It’s that time of year again where we sit down and reminisce on all of wonderful 2018 Lesner Inn weddings! We tend to think that we have the best job in the world because we get to be a part of some of the most touching and fun moments of peoples’ lives and this past year has been no different. We have laughed, loved, and even cried with some of our couples, and we wish you all nothing but happiness in your future! Now let’s dive into looking back at some of our favorite moments of the year!

Best Cake

There were so many to die for cakes, but this cake whipped up by Incredible Edibles was definitely our favorite for 2018! It mixed Meagan and Nicholas’ color scheme and a classic white cake perfectly!

_{Photo: Nikki Ahrens Photography}

Best Cake Smash

Speaking of cakes, Tara and Steven were so amusing during their cake cutting! Steven didn’t have a chance at any sort of shenanigans once Tara smashed a whole piece of cake in his eye!

_{Photo: Sara Hupfer Photography}

Best Bridal Bouquet

Norfolk Wholesale Florist, you are unbelievable!! We absolutely adored everything about Alexis and Scott’s wedding details and the floral arrangements brought their wedding together like a gem.

_{Photo: Kelley Stinson Photography}

Best Squad Pic

This was one for the books! Bringing back the good ole’ days from JMU, all of the grads hopped in with Courtney and Tim holding the school’s flag for one epic squad photo!

_{Photo: Dustin Lewis Images}

Best Personal Touch

Another college is making an appearance as best personal touch in our favorites for this year! Tiffany and Cody both went to Virginia Tech so it’s only fitting that their “His and Hers” drinks for the wedding be the Orange and Maroon Effect!

_{Photo: Lia Everette Photography}

Best Theme

Even if you’re not into Harry Potter as much as Lauren and Chris were, you still have to admit this is the best themed wedding of the year! We just couldn’t get enough of the Marauder’s Map and those shoes that Lauren rocked all night!

_{Photos: Renee Jean Photography}

Best Exit

This moment just makes our hearts burst with joy! We’re so glad that Paige Ryan Photography captured the laughter after Elise and Kyle’s sparkler exit so perfectly! What a way to end a perfect night!

Best Dessert Bar

When Kerry told us she was doing a spread of donuts for her dessert along with cake, we just knew that it was our favorite dessert bar of 2018! Kerry used stands to display the donuts, but we even have a donut wall you can rent to have a different look for your dessert display!

_{Photo: Jessica Boudreaux Photography}

Best Ring Bearer

Hands down, Michelle and Dennis had the most ADORABLE ring bearer in 2018! We knew as soon as they told us they would be having their pup in the wedding that he would be the best ring bearer. It was all eyes on the pup until the bride walked down the aisle!

_{Photo: Dustin Lewis Images}

Best Flower Girl

If this flower girl doesn’t make you smile, we’re not quite sure what will! From the moment we saw her with curlers in her hair until she was sleeping on her mom’s lap at the end of the night, she melted our hearts the entire night!

_{Photo: Kelsie McNair}

Best Rainy Wedding

Rain isn’t normally what couples dream of on their wedding day but Tiffany and Cody didn’t let a few showers keep them down. They even took advantage of the fact that the Sunset Deck is covered and got their waterfront photos in after the ceremony!

_{Photo: Lia Everette Photography}

Best First Dance

Janette and Ben had taken ballroom dancing lessons specifically for their first dance and had a whole number prepared for this moment! When they came in for their rehearsal the day before, they headed to Lesner Hall for one last practice run and let’s just say it didn’t go as smoothly as the wedding day. We saw Ben come down the staircase with a bloody nose from one of Janette’s flying elbows, but they sure did nail it on the wedding day! The magical dance definitely wins best of 2018!

_{Photo: Erika Mills Photography}

Best Bouquet Toss

Brook had us rolling with laughter during her bouquet toss! The single ladies were ready from the get go for this moment and, as you can tell, it was a fight for the bouquet! Brook’s face during it all was priceless and we’re so happy that Chelsie Darling Photography captured the best bouquet toss of 2018 so perfectly!

Best Garter Toss

Anthony’s garter toss quite literally won best garter toss of 2018! One of his friends was head over heels for the garter and made sure no one else caught it!

_{Photo: CHSH Photography}

Best Kiss

SWOONING!! Kerry and Josh hopped over to Chick’s Beach to get some photos at their favorite place and we fell in love with this shot. We just had to name it best kiss of 2018!

_{Photo: Jessica Boudreaux Photography}

Best Candid

Loving the fact that DJ Hype put Rachel in control for a song! She chose her favorite so she could sing and dance the night away. Hands down the best candid of 2018!

_{Photo: Echard Wheeler Photography}

Best Party Crowd

What a crowd!! Jordan and Stefan’s guests did not sit down all night! It cracked us up when the DJ even got in on the fun and busted a move on the dance floor! This crowd definitely wins best party crowd of 2018!

_{Photo: Dustin Lewis Images}

Best Unity

This wooden box and hammer may not look like your typical ceremonial unity but during Rachel and Steve’s ceremony, their loved ones placed letters in it for the newlyweds to read on their one year anniversary. They then nailed it shut to open back up 365 days later! When we saw this happening during the ceremony, we fell in love and knew it was the best unity in 2018!

_{Photo: Beth Hamilton Photography}

Best Guest Book

We felt like we were dreaming when Nikki and Ryan told us this would be their guest book! They contacted a company to have them create a canvas of what the exact star alignment would be of the night they said “I do”. Because this was a first for us, not to mention SO cute and clever, we had to name it best guest book!

_{Photo: Ryann Winn Photography}

Best First Look

Michelle and Dennis were so adorable just being themselves and their first look was definitely our favorite. Maybe it was because we adored them or maybe it was because Dennis looked so smitten at his bride when she spun around on the Sunset Deck. Either way, it’s definitely the best first look of 2018!

_{Photo: Dustin Lewis Images}

Best DIY

Emily put her artistic side to work for her card box and look how precious it turned out! It was the perfect accent to her minimalist yet colorful décor. Her creativity hands down won her best DIY of 2018!

_{Photo: Kayla Mackenzie Photography}

Best Décor

It’s truly is a difficult task to choose just one wedding with the best décor because it all blows us away! We couldn’t bring ourselves to choose just one this year so we have a tie!

Nicole transformed Lesner Hall into a vintage wonderland with old books, bronze and purple vases, satin linens and lace runners on the guest tables. She even added a floral flare to her cake and sweetheart table to make sure they popped! Falling in love with this décor and choosing it as one of the best decors of 2018 couldn’t have been easier!

_{Photo: Dustin Lewis Images}

Ah, give us all of the greenery! Kelly’s décor was our other absolute favorite of 2018. She perfected the mix of bohemian and garden vibes and we can’t get enough of it! Everything about Kerry and Josh’s day was beautiful and the décor was just the icing on the cake!

_{Photo: Jessica Boudreaux Photography}

To our 2018 couples and all of the vendors that came through our doors this year, THANK YOU for making this a year to remember! Everything we do literally could not happen without you, and we’re so excited to see what 2019 has in store!