“We wanted our wedding to embody all that we love about Charlottesville and Virginia,” says Laura. To that end, they incorporated it wherever they could: bluegrass music from The Bellevue Rhythmaires, plenty of Southern staples on the menu and a classic Virginia country club backdrop (with its view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Thomas Jefferson-designed front room).
Narrowing down the look and feel of any occasion is a test—especially a wedding day!—and Claire and Will had as difficult a time as any. They ran through different theme options: Where The Wild Things Are? Boutique hotel? One that combined the beautiful with the beastly? “There were times, especially early on, where our ideas felt scattered and we worried that things wouldn’t come together. We were all over the place,” Claire says. Eventually, a meeting with Dani Antol at Rock Paper Scissors over the paper suite helped focus the concept.
Jen Costanza and Amy Shopkorn knew they wanted a somewhat rustic vibe for their late summer wedding, so they started with the venue: Panorama Farms in Earlysville provided the ideal backdrop for a few reasons. “It matched our vision perfectly,” Jen says. “As we read about the history of Panorama and its current uses, we felt an even stronger connection. Amy is a runner and Panorama has a certified cross country course.”
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Take your cues from these brides on everything from transportation to wedding day décor.
For your bouquet (above)
Your wedding day might feel a little stressful, but this bride had a little trick to ease her way down the aisle: She included calming herbs like mint and rosemary in her bouquet.
At the table
We’ll just come out and say it: The wine-bottle-as-table-number trend is on its way out (if not out already!). For bride Merida Miller’s table numbers, her mom bent wire into the letters “E” and “L,” so when in place, they completed the phrase “Love” on one side of the number card and “Best Day Ever” on the other. Bonus: “I love the shadow in this photo that enhances the E,” Merida says.
For the guests
Originally from Kentucky, bride Randi Carpenter’s grandfather owned several Clydesdale horses which, over the years, became like members of the family. “The southern, equestrian theme of our wedding was an easy choice for me during the planning stages,” Randi says. “Since the horseshoe is a symbol of good luck, we thought that they would serve as the perfect wedding favor!” The ones she used at her wedding are from Keeneland race track in Lexington, Kentucky.
“We were visiting Keeneland at Christmastime and my mom and I thought that we’d ask some of the trainers in the barns if they had any horseshoes leftover from the fall races and sure enough they did! They gave us two huge buckets full of ‘used’ horseshoes.”
A bountiful backdrop
To create a little drama behind her cake table, bride Samantha Ehredt made an ombré backdrop from pink balloons (an idea her wedding planner, Logan Powell, likely found on Pinterest, she says). Affixed to three black 2’x4’s, the balloons worked to draw guests’ eyes in. “I think it’s extremely important to throw in personal touches that people will likely remember and never see at another wedding,” Samantha says.
For the to and fro
Go old school (literally!) with school buses to transport your guests from ceremony to reception, like bride Meredith McKee did by renting them directly from the City of Charlottesville. “Not only was it super fun for our guests to ride in school buses, but also they were much less expensive than a regular bus service,” she says.
It’s 45 minutes before the wedding ceremony. Your perfect up-do is up. Your airbrushed makeup is cover-model worthy. Your mother helps you slip into your custom-designed wedding gown, carefully laces it up and is tying the final bow when you hear it—the sound of priceless organza tearing. Your wedding dress just ripped from the waist to the top of the corset.
That very scenario happened to one local bride. Fortunately, she’d hired wedding planner Adam Donovan-Groves, who had the situation under control before the bride even knew anything was wrong.
“I said, ‘I’ve got this.’ And I sewed her into her gown. You couldn’t even tell anything had happened,” Adam recounts. “Had it just been her and a couple of friends, the stress would’ve been so much higher.”
And that, in a nutshell, is why wedding planners are worth their proverbial weight in gold.
“We don’t have the emotion invested in the event,” says Adam. “We have a Plan B and even a Plan C—both of which are as good as Plan A—and we’re ready to put those into place at any moment.”
