, or if you aren’t sure if you included your restrictions.) The menu will have options for those who are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose intolerant, and have specific allergies. Booze At the gala, a selection of beer and wine will be available. If you prefer something harder, feel free to bring your own, and we’ll have labeling supplies and storage space (room temperature or cold). At the wedding, a special cocktail and mocktail menu that is designed to complement some of the stories in "Our Lego Museum" will be served during cocktail hour (the hour before dinner). Because Sarah is unable to drink alcohol, we have decided not to provide a full bar, so no alcohol will be provided outside of cocktail hour. Guests are welcome to bring their own alcohol, and we'll have space (room temperature or cold) to store it along with supplies to label it. In other words, if you want enough alcohol to get lit, you'll need to BYOB. Rain Plan The gala will be entirely indoors. However, the wedding will have some outdoor components regardless of the weather. If rain is in the forecast, please plan accordingly. Feel free to bring any gear you need—umbrella, poncho, rain boots, etc. Contact Information Have questions? Need to update your RSVP? Contact Sarah at 765-620-1745 or Hunter at 601-529-5986. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Important Info

On February 12, 2022, Sarah was training for her Tree Steward certification at a park in Richmond when a swarm of shirtless men around her age descended on the park to play frisbee golf. [If you squint at the photo below, you might be able to see them in the background!] She decided in that moment that it was time to dip her toe in the waters of the local dating pool after years of sitting on the sidelines. She didn't realize that she would marry the first guy she went out with—so much for dipping her toes!

She went home and immediately created a profile on the online dating app, Bumble, which allows women to make the first move. After accidentally swiping the wrong way on someone she was interested in (and the wrong way on someone she was NOT interested in), she'd gotten the hang of it by the time Hunter's profile came up. Thankfully, she swiped the correct direction!

Across town, Hunter was shopping at his local grocery store when his phone pinged to alert him that they had matched on Bumble. An almost non-stop exchange of messages began, and though it felt like a lifetime of waiting, they finally met for their first date only two days later on February 14. They were so eager to meet that they didn't even realize that it was Valentine's Day (and have been living with a cliche anniversary ever since). Their first photo together was two months later when Sarah kicked Hunter's ass at axe throwing (she landed all 5 bullseyes!).

Sarah suspected pretty quickly that'd she met someone special, and the archivist in her thought they might one day want to go back and remember the details of how they fell in love. So she began "Sarah &amp; Hunter’s Super Fantastical Magical Date Log," where she kept track of stories from the first year of their relationship. This log ended up being 80 single-spaced pages because Sarah is nothing if not thorough.

Because of that date log, we know that Hunter and Sarah realized one day apart that they were with the person they would spend their lives with. For Hunter, it was when Sarah surprised him with a wallet she'd converted into a travel pack to carry a selection of his favorite teas on June 27, 2022, before a trip to the Outer Banks. For Sarah, it was on June 28 when she was showing him treasures from her keepsake box, including the pearl ring that had belonged to her maternal grandmother (who'd died before she was born), the pearl long ago fallen off the ring's base. She tossed the baggie with the ring in it at him and told him that with some repairs, he could use it later on, when the time came. He knew what she meant.

Ten months after they met, Hunter moved in with Sarah and her Mom, bringing two adorable (but change-averse) cats with him. That brought the household pet tally to three cats and one dog (three cats and one dog too many in Sarah's Mom's opinion, despite one cat and the dog belonging to her). The arrangement was not without its challenges, but Hunter and Sarah loved coming home to each other every night and waking up beside each other every morning. Living together enchanted the experience of everyday life, turning the ordinary magical. It never hurt that Hunter usually insisted on doing the dishes.

On February 19, 2023, Hunter proposed marriage to Sarah in the depths of a cave while a pandemic raged around them, even forgetting to take his mask off when he popped the question. Because of course he did. He was so nervous that his legs were visibly shaking and he had a gash mark on his forehead from Sarah's teeth (it's a long story), but he wouldn't let anything stop him from asking. She said yes, but on the condition that they wouldn't plan a wedding until she also had a chance to propose to him.

On December 10, 2023, Sarah proposed to Hunter with a lengthy, 156-slide multimedia presentation (basically an elaborate PowerPoint), that laid out her persuasive case for why they will love each other forever. Because of course she did. She later printed the slides in book form (there were so many pages, she had to print them in two separate books).

