For Hagan and John, planning a wedding in Charlottesville meant more than designing an event to celebrate their love and their future. It meant having the chance to do all that with the woman who was an integral part of their lives: Hagan’s mother.

The ceremony took place at Les Yeux du Monde art gallery on the same property.The gallery was founded by Lyn Bolen Warren, a brilliant art historian and champion of the arts, and, most importantly, the mother of the bride. Dr. Warren battled cancer throughout the wedding planning and passed away only a few months later. Both Hagan and John felt it was a gift to have her as an integral part of the process.

“The best part of planning was doing it with her,” Hagan recalled. “We cherished every moment spent working together, knowing how precious each was.”

As her mother’s daughter, Hagan especially wanted her wedding to be unique, with atypical design elements representing the couple. Hagan and John love Italian food and décor, and that spurred their decision to go with a Virginia- and Italian-inspired fusion theme.

They found hand-painted place settings from one source and paired them with handmade Italian-inspired tile from another. The decor highlighted Hagan and her mom’s favorite colors, yellow and blue.

A rich, sun-drenched yellow, a favorite color of both the bride and her mother, dominated the florals in the bouquets and echoed the yellow flowers decorating the handmade linens.

Shawn Cosette of Beehive Events created gorgeous botanical arrangements, including a 32-foot floral sculpture that hung suspended over the bride and groom’s table at the reception.

Mike Worley of Harvest Moon designed a fully customized menu, including a watermelon granita garnished with basil and his own mixture of a Negroni and a Tom Collins for a truly Virginia-meets-Italy custom cocktail.

The bistro lights and open-air dance floor under the stars helped achieve a relaxed al fresco feel. The couple danced the night away next to their closest family and friends, just steps away from Hagan’s childhood home.

Later in the evening, the bride’s mother delivered a heartfelt, eloquent toast that spoke to the intimacy of the ceremony and touched the hearts of everyone in attendance.

At the end of the night, John and Hagan relaxed in the back of a sleek vintage Packard limousine, reveling in their first moment of quiet together as an official married couple.