At your service
A wedding planner works for the couple. Forget what the caterer suggests or the venue has in mind, planners will do their best to get the future Mrs. (or Mr.) exactly what she (or he) wants.
“We’re an ally,” says Meghan Streit, owner and wedding planner for Shindig Weddings and Events, when describing her role in the process. If someone’s planning a wedding in the area from afar, “we provide boots on the ground and a sanity check.”
Most wedding planners offer a choice of packages that include anything from “day-of” services to full planning. They can accommodate a bride by providing vendor lists and hotel choices, or handle everything from setting up appointments to attending meetings with, or on behalf of, the couple. Of course, each planner charges different rates so fees will vary, but expect to spend anywhere from $2,500 for minimum involvement to $8,000-10,000 for a full-service planner.
It’s the most important day of your life, and Meghan says it makes sense to trust a professional to guide you through it. “With any major event in our lives—buying a home or having surgery—you look to someone who does this all the time,” she says. “This is no different.”
It’s easy to go crazy with the scanner when you’re high on your engagement and planning a life together: That’s the throw pillow you’ll rest your head on while you watch movies together; that’s the wine cooler where you’ll store bottles for romantic nights in; that’s the toilet brush holder that’ll…hold the toilet brush. But, ask a real-life bride (like these two C-VILLE Weddings alums, both featured on these pages five years ago), and she’ll say this after five years of marriage: Only choose what you know you’ll use and likely won’t replace yourself as time goes by. In other words, be realistic about your needs. Here are three must-haves and a few things to reconsider when you’re walking down the aisles.
The must-haves
Pots and pans: Go big or go home. Paige Harden and her husband Elliot had a very focused registry: only things for the kitchen. As a result, they use nearly everything they received. Paige recommends a set of All-Clad cookware, which will last a long time. “We use these every single day; they are still in great shape and will easily last another five years,” she says.
Dinnerware: Lara Croce and her husband Daniel registered for both formal and informal dinnerware, and Lara says they use both every day. Paige’s advice? Go simple. White china coordinates with everything—“including a less expensive set of everyday dishes from IKEA that we bought ourselves.”
Kitchen tools: Lara suggests asking for a good set of knives (“They’re not something I’d ordinarily spend money on,” she says), and Paige and Elliot found that their bright yellow mixing bowls have seen a lot of use—both for cooking and as occasional toys for their 3-year-old son and 6-month-old daughter. Talk about future planning!
The do-withouts
Wine glasses: Says Lara, “I’m not sure if we registered for especially fragile ones or if we were really careless with them, but we recently had to replace them all.” The better option, she says, is to register for something you know will last a long time. Paige and Elliot asked for Waterford crystal glasses and, while they were a bit more expensive and the couple only brings them out on special occasions, “It is nice to toast using something from our wedding,” Paige says.
Hand-held vacuum: Convenience may be king, but unless you’re registering for the world’s best handheld vacuum, you may find it still sitting in the closet five years later. Lara advises registering for an actual vacuum instead.
Towels: It seems like a good idea at the time (and a nice inexpensive option for gift-givers), but towels may need to be replaced every few years—for wear and tear or a change in décor, for instance—so you’ll end up buying your own eventually anyway. “I wish I had registered for something else that would last longer,” Lara says.
Brangelina, Bennifer, Kimye. Celebrity gossip magazines were making Instagram-appropriate hashtags before hashtags were even a thing. Now it’s one of the most fun ways to inject personality into your big day (and wrangle your guests’ photos while you’re at it!). Here are a few we like from the last year.
#illbeback (the future Mrs.’ last name, Back)
#thepriceisrightforbarker (the bride and groom’s last names, respectively)
#willyouterryme (the groom’s last name)
#maddaboutsam (the bride’s first name, Maddy, and the groom’s first name, Sam)
#damgoodwedding (the groom’s last name, Damaske, and the bride’s last name, Good)
#2kidneysarebetterthan1 (the groom’s last name, Kidney)
#sarahgotrich (the bride and groom’s first names)
#sheastheone (the groom’s last name, Shea)
Can’t make a play on your names? Try something simple, like these:
#claireheartswill
#thegreatgarbers
#doublewife (a same-sex wedding)
#lemonpartyof2 (the groom’s last name, LeMon)
#headrickdreyfus (the grooms’ last names)
#strangedragonwedding (the groom and bride’s last names—really!)
