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BAR wants updated design for affordable-housing project

The developers of a proposed six-story building at the corner of Wertland and 10th streets returned to the Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review in December to get additional feedback. 

“A development team consisting of Preservation of Affordable Housing, National Housing Trust, and Wickliffe Development Consulting was chosen by the UVA Foundation to be the developer of affordable housing on this two-acre site,” said J.T. Engelhardt of the National Housing Trust.

This is one of three affordable housing projects proposed for land donated by the University of Virginia and the only one in Charlottesville. The others are in Albemarle County on 12 acres off of Fontaine Avenue and at the North Fork Discovery Park near Charlottesville Albemarle Airport. 

The project is within an architectural design control district, thus the BAR has to grant a certificate of appropriateness before the project can proceed. 

The city also has to approve a site plan by March 20 in order for the project to be eligible to apply for the low-income housing tax credits required to subsidize the rent for 180 units. Neighborhood Development Services staff denied approval in December, but that is a routine step in the application process. Site plans must be granted if all of the technical requirements have been met. 

The Wertland building will include a range of affordability levels from 30 percent of the area median income to 80 percent, but the exact mix is not yet known. Under the new zoning, the project could be as high as 11 stories, but Liz Chapman, an architect with Grimm + Parker, said that would require steel construction, which is much more expensive. 

“We’re trying to stick with wood construction because that’s what the tax credits will bear,” said Chapman. 

The square building would include an interior courtyard built above an 83-space parking garage. One BAR member likened the design to a donut. 

“The donut feels very, you know, monolithic, very fortress-like,” said David Timmerman. He suggested finding a way to allow people to be able to see inside the courtyard. 

Another member of the panel said the long stretches of buildings on 10th and Wertland streets were repetitive and looked too much like a nearby structure on West Main Street. 

“I think we all can recognize that [student housing center The Standard at Charlottesville] is pretty unsuccessful as a streetscape experience,” said Carl Schwarz, a planning commissioner who also sits on the BAR. “I’m traumatized from the Standard. It’s done so badly.”

Other BAR members had specific comments about what kinds of street trees they wanted to see. 

Engelhardt said he would incorporate the feedback and return with an updated design, but pointed out there are a lot of requirements that present many challenges. 

“We’re struggling with trying to manage the constraints and really try[ing] to design a building that we can all be proud of and that you guys would approve, and it is a struggle,” Engelhardt said. 

Another struggle may be securing the low-income housing tax credits from a state agency called Virginia Housing. There will be several other applications this year and the process is competitive.

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Local land use in 2024, by the numbers

There has not been an uneventful year in Charlottesville real estate for a long time, and no amount of column inches can capture all that happened in 2024. Here’s one way to take the pulse of this year. 

0: The number of places there will be to live at 218 W. Market St. The developer opted to build a hotel. 

184 feet: The height of a structure developer Jeffrey Levien seeks to build on the Downtown Mall where Violet Crown Theater currently sits. 

1: The number of new City Council members, as Natalie Oschrin began serving a four-year term in January. 

2: The number of names for an 80-unit Seminole Trail housing project that finally broke ground this year after construction pricing caused delays. What started this year as Premier Circle ended as Vista29. The principal nonprofit involved also changed its name from Virginia Supportive Housing to Support Works Virginia. 

11: The number of “Major Development Plans” filed with the City of Charlottesville after a new zoning code went into effect in late February, though one is actually a duplicate. Two of these have been approved, one of which was for the BEACON commercial kitchen project at 221 Carlton Rd., and the other was for a deck expansion at ABC Preschool. 

6: The number of units that will be built at 303 Alderman Rd., currently a single-family home slated for demolition. City staff have to sign off on a major development plan for this by-right development and none of the units are required to be income-restricted. 

12: One major plan for undeveloped land on Hillcrest Road calls for 12 units to be constructed along the U.S. 250 Bypass. None are required to be affordable.  

24: Another major plan seeks to build 24 units at 2030 Barracks Rd., directly to the east of the Meadowbrook Shopping Center. Half of these would be income restricted. 

51: The number of residential properties in Charlottesville that sold for more than $1 million by the first week of December. 

