A Charlottesville DIY Wedding Dream
/Like a dream
Unique DIY details make for a truly special day
Photo: Hannah Malloy
Caite Hamilton 10:08 a.m. Jul. 14, 2022
Linnea White & Reo Revak
September 18, 2021, at Eastwood Winery
It’s hardly a surprise that custom and DIY details would factor prominently in the wedding of Linnea, the owner of downtown consignment shop Darling, and Reo, a woodworker at Gaston & Wyatt—at least not to anyone who knows them.
“My parents said that [the wedding] was so special because it told the story of us—the life we’ve already built together and lived together,” Linnea says. “It was hopeful for the future, but also grounded in the years we carry already.”
To pull it off in their five-month engagement, Linnea started early, thrifting constantly to find vases, glassware, candlesticks, and disco balls to create her dream aesthetic: 1980s South Beach. The bride spray-painted baby’s breath while Reo built the couple’s arbor, wedding signs, and photo booth backdrop.
And they went custom on attire. Linnea worked with ABC Couture Bridal to create her retro-inspired two-piece Swiss dot tulle dress: a corset bodice with puff sleeves with a flowy, shin-length skirt. Ever the thrifter, she’s already re-worn the top and her custom headpiece by Nicole Rule, a combination of her dress fabric and her mom’s veil from the 1970s.
Still, even with all of the details worked out, what it came down to for both bride and groom was finally saying, “I do.”
“It was hot as hell that day, and on the mountaintop, the sun was shining directly in everyone’s faces looking towards the arbor (our ceremony was at 4:30pm),” Reo says. “Right as I walked down the aisle, a big cloud came and the cover stayed until the ceremony was over. It was pretty perfect.”
Drink up
Wanting to do something resembling a unity candle or sand ceremony—but nontraditional—the couple decided to pour their favorite flavor of Truly into one glass and drink from it. “We opened the Trulys, poured them into one glass, and drank from the cup together,” the bride says. “There were so many laughs and tears during the ceremony, and this was definitely a funny and special moment.”
Vintage getaway
Linnea searched high and low for a pink vintage car to rent for the wedding day, to no avail. Two weeks before the wedding, while bar-hopping downtown, she spotted one. “When we saw the driver leaving later that night, we basically ambushed him to get his information,” she says. “It was such a beautiful prop and completed the overall vibe and aesthetic of our wedding perfectly. Talk about serendipity.”
Easy decision
Eastwood was the only venue the couple toured. While Linnea originally wanted a beach wedding, Reo is a Charlottesville native, so holding the wedding in a “magical, dreamy” tent on a summer’s day with a mountainous backdrop was the perfect compromise.
He’s a regular
While working at West Main as a server, Linnea noticed Reo, a regular fixture in the restaurant and, as she says, “our lives quickly became intertwined.” They dated for 11 years before getting married.
The details
Photographer: Hannah Malloy Event planner: Crystal Whitaker Saul Officiant: Justin White (bride’s brother) Catering: Harvest Moon Catering Flowers: Fiori Floral (boutonnières and bridal bouquet) Cake: Bowerbird Bakeshop Speaker rental: Spectrum Integrators Bride’s attire: Custom by ABC Couture Bridal (dress), Danicole Accessories (headpiece) Shoes: Charlotte Mills Groom’s attire: Custom Alton Lane Rings: Elaine B Jewelry Hair: Sarah Douquette of EderraSalon Makeup: Daphne Latham Videographer: Amanda Monroe Finn Disco balls: LivingColorfullyShop (Etsy) Neon sign: The Neonist