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Beautifully restored, the historic Jefferson Theater is the perfect place to host your wedding celebration.
Located on the Downtown Mall, you and your guests will enjoy a friendly staff, two full bars, professional staging, technical support and an on-site event manager to make your wedding day stress-free and truly memorable.
We can host up to 200 seated guests for dinners and up to 500 guests for cocktail-style receptions. The Jefferson offers a variety of design options for your event including seating on the stage, use of both balconies and the grand lobby.
At The Omni Homestead Resort, we believe that a day unlike any other should happen at a place unlike any other. Plan your once-in-a-lifetime event at The Omni Homestead Resort and experience timeless elegance rivaled only by the genuine hospitality and attention to detail provided by our dedicated team of professionals.
800-838-1766
In this issue...
Month by month, we help you plan your special day.
13 Register now for Camp McWolf!
19 How to consider wedding transportation.
21 20 ways to #supportblackbusinesses.
23 A new do-it-all wedding service.
27 High-touch detail: Wedding-day portraits.
29 Spotlight on: Eastwood Farm & Winery.
29 An upscale sipper for your budget.
32 Your month-by-month big-day planner
62
This couple wanted to, er, lighten the mood.
You’re invited...
40
Reilly & Lauren Austere meets Austen for this big day at Pippin Hill.
Roxanne & Brad
A Zoroastrian wedding melds two traditions.
Kelly & Joshua
With faith at its core, a garden wedding romances.
Shannon & Jono Beaucoups de inspo at this lush Montalto affair.
If you’re planning a wedding, you can’t do better than these folks, who took the photos you see in the pages of this issue.
Amanda Maglione amandamaglione.com
Audra Jones Photography audrajonesphotography.com
Brittany Lowe Photography brittanylowephotography.com
Hannah Malloy Photography hannahmalloyphoto.com
Hunter & Sarah Photography hunterandsarahphotography.com
Jen Fariello jenfariello.com
Jill Meriwether jillmeriwether.com
Kylie Martin klyiemartinphotography.com
Meredith Coe meredithcoephoto.com
Ray Photography Co. rayphotographyco.com
Robert Radifera radifera.com
The Kama Photography thekamaphotography.com
308 E. Main St. Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 817-2749 c-ville.com c-ville.com/weddings
Weddings, a supplement to C-VILLE Weekly, is distributed all over Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the Shenandoah Valley. C-VILLE Weddings Editor Caite Hamilton. Contributors Carol Diggs, Maeve Hayden.
Copy Editor Susan Sorensen. Art Director Max March. Graphic Designer Tracy Federico. Account Executives Chloe Heimer, Lisa C. Hurdle, Gabby Kirk, Stephanie Vogtman, Beth Wood. Production Coordinator Faith Gibson. Publisher Anna Harrison. Chief Financial Officer Debbie Miller. A/R Specialist Nanci Winter. Circulation Manager Billy Dempsey. ©2022 C-VILLE Weekly.
To pull off their theme wedding, Sophie and Brian had to deploy tasteful details (with full-on camp vibes) from welcome bag snacks to the altar.
Because they’d been to plenty of weddings where they’d shelled out money for trav el and accommodations and only laid eyes on the bride and groom for a few minutes, Sophie Wolf and Brian McPherson wanted to make sure their wedding was different. They had only one criterion: The venue should accom modate all of their guests for a whole weekend.
That really narrowed their search, but when they toured Montfair Resort Farm in Crozet— with cabins that could fit around 60 people— they knew they’d zeroed in on their “I do” spot. From there, they decided to lean in.
“Getting to spend the whole weekend with your best friends in the woods, it felt just like camp,” Wolf (now McPherson) says. Thus, they created Camp McWolf. But they had to walk a fine line between camp and camp-y
“We didn’t really think of it as a wedding with a ‘theme,’” she says. “We just thought of it as a weekend at camp with our best friends...where we also got married.”