When planning their wedding, Sarah and Hunter puzzled over what theme would best tell the story of their relationship in all its glorious quirks and experiences. They are so excited to share more of their story with you using over 150,000 unique props: Lego pieces! From Lego bouquets to Lego displays that represent their dates, milestones, and other adventures, their wedding will be a joyful homage to why they are choosing to walk through life together. They are receiving lots of help in preparing, including from their adorable nephew, Andrew.

They can't wait to "bump ass" in Bumpass with each of you on the dance floor come September 20, 2025. Fair warning: neither are particularly good dancers, but they are enthusiastic. And very in love.

Our Story

Friday, September 19, 2025

Our LEGO Museum Opening Gala7:00 - 9:00 pmAttire: Cocktail

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Wedding DayAttire: Dressy Casual Guest Arrival3:00 - 3:30 PM Ceremony4:00 - 4:30 PM Mocktail Hour &amp; Museum Exhibit4:30 - 5:30 pm Dinner5:30 - 6:30 pm Group Photo6:30 pm Reception with Dancing &amp; Museum Exhibit6:30 - 10:00 pm Toasts &amp; Cake7:30 pm Brick Set Raffle9:30 pm

Schedule

We invite you to join us for a gala the evening before our wedding to celebrate the opening of "Our Lego Museum" exhibits. The gala is a chance for us to tell the firsthand story behind the creation of the museum and provide a special tour for friends and family highlighting some of our favorite exhibits. We decided to host an opening gala because we know our wedding day will be so full of activity that we won't have as much time to spend with you as you visit the museum exhibits. The gala is a unique opportunity to explore the museum, which has been over a year in the making and will feature over 400,000 individual bricks, with us as your guides. The gala will begin at 7:00 pm at the wedding venue (185 Sir Walter Drive in Bumpass). Hors d'oeuvres and beer/wine will be served. Attire is cocktail, but feel free to dress as formally or casually as will be comfortable for you. All are invited to the gala, but we don't expect everyone to attend. For those not staying the night in the area, we know it's a lot to ask you to drive to our venue two days in a row, so no pressure. If you're not able to attend the gala, you'll still be able to experience "Our Lego Museum" on the wedding day. The couple is so excited to share this incredible homage to their love story with you! For more information about "Our Lego Museum" and the story behind the exhibits, visit the "Lego Museum Preview" page of this website.

Opening Gala

How it All Started

For Christmas 2023, Sarah’s dear friend Nena gave her what at the time seemed like a very innocent gift: the LEGO Wildflower Bouquet (10313). Sarah had never done a LEGO set in her life, but Nena knew she enjoyed creative activities and flowers, so she guessed that Sarah would like putting LEGO flowers together. Oh Nena, how right you were.

Sarah enjoyed it so much that Hunter gifted her the LEGO Flower Bouquet (10280) for their anniversary in February 2024. Hunter grew up building with LEGOs and never grew out of the hobby as an adult. While they were beginning to plan the wedding in July 2024, Hunter innocently suggested that they consider using LEGO flowers for decor at the wedding instead of live flowers that would be just as pricey, but would be discarded after the wedding. Sarah liked the idea and began acquiring brick flower decor soon after.

From Brick Flowers to Brick…EVERYTHING

As Sarah explored all the brick flower options both in LEGO brand and alternative brands, she also began to encounter all the other types of sets that were available and realized how freakin’ cool many of them were. The wheels in her brain started turning, and in September 2024, Sarah proposed the idea to Hunter that they utilize some of the non-flower sets to tell stories of their dates, engagement, and other important milestones in their love story. Hunter innocently agreed to the concept, and Sarah began searching for sets to help tell their story.&nbsp;As their vision evolved, all the decor for the wedding from the cake to the arch decorations right down to the ring boxes (pictured below) all came to center around a brick theme.

