It’s so much fun for me to be able to share this wedding with you because the bride and groom are two of my favorite people. In the course of working in the wedding community I met Jessica several years ago and last year she and I teamed up on a couple of business projects so I’ve had an opportunity to get to know this wonderful person. Seeing her marry such a great guy was a joy and although it’s a few months after the fact I am so excited to show you some of the highlights of their out-of-the-box wedding weekend. Jessica wrote a wonderful narrative that I am also happy to share… so enjoy!

I was a wedding & event planner in Charlottesville, VA for about 8 years when I met Chris who had recently moved to town from Vermont. We got engaged in October of 2009 in Vermont after Chris had a custom Garnet engagement ring designed by a favorite local jewelry designer of mine. When we started to talk about wedding plans we knew that we wanted it to be fun, unique and somewhat casual. We wanted it to really reflect us and our favorite places & things. (And I wanted it to be totally different from any wedding I had planned in the past). We also wanted to have the ceremony on Friday and the reception on Saturday so we could spend plenty of time with everyone. Wow, this was going to be a challenge! As we started making wedding plans, Chris deployed to Afghanistan for a year. While he was home on leave in July of 2010 we decided to surprise our parents and just a few friends and we got married in our living room after inviting them all for a BBQ. It was the best day ever because we were married but we decided that we still wanted to bring all of our family & friends to Charlottesville for a ceremony and celebration on May 7, 2011.

CEREMONY:
Although we wanted to share the same ceremony from our original wedding with family and friends, we decided to keep it pretty small and invited about 75 people to the Clifton Inn on a Friday afternoon where we got married…again…in their beautiful garden with the oldest cottage on the property as a backdrop. I worked at Clifton for 4 years and met a lot of my closest friends there so it’s a very special place to me and had always envisioned a ceremony in this garden but fortunately no one ever took me up on it so I was able to do it myself! We stuck to a small wedding party of my 2 best friends and Chris’ brother and closest friend from his deployment. We did have a flower girl, Edie, who is one of the toughest little girls we know as she was battling childhood cancer at the time and our nephew, Chase, who wore a Red Sox shirt with ‘Bullard’ on the back to represent Chris’ favorite team and our now last name! Since we were already ‘legally’ married a close friend performed the ceremony and another close friend joined the guitar player we had hired to sing ‘Lucky” as we entered and ‘Smile’ as we exited. It was all very intimate and beautiful despite the downpour of rain that occurred right before the ceremony! Luckily the owner of the event planning company I used to work for called to warn us just in time so we delayed the ceremony a bit and just joined our guests…and opened the bar! It really helped everyone to relax (including us) and I think it made the ceremony even better. We went with a casual attire for the wedding party- the girls wore navy dresses and the guys matching red & blue plaid shirts. My bouquet was one of my favorite parts…I was inspired by the ‘brooch bouquet’ to collect a piece of jewelry (or something similar) from all of may friends and family members and I had what the designer decided to call a ‘memory bouquet’ made. It was beautiful…and heavy!

AFTER THE CEREMONY…
In place of a rehearsal dinner, Chris’ parents hosted a cocktail reception on the Clifton croquet lawn. We really tried to tie in the Virginia/Vermont theme by serving favorite foods from both areas and a beer from each as well- Starr Hill ‘Love’ from VA and a Harpoon IPA from Vermont which Chris’ dad and I both love. The flower containers were VA and VT glasses. We exited through bubbles to a 1949 Vintage Cadillac. We returned to have dinner in the Clifton wine cellar with our parents & the wedding party. A friend, Tucker Yoder, is the chef at Clifton so it was fun to have him create our dinner menu. That evening, all guests were invited to meet up at the place where we met, The X Lounge where DJ Western Front performed.

THE RECEPTION
Obviously we took the ceremony very seriously but we wanted the reception to be nothing but unique and fun! A friend later described it as ‘kick ass and classy’. Exactly what we were going for
Location:  We originally chose a beautiful little cabin at one of the local vineyards but when our guest list outgrew it, we decided on Old Trail Golf Club for it’s beautiful mountain views and convenient location.  We didn’t actually use the building though…we placed a round Sperry tent on the edge of the golf course and the party was held there.
Décor: I had seen more round tables with beautiful linens that I could handle in my career so we changed it up a bit and went with picnic tables with burlap runners and assorted red and blue flower containers.  These were a DIY project- we collected lots of blue mason jars but also mixed them in with homemade patterned containers stamped with a ‘B’ for our new last name.  The flowers were very simple- white tulips, hydrangea and a few gerber daisies mixed in too.  We did a mix of red & blue linen napkins with napkin rings (also DIY) that matched the floral containers.  It was all very bright, fun and comfortable.