To pull it off, McPherson’s sister designed a logo, which showed up on the invitations and save the dates, then set to work on the day-of details: A custom Instagram account provided guests with info on being a camper, cabin as signments, and schedules, and when guests arrived, they were greeted by goodie boxes with classic camp snacks and handwritten letters. The rehearsal dinner featured DIY’d name plates in the style of camp flags, and guests were in vited to partake in a s’mores bar and bonfire. The morning of the wedding, a brown-bag breakfast and kicked off a day of playing camp games before getting ready for the ceremony.
“We lucked out all weekend with great weath er,” McPherson says. “Walking around camp seeing our friends in canoes, playing volleyball, and going for hikes was such a cool thing.”
Guests leaned into the theme, too, arriving with fun attitudes that “made the weekend elec tric,” as well as some custom-made Camp Mc Wolf T-shirts. All in all, the wedding turned out exactly how they’d hoped.
McPherson has some ideas about how to pull off your own theme wedding. For one thing, they took inspiration from the venue for the wedding, not the other way around.
“If we had tried to turn a different kind of venue into a ‘camp’ theme, it would have felt a little try-hard,” she says. And, she says, the couple didn’t feel the need to make every detail
part of the theme. The big wedding things stayed the same, but they sprinkled in things that made sense for the weekend (McPherson, for instance, wore a traditional wed ding dress—with boots underneath).
Her main advice for your big day, though? Do you.
“What no one ever tells you about wedding planning is that there really don’t have to be
any rules,” she says. “You can take the traditions that you like and leave the ones that you don’t. The bride can stand on the right because that’s her good side, you can spend the whole morn ing of your wedding with your fiancé, you can serve assorted Oreos instead of wedding cake. ...Think about the weekend that will make you, your partner, and your guests the happiest, and go create that weekend.”
How to pull off a theme wedding—or any wedding, really? You be you
Most wedding visions include the perfect life partner, the ultimate dress, the ro mantic setting, glorious weather, and wonderful food—but what about the dream motor coach?
“Transportation is a really important part that clients don’t often think about,” says Han nah Dubit of Hannah Rose Event Design. Fellow wedding planner Marilyn Speight of Just a Little Ditty agrees: “[Transportation] is one of our top priorities, and it’s often overlooked.”
Many couples—and wedding planners—have horror stories about a member of the bridal party getting lost, or a car full of guests becom ing stuck on a country road behind a tractor. “We encourage our clients to provide transpor tation for their guests to and from the wedding and reception,” says Speight, “and we prefer to manage that, as part of their experience.”
Smart couples begin lining up vendors a year in advance, and this should include transport services. Charlottesville is a very popular wedding destination, and that means calendars fill up fast.
Charlottesville also poses transportation challenges. That lovely small-town feel means there aren’t a huge number of taxis or driver services to tap into. The majority of wedding venues are out in the country, which means longer travel times, rural roads, and erratic cell service. And many venues have their own access issues: gravel roads, narrow or winding drives, steep hills, and no parking lot. There’s no use arranging charter buses if the vehicles can’t make the turn into your charming wedding site.
For planning purposes, the number of guests is important—including whether any attendees have physical limitations or access needs. Then, fitting the vehicle to the venue is key; if 55-seat charter buses won’t fit, better options might be mini-buses seating 20 to 40, or even 12-seat executive vans (often used for the wedding party, or the couple’s families). Charlottesville has a wealth of bus charter companies—Easy Riders, Albemarle Coach, Charlottesville Char ter, and Quick’s, among others.
For smaller weddings, limousine services are an option—especially for the couple to get to the reception, and get away at the end. Stretch limos are not as popular as they once were, but firms like A&A Limousine, Albemarle Limou sine, or Richmond-based James Limousine Service have a range of vehicles.
Depending on your wedding theme, trolleys can be a fun way to go; try Taylor’s Classic Travel or Crozet Trolley. But Dubit notes trolleys may have trouble on hilly sites, and an open-air vehicle might not be practical for that all-white winter wedding.
Want to go with more style, or a little nov elty? Consider classic or antique cars, or per haps even golf carts. Speight had one client who got married on the family farm and squired guests around in all-terrain vehicles. For these more individualized modes, check with Albe marle Limousine or Camelot Classic Cars.
