Thanks to fabulous editor, Stephanie Marie, the current special section of The Hook Weddings is another job well done… it’s a beautiful issue on the stands now! Lots of gorgeous photos of real Charlottesville weddings featuring many talented Charlottesville wedding & event professionals.  Plus in the center spread is a great feature on Gary and Edward… the winners of our 2013 A Charlottesville Wedding Gift contest who are just starting to plan their November wedding at Trump Winery.  Be sure to check it out!

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Sunset at Pippin Hill Farm

Escape from the reception!

Let me explain …

The Summer Solstice is almost here, and that means we are about to experience the longest day of the year! For the months of June and July Sunset is between 8:30 – 8:40 pm, with the peak colors generally being within 15 minutes after sunset. Scheduling sunset pictures into your timeline can be a challenge as dinner, toasts, or dancing generally falls around the same time as sunset. Additionally, you probably plan on doing the family and bridal party pictures during cocktail hour or earlier.

Sunset pictures from Michelle & Louis’s Wedding at Farmington Country Club

Here is our recommendation for scheduling sunset pictures on your wedding day and allowing time to soak everything in …

1) First, still plan on doing the majority of your pictures earlier in the day. I like to complete bridal party and family pictures at least 30 minutes prior to sunset.

2) If sunset is during the reception, ask your planner to set aside 15 – 20 minutes for you to enjoy a moment together watching the sunset. This will generally be after dinner but before toasts or dancing. You will be with your friends and family throughout the entire day, so it is often nice just to set a little time aside to escape so you can soak everything in together.

3) Use half of this time for pictures, and half of this time for reflection. Talk about the ceremony, talk about the wedding, talk about what you are looking forward to in married life!! Your wedding day can be a blur, but this will help you take it all in and cherish the experience!

What if you don’t have a great sunset? … Try for a night picture (like the one below). Either way the idea is to soak everything in while your photographer gets a great picture of the moment.

Let us know what you think and whether you plan on trying it out for your wedding day! We would love to hear your comments.

All the best,

Aaron & Brittany of Aaron Watson Photography

P.S. If you like these pictures be sure to check out the full wedding posts on our blog Thursday and Friday for Christina & Wayne’s wedding (pictures at the top) and Monday and Tuesday for Crystal and Ryan’s Wedding (pictured below).

Night shot from Crystal & Ryan’s Wedding at the Early House in Louisa, VA

All pictures copyright Aaron Watson Photography. All rights reserved.

The post How to push pause, and soak in your wedding day! appeared first on Charlottesville Wedding Blog.

Celebrating Everyday Life with Jennifer Carroll

Planning your wedding is fun and stressful and often planning your wedding favors comes late in the process when your time, energy and dollars have all been stretched pretty thin…. Well, if you are having a summer wedding and looking for a simple but sweet favor idea, I hope you will consider these DIY Lavender Pink Lemonade Sacks. These little treats can be pre-packaged for guests or you can let them in on the fun (and you out of some advanced labor, you’ve got enough on your to-do list after all!) and let guests fill their own sacks. Best of all, the simple ingredients can be bought in bulk saving you money and yet, your guests will be delighted and not feel like you skimped – a win-win!

All you need are a couple of pails, one for the food-grade Lavender buds and another for the Pink Lemonade mix, a couple of scoops and some paper sacks. I found my lavender on Amazon but Whole Foods or similar stores may carry it as well.

You can keep the bags plain or embellish them as I did. I can’t seem to help myself from adding a bit of sweetness to plain bags! On mine I applied a piece of yellow dotted washi tape (from Target) along the bottom edge. Next, I trimmed the top opening of the bag with a Martha Stewart Craft border punch then folded the edge over and used a plain hole punch to add two holes which I threaded a bit of ribbon (from May Arts) through for a bit of extra color. A plain piece of pink paper cut with a scalloped hole punch acts as a label while also adding a final flourish. Of course, you can order fancy stickers but sometimes I think a hand-written label adds a bit of personality and homemade charm.

Since tastes vary, you can let guests use their judgement on how much of each ingredient they’d like to have.

It’s hard to believe that such a cute favor could be so easy and inexpensive – now that’s something to celebrate!

Happy Celebrating!

The post Lavender Pink Lemonade Wedding Favor Bar appeared first on Charlottesville Wedding Blog.

