Virginia Weddings Magazine
Real Virginia Weddingvirginia weddings

Real Virginia Weddings: Taylor & Travis

97 views
  • The Bride: Taylor Hudson | 35 | Commercial Interior Designer
  • The Groom: Travis Barton | 35 | Information Technology
  • Wedding Date: October 18th, 2025
  • Location: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
  • Guest Count: 35

Football Friday

Taylor and Travis met after a high school football game when she was a high school freshman and he was a sophomore.  

“I was sitting in the back seat of a friend’s car after the game when this cute boy poked his head in, looked right at me and said, ‘I don’t know what y’all are doing, but I am going wherever she’s going.’” Taylor remembered. “Squished side-by-side in the back seat of a Pontiac Sunfire, we started talking, and honestly, that was all she wrote. I’d definitely say it was love at first sight because we’ve been completely inseparable ever since.”

Two decades later, Travis popped the question during a quiet weekend away. Taylor shared, “After so many years of growing up together, saying ‘yes’ was the easiest decision I’ve ever made!”

Taylor and Travis. (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

The Perfect Plan

Taylor and Travis considered locations from Charleston to Puerto Rico for their wedding destination, finally settling on a family friend’s lakeside home in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. “We had been coming up to the lake house for many years, so it was a very special place to us,” the couple said. “It all just clicked.”

They selected October 18th, 2025 as their wedding day. The date fell exactly 19 years and one month from the day Travis asked Taylor to be his girlfriend.

The couple planned their wedding in just 8 months.

Thrifted candlesticks set the scene. (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

The Details

To match the special, intimate setting, Taylor and Travis kept their wedding small at just 35 guests. Their wedding party consisted of two bridesmaids and two groomsmen.

A black and white color scheme allowed the lake’s natural beauty to shine. Guests stuck to an all-black dress code to match. “Every single guest understood the assignment,” the couple said. “It was one of the best decisions we made. Everyone looked stunning in all black, and our photos look amazing with the contrast.”

Black and white details provided perfect contrast. (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

Thrifted candlesticks, silver trays and picture frames lent a timeless touch.

“We also wanted to honor nature and the surroundings in our design, so our wedding party wore brown and we used brown wooden chairs,” Taylor and Travis shared. “The brown and black together was one of my favorite design decisions.”

The couple used the lake house creatively, holding the ceremony on the driveway, the cocktail hour at the dock, dinner under the porch and the dance party in the basement.  

The home’s spaces were used creatively. (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

Taylor wore three gowns over the course of the wedding weekend. For the rehearsal dinner, she donned Travis’ stepmom’s wedding dress. She sourced her day-of wedding gown from Vow’d before working with a tailor to cut out the back and add pearl straps. Finally, a beaded, high neck halter dress thrifted from Goodwill was perfect for dancing.

The bride customized her gown. (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

Taylor accessorized with Susanny shoes with a custom fabric bow flourish, a floor-length veil with custom rhinestone and pearl cluster trim, family heirloom jewelry and a pair of Tiffany blue Celine sunglasses — a gift from Travis and the perfect something blue!

Taylor wore sunglasses as “something blue.” (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

Travis wore a classic tuxedo with a white coat. He paired the suit with Bruno Marc shoes, RayBan sunglasses, cufflinks shaped like Formula One cars and a Tag Heuer watch gifted from Taylor.

Bridesmaids donned floor-length brown velvet off the shoulder gowns and carried simple white rose bouquets while groomsmen wore black tuxedos rented from New York Bride and Groom in Raleigh with brown velvet ties and pocket square.

The groom arrived by boat. (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

Emily Hancock at Oliver & Co captured photos of the couple’s special day.

The Day

Taylor and Travis saturated their ceremony with personal details. The wedding officiant, Taylor’s brother, spent hours handwriting his speech, which he gave to the couple as a keepsake. The couple’s closest family and friends cried happy tears when the couple exchanged vows.

The ceremony took place in front of the lake. (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

After the ceremony, guests mingled on the dock for a cocktail hour. A live vocalist delighted the crowd while waiters passed hors d’oeuvres.

The reception’s star was a candlelit seated dinner complete with surf and turf, au gratin potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a showstopping personal bread course for each guest.  “Everyone got their own little bread serving and personal butter, so guests could double-dip to their heart’s content,” Taylor explained.

Guests savored delicious dishes. (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

A curated playlist incorporated the first dance songs of couples in attendance. “A few people noticed right away, which actually sparked a full table wide sing-along to ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ by Aerosmith,” the couple recalled.

At the end of the night, guests flooded the dance floor. At one point, both the couples wedding planner and Taylor’s brother did the worm right in the middle of the crowd!

Happy Honeymoon

“Our honeymoon was amazing,” the couple shared. “It was definitely not a traditional honeymoon, but we are not a traditional couple.”

Taylor and Travis traveled to Las Vegas for the Formula One Grand Prix in November, a month after the wedding. They enjoyed all-inclusive tickets to the Hilton Grand Vacation Suite which came with non-stop food and drinks plus amazing seats at the race.

During their time in Vegas, Taylor and Travis also gambled, enjoyed amazing food, listened to DJ sets, caught a Cirque du Soleil show and met Formula One driver Ollie Bearman.

“Our honeymoon was perfectly us,” they shared. “It was the most incredible time that we will remember forever.”

The couple enjoyed a romantic boat ride. (Photo courtesy of Oliver & Co)

Wedding Ingredients:

Elizabeth Kanzeg Rowland

The author: Elizabeth Kanzeg Rowland

Elizabeth Kanzeg Rowland is a freelance writer and editor. When she’s not poring over manuscripts and searching for misplaced commas, Elizabeth can be found reading in a cozy chair with her cats, performing onstage at her local community theatre or antiquing with her husband.

you might also like