High school sweethearts Alison and Tommy looked to their hometown of Chesapeake for their elegant, Gatsby-inspired wedding. Friends and family pitched in to make the celebration one to remember.
THE BRIDE Alison Dodson, 31, antiques and gift store owner
THE GROOM Thomas Norwood Anderson III, 33, stockbroker
THE DATE August 28
THE SCENE The bride's family's home in Chesapeake, VA
SCHOOLYARD ROMANCE Alison and Tommy first met, albeit briefly, as teenagers on a family ski trip. After another brief meeting the next summer, Tommy hadn't expected to see Alison again. Then, on the first day of school, someone covered up his eyes and said, "Guess who?" It was Alison, who had actually transferred schools just to be near Tommy -- even though they'd only met twice! The two were soon inseparable, finally parting ways when Tommy left for college. Though the couple did see each other again once, it wasn't till Alison moved back to Virginia 15 years later that she and Tommy really reconnected.
MAKING THE PLAN Within months, Tommy knew that Alison was the one, and bought a beautiful sapphire engagement ring as the center of his proposal plan. One of the first steps he took was to show it to his daughter, then four years old, and tell her about his plans. "She was very excited since she loves Alison very much, and she thought the ring was beautiful," he remembers. "But her first question was if she could be the flower girl!" Tommy said it was up to Alison, if she said yes. His daughter then outlined a proposal for him, saying, "First you sit down and tell her that you love her a thousand times and then you ask her if she'll marry you and then maybe she'll say yes."
THE PERFECT PROPOSAL Tommy had hoped for the chance to speak with Alison's parents first over the Christmas holidays, but he wasn't able to manage to find any time alone with them. He and Alison were spending New Year's in New Orleans, and on New Year's Day he called his daughter. After they were through chatting, Alison asked to speak to her. The first words out of the little girl's mouth? "Happy New Year Alison! Did Dada give you the beautiful ring yet?" Both Alison and Tommy were completely shocked, but he still managed to scurry out of the room and grab the ring while his daughter got to work securing her status as flower girl. As soon as Alison got off the phone, Tommy dropped to one knee and asked her to make him the happiest man on earth. "From that day on, I believe I have been the happiest man on earth," Tommy says.
VYING FOR VINTAGE Though she says it was hard work pulling together an elaborate celebration for more than 500 guests from all over the world, Alison also notes that she really relished all of the bonding time with her mother. The two spent plenty of time choosing the different details that made the wedding unique. "My inspiration was Art Deco and The Great Gatsby," Alison explains. "My colors were black and white, and I wanted everything to be clean and have very straight lines." The bridal party epitomized her aesthetic. Alison wore an antique white gown in silk and vintage lace by Jenny Packham, while her bridesmaids wore "black, floor-length dresses without a lot of fuss" that they chose themselves. They carried bouquets of green hydrangea with silver rhinestone buttons mixed in, and black and white feathers trimming the bottom; Alison's bouquet had a similar style, only with white hydrangea, all white feathers, and flowing willow.
SOUTHERN STYLE Genteel touches and Southern hospitality were the order of the evening at Alison and Tommy's wedding. As guests arrived for the evening ceremony, they received favors of white linen handkerchiefs with pearls around the edges. Alison and Tommy exchanged vows in the bride's parents' backyard, where the land slopes down toward the water's edge, creating a perfect setting. Afterward, a party unfolded beneath 9,000 square feet of tenting. In an especially elegant personalized detail, the mother of the bride's silver candlestick bases held arrangements of lilies and white roses above the snowy white linens. And later, Alison and Tommy kicked off the festivities with a first dance to Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" -- "our song when we were in high school," the bride recalls.
-- Kate Wood
photography © Ryan Field
For the ingredients that make up this wedding, see the right-hand column of this page.
See More: Real Weddings: Black & White , Real Weddings: Theme Weddings