Looking for unique and fun ideas for a Bachelorette party?  Well, look no further!  Bride-to-be, Rebecca Cooper, wrote earlier this week and submitted these amazing images of her one-of-a-kind paintball bachelorette party… so much fun!  Here are a few words from Rebecca:

We dressed in thrift store/ebay dresses and headed out to ZwackerZ Paintball in Dillwyn, VA for the afternoon. We had an absolute blast! It was pretty hot out there, especially under all those layers of polyester. Wedding dresses of the 1980′s were definitely not made for sports! While I did suffer some bruising, we planned for enough time for me to heal before my June 29th wedding at the Rosebrook Inn in Stanardsville, VA. It was a great way to spend the day with some tough girls who don’t mind a little bit of pain and sweat along with a ton of laughter. And since many of the girls at the party are also members of the Charlottesville Derby Dames, that description fits them perfectly! Oh… and we couldn’t resist a little Photoshopping at the end of the day. Photographer: Dan “Jugglenaut” Purdy

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Thanks to this rainy weather we’re getting in Central Virginia today, I’ve decided to recycle one of my very first posts here on the blog!  I originally posted it on my personal blog just after my own wedding in May 2011 where the downpour of rain that came just before our outdoor ceremony turned out to be one of the best parts of the entire weekend.  I know, that is hard to believe as you picture the outdoor ceremony that you’ve been dreaming of, but I’m hoping our story will help to ease your weather worries just a little! Thanks to Sarah Downey Photography for so beautifully capturing the full story of the day…rain & all! Enjoy!

I’ve been stressing about wedding weather since about 2004.  Not my own, of course, but all of the other brides & grooms that I’ve worked with over the years.  It wasn’t actually about them though. Obviously I didn’t want it to rain on anyone’s wedding but in my mind it was more about logistics…do we need to add a tent? what about sides and heaters?  Where can I find 100 matching umbrellas at the last minute for the guests?  Stuff like that.

Photos By Sarah Downey Photography

After all of that stress, why would I choose an outdoor wedding ceremony AND cocktail party at Clifton?  Well, for the same reason everyone else does…outdoor events in Central VA are beautiful and I just knew that it wasn’t going to rain on MY wedding.  After all, I had been a risk taker when it came to weather for years and not once did I end up with a bunch of wet wedding guests.

The week before the wedding I turned into a real bride- I checked the forecast every 2 minutes hoping that it would say sunny and 75 degrees.  Some days it did…others is was going to pour…eventually, I realized that there was a very real (40-50% chance) of showers that afternoon so I gave in and ordered the ‘back up plan’ tent from Skyline Tent Company.  This was only after we considered converting the day to BYOU (bring your own umbrella)!

The Back Up Plan

TIP: How did I decide this? I used the same advice I always used to give brides.  When the forecast is just slightly questionable, consider how much time you and your guests will need to be outside.  If it’s a 20 minute ceremony and you’re flexible with the timing, you will most likely be OK.  If it’s several hours (like it was in our case) and you don’t have an indoor back up…get the tent!  It will take away so much stress on the big day.

Anyway, about 20 minutes before our ceremony was to start the awesome Barbara of Barb Wired Events looked a bit scared to tell me that the rain was coming.  Regardless, I was pretty determined to get married in the beautiful garden that we had chosen so I asked her to have the guests wait under the tent for 20 minutes…I was sure it would be over by then.  Then, I looked at every single weather app I could find to see what the radar was looking like.

The Radar!

Well, after 20 minutes of waiting, more photos, more champagne and watching all of our guests hover under this tent outside, I decided that if we were all going to wait it out, we may as well do it together.  So, Chris (my now husband) and I decided to take the whole wedding party out to the tent and asked Clifton to ‘Open The Bar!’.  It was the best choice we made that whole weekend- the guests loved it, we got to spend more time with them, and we were all so much more relaxed once the rain passed and the chairs were dried off. Because we were willing to wait and because our wedding team was awesome, the ceremony in the garden we originally chose went off perfectly.

The Drying of the Chairs

The ‘Dry’ Ceremony Location

I’m not really writing this post as advice to take if it rains on your wedding (although it worked for us!) but more to suggest that it will all be OK no matter what.  I can now say that from both sides.  It is true that there is nothing you can do about the weather (except for having a good plan B and plan C in advance) and in our case I don’t think the weekend would be nearly as memorable without it.