Food:
This was a hard one for us. I honestly couldn’t think of an event I had done that included exactly what I would want in terms of food. Then Chris said ‘What about those pizza guys we met at the wine & beer festival last year? Do you think they cater?” I didn’t even pause to think he had lost his mind…we called them up and begged them to come. They aren’t just any pizza guys. They have a wood fired oven…on the back of a truck…they use all local ingredients…and they make the best pizza I’d ever tasted. We gave them the freedom to make whatever was local, seasonal and good at the time and it worked out perfectly! We added some salads and we were all set. I think we proved to everyone that pizza can be done at a wedding!
At the suggestion of my mom, we served favorites from the place Chris & I met for hors d’ oeuvres: White Truffle Mac n’ Cheese in tiny jars, Mini Burgers and Shrimp and Avocado Gaufrettes.

Beverages:
We decided to stick with beer and wine. The wine was pretty simple to choose but we got way more creative with the beer since Chris is a beer lover, home brewer and even has a blog about it. Chris, his brother and step-brothers spent several weekends home brewing & bottling cases of an Amber and an IPA for the big day. We had fun labels made to match everything else and he came up with the names, descriptions and a catchy tagline ‘to have and to hold and to drink ice cold’ for them. We also offered two local brews from Blue Mountain Brewery & Starr Hill. The homebrew was a BIG hit!! We also served trays of Orange Crush, Classic Coke Bottles and Root Beer with red & white striped straws. These were really for kids but the adults loved them too!

Music:
The band was the first thing we chose, even before we had a venue. I had worked with The Dickens many times before. They are super nice guys, a great band and it isn’t possible to not have fun when they are in the room! They were awesome as usual and everyone had their chance to dance on stage with them (and some even danced on the tables). The big surprise of the night was when our friend and wedding planner joined them on stage to sing. We had no idea she could sing but she’d arranged it all in advance and she was amazing.

We also decided to add a local favorite, Bennie Dodd, to the mix for the cocktail portion. He does southern rock and country, which added the one musical element that we were missing. He also happened to go to high school with my parents so he knew many of our guests and even stayed to perform with the Dickens later that night.

Sweets:
Chris loves cupcakes and the Red Sox so since ‘B’ also stands for our new last name I ordered Red Sox cupcakes with a small cake for us to cut. These weren’t just any cupcakes though. Anita at Maliha Creations came up with Lemon with Ginger Cloud Frosting (my 2 favorite flavors) and Red Velvet with Vermont Maple Frosting (Chris’ favorites). They were SO good! People loved the ‘keep calm and eat a cupcake’ sign that I ordered from Etsy. We also had organic cider donuts by the Carpe Donut truck. I had worked with them for years and since they donuts reminded me of the ones we get in Vermont I thought it was another great way to tie in where Chris is from…and have yummy donuts too!

Fun Stuff:
We added a photo booth at the last minute and were so glad we did! We provided some props but the photographer showed up with lots more and everyone had a great time with it. They turned out to be some of our favorite photos.

It was important to Chris that we got a photo of everyone in the group. As a planner, I know that is a pain to pull off but we did it and it’s another favorite photo of our. All of our favorite people under one tent…that was our goal…and now we have that photo to remember it by!

I now own a small marketing & social media company so I spend a LOT of time on Facebook. ‘Late night’ we had the bars switch to cocktail napkins that said ‘What happens tonight will go on Facbeook tomorrow’ People loved them.

We booked ‘The Wahooptie’ (a pink old school limo) to drive us and the wedding party back to town from the reception. It was fun and a great way to hang out with them for a bit longer at the end of the night!

Overall the weekend was exactly what we wanted it to be- a comfortable, fun, unique weekend that perfectly represented ‘us’ with all of our family & friends there. Being a planner, I kind of feel that we proved that it’s OK to do something different. When we originally told people that we were ‘making the beer and serving pizza’ I think they thought we had lost our minds but it all worked out perfectly and in the end people said it was the best, most fun wedding they had been to. I will admit that I spent weeks focusing on how I was going to let go of all of the details that a wedding planner usually worries about on my own wedding day but with everyone there and all of the perfect vendors chosen, it wasn’t really that difficult at all!

