A Francophile's Estate Fete
As a self-proclaimed Francophile, it's not surprising that Susan Biggs, twenty-nine, chose the VanLandingham Estate as the site for her April 2009 nuptials to Parker Hutchinson, thirty-three. "The estate had inspired me for years. The vintage charm and intimate setting," says Susan, an interior designer with children's boutique nesting in SouthPark. "And Parker and I knew we wanted a garden wedding and everything at one location. He fell in love with it, too."
The couple met in 2006 when Parker came into Bedside Manor, where Susan was working part-time, to buy linens. Soon after meeting, the two began dating. In November 2008, he proposed. A monochromatic wedding color scheme of ivory, white, and cashew was Susan's starting point. "Being so inspired by the estate," she says, "I wanted it to be very vintage and very French."
At 4 p.m. on April 19, 2009, while a friend of the couple, Keith Shamel played an acoustic version of Ode to Joy on guitar, Susan walked down the aisle carrying a bouquet of white peonies wrapped in her grandmother's vintage handkerchief and in a custom-made bridal gown of Alencon lace by Neysy. Shea Walker of SheaNichole designs designed her custom silk sash. Parker wore his own navy Hickey Freeman suit paired with a tie custom made to match her sash in the same cashew colored silk. They were married in a traditional ceremony by the Reverend Rebecca Nagy in front of sixty of their closest friends and family members in the garden of the estate. Both Susan and Parker wrote their own vows.
A cocktail hour followed on the patio followed by a sit-down dinner and dancing to a custom playlist created by Susan featuring jazz, French music, and oldies.
In lieu of a wedding cake and in honor of the bride's French heritage, the couple served a traditional French croquembouche.
After spending time with friends and family after the reception the couple headed to Washington, D.C. the following day for a mini-moon. They plan to take their official honeymoon to France and Germany on their one-year anniversary.
