Bettina Theilacker

An intimate minimony at The Manor 1858 was the perfect setting for the sweet promises Carolina and Blake made to each other.

For years, wedding size was treated like a scoreboard. More guests, more drama, more proof that the celebration - and the love - was worthy of attention. Bigger wasn’t just better. It was expected. When weddings came back, couples didn’t rush to pick up where they left off. They edited. Hard. And in that process, micro weddings stopped being a workaround and started being a statement.

College assignments usually don’t come with a cathedral veil and a barn full of florals. Michael Al Bahou’s senior internship did — and A Tale of Destiny at Sweeney Barn in Manassas, Virginia, was born.