Chris’ dad (who has lots of experience with rain on family weddings!) kept telling us that rain on your wedding means wealth.  Of course we all joked about when the money was coming but he made a great point, wealth isn’t always about money.  So, when I came across this quote on Meg Runion’s facebook page the week after the wedding, I knew it was perfect for this post.  (Meg, I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed it!!)

Wealth is not measured by dollars and cents but by the love we make, the laughter we enjoy, the meals we share, the dreams we experience and the hopes we create. Real connections are our most precious treasures, whether they are with those that share our orbit or with our true and humble selves.  -Amy Georgette

 

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Today we are so happy to welcome our wonderful, talented friend, Allegra of Allegra’s Studio to the blog with this extraordinary Gatsby-themed styled shoot. Tho’ Allegra is based out of Lynchburg we often get to see her here in the Charlottesville area and when she offered to share this extraordinary work with us we jumped at the chance.  Beautiful!

Allegra’s Studio // West Manor Estate // The Arrangement Company // Amanda Gray of Ashley Baber Weddings // Hill City Bride // Stubborn Press & Co. // Aztec Rental Center // Bowen Jewelry Co. // Castle Event Lighting // Church Street Bridal

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There are few things more satisfying than checking items off a to-do list. Well, for me anyways. I am a compulsive list maker and I’ve come to realize that lists help me to multitask on a daily basis as well as set and achieve long-term goals. Case in point: writing and defending my dissertation and graduating with my Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, something I can very proudly say I’ve done quite recently. Without all of my crazy lists, who knows if I would have ever finished.

My Ph.D. was undoubtedly a long and grueling process. There were times when I didn’t think I would finish. However, when I look back on the journey I had at UVa, I realize how rewarding and fun it really was.

So I’ve decided to approach wedding planning in much the same way. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel overwhelmed after Mitch and I had our initial sit-down planning session with our planner, Meghan. Going into this whole thing I knew there was plenty of work to be done to plan a wedding–catering, music, flowers–but I suppose I didn’t truly come prepared for just how many details go in to planning a thoughtful, meaningful, and, yes, beautiful wedding. Mitch is (and quite frankly has always been) a very “go with the flow” kind of guy. He didn’t seem to get bogged down in the details from the start like I did. Lucky for me, Meghan came equipped with what I have since referred to as the list of all lists. A three-pages long, 16 month-by-month run down of all of the tasks, large and small, Mitch and I would have to tackle (with help from our loving family and friends of course).

Lucky for me indeed, because there’s nothing like checking–or crossing or highlighting–things off a list to make you feel accomplished. Am I right?

And check things off we’ve done.

So far Mitch and I have kept pretty much on track with our list. I say “pretty much” because we’ve jumped ahead to take care of certain things but we’ve also neglected a few other items. I realized the other day it was already the end of May. Whoa! Where did spring go? I have a feeling that June will be a month where we’ll be checking lots of to-dos off “the list”. Here’s just a quick rundown of some of the wedding plans we’ve made so far:

I’ve started a Pinterest board. Correction: I’ve started 2 Pinterest boards. They both provide inspiration and ideas for certain aspects of the wedding, one is just set to private. I figure I don’t want to give away every idea I have before the day even comes

I met with Pat and Sherry from Southern Blooms by Pat’s Floral Design who were so nice and just full of incredible ideas. I also started following them on Pinterest and let me tell you, it’s like I am living in a gorgeous floral dreamland every single day (<–you’ll soon come to find out that I am head over heels over flowers and could talk about them til the cows come home)

While visiting my twin sister in New York City, I had a chance to go on an initial wedding dress shopping excursion to Kleinfeld and Monique Lhuillier and let me tell you that was one of the best days of my spring so far. It was certainly a much needed distraction from finalizing my dissertation.

Finally, Mitch and I have decided on the music we’ll have and have booked a band for our reception. We’ve also worked to finalize our tent invoice with Skyline Tent Company so that we can have the beautiful Sperry tent of my dreams. We’ve taken care of some of the important tasks so far but there are still so many decisions to be made and things to be done. All of the vendors have been incredibly nice and helpful, with the exception of a few (let’s be honest, there was bound to be a few uncooperative ones).

So my overall feelings about the planning process so far? Checking items off the list is almost as much fun as making decisions and getting things done

Stay tuned throughout the summer for updates on the progress we’ve made and hopefully some more engagement photos!

The post The List Of All Lists appeared first on Charlottesville Wedding Blog.