Contact Information for Sarah Downey Photography:
~ website: www.sarahdowneyphotos.com
~ blog: www.sarahdowneyphotos.com/blogs
~ phone: 540-840-4139
~ e-mail: sarah@sarahdowneyphotos.com

Additional Vendors
~ Engagement Ring: Erin McDermott Jewelry
~ Wedding Band: Angelo & Floyd Jewelers
~ Paper: Invitations, Beer Labels & Programs scissorhands on Etsy
~ Printing: Charlottesville Press
~ Coordinator: Barb Wired Events
~ Ceremony Location & Cocktail Party Food & Beverage: The Clifton Inn
~ Ceremony & Rehearsal Dinner Music: Crawford Smith, guitar & Lori Kush (vocals)
~ Brooch Bouquet- Lionsgate Designs on Etsy
~ Welcome Party DJ: DJ Western Front
~ Photographer: Sarah Downey Photography
~ Videographer: Ian Atkins of Ian’s Creations
Officiants:
~ Original ceremony- Claire Goodman, Sacred Ground Ceremonies
~ Clifton ceremony- Nick Gilger, friend
~ Vintage Limo: Albemarle Vintage Limousine
~ Friday Hair and Make-Up: Lora Elaine
~ Reception Venue & Hors d’ oeuvres: Old Trail Golf Club & The Event Company
~ Reception Food: Dogtown Pizza
~ Cupcakes & Cake: Maliha Creations
~ Donut Truck: Carpe Donut
~ Flowers and Containers: DIY
~ Tent & Picnic Tables; Skyline Tent Company
~ Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
~ Lighting: The AV Company
~ Saturday Cocktail Music: Bennie Dodd (booked through Sam Hill Entertainment)
~ Saturday Band: The Dickens (booked through Sam Hill Entertainment)
~ Saturday Hair & Make-Up: Face Value Studio

Today I am happy to introduce you to a new Charlottesville company: Stonegate Event Rentals.  Stonegate is here to help you make your wedding a unique expression of your style & creative spirit and to bring to life your vision for your wedding or event.  Enjoy Meredith’s guest post…

Guest Post by Meredith McKee of Stonegate Event Rentals

Stonegate Event Rentals, spearheaded by Ben and Dickie Morris, fills a gap missing in wedding and event rentals in Charlottesville. By using unique and custom pieces, from vintage cameras to rustic lanterns, Stonegate is revamping the event scene. Ben and Dickie, a dynamic sibling team, combine their expertise in construction and event planning, respectively, to create infinite ways to personalize your wedding.

Take Stonegate’s seating options, for example. From character chairs to accent the head table to a whimsical campstool, Stonegate can change a venue from ordinary to extraordinary. Beautiful natural wooden benches are the perfect compliment to central Virginia’s breathtaking scenery.

Or, consider Stonegate’s intricate containers and vases. An antique blue water pitcher and vintage wooden crates are picturesque accents to a centerpiece. Rope handle galvanized tubs and mason jars add layers of exceptional detail that will leave your guests hunting for more.

Stonegate also provides custom signs, such as wedding directional signs, complete from creation to installation and removal. Who said directions to the “WC” couldn’t be decorative?

Because they’re just getting started, Stonegate welcomes specific requests for must-have items; each client’s input allows their company to grow.

Dickie, of just a little ditty, serves as a décor designer for Stonegate, offering up creative ideas to transform any space. It’s all about the details; and with Stonegate, the Virginia wedding industry is in for a treat!

The following photos are of Julie & Colley’s July wedding at Pollak Vineyards, photographed by Jack of Jack Looney Photography. Fabulous cake by Harvest Moon Catering and flowers by Floral Images.

Contact info. for Stonegate Event Rentals
Website: www.stonegateeventrentals.com
Phone (Dickie): 434-249-5214
E-mail for Dickie: dickie@justalittleditty.com
Phone (Ben): 434-466-3213
E-mail for Ben: ben@stonegateeventrentals.com

Guest Post #6 by Kathryn Kieffer of Festive Fare

Every season I see different styles…from very simple to high-end glam, and color often plays an important role. It is always fun to see brides, event planners, and others bring in their invitations, or dress swatches. From a sales perspective it is helpful to keep up on what “Martha Stewart Weddings” is showing and checking out the popular colors for weddings at jcrew.com. The pantone fashion forecast is also one of my favorite resources.Part of designing a successful tabletop look is understanding how all the components of design come together. Linens are a base on which you build. Glasses add height and sparkle, chargers and napkins anchor your eye, and the chair creates a boundary! All of these can be an option to inject color.Having had several requests for plum and avocado, I have assembled some personal; favorites as well as some elements of upcoming weddings. Umbrella grape stripe linens with the Avocado dot plate would be such a fun look for a post-wedding brunch! And New Stripe Eggplant with Bravo Stemware would look great for an outdoor wedding in September or October. Mixing and matching other things like Tulip Stemware, Fuchsia satin, Amethyst Sheer, Beaded napkin rings, etc…give you the options to pick one statement making selection to reinforce the color you want to emphasize. I also think that the Topaz’s in Valentine and Loden are fantastic!I have found that roses and navy are also more common than they once were and I love Four Seasons Spring plaid with Sevres antique peach plates! Seeing the table through rose colored glasses, like Pale Pink Lido on top of Pink French Pleat is awesome! The important part of designing any look with color is to be willing to try a few things. While you may think that only the perfect shade of pale pink will work, there are some fantastic pink napkins, glasses, and chiavari chair cushions to introduce into the mix. I love working in the showroom and re-inventing tabletops!