#er2aisle (the doctor and nurse couple met in the emergency room)
Like most spring brides, Lindsey Kirchoff spent the week before her June 21 wedding habitually checking the weather, fearing the worst: rain. She had a backup plan (they’d just move the guests to the barn instead), but was insistent that the ceremony be at Mount Ida’s gazebo overlooking the water. When the wedding day arrived (and the weatherman assured only a 30 percent chance of rain), Lindsey and her groom, Tyler, decided to chance it. Luckily, the guests arrived early, so they started the ceremony 30 minutes ahead of schedule. But it was still too late.
“By the time I got to the top of the stairs, the droplets were the size of golf balls and there was no turning back,” Lindsey says. “All I could do was laugh.”
Even though it drenched the couple, the downpour had an unintended positive consequence: It set the tone for the rest of the evening.
“My guests could feel the love and they could see how perfectly at ease we were at the altar, rain and all,” she says.
There are plenty of ways to interpret a rainy wedding day—it’s good luck! It means you’ll be wealthy! It’s an indicator of many children!—but one thing is for certain: True love can weather any storm.
Under the big top
It’s always good to have a plan B! If you’re worried about rain, most tent rental companies will allow you to pay a non-refundable deposit to keep a tent on hold—pay in full if you use it, forfeit the deposit if you don’t. (Small price to pay to prevent a waterlogged wedding day, we say.) Here are three local options to come to your rescue.—C.W.
FDS Tents
295-7977
Gibson Rental
(540) 661-0001
Skyline Tent Company
977-8368
Not sure how to diplomatically ask that your guests’ children be excluded from your wedding? Hey, we don’t judge, but it might be easier just to hire a sitter. A new service is making that easy.
Founded by child care professional Lisa Skillman in December 2014, Local Nanny Network guarantees your guests can enjoy the party with peace of mind (and you don’t have to worry about tiny fingers digging into your cake before you’ve even said “I do”). Local Nanny Network nannies arrive in uniform equipped with books, board games, coloring activities and other toys to engage the children during the event. Their team of nannies enable parents to have fun and relax knowing their little ones aren’t far away. All of the nannies are CPR-certified and trained to entertain even the most precocious of children.
For more information, visit localnannynetwork.com.
Ooohs and aaahs are normal for women’s wedding ring sets, but the same attention isn’t given to men’s wedding bands. In the spirit of gender equality, we spoke with Rob Matthews, store manager of Fink’s Jewelers, about the top five things men should know before buying their bling of wedded bliss.
1. Mix and match. “Traditionally, men and women thought they had to have matching wedding bands. That’s a rarity nowadays,” Matthews says. So go ahead, pick what suits your fancy and forget trying to be ring twinsies.
2. Size matters. Many guys aren’t used to how a ring feels, so they buy it too big—a decision that’s likely to lead to a lost ring. “Fingers expand and contract a thousand times a day,” Matthews says. Go small to be sure you don’t lose your new crown jewel.
3. Comfort counts. Ask if the store has a selection of comfort fit bands. Instead of the band being flat against the finger on the inside, it’s rounded for comfort. “It cushions against the finger, which feels better,” says Matthews.
4. Heavy metal. Men are pretty hard on their jewelry and they need a metal that can last a lifetime. Tungsten is the most popular choice in men’s wedding bands—you can’t cut it or scratch it. Bonus: It’s hypoallergenic, and according to Matthews, “It’s less expensive than gold or platinum.”
5. High maintenance. If you like white gold, be prepared for maintenance. Natural gold is yellow and requires a coating of rhodium to turn it white. Over time that wears off. “Depending on the person, the job they have, if they wash their hands a lot or use a lot of hand sanitizer, it may need to be recoated as frequently as every six months,” Matthews advised.