Photographers often speak about the quality of light and how it affects the quality of a photograph. It’s true, as photography is literally from Greek: drawing of light. Without light, there is no photograph. There can be good light and bad light, and are, like bokeh, subjective measures. We have an aesthetic feeling for the quality of light. In expert hands good light can be turned into a masterpiece work of photographic art, and can perhaps still help salvage a scene poorly lit, although it’s far from optimal.

With your own wedding, regardless of its size, the quality of light can be used to set a mood for your guests, a theme for your party, and accent those details you’ve worked so hard on (and in some cases spent a good bit of money on). People will naturally look first at the lightest part of a scene (try it with any photograph) and will do so upon entering a room. We’re naturally attracted to it, so you want to light those things (and people) you want your guests to notice first.

We’ve photographed hundreds of weddings and many where the client spent a significant amount on flowers and other decor, and others which may have had a more modest decor budget. No matter what you spend though, if you spend anything, you certainly want people to notice it! In a darkened reception space with only flat house lighting, those gorgeous blooms are often lost in the darkness, as your guests can’t easily see the detail and beauty in each centerpiece, and they certainly don’t show up well in photographs. So lighting, whether it be very simple or very grand, is always a good thing for your wedding. How much depends on your budget, of course, the theme of your wedding, and how you use details throughout to exemplify the two of you as a couple. But remember that lighting need not be expensive. It can be minimally costly yet creative, or it can be extravagantly designed. In the end it’s up to you and the experts you hire to coordinate a lighting plan that meets all your desires. Your photographer will also likely have helpful suggestions for your particular wedding.

Let’s go through a few examples of where lighting works well (and in some cases where it can be improved). In each of these, you can click on the couple’s names to see more images from their wedding and how lighting was used in various circumstances throughout the day/evening.

Many people won’t think about lighting their ceremony, but you could absolutely do so, especially if you’re under otherwise challenging conditions such as darkness. In Ruth & Steve’s wedding below, they wanted to set a specific mood for their nighttime ceremony, turning off the house lights and relying only on candles for accents and spots along the aisleway and at the altar area.

Jess & Mark opted for drama with reduced house lighting while ensuring the entire chuppah was visible to guests for their ceremony in the round. Notice how the sheer chuppah casts a lovely diffused light on both the bride and groom. Don’t forget you *both* want to be lit equally so no harsh shadows are cast on either one of you.

There’s nothing saying you can’t create a fun and playful mood with a lot of string lights strategically placed around the ceiling and walls, as Margaret & Chip did for their wedding. It gave the space a down home, easy feel and added lots of festive light to the dance floor.

They used a color wash for the tent, which had high ceilings, for added effect.

Alex & Sean had a larger reception and wanted to highlight the historical nature of the hotel where they married. How could you not look up?!

Maya & Josh also had a tent with a lounge (background) and simple pinspots on the table. Note here the light was aimed at the table, and since the linen was of lighter color, it reflected light back up to the centerpiece and with guests sitting around later, on their faces. This approach also avoids having a light unintentionally right in the face of a seated guest.

They could have also done with Beth & Peter did, and aim the light directly at the table centerpiece. In order to this, you’ll need large enough centerpieces to capture the light to avoid it being directed into anyone’s eyes. Whispy, delicate displays are best lit by table reflection or by a wash. You can see this principle with Carly & Chris’s wedding with the lilies below (foreground), which would be best lit by a wash instead of a pin spot.

Caitlin & Jed used table lighting to fill in the dense flower displays on their tables. With only room lighting, the flowers would have appeared dark, and somewhat drab with no direction to the light (shadows help create visual drama and interest, which is one reason why photographers so love “magic hour“.)

Mindy & Eric’s elegant wedding benefitted greatly from lighting, as these centerpieces would have been otherwise lost in the flat house lighting (wall sconces alone won’t save you, but they add greatly to the drama of the space). Note the spot on the cake to the left. Trust us when we say everyone at your wedding wants to get a photo of the cake. Help them out won’t you?

Note how Diana & Carlos display their cake for all to see (and eventually devour!) in an otherwise cavernous space.

Cristina & Sid went for a very romantic feel for their intimate dining room reception, with red uplighting and small pin spots for the tables.  Because of the direction the lights were coming from (at a 90 degree angle to the guests), there was no sharp lighting in anyone’s eyes, despite the delicate nature of the table centerpieces).

Joy & Jerry went all-out with their lighting for their 85-person wedding, also incorporating graphical elements to break up large swaths of curtain.

