Charlottesville Wine Country Wedding

A weekend of fun in Charlottesville wine country is what Lucy and Van wanted for their wedding, so that is just what we did! Photographed by the talented Mikkel of Mikkel Paige Photography was there to capture it all.

I met Lucy at a bridal show and immediately we just hit it off. We met a week later over wine (so fun right!) and initially we talked about the potential of their wedding to be either in Asheville, NC or Charlottesville, VA. I have worked in both towns prior and both have such beautiful scenic locations but it came down to what location was going to be their special place.

Van, was attending Darden for business in Charlottesville, VA all while Lucy was here in NC so they both took trips up and back during their engagement to see each other. Charlottesville became a place that was special for their relationship and somewhere they got to explore together and wanted all their friends and family to fall in love with it too. So after a couple months of venue tours and deliberation Charlottesville, Virginia at the beautiful Mount Ida Farm and Vineyards new Lodge venue was where they would exchange vows.

So we got down into the planning and design of their wedding weekend. They wanted their guests (as 99% were from out of town) to truly experience all Charlottesville had to offer from their downtown restaurant scene, the history, to the rolling hills with all the wineries. Their memorial day weekend wedding date allowed the time for guests to really do just that.

We began the design process creating the color palette and key design elements included their custom created wedding crest by One + Only Paper. Their dogs were a very special part of them so they knew they wanted to include their pups within the crest, their initials, the wedding tree where they planned to married under, and succulents (one of their favorites that would be used within the wedding flowers). Their wedding crest was used throughout the wedding beyond just their wedding invitations and stationery, we wanted to showcase the crest in touches as their per say, branding.

On Friday, as guests arrived into town they were welcomed at their hotel with a welcome gift with favorites of the bride, groom, items made in Charlottesville, North Carolina, and a special candle made by Extraordinary Venture (the families non-profit organization that creates and nurtures self-sustaining small businesses with the philosophy that all people are employable). Guests then were invited to the Wedding Welcome Party at the rooftop of The Graduate Hotel looking over downtown Charlottesville.

The Lodge at Mount Ida is so beyond beautiful, a venue on green rolling hills for acres, and, acres and, acres. They wanted an elegant wedding where their guests were able to have fun and to feel at home. As we kept a watch on the weather it looked as if some rain was trying to damper the day so we went through all the plans A, B, C, and D, and created the best of all worlds. We had teams on standby just in case our couple could have the wedding they visioned of getting married under the beautiful tree. The clouds were rolling in but nothing would stop these two taking a chance just like they did on love. So we went for it! The rain wasn’t just hindering the ceremony but also the surprise fireworks show at dusk, we were crossing our fingers and toes. We had a tent for the interactive food stations and a backup for the ceremony just in case with guests on board the buses as they arrived some rain came through but luckily passed through quickly and they were able to move forward with getting married outside and were able to have the surprise fireworks show too, all while late-night snack of burgers and truffle fries were being passed out, YUM right! It couldn’t have been better!

The day after the wedding the fun didn’t end, guests enjoyed a wedding brunch at the Omni Hotel in downtown Charlottesville and then had the choice to go to Pippin Hill Farm for a winery tour or tour of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s estate. Guests loved it, a great way to enjoy the town on their last day.

I had so much FUN planning and designing with Lucy and Van! I can’t tell you how much it meant to me to have their 100% trust and allowing me to guide them through this process. It was beyond a pleasure to be a part of their day! They even sent me a postcard with a sweet note from their honeymoon in St. Lucia!