Whatever mode you go with, wedding experts say, preparation is key. Dubit says transportation is one of the most stressful aspects because “so much is out of our control.” Speight recom mends doing a dry run well in advance, with the
chosen vendor, to scope out the route. And she will also check just before the big day for road construction or closures, missing road signs, GPS accuracy, and cell dead zones. It may be wise to consider the low-tech option: providing writ ten directions.
Most wedding planners will assign staff to be at the pick-up site to make sure everyone gets on the right bus at the right time. Some planners even have a staffer ride along to communicate any delays or changes, since the drivers can’t call or text while at the wheel. And remember to factor in transportation arrangements when you’re planning wedding insurance.
In the end, transportation—like most logis tics—means a lot of work ahead of time so on the day it seems effortless. After all, what you want everyone to remember is the wedding itself.
This is it—you’ve found The One! You’re ready to hold the ceremony in which you tell each other, your families and friends, and the world that you are beginning a new life together, and you want the occasion to be perfect.
But to get there, you face months of decisionmaking—finding a venue, choosing vendors, negotiating calendars, cross-checking every detail—and signing lots of checks.
“Weddings are wonderful, but they’re still a pain to plan,” says Adam Healey, founder and CEO of Novela. “It’s hard to know what things cost and who’s good. The vendors all have dif ferent offerings and terms of service. And it’s also expensive.”
Healey started Novela in January 2022 to help couples navigate this process: “We see ourselves as a wedding concierge.” Novela does the up-
front market research and pre-vetting in order to connect its clients with venues and suppliers that fit their style—and their pocketbook. The goal, says Healey, is to put the right couple with the right partner for the perfect wedding.
Novela begins with an intake interview to go over what the couple wants, what they need, and what they want to spend. Then Novela de velops a customized list of recommendations for wedding planners, venues, caterers, and a host of other services. The plan provides three options for each category—all of them prequalified to make sure they fit the budget and have availability for the couple’s date. “And we’re there to help guide you through the entire process,” says Healey.
To do the interview and plan development, Novela charges an up-front fee of $295; that fee is fully refunded once the couple hires any of the recommended vendors. The company’s business model is based on the referral fees paid
by vendors, all of whom have been pre-vetted and agree to a best-rate guarantee.
“Charlottesville is our hometown, and we have a lot of relationships here,” Healey notes. He has a background in the industry; in 2011, he founded Borrowed & Blue, a Charlottesvillebased wedding marketplace bought by Zola in 2018. Unlike Zola and The Knot, which are essentially vendor listings, Healey describes Novela as “a more curated service—really a new concept for the wedding industry.” Even tually, he hopes to expand the Novela model to other markets.
Why not just hire a planner straight off? “There’s a wide variety of tastes and personalities among planners,” says Healey. “And they offer different levels of service—some just handle event management for the day of, others will plan the event soup to nuts, or they offer everything in between.” For the full-service option, fees can vary from $10,000 to $15,000, he notes.
New service helps get you to the altarJEN FARIELLO A wedding at The Wool Factory brings an edgy, modern aesthetic to your big day.
There’s no denying that photography is one of the most important parts of a wedding. Months of planning come together for one perfect day—which tends to fly by. Couples might not even get a chance to appreciate the ceremony backdrop or centerpieces they took such care de signing. That’s where wedding photographers come in—while you’re busy saying “I do,” they’re busy capturing all the important moments, so you can relive your wedding for many years to come.
The list of can’t-miss wedding shots includes everything from invitations and accessories to first looks and first dances. Not to mention the most important pictures of all—the portraits. There are a million different ways to do wedding portraits—pre-ceremony, during an after ses sion, editorial, photojournalistic, the list goes on. Photographer Jen Fariello’s fine art-inspired take on wedding portraits gives couples a spon taneous, unique experience—and, of course, the shots by which to remember it all.
While the newlyweds are enjoying dinner, Fariello will sneak away to a spare room to pre pare her setup. Using a softbox light, studio backdrop, and a medium format film camera, Fariello snaps her signature black and white fine-art portraits. At first glance, you might not even be able to tell that Fariello’s portraits are from a wedding. They’re classy and utterly time less, “almost like an old-fashioned take on the photo booth,” Fariello says.
Fariello, who won Best Wedding Photog rapher in the 2022 Best of C-VILLE readers’ poll, began her photography career in the ’90s, after graduating from UVA with a fine arts degree. She worked for C-VILLE Weekly, where an assignment to shoot Peter Griesar from the Dave Matthews Band launched her into portrait work. Fariello shot her first wed ding in 1997, and eventually went to work for The Hook, where her pictures filled the wed ding issue for years.
“I’m a people photographer, a portrait pho tographer, and my aesthetic are these moody,
artsy, black and white photographs,” says Fari ello, “That’s translated well into weddings.”
Now, Fariello shoots about 40 weddings a year, and she likes to surprise couples with a bonus portrait shoot whenever there’s time. (“Time is precious, and I don’t ever want to take anything away from the wedding day,” Fariello says.) Once everything is set up, she’ll grab a few wedding guests and let them play around while she gets some test shots, then she’ll bring in the bride and groom.
These kinds of portraits are also venue-de pendent, she says. There needs to be an extra room that can fit all the equipment. Fariello’s found local venues like Pippin Hill, Veritas, King Family, and Mount Ida to be the perfect size. As for when to take portraits, the wedding day is best. Even though wedding and reception dresses are only worn for a couple of hours, they tend to get pretty disheveled by the end of the night. Brides already have their hair and make up done, plus there’s that bridal glow that can only be captured on the wedding day.
Given Charlottesville and Albemarle’s proximity to the mountains, a list of wedding venue must-haves often in cludes a view. Add Eastwood Farm & Winery to the tally. Inside Charlottesville city limits, Eastwood has three photo-worthy spots to say “I do”: The Mountaintop, situ ated at the top of a forest of ancient trees; The Terrace, framed by views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the orchards; and the orchards themselves, surrounded by apple and pear trees.—CH
You likely already know the name Thibaut-Janisson for its Cham pagne-style blanc de blanc (once served at the White House State Dinner it’s that good), but it’s the winery’s Virginia Fizz that you’ll be sipping at local weddings. A fruitier, creamier, lessexpensive sparkler than its fancy counterpart, Fizz comes in at under $20 a bottle, making it an easy addition to your event drink menu.—CH
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Work out your budget. Know your limit before considering much else.
Set a tentative date for your wedding.
Decide on your wedding style and formality. This may be determined, in part, by how many guests you want to invite, so think about the guest list now, too.
Settle on a ceremony location.
Put down a deposit for the reception location. Begin the search for other wedding vendors (transportation, flowers, invitations, music, makeup artist), starting with photographers and videographers.
Once you’ve chosen your wedding photographer, schedule an engagement photo session.
Start shopping for wedding rings.
Reserve your officiant.
If your reception venue doesn’t have a caterer, decide who’ll provide the food and book a tasting.
Choose a rehearsal dinner location.
Shop for a dress. It may seem too soon, but it can take several months for your dress to arrive, and it may require alterations.
After you’ve found the perfect gown, schedule fittings and a delivery date. Choose your bridal party and invite them to be part of your special day.
Start finalizing the guest list and gathering addresses.
Register for gifts.
If there is a groom, decide to rent or pur chase attire for him and the groomsmen. Once that’s decided, place your order. Finalize all the vendors and secure your wed ding date by putting down deposits.
Select the bridesmaids’ gowns. These’ll take a few months to come in, too.
Send out save the dates.
Prepare all maps and directions for the ceremony and reception.
Meet with your florist and choose arrangements for the ceremony and reception, as well as bouquets.
If your caterer doesn’t provide one, order your wedding cake.
Begin doing research for your marriage license.
If you're a first-timer, schedule a wax or laser hair removal consult.
Meet with both sets of parents to coordinate their day-of attire.
Reserve accommodations for out-of-town guests. (Consider doing this even earlier if you’re planning a wedding on busy in-town weekends like homecoming or during other local events that draw a crowd.)
Order invitations.
Start thinking about honeymoon destinations.
Address and send out your invitations and an nouncements. Include information regarding the accommodations. (Also consider creating a website with all of the accommodation information. Guests might like to get a head start on making those arrangements and most hotels close your block four weeks out.)
Arrange for final dress fittings.
Purchase wedding guest book.
Order your wedding favors, bridal party gifts and other wedding accessories (Champagne glasses, ring bearer pillow, cake knife, etc.).
Make an appointment with your stylist for wedding day hairstyles for the bride and bridal party, as well as appointments for ma nis, pedis, massages or other spa treatments.
Schedule a trial with your hairstylist and makeup artist.
Start gathering your RSVPs.
Finalize the dates for your last-minute dress fittings.
Meet with all your wedding vendors to final ize any orders and reservations.
Purchase bridal party gifts and a gift for your fiancé.
Finalize the plans for your honeymoon. Update your passport and vaccinations, if necessary.
Finalize ceremony.
Finalize the details of your rehearsal dinner.
Go over song lists and requests with your band or DJ.
Draw up preliminary seating arrangements for the reception.
Have a trial session with your wedding-day hairstylist and makeup artist.
Start taking dance lessons for your first dance. Get your marriage license with your fiancé.
Pick up wedding rings.
Confirm all arrival times with vendors.
Confirm hotel arrangements for out- oftown guests.
Have your final dress fitting.
Finalize the seating arrangement for the reception.
Attend your bachelor/ bachelorette party.
Give the caterer your final guest count.
Have final fittings for your groom and groomsmen.
Give gifts to your wedding party, family and fiancé privately, or at the rehearsal din ner.
Make arrangements for your wedding gifts to be brought to your home.
Get a mani/pedi.
Get a wax and a spray tan.
Confirm flight, hotel and packing arrange ments for the honeymoon.
Make payment envelopes for each vendor and give them to your wedding day assistant along with your marriage license to take care of at the wedding.
Confirm arrangements for the getaway car
Attend your rehearsal dinner.
Get in a wedding day workout.
Get your hair and makeup done early Make sure you get plenty to eat, and drink a lot of water.
Have fun!
We've made it easy—check the boxes as you get closer to your big day
HEATHER DODGE PHOTOGRAPHY.
While Lauren is a big fan of Jane Austen and was craving a wedding with a 17th-century Britain aesthetic, Reilly wanted a more whimsical feel. But they both knew that, whatever they came up with, the central theme had to be romance. They hired a harpist to play during the ceremony, and incorporated wax seals throughout the décor. They utilized free-flowing greenery and twinkle lights to amp up the playful, intimate vibe, while personalized details—like Reilly’s Pink Penelope cocktail, named for their
ragdoll cat, custom welcome boxes with a few of their favorite things, and the alstroemeria Lauren held in her bridal bouquet honoring her mother—achieved a sentimental mood.
Still, the couple’s favorite moments of their big day were the ones they stole for themselves. Reilly counts among her most treasured memories of the day their first look, when she and Lauren exchanged their vows with only one another. Later, they slipped away from the party and took a quiet moment on the veranda to drink in the night sky.
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On their first date, in the fall of 2016, the couple made homemade pizza together. Lauren brought a bottle of Charlottesville wine.
Residents of Washington, D.C., Lauren and Reilly often escape the city on weekends to visit Charlottesville wineries. Pippin Hill checked all their wedding venue boxes, with catering included and a list of preferred vendors to make planning from afar much easier.
The couple honeymooned in the Amalfi Coast of Italy. “It was absolutely gorgeous and such a fun time, from the boat day to the private cooking class,” Lauren says.
Roxanne and Brad had started plan ning an elaborate, multi-day Zoro astrian ceremony and reception in the Virgin Islands for January 2021. Then the pandemic hit. The couple pivoted, mar rying in an intimate ceremony with their families at Bramblewood Farm in Keswick, where they were riding out COVID. In the meantime, they worked on plans for a do-over reception in 2022.
“I based the ceremony and party on a tradi tional Zoroastrian ceremony and reception,” Roxanne says. Women were invited to wear traditional Indian sarees and lehengas, for in stance, and Roxanne added in a lot of subtle traditional details, like incorporating banana leaves (often used as plates in Zoroastrian recep tions) in the décor.
Roxanne says her favorite part, though, was walking down the aisle with the couple’s 8-month-old daughter to join Brad for the union ceremony.
“Brad and I are holding hands and there is a cloth separating us,” Roxanne says. “Our family passed a string around us seven times to bind us. At the end of the seventh round, the union is complete and the sheet drops. The bride and groom are each holding rice and throw rice on each other when the sheet is dropped.”
For their Indian/Persian-inspired menu, the couple chose to highlight BAM Chips from Roxanne’s own food company. Made with a superfood bean from India called black gram, the chips were served to guests during appetizers, and BAM rotini pasta was the first course.
During the ceremony, Brad and Roxanne lit a candle to signify their bond. Then, the candle was moved to a table so guests could light their own from the flame, “bonding us all together in the ceremony,” Roxanne says.
Roxanne and Brad met in New York City at a party for mutual friends who attended UVA. They dated three and a half years before their September 2020 marriage.
The bride loves flowers, and chose bold, warm, and bright-colored ones, in addition to traditional red and white garlands for the ceremony.
With their faith at the center, a couple says ‘I do’Words by Caite Hamilton
Kelly was getting something to eat at the UVA food court one day when a stranger walked up to her.
“He said he’d seen me around and asked for my phone number,” she says. “We went on two dates, and then I de cided I wasn’t interested.” But that didn’t deter Joshua. A year later, they saw each other at a coffee shop and he suggested they meet up to catch up. That was September 8, 2018. On September 8, 2021, he proposed.
The couple decided on The Market at Grelen after spending a day touring the venue (rather than hiking their trail, as they’d planned to do for Joshua’s birthday), and set to planning.
“We both wanted to highlight our faith during the ceremony and include people from every stage of our lives,” Kelly says. They took communion with their guests, and braided colored cords to symbolize Jesus at the center of their marriage. And about an hour before the ceremony, the couple had a “first touch.”
“We didn’t want to see each other, so we met up by the greenhouse and stood back to back,” Kelly says. “We talked and prayed together. As I’d been getting ready throughout the day, I kept thinking, ‘I just want to see Joshua.’ We only talked for a few minutes, but our first touch calmed my nerves immensely.”
The couple asked friends and family to contribute to the day in special ways. Kelly’s 89-year-old Grandma Lillie was the flower girl and Joshua’s 7-year-old cousin was the ring bearer.
Since getting married, Kelly has discovered her husband is an amazing cook—lentil stew, pork loin, omelets? “All fantastic,” she says. And Joshua says he’s never been more excited to come home from work.
When it came to DIY, Joshua’s mom made the wedding favors (gift bags with trail mix, mints, and personalized ink pens), while Kelly’s sisters created signage.
On the menu was Groovin’ Gourmet’s flint steak (“Joshua has been pining for it since our tasting in March,” Kelly says), TNT Cakery’s almond cake, and a special blackberry cheesecake for Kelly’s maid of honor, Michelle.
At Montalto, a couple dreams up an elegant soirée
Rather than dreaming up a theme for their wedding, Shannon and Jono wanted to focus on the fu ture. They love to entertain, so the guiding principle when planning their wedding became, “Is this an item I would have in my home?” Thus, they chose wedding colors already in their home décor, and flowers they could grow in their backyard. And the plan worked!
“Since our wedding, we have incorporated our customized décor items—like mono grammed pillows and napkins—into our
home,” Shannon says. “They fit seamlessly into its design and it’s fun to have a daily re minder of our wedding.”
Their big day, at Montalto, was a grand af fair—with abundant floral arrangements, a custom dance floor, and a weekend full of fes tivities. And while the pandemic had forced a few changes (pivoting from a church to the Montalto mountaintop), Shannon says, in the end, they didn’t make a single concession.
As she puts it, “Our plan B far surpassed our plan A.”
Guests were greeted after dinner with trays of espresso martinis to get the party started. Each one was topped with a cookie in the shape of the couple’s dog, TJ.