Jess & Jeff used uplighting effectively to create a warm, inviting environment for their guests in a large space that, without solid lighting, might have appeared less warm and inviting.

Jess & Mark also pin spotted their tables. In this case, the pin spots were very bright compared to the room’s ambient light, and to expose for the highlights as we did here, it made the rest of the room go essentially dark. Be sure to consult with your lighting designer and your photographer to achieve the look you want for your guests and in photographs. Humans can perceive a wider range of light intensity than a camera can record, so it’s something to consider.

Kimya & Brian had a very large wedding which, because of the large space required, needed to divide up the various tables and spaces to encourage traffic flow for their 400 guests. They also included a graphical wash on the dance floor. In a darkened hallway leading to the reception venue, soft purple lighting helped guests quickly identify their escort cards instead of squinting and running into one another and added a hint of the drama that was to come once they entered the transformed ballroom.

Why would anyone ever stop at just one cake? Utter madness if you ask us.

Lauren & Eric also used large pin spots to light their tables brightly. In this case, the room felt more like a conference room (albeit with lots of windows) so it made sense to create a scene of darkness except at the tables where guests were to dine. Note the string lights along the ceiling to give it some lift as well. The wash on the dance floor later that night helped invite guests up and away from their tables.

Margaret & Bryon’s ceiling, like Lauren & Eric’s was similarly low, so they used differing heights of floral displays and lit each expertly to create a feeling of greater height in the space. The purple uplighting helped set the mood.

Lastly, Nikki & Josh had lots of bright colors, namely reds and blues, for their wedding. Here, we lit the balloons hanging from the ceiling with a flash to accent the wall uplighting and table pins. We love when the lanterns are lit from within too, venue rules allowing.

As you can see, there is a huge range of lighting options available to you. Remember that it may not cost a fortune, but is a worthwhile investment if you have an evening wedding and want to set the mood for your guests (and get better photographs). Good luck and may the light be with you… Sorry, we just couldn’t resist.

The post How to set the mood at your wedding with lighting appeared first on Charlottesville Wedding Blog.

I’ve been in love with Chris Conklin’s Vintage Swings since I first laid eyes on them and I can’t wait until one of the trees in my yard is big enough to hold one! In the meantime, wouldn’t they be a fun addition to a wedding?  These beautiful, locally made swings make for great photo opportunities and then you can enjoy one at your home for years and years to come!

Photo by Jen Fariello

Stephanie Marie by Jen Fariello

Swing Installation by Jen Fariello

Photo by Will Walker | Barn at Belle Haven

And, as if the swings weren’t awesome enough…Chris has a new line of Mason Lights, also perfect for your wedding & your home!

The post Just A Swingin’ appeared first on Charlottesville Wedding Blog.

If you are looking for something a little different to delight your guests, and food is a big priority for you and your fiance, why not offer a midnight snack? These days there are many options to choose from…whether you want to serve a broad selection of desserts or a savory slice of pizza, they are guaranteed to be a hit!

Maliha Creations

Source: Pinterest

Recently, my partner and I met with a wedding party for a dessert table tasting. The father of the bride was certain that cake was the only option for their guests. However, after our tasting of chocolate mousse, cupcakes, milk and cookies, and cheesecake pops, he was convinced that a wide variety of desserts would be the perfect end to a perfect evening. By the end of our meeting, he was offering up his own suggestions on different dessert items…rainbow cake, anyone?
Dessert tables offer many choices for your guests…you can please the chocolate lovers, as well as those who prefer a lighter option.

EyeCandy Chocolate Mousse

Photo credit: Ampersand Photography

Milk and cookies for the ultimate in nostalgic midnight snacks!

Photo credit: Katie Stoops Photography

Another favorite around here is the Carpe Donut truck. This sassy red truck will dole out fresh donuts and hot chocolate for those guests who need a little pick me up.

Blue Ridge Pizza Co.

If all the sugar seems a little much, how about a savory midnight snack. The idea of personal pizzas after an evening of drinking and dancing is a perfect way to send off your guests. The folks at Blue Ridge Pizza Co. are experts at cooking up hot, delicious pizza from their signature wood fired pizza oven on the back of their truck! This takes delivery to a whole new level!

Hanu Truck

Another option is the tried and true food truck…your guests would love it if a taco truck rolled up as the evening begins to wind down.
Whatever you choose for dinner and dessert, remember there are so many options! Think outside the box and treat your guests to an evening of culinary delights!

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