LEGOs are Expensive, Y’all

If you’ve ever purchased LEGOs for yourself or someone in your family, you know that LEGOs are EXPENSIVE. As Sarah began adding more and more brick sets to their wish list, the couple soon realized they had a budget problem. They had already decided that they weren’t going to be LEGO-brand “purists” and would be open to having alternative brands at the wedding. But that alone wasn’t going to be enough to keep costs down for Sarah’s increasingly ambitious vision for a full-scale museum exhibit featuring brick sets to tell stories of all their adventures (and we do mean ALL).&nbsp; Over the next few months, Sarah learned how to track down the best prices for the sets on their wish list. Hunter received A LOT of brick sets for Christmas gifts (pictured below). By the end of the year, the couple had acquired over 100 flower brick sets, another 280 other types of sets to feature in their museum, and one very detailed spreadsheet to track it all.

HALP!

Clearly, Sarah and Hunter were going to need help assembling all the brick sets they’d acquired, especially since they still had to plan the rest of the wedding and, you know, function as adults with full-time jobs and other responsibilities. So they hatched a plan. Under the guise of Hunter’s 30th birthday in December 2024, they hosted a party at their house. At the end of the night, Sarah and Hunter held their friends hostage until they agreed to take some brick sets home to assemble on the couple’s behalf. Everyone was excited to help, and they collectively took home over 20 sets that night.

Two friends, Vanessa and Mike, quickly finished the sets they took home and requested more. Sarah and Hunter couldn’t believe their luck and gladly sent more brick sets to their house. Vanessa and Mike couldn’t believe their luck—they got to build fun brick sets without having to buy them or keep them in their house after they were assembled. It was an ideal partnership. At the time of this writing, they have completed more than 100 sets in support of Sarah and Hunter’s wedding display. They are the undisputed Lego Assembly Helper Champions.

The couple’s nephew Andrew (age 6) also receives regular shipments of age-appropriate brick sets, and works diligently to complete them. He takes his responsibility to help with the wedding very seriously, and is understanding of the fact that he doesn’t get to keep any of the sets he builds in service of the bigger cause. Sarah and Hunter couldn’t pull off their Lego Museum dream without all of this help from their loved ones.

“How the Heck Are We Moving All These Bricks?!”

As the wedding approaches and Sarah and Hunter watch every available surface in their home be taken over by assembled brick sets, the next logical question is how to transport all of them. Assembled brick sets tend to be quite fragile and risk damage when being moved. It will likely take many, many trips from the couple’s home to the venue in the week leading up to the wedding. There will also be designated helpers during the set-up process who will be tasked with repairing any sets that are damaged along the way.&nbsp; Once at the venue, the other challenge will be where to display the sets. Since the venue is a functioning rental property, it is not set up with abundant empty shelving to accommodate a museum exhibit. Hunter’s dad will come to the rescue, utilizing his carpentry shop back home in Mississippi to build collapsible shelving that will be used to transform the venue (partly pictured below) into a functioning gallery space.

Our Lego Museum Opening Gala

Even if you’re not a brick-builder yourself or at all interested in LEGO, there will be something that will spark your imagination at Sarah and Hunter’s Lego Museum. Creating this exhibit has already required countless hours from many people, with many more hours yet to be devoted. It has truly been an act of love to bring this idea to life, and it has already sparked so much joy. Sarah and Hunter can’t wait to share the full exhibit with you at the Museum Opening Gala and wedding.&nbsp;

[A note on language: “LEGO” with all-caps is the official way to refer to LEGO-brand products. Since Sarah and Hunter are using a mix of LEGO and other brands of brick sets in their display, they have opted to refer to it as their “Lego Museum” with a lower-case "Lego." This allows them to continue using the well-recognized word "Lego" without being untruthful about their display, since not all their sets are LEGO brand.]

Set Preview

Enjoy the preview below of some of the sets the couple will have at their Lego Museum. You’ll have to stay tuned to learn more about what each of these sets represents, but all of them tie back to Sarah and Hunter’s love story in some way!

Lego Museum Preview

Wedding Party

Travel

Things to Do

Registry

Photos

We're taking song requests in advance of the wedding for the dancefloor playlist. If you have a request, please submit the form below! Feel free to submit the form more than once if you have multiple requests.

Want to request a song?

Form link:&nbsp;<a href="https://forms.gle/xD7pVyzg7cqKrrDA6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://forms.gle/xD7pVyzg7cqKrrDA6</a>

Sarah & Hunter

Sarah & Hunter

Registry