This Sustainably Focused Farm Wedding Was a Masterclass in Eco-Friendly Wedding Planning

When your parents live on a gorgeous farm in the hills of Roanoke, Virginia, you don’t have to look very far to find the perfect wedding venue. 

Katherine + Blake knew from the very beginning that an intimate and low-key wedding was what they were interested in. “We wanted to put minimal pressure on ourselves and center all of our friends and family,” Katherine remembers, “by having a very small ceremony then a big party at my parents’ house.” 

So with Breezy Heights Farm as their backdrop, the couple teamed up with event designers + planners from Caroline LaRocca Event Design to create a celebration that was first and foremost sustainably minded. They also knew themselves well enough to know that they day’s design was not something they’d be excited to dream up, so they leaned on Katherine’s mom Brandon who took the reigns where all things decor were concerned.

“My parents got married at a family home and I thought it would be special to do the same,” says Katherine of keeping their venue choice in the fam. “I knew my parents would love having the photos and memories to hang on to and the property was a very beautiful, blank canvas. The ability to ensure all the sustainability aspects were met was a big draw and the idea of being able to revisit the site of our wedding in the future was also very sweet.”

We are so in with love the intimate + authentic vibes of Katherine + Blake’s day. The spectacular setting. The sequins. The joyful, non-traditional approach. It all pointed to who Katherine + Blake are as a couple.

Come along to see all of the stunning pictures that Michelle Elyse Photography snapped and to hear about all of the incredible earth-saving eco-friendly planning decisions Katherine + Blake went with!

How dreamy are these minimal wedding invitations! The swirly script looks so beautiful in sage green!

Blake’s earthy green wedding suit came from Bunbury Custom Clothiers.

And an outdoorsy, embroidered Stream Trout Fly necktie from High Cotton Ties completed the look!

Here’s your first little peek at the sparkly, colorful sequin masterpiece that was Katherine’s MILLY wedding dress.

For the ceremony Katherine rocked a pair of champagne velvet platform Lulus wedding shoes and switched to a thrifted pair of sparkly Betsey Johnson platform heels for the reception!

“I Do’s” On The Family Farm

Our Musical Choices
Processional
Just my Dad and I walked in.
Recessional
We didn't really do this - jumped straight into photos!
First Dance
"Things You Can’t Change" by Rhys Lewis

“Our officiant is a close friend of mine from high school and also went to college with us where we all became great friends,” remembers Katherine.

“She is one of those life-long friends who has been there for our entire relationship and is not only an amazing friend but an eloquent speaker. She did such a beautiful job!”

“Through the wedding, we really wanted to celebrate the last decade+ of love between us and all the milestones, of which a wedding was just one,” says the couple of their approach to the wedding’s size. “We decided on a small, intimate ceremony and a big party afterwards to help emphasize this.”

“We did not use any cut flowers (with the exception of my bouquet which was repurposed from the rehearsal dinner flowers the day before),” says Katherine of their eco-conscious approach to florals. “All the plants used for decor were either rented and returned to Townside Garden Center or planted on the property after the event (e.g., the oak trees).”

“Our ‘unofficial wedding party’ consisted of close friends and family who we also wanted to invite to the ceremony,” Katherine + Blake say. “Being in a wedding can be costly and stressful, so we wanted to plan something that was meaningful but not stressful for them. For simplicity we didn’t ask anyone to wear matching outfits but, in the end, the girls wanted to wear terracotta and together everyone pulled together so nicely!”

“I waited until the LAST minute (two weeks prior) to pick my dress. I knew I didn’t want to wear white and I was hoping to buy something second-hand,” says Katherine of her journey to this spectacular, shimmery gown. “In the end, I decided on a sequin, festive “confetti” dress for the ceremony.”

Love the idea of a sparkly wedding vibe like Katherine + Blake’s? Check out our fave sequin bridesmaid dresses to add some shimmer to your wedding’s color world.

Definitely take a look at this quirky Australian farm wedding, this garden party honky tonk wedding, and this New Orleans dive bar wedding for a few of our other favorite celebrations featuring brides decked out in sequins.

Very into Katherine’s super cute “Something Blue” approach to her wedding nails!

The Tented Festivities

“I’m just glad everything came together, our guests and families had fun and that I ended up with a beautiful property with lots of new flowers and trees afterward :-)” says Katherine’s mom Brandon.

“The whole event was very much the personality of the bride and groom. Hard to believe we pulled it off!” Brandon adds.

Take a look through our list of magical wedding tent decor ideas to start brainstorming the decorative details of an indoor-outdoor reception setup as dreamy as this one.

What’s better, really, than a cute wedding cocktail? Dying for a sip of these delicious Manhattans.

“I delegated all the decor and such to my mom,” Katherine remembers. “She executed amazingly, using our existing wrought iron porch furniture, oriental rugs from our house, and used natural colors like terracotta and greens to make everything feel like it fit perfectly in the setting.”

Take a lesson from this wedding when it comes to covering your conservational catering bases: “With respect to food, we requested the use of local products where possible. We used no plastic products (utensils/cups). We recycled all cans and bottles and Ridge Catering donated extra food to a local shelter for unhoused people. “

This tent from Overstreet Events did a beautiful job creating an event space from scratch on the farm.

Our Favorite Memory
The speeches were definitely a favorite. It was a nice reminder to slow down and appreciate the moment and the day! The speeches were really heartwarming and funny. It was a good reminder of why we were there and how well everyone there knew us.

Our Advice
At the end of the day, it's a celebration of you.. let your personality and uniqueness shine through in the planning and details of the event even if it may not be viewed as standard or traditional of a typical wedding.

Some of our other fave eco-friendly planning measures from Katherine + Blake’s day? They encouraged their guests not to buy any new clothes for the event, they rented shuttles to avoid 75 guests driving individual vehicles to the farm, and they purchased carbon offsets for their honeymoon travel.

Jackass Flats took the stage to get guests on their feet and dancing!

We are absolutely SMITTEN with Katherine’s Power of Love Red Strapless Jumpsuit from Lulus!

Look through our list of the best wedding jumpsuits for every bridal vibe to find your own bridal dress alternative!

All that confetti? “It was made of thousands of dried dahlia flower petals that my mom Brandon collected from the yard and dried over many months,” Katherine says.

Congrats, Katherine + Blake, on your beautiful + sustainable farm wedding. You stole our hearts with those sparkly sequins ✨ All the best from GWS!