Festive Fare 1745 Broadway St., Charlottesville, VA
~ phone: 434-296-5496
~ e-mail: kkieffer@festivefarerentals.com
~ website: http://charlottesville.classicpartyrentals.com

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directory will make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning!

Well, it’s an old jag actually… and according to Andrea Saathoff, owner of Albemarle Vintage Limousine, it’s a “rare and magnificent 1946 Jaguar Mark IV, a model favored by the royal family.”

This silver beauty is a 4-door, right-hand drive vehicle that, until it’s arrival in the US and complete restoration was displayed in an international auto museum.

Albemarle Vintage Limousine currently offers, along with this beautiful vehicle, 4 other museum-quality vintage motorcars for rent for your event… check ‘em out.

Oh, and I also noticed that the talented Jennifer Carroll also posted about this elegant vintage jag on her blog yesterday… be sure to hop over there and check it out.

These fantastic photos were taken recently by one of the CWB’s favorite photographers, Jack Looney, at the always-lovely King Family Vineyards.

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directory will make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning

Guest Post #5 by Kathryn Kieffer of Festive Fare

More great tips from Kathryn… enjoy!

Thoughts of wedding flowers, table linens, and the menu are all huge parts of planning a reception. Another major consideration is planning a reception that will work in your space. If you plan to have a tent wedding, there are many things that you should consider regarding the size of tent and style of reception.

A 20′x30′ tent sounds big, but if you consider the square footage you only have room to seat 60 guests! And that does not give you space for a bar, dance floor, or even a cake table! The rule of thumb is you need 10 square feet per person seated. Festive Fare recently jumped the technology bandwagon and now has CAD drawing capabilities. I have done hand drawings forever, but the computer program is fun and illustrates my point.
By the same token, if you elect to have a wedding in a University Pavilion garden – if fair weather everything is good, but in the event of inclement weather it is nice to have a flexible menu and reception style to accommodate more guests in a smaller space. I love using smaller tables and stand up cocktail tables that are easy to move, easy to place in tight spaces (i.e. indoors). Smaller tables and a lower ratio of seating to number of guests encourages your guests to mingle and move about. They also take up less square footage!

The other thing I’m discovering about designing events on the computer…it let’s you change the feel of your event without using the eraser! It is also helpful for brides to plan seating charts as this client provided diagram points out! The bride provides a diagram so that when the caterer, rental company, or anyone else who has a role in the wedding knows exactly how the event should be set up.

Here are some helpful guidelines for planning for the space your reception will be held in…
6 square feet per person, cocktail buffet
10 square feet per person, seated dinner
3 square feet per person, dancing

Festive Fare
1745 Broadway St., Charlottesville, VA
phone: 434-296-5496
e-mail: kkieffer@festivefarerentals.com
website: http://charlottesville.classicpartyrentals.com

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directory will make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning!

As promised, here are another collection of beautiful wedding tents from Charlottesville’s Skyline Tent Company.  In addition to tents, Skyline offers custom lighting, tables & chairs, flooring and staging and more.  Thanks again, Liz, for the beautiful images!

↑ A Pimento; Beehive Events ↑↑ Clifton; Event Company ↑↑ Skyline Tent Company; Beehive Events; A Pimento ↑↑ Skyline Tent Company; Beehive Events ↑↑ Skyline Tent Company; Beehive Events; Keswick Hall ↑↑ Jennifer Carroll Events ↑↑ Skyline Tent Company ↑↑ Skyline Tent Company ↑↑ Skyline Tent Company ↑↑ Skyline Tent Company: Skyline Tent Lighting ↑

Contact Information for Skyline Tent Company
~ website: www.skylinetentcompany.com
~ phone: 434-977-TENT (8368)
~ e-mail: info@skylinetentcompany.com

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directorywill make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning

Liz Powers of Skyline Tent Company was kind enough to share this beautiful selection of photos that showcase some of the amazing array of possibilities that having a tent at your wedding offers. I have to admit I have a special fondness for tented events… there’s something lovely about being outdoors and yet protected from the elements while dining and dancing. As you will see from these images, Skyline Tent Co. teams up with lots of local vendors to create the look and feel that their couples want. I am so pleased to share these photos with you… thanks Liz!

↑ Skyline Tent Co.; Beehive Events; Festive Fare ↑

↑ Skyline Tent Co.; A Pimento Catering; Festