Latrell and Arun met in 2016 as first year graduate students, when they were both studying to become occupational therapists. What began as an invitation to an anatomy study group led to months of casual hangouts. Latrell says, “I went out on a limb and flirted with Arun at our end of the year party and we’ve never looked back.” After being together for four years, the lovely couple tied the knot in a beautiful garden estate wedding captured by Awesomesauce Photography.
Bride: Latrell Nicole Selvaratnam (Evans), 27, Occupational Therapist
Groom: Arun Selvaratnam, 31, Occupational Therapist
Photography by: Awesomesauce Photography
Place of residence: Richmond, Virginia
Wedding date: May 14, 2021
Wedding location: Historic Mankin Mansion, Richmond, Virginia
Wedding theme/motif/inspiration: Our first date was at the Missouri Botanical Garden. We both love plants and flowers and we wanted our wedding to feel like an extension of that first date, lush and beautiful with flowers everywhere.
Honeymoon Destination: San Juan and Rincon, Puerto Rico
What makes your love special? From the start, we’ve had the same values in life, and the same idea of what a life well-lived looks like. We put each other first, over anything else. We are strongly connected to our families. We understand each other’s personalities, likes, and dislikes. We accept each other, without judgment, only love. We communicate openly and frequently. And we’re best friends.
Engagement story: We got engaged at Libby Hill Park, on my birthday! We had big travel plans, we’d booked all the flights and accommodations to celebrate my birthday in Havana, Cuba but COVID changed those plans drastically. Instead, Arun made a picnic of all my favorite things and we sat down for what I thought was a lovely birthday lunch and midway through Arun asked me to close my eyes. When I reopened them he was down on one knee, ring in hand! I said yes, and our Cuba trip turned into a glamping weekend in the mountains, isolated and perfect.
From the Bride: I felt completely relaxed and pampered on my wedding day. I got to spend the morning with my mom and my best friends, getting ready, dancing to our favorite songs, eating food and having a great time. Once we were at the venue and the events began, everything felt right. It was the wedding day I had envisioned, everything was calm and organized. Throughout the day I was asked if I was nervous multiple times and I truly did not feel any nerves of anxiety the entire day. I was so ready to marry Arun. I felt incredibly happy and grateful to be able to celebrate and share our love.
From the Groom: I felt at peace on our wedding day. I wanted to be clear, and fully present in the moment, and that was how I felt. When Latrell came through the doors up the aisle, we locked eyes and from that moment on all I could see was her. Our vows were my favorite part – I’m glad I got to go first because we were both crying during them. Everything was beautiful and happened exactly the way we wanted it to. Our wedding truly felt like a celebration of our love and connection, and our family and friends shared the joy we take in loving each other every day.
Your best/most memorable moment:
Standing in front of everyone we love during our ceremony to share the lesser-known details of our love and make our lifelong commitment to each other. Also, our first dance still takes my breath away. As we were standing there just minutes into our marriage and so focused on each other, everything around us seemed to disappear. We were so locked in, so filled with joy.
Wedding song, explain choice for song:
How Great – Chance the Rapper. We used the first part of this song, with the gospel vocals, for our first dance. We listened to and both really loved this whole album around the time that we started dating. We would slow dance in the living room to this song, just feeling so happy to have each other. We both knew, even back then, that this would be the song.
Favorite wedding detail:
Our personalized programs, jumping the broom and my beautiful bouquet!
What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? We’re excited to go through life as partners for the adventure, the mundane, the joy, and even the challenges of life. We are best friends, and all the things we do together are incredibly fun because of it. We would also like to take a trip together to Sri Lanka, where Arun was born, although COVID has paused that for now.
Advice for a Bride/Groom on their wedding day:
Do as much of the planning as you can yourself. That way on your wedding day, you’ll take it all in and know that things are exactly how you wanted them to be. There won’t be any regrets or what ifs because you planned your day.
Congratulations to the happy couple! We wish them many years of wedded bliss!
Sources
Awesomesauce Photography|Historic Mankin Mansion|Historic Mankin Mansion|Bridal Elegance of VA|Azazie|Men’s Wearhouse|Carytown Cupcakes|Good Rich Gourmet|Flavourbox|Candice Hardy Makeup Artistry|Iconic Beauty Collective|Vogue Flowers|Darling Paperie Studio|Noah James Productions|Rev Cory Newell
