Blaire and Erik’s Beautiful Love Story

I really have a soft spot for Blair and Erik. They are the sweetest two people, but what they have gone through in the past few years together has made them such a strong pair. It was such an honor to be a part of their big day!

When Blair and I first met we were able to connect right off the bat having both been closely affected by cancer. I truly feel for anyone who is battling cancer or who has someone close to them fighting the fight. I saw Blair post on a local Facebook page briefly sharing her story and I was immediately drawn to step in. I offered our venue to her and put a quick post on a Facebook group to see if any other vendors out there would be interested in helping out and within minutes I had several different vendors volunteering their services as well! Seriously, people in the wedding industry amaze me every single day. Within a few months, Blair had picked a wedding date, a wedding dress, had a coordinator, stationary, catering, photographer, and a makeup artist all on board to make their wedding day one they’ll always remember!

So here is their story which I think is powerful, sad, and happy all at the same time! Blair and Erik started dating in 2014. In June of 2015 they found out Blair was pregnant! It wasn’t until August that they found out that they were having twins! Ava and Cater were born in January and 3 months later Erik proposed to Blair with the kiddos wearing “Mommy, will you marry my daddy” shirts.

They set a wedding date for one year out and started planning! They had everything ready for their big wedding, but two months before the wedding date, Ava was taken to a routine eye exam where they found that a tumor was growing behind her right eye. At this time, Blair and Erik put their wedding plans on hold to focus solely on Ava. Ava was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare cancer that only effects children. Ava completed 6 rounds of chemotherapy in the next 6 months to follow. They thought they were in the clear, so Erik and Blair started talking about wedding plans again. 8 months later, in May 2018, the tumor began to grow again. They made the decision to see a specialist in Philadelphia who did three rounds of intra arterial chemotherapy with Ava and she was declared stable in July 2018!!

It was finally time for Blair and Erik to have that wedding! On April 8, 2019, Blair and Erik said I do in front of our 200 year old Hackberry tree surrounded by their closest friends and family. I am so thankful that the weather held off for their outdoor ceremony! We even rehearsed the day before in the chapel because the weather was just not looking favorable. The weather on the wedding day cleared up perfectly for them! After the ceremony, they made their way to our historic chapel for dinner, dancing, and cake! This is one wedding that will be hard to forget! I am so happy for Blair, Erik, Ava, and Carter. I told Blair a few times throughout this process that her and Erik are the most amazing parents ever! They are the definition of selfless. This sweet family deserves so much happiness in this first year of marriage and many more to come.

A huge thank you to the amazing vendors who volunteered their time and services!

Photography: Jo’ Lyss Photography

Hair and Makeup: Kirsty Wingfield/Richmond Makeup Artist

Stationary: Kalos Designs

Coordinator- Night and Daye Events

Catering: Riverwood Events and Catering