This Rainy Oyster-Themed Wedding Was an Ode to the Rappahannock River

Emily, a realtor, and Patrick, director of farms at Rappahannock Oyster Company, met when Emily’s hometown friends threw her a homecoming party upon her return from a semester abroad in college. Patrick, who lived next door to the party location, wandered over to join the celebration, and Emily says his fun was contagious. He was struck by how completely at ease Emily was in her surroundings. The following summer, they say their relationship grew out of a shared love for sunny boat days, good times with local friends, and an appreciation for their small Virginia hometowns. Four years after a first date that included pancakes at a creaky old tavern, the pair got engaged on the bow of a boat during a floating concert over Memorial Day weekend surrounded by friends.

For their May wedding at Emily’s family’s home on the Rappahannock River, the couple say they envisioned a “vibrant celebration of family and the spirited waterfront lifestyle” with a coastal pastel color palette and oyster accents. The entire affair was a love letter to the water.

Patrick and his groomsmen arrived at the ceremony by boat, cruising past the oyster grounds Patrick tends, “wet but full of energy, ready to kick off the celebration in style.” Afterwards, two of the couple’s friends led a second line playing “Old Ties and Companions,” down the hillside to the tented reception. “In that special moment,” Emily says, “Patrick and I looked at each other with tear-filled eyes, completely overwhelmed in the best way. There we were, standing at the edge of something new, watching everyone we love follow the music to meet us. Our past and future woven together in a song, on the land that raised me, beside the river that means so much to us.” 

During cocktail hour, their friend—a “creator of spontaneous fun”—announced a cartwheel contest, which Patrick says filled the lawn with laughter. “My groomsmen and guy friends, full of cocktails and confidence, threw themselves into the air, landing in a pile of friends and grass-stained suits, while Emily, wedding dress and all, cartwheeled right through the middle of it. Not exactly tradition, but perfectly us.” For the guest book, loved ones signed a coffee table book filled with images of watermen and the Chesapeake Bay by Jay Fleming. An extensive bar of Rappahannock River oysters was a nod not only to the couple’s love of the river on which their venue sat, but also to the 15 years Patrick has worked harvesting oysters from the very same waters. Guests found their seats at an escort wall that featured birds of the Rappahannock River, and signature cocktails included pear martinis with sugar-paper butterflies, blood orange whiskey sours, and an Aperol spritz mocktail. After a family-style dinner, the couple sliced into a cake with sugar flowers that mirrored the applique of Emily’s dress. 

See the photos of their big day below.

Wedding Details

Amy Moeller

Fashion & Weddings Editor

Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.