$2,575,000: The highest price paid in the City of Charlottesville in 2024 for a single-family home at 1824 Winston Rd. on October 29.

$8.7 million: Charlottesville City Council agreed to a five-year, $8.7 million loan to Habitat for Humanity and the Piedmont Housing Alliance to purchase the Carlton Mobile Home Park for eventual redevelopment. The terms of the agreement prohibit construction until mid-2027, though planning can get started. 

$10.5 million: The University of Virginia Foundation purchased three commercial buildings on Arlington Boulevard for this price, possibly for a future road connection between Copeley Road and Millmont Street. 

$24 million: The amount paid by Blue Suede Charlottesville LLC to buy the Quirk Hotel on West Main Street. The relatively new building is now known as The Doyle Hotel. 

5 percent: The average assessment increase for all property in the City of Charlottesville. It’s a lower figure than 12.33 percent in 2023 and 10.77 percent in 2022. The higher assessments means more tax revenue. City Council intends to spend any surplus. 

4.07 percent: Albemarle County’s average assessment also went up by a smaller amount in 2024 than in previous years.

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UVA unveils preliminary design for new Center for the Arts

As the University of Virginia continues to expand onto Ivy Road, its new buildings are creating a new urban fabric for the public institution’s footprint in Charlottesville. On December 5, a committee of the Board of Visitors reviewed a preliminary design for the proposed Center for the Arts, and recommended a smaller building. 

“You’re dealing here with a welcoming site to the university,” said John Nau, chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee. 

The Center for the Arts would be located in the northeast corner of the Emmet/Ivy Corridor. As presented, the building would house the 1,200-seat Richard and Tessa Ader Performing Arts Center and serve as the new home of The Fralin Museum of Art and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection. The Department of Music would also move to the site, freeing up space for other UVA uses at Old Cabell Hall. 

“The Center for the Arts will have an internal promenade on the ground floor that builds on the design guidelines of the previous buildings developed in the Emmet Ivy District,” said Gary McCluskie, an architect with the Toronto-based firm Diamond Schmitt, which has been hired to design the arts center. 

Those buildings are the School of Data Science, the Virginia Guesthouse hotel, and the Karsh Institute of Democracy. One rendering shown to the Buildings and Grounds Committee depicted the possibility of films being screened on media walls above the entrance to the theater. 

Nau expressed concern that those media screens might distract people at the busy intersection of Emmet Street, Ivy Road, and University Avenue. 

“I have seen traffic come to a halt around sporting venues around the country that use these screens,” Nau said. 

The project has an internal budget of $315 million. Nau and others questioned the scale and asked whether the center is something UVA really needs to build. Another committee member asked for updated financial projections to see if the center would provide revenue by attracting shows that currently don’t have an appropriate venue in the greater community. 

While part of the funding for the center comes from a $50 million donation by the Aders, the bulk of the project might depend on a $200 million capital funding request made to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the General Assembly. UVA’s Senior Vice President for Operations and State Government Relations Colette Sheehy said Richmond has already authorized pre-planning work as well as given the green light to proceed with design. 

“That is normally a signal from them that they are going to support the construction,” Sheehy said.

UVA President Jim Ryan said the project has been in the works for a long time. The building’s large size is comparable to what’s being built nearby, he said, and the structure would hide the Lewis Mountain parking garage. Ryan also noted that moving The Fralin would allow that building to serve as a new entrance for the School of Architecture, which is currently tucked away from public sight.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to get to the architecture school but if we wanted to create a secret spot for architecture, we succeeded,” Ryan said. 

Earlier in the meeting, the committee also approved amending UVA’s Major Capital Plan to add $160 million for the construction of three residential buildings at the western end of the Emmet Ivy District. BOV member Bert Ellis was the lone vote against doing so because he said UVA needs to cut spending.

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UVA Foundation moving forward with North Fork residential development

When the University of Virginia Foundation purchased hundreds of acres of land by the Charlottesville Regional Airport in 1986, the intent at the time was to create a research park to support business and commerce. 

Decades later, the foundation is prepared to turn a section of the 562-acre site into a place where hundreds of people can live, and has issued a request for interested developers to submit their qualifications. Earlier this year, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning allowing for homes to be built there.

“The residential program’s updated Master Plan will create housing for those working in North Fork, adjacent properties, and the broader community,” reads the request for qualifications.

In all, up to 1,400 homes can be built at North Fork, but this particular phase would involve up to 600 units. The RFQ calls for a mixture of market-rate, workforce housing, and affordable units, with the latter defined as being at prices at 80 percent of the area median income. 

“The goal is to offer mixed-income housing opportunities that support live/work/play environments at North Fork, while addressing the area’s housing needs,” says Fred Missel, the foundation’s director of development. 

North Fork is one of three locations where both UVA and the Foundation seek to provide income-restricted housing as part of an initiative called for by a committee UVA President Jim Ryan formed soon after he took office in 2018. 

An exact breakdown of income levels for the 600 units is not required in the RFQ, but the document does say “an optimal number of affordable units guided by best practices for successful mixed-income communities that support community and economic development initiatives.”

Missel says the Foundation hopes to identify a developer who would build something unique to Albemarle. 

“Qualified development teams will be expected to present a vision that incorporates elements of sustainability, resilience, superior community design, economic development, and affordability, tailored to create a unique community that stands out in the area,” Missel says. 

North Fork is in the Hollymead neighborhood as classified by Albemarle County, and the 1,400 units allowed under the recent rezoning are among the 5,221 approved but not yet built, according to the county’s development dashboard. Just over 1,000 units are under review in this area, including an additional 655 at North Pointe. 

While there is no date for construction in the RFQ, UVA’s website on the affordable housing initiative estimates it will happen in the spring of 2027.

Missel says there is no specific date at this time, but the zoning is now in place and the Foundation has made investments to prepare for the additional residents. To support the county’s infrastructure, the Foundation spent $6 million in 2020 to connect Lewis and Clark Drive to Airport Road. Eventually, that roadway will connect with Berkmar Drive, creating a parallel road to U.S. 29. That’s a core principle of the Places29 Master Plan adopted by county supervisors in February 2011. 

UVA has previously selected a nonprofit entity called Preservation of Affordable Housing to develop a two-acre site at 10th and Wertland streets, and that project is listed as going to construction in the summer of 2026. The Piedmont Housing Alliance was selected to develop a 12-acre Fontaine Avenue site, expected to move dirt sometime in 2027.

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Should a downtown movie theater be demolished to build new housing?

Crowds rarely attend meetings of the Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review, but quite a few people showed up for a November 19 preliminary review of a potential 184-foot-tall building at the Downtown Mall site of the Violet Crown movie theater.

“I completely understand the magnitude of the importance of this property cannot be overstated,” said Jeffrey Levien of the firm Heirloom Development.

Levien has a contract to purchase the site, so he was allowed to ask the BAR for its initial thoughts on the height and massing of the proposed structure. He said the current building underutilizes a location that would be used to support the new Comprehensive Plan goal of providing more housing.

“It’s a very important first test of our code,” Levien said.  

The BAR will eventually be asked to approve a certificate of appropriateness to demolish the building because it is a contributing structure to the Downtown Architectural Design Control District. It would also have to approve plans for a new building. 

Jeff Werner, the city’s historic preservation planner, said little remains of the original building constructed on the site in the late 1800s. He said the BAR has approved projects with height before, such as the CODE Building, which rises to nine stories in some locations. What matters is context.

“BAR’s review is not just the building, but its relationship to the historic district as well,” Werner said.   

Under the city’s new development code, the building can be up to 10 stories or 142 feet by-right. There is also a bonus provision if additional affordable units are added above the 10 percent required by the code’s inclusionary zoning provision. If the city is satisfied, the building could be 184 feet or 13 stories. 

So far, Levien has not demonstrated how he would fulfill those requirements. The Office of Community Solutions would be responsible for ensuring compliance. 

“The Violet Crown is a jewel,” Levien said. “But it’s a jewel that’s just become outdated as far as a business model in the world of theaters. That’s my opinion based on a lot of fact.” 

In a statement released after The Daily Progress reported that closure was imminent, the company that operates Violet Crown said it is still in business and plans to continue operations as long as it has a lease. 

The president of the group Preservation Piedmont reminded those in attendance that the Downtown Mall is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“As the members of the BAR, in effect, you’re the curators of the Mall, which is our city’s special space,” said Genevieve Keller. 

Keller said any demolition of a property on the Downtown Mall must be considered very carefully. She said this location, as well as a proposed hotel at 218 W. Market Street, are in what used to be the Vinegar Hill neighborhood. Levien is the principal owner of that project, which he was previously planning to develop as a nine-story residential building. 

‘When an application comes in for a demo there, just down from McGuffey School, that would be taking out the last fabric left of Vinegar Hill,” Keller said. 

The BAR took no action because the discussion was a pre-application conference. 

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Judge is ready to rule in Charlottesville zoning case, but opens door to more evidence

One month after City Council approved a new zoning code that allows more residential density across Charlottesville, a group of property owners filed a lawsuit arguing they would be harmed by the changes. 

Last week, Charlottesville Circuit Judge Claude Worrell dismissed two of the four counts in White v. Charlottesville but left room for further hearings on the other two. 

“Plaintiffs have provided a sufficient question of fact for the Court to hear evidence regarding the promulgation of the new zoning ordinance,” Worrell wrote in a three-page ruling dated November 12.

One of the open questions under Virginia law is whether the new development code was “drawn and applied with reasonable consideration for the existing use and character of property,” including a review of transportation requirements and other public services. 

So far, all of the legal proceedings have dealt with a motion from the city that states the plaintiffs have no merit and no standing to sue. Each owns a lot that now allows six or eight units rather than the one permitted under the old zoning. 

Worrell concluded the plaintiffs have the right to bring the case, and his invitation for evidence relates to the question of whether Charlottesville followed state regulations. 

In his ruling, Worrell also said if both parties are prepared to proceed without submitting new evidence, he would be ready to “rule as to the sufficiency of the suit as a matter of fact and law.”

The property owners want their day in court. 

“The plaintiffs expect to present evidence regarding the promulgation of the new zoning ordinance at a trial on this matter,” said Mike Derdeyn, the plaintiffs’ attorney.

When asked if it would submit anything new, Afton Schneider, Charlottesville’s director of communications and public engagement, said the city does not comment on pending litigation. 

In late September, Fairfax Circuit Court Judge David Schell ruled against a provision added to Arlington County’s land use regulations that had the same intent as Charlottesville’s development code—to increase the number of places people can live. Schell, a retired judge, was assigned to the case after Arlington judges recused themselves because they are homeowners. Worrell, a property owner in Charlottesville, did not recuse himself.

Part of Schell’s ruling against Arlington’s Expanded Housing Option program hinges on the same section of state code that has kept the Charlottesville case alive. Arlington County has indicated it will appeal the ruling. 

According to the website ARLNow.com, Schell’s ruling will permit several dozen units being built under the EHO program to proceed, but he warned they may one day need to be torn down depending on how the appeals process works out. 

A handful of “major development plans” have been filed with the City of Charlottesville, including the conversion of 303 Alderman Rd. from a single-family house to six townhomes and a by-right request to build 24 units at 2030 Barracks Rd.

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Neighbors oppose private school in Albemarle’s rural area

The Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia projects that Albemarle’s population will grow from around 116,000 now to more than 155,000 people in 2050, generating the need for services in a county where growth and development is only allowed on 5 percent of the land mass. 

One service is day care, a function often provided by private schools. Congregation Beth Israel Forest School has recently filed an application for a special use permit to build a 25,000-square-foot facility on Dudley Mountain Road in Albemarle’s rural area. 

“The Forest School helps to serve a huge need for children in the Charlottesville and Albemarle area, especially for the 18-month to kindergarten age range,” reads a narrative written by Kendra Moon of the firm Line and Grade Civil Engineering. “The location of this property so close to the center of Albemarle is critical to its accessibility.” 

The undeveloped property, owned by Julie and Jeffrey Morrill since August 2023, is about a mile and a half away from the edge of Albemarle’s growth area. 

CBI started the Forest School in the spring of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools as a way of allowing children to continue gathering in an outdoor environment. Now it wants a permanent home.

The overall property is 156 acres and the permit proposes using 15 of them for the school, and putting the remaining land under conservation easement. The plans call for space for 140 students in what is described as a basecamp. This would include an 11,100-square-foot multipurpose building and three cabins no larger than 3,000 square feet each. 

However, an online petition has been created by a group called the Dudley Mountain Road Neighbors calling on the Planning Commission to recommend against the special use permit.

“This would be the first non-residential/agricultural use along this scenic roadway, setting a precedent for future development,” reads the petition. “The narrow, winding roadway would be subject to twice-daily traffic surges—causing further decay of the already worn roadway and making it unsafe for existing residential traffic and bikes.”

Albemarle’s Comprehensive Plan sets aside 5 percent of the county’s 726 square miles for development, but allows for new uses that support the rural area. One criteria is that a proposed use should “relate directly to the rural area and need a rural area location in order to be successful.” However, another requirement is that they “be suitable for existing rural roads and result in little discernible difference in traffic patterns.” 

The application states that there will be 109 vehicle trips to the location during peak periods. An engineer with the Virginia Department of Transportation has looked at the plans and found them “generally acceptable.” 

Scott Clark, a rural area planner for Albemarle, has reviewed the application and offered this interpretation in an October 31 letter: “While limiting the extent of development on the property is helpful, the creation of a school use in the Rural Area is not directly supportive of the Rural Area goals established in the 2015 plan,” Clark wrote. 

The final decision will be made by the Board of Supervisors after a recommendation from the Planning Commission. There’s no date yet for public hearings, but the first opportunity to hear about the development from the applicant will come at a November 19 community meeting at Walton Middle School at 6pm. 

Albemarle is continuing work on a Comprehensive Plan update and soon the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors will take up sections of the AC44 draft that may revisit those criteria.

On November 12, the Albemarle Planning Commission was scheduled to hold a public hearing on whether to grant a special use permit for an automotive repair facility on Route 20 in Keene. While there’s no petition, dozens of people provided written comments in advance.

“There are only 149 residents of Keene and only another 591 in close by Esmont,” wrote Paula and Jerome Beazley. “These residents are not in need of these services.”

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Charlottesville’s the best backdrop for out-of-towners

If you’re having a wedding in Charlottesville, you already know all of the wonderful things about the area—the wineries and restaurants, the music venues, the art galleries. But you should assume your guests—many of them from out of town—don’t have a clue what the town has to offer. Consider this an official guide to helping your guests feel right at home. (Feel free to stick it in your welcome basket!)

Friday

If your guests arrive this afternoon for the rehearsal dinner, direct them to…

  • The Downtown Mall, where they can visit Ting Pavilion for Fridays After Five.
  • Peruse a few of the city’s best bookstores (Daedalus Bookshop, for its labyrinthine selection, or New Dominion, Virginia’s oldest independent bookseller).
  • A quick drink (social lubricant for all that inevitable small talk!) at Tilman’s or Zocalo.
  • An after-dinner nightcap at local favorite C&O, or Miller’s—if that’s your end-of-night vibe.

Saturday

Likely this is the day of the wedding. Instruct your guests to… 

  • Visit IX Art Park farmers’ market, where they can snack on a pastry from Baker No Bakery while deciding where to go for breakfast. 
  • Get breakfast. Recommended: Belle for breakfast sammies, Farm Bell Kitchen for banana beignets, or Oakhurst Inn for smoked chicken hash.
  • Try a winery, brewery, or distillery. We couldn’t possibly recommend just one—pick whatever suits your mood (urban? Mountain views? Dave Matthews’ seal of approval?). 

Nap, then suit up!

Sunday

Your visitors will need a come-down after all the fun they had last night. Try…

  • Grabbing a quick Bodo’s breakfast. 
  • Taking in an exhibit at one of Charlottes­ville’s many galleries: McGuffey Art Center, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Les Yeux du Monde… Pick your pleasure.
  • Picking a lunch spot on UVA’s historic Corner (The Virginian is a classic choice) before…
  • Buying a bottle of wine at Market Street Wine—owner Erin Scala will recommend the perfect souvenir to stash in your checked luggage until the return home.
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Local event firm makes your wedding truly yours

If you think the devil is in the details, you’re not alone: Local events rental firm Eventide strongly agrees. For your special day, these folks want the décor, from bowers to umbrellas, to fit your vision. Whether it’s tables and chairs, linen, cutlery and glassware, service trays, or tents, the firm provides a range of choices on … well, everything.

