The rolling hills of Albemarle, the verdant pavilions of UVA, the lush vines of neighboring wineries—there’s no end to the picturesque backdrops for your engagement photos. But we love a couple who thinks outside the box. Take it from Danielle Peacock and Josh Laseter, who shot their engagement session at Three Notch’d Brewing Company—while creating an exclusive beer for their wedding.
“When we first started dating, we spent a lot of time there with our dog, playing board games, having birthday parties, or having a brew over dinner,” says Peacock. “We love Three Notch’d, so when we got engaged, we knew we wanted to figure out a way to incorporate them.” When the brewery’s events coordinator suggested creating a custom beer with brewmaster Dave Warwick, the couple couldn’t say no.
The process started over dinner with Warwick (“at Three Notch’d, of course,” says Peacock) to discuss the type of beer the couple wanted and some ideas for the name. They also suggested this serve as their engagement session with photographer Matt Schmachtenberg.
Ultimately, the pair came up with a dry-hopped pale ale that they call Will You?, named for Wyoming (WY), where Laseter popped the question. Warwick let them be as involved as they wanted, and they ended up participating in every part of the process. As for cost, says Peacock, after brewing the beer, Three Notch’d distributed it directly to the wedding venue, so the couple paid for it as they would have with any other beverage.
Peacock and Laseter served it at their Clifton wedding a month later, and filled as many growlers as they could to give away as gifts and save it as long as possible. The rest went on tap at the brewery the Monday after their wedding.
No surprise here: “We made sure to stop by on our way back from our honeymoon to snap a picture of our brew on the menu and have a glass,” Peacock says.