For a late-night snack, the couple served personal Detroit pizzas (a nod to their impending move to the Motor City) and cheesy bread from The College Inn (a favorite from their UVA days). “I’ve been told they decided to stay open for an extra night when they received the large order for our wedding,” Shannon says.
The floral installation above the dance floor was a décor highlight for the bride, who says the combination of stems dripping from the ceiling and twinkle lights nestled in the flowers created the most magical dance floor experience.
The couple wanted the dinner portion to have a restaurant vibe. Rather than choosing an entrée ahead of time, guests were present ed with a menu of three options, prepared to order. Likewise, the seating reflected a restaurant experience, with banquettes and intimate four- and six-tops.
Little did the couple know, when they met at a St. Patrick’s Day party in 2017, that they’d grown up 10 minutes apart and had both attended UVA. “It felt a little like fate when we finally met,” Shannon says, “and we quickly fell in love.”
Celebrate a day you’ll never forget wrapped in the love of your family and friends and the spectacular beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Early Mountain Vineyards. Let us help you plan a wedding that is all you. Simply choose your something old, something new and email us at ido@earlymountain.com.
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A quintessential destination for Virginia weddings and social events, the Quirk Hotel is an artful blend of contemporary meets vintage.
By design, the Quirk Hotel features a myriad of versatile event spaces that range from traditional ballrooms to more unique sites like an alfresco film screening pavilion, art gallery, rooftop restaurant and outdoor lawn.
Beyond the venue, count on a team of dedicated specialists to flawlessly execute a memorable event. A four-season destination, the Quirk Hotel is your steppingstone to infuse your special day with the allure and southern charm of the Commonwealth.
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Molly Freeman has a love-hate relationship with tradition. So, when it came time to send save-the-date cards for her upcoming wedding to Joshua Moore, she wanted to do something a bit, well, nontraditional.
She was in the shower when it hit her: Wear costumes.
“I got the idea from my tattoo artist out in Oregon,” Freeman, who owns Magnolia Tattoo Studio, says. “We were discussing the pandemic and she had men tioned that all she did was order five inflatable T-rex costumes to use with her friends to lighten the mood.”
So Freeman went to Amazon and bought two inflatable suits—a dinosaur (for Joshua) and a unicorn (for herself). Then, the couple headed to their wedding venue, Avon Hill, and clowned—er, unicorned around. They’re still trying to figure out a way to work them into their November wedding, but Freeman made the savethe-dates magnets, so guests could keep them on their fridge.
“My favorite was Joshua’s best man’s kiddo asking when the dinosaur party is,” she says.
Caite HamiltonS urrounded by the exquisite Blue Ridge Mountains, Wintergreen Resort provides a magical setting with stunning vistas and a one-stop-shop planning department for a memorable wedding experience. Wintergreen Resort’s all-inclusive wedding packages can accommodate the most intimate gatherings to extravagant affairs providing a convenient and unforgettable event. Every detail will be perfect including pre- and post-wedding events, ceremony, reception, lodging and more. Plus, your wedding guests can make a complete vacation out of the trip with 45-holes of golf, world-renowned tennis, spa, shopping, delectable dining, indoor and outdoor pools, an adventure center and the list goes on.
Let Us Help You Plan Your Happily Ever After
Please contact our on-site Wedding Coordinator at 434-325-8139 or sales@ wintergreenresort.com to learn more about pricing and availability for your special event.
E ach of our four distinct wedding venues offer a unique experience tying in Charlottesville’s historic and lush character. Our private 4,000 acre reserve features historic manor homes and cozy cottages for overnight stays.
O ur on-site Tasting Room + Taphouse uniquely offers a craft brewery in addition to our estate grown wines for a tasting or to enjoy with pairings from our kitchen. We specialize in dinners and parties to complete your wedding weekend and celebrate your milestones.
www.mountidareserve.com info@mountidareserve.com 434-960-4655 Charlottesville, VA
We welcome you to join our community. Parcels and properties available for sale on the Reserve. www.turkeyruncville.com