Who knew there were nine kinds of ice troughs, more than three dozen varieties of platters (wood, ceramic, melamine, and metal), and 21 options for baskets? But Eventide’s objective isn’t to overwhelm you with choices—it’s to provide a wonderfully specific, curated setting for your occasion. The firm’s specialty is its customized wood pieces: bars, bowers, canopies, serving pieces and platters, and decorative items. 

When it comes to custom bars, Eventide offers three customizable options. The Belmont features a semi-circular or circular bar, which can be adapted to your wedding’s look/color scheme with variations in color, panels, and countertop—and then accessorized with shelving, food displays, and umbrellas. The more casual Carleton is a two-server bar with more than 20 variations of front panels and countertops to fit your setting, as well as built-ins to provide everything the bartenders need. The rustic Avon features a striking restored wooden canoe with optional display stands, serving as the centerpiece for buffets of charcuterie, breakfast, or desserts.

Eventide was launched about two years ago, as a sister company of The Catering Outfit, a local boutique culinary design firm started in 1999 by executive chef Walter Slawski. While the rental firm started out handling wedding events, it’s starting to build a clientele in corporate events and private parties as well. Eventide just recently moved into a larger warehouse space, and now has a dozen employees.

Charlottesville native Sheri Scaminaci, Eventide’s rental director and warehouse manager, has “been here since the beginning,” she says. With a background that includes restaurants, catering, and carpentry, she would seem to have been custom designed for her job, which includes everything from consulting with planners, designers, and couples to going out on deliveries. And, her father runs the firm’s woodshop, designing and constructing many of its custom products.

Eventide’s current client mix is about 50 percent planners (they have worked with Hannah Rose Design, Day by Fay, Magnum Opus Events, and several others around town) and 50 percent individuals and their designers. “We’re always open to your ideas,” says Scaminaci. 

While Eventide doesn’t do total wedding planning, its services are designed to mesh seamlessly with the logistics of your party. Luckily, Scaminaci’s background also includes volunteer firefighting—so she can handle just about anything. “Each event can get to be a lot of work,” she says, “but I love it.”

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These outside-the-box vendors up the ante on your best day ever

More and more, couples are viewing their wedding not only as an opportunity to declare their love for one another in front of everyone who feels important to them, but also—let’s face it—as an opportunity for the best party they’ll ever throw. To that end, here are three local vendors who can add that extra something to make your big day truly stand out. 

Picture this

Photo booths are fine for some, but Parlor the Studio can do you one better. The creative duo of photographer Anna Kariel and stylist/retailer/designer Annie Drury work with clients to create a bespoke photo “set” curated and fabricated to the style and ethos of the event. Think paper moon in a Prohibition-era speakeasy, or a sailboat braving dramatic seas. “During the ideation phase of the design process, clients are invited to present ideas and provide feedback,” says Kariel. “We gush over a fun theme, and we are equally excited to pitch our own ideas when requested.”

Just your type

You may have spotted Charlottesville Poem Store’s Laura Frantz parking her tent (and her vintage typewriter) at the Farmers Market at Ix, The Doyle Hotel (total Algonquin Round Table vibes), and special events around town like the Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival and Common House’s Writers’ Happy Hour. But she’s also for hire. Have her set up at your wedding and craft an on-the-spot poem for each of your guests based on a set of agreed-upon prompts. Now that’s poetry in motion.

Beautiful discovery

On such a perfect day, it’s easy to see that your future looks bright. But your guests may want a peek at what’s to come for them, too. Enter tarot. “A different language that speaks through images,” as Sealed in the Stars’ Jess Bronson writes on her website, tarot is a tool for self-discovery. Let Bronson lay all her cards (she carries multiple decks and matches them to each recipient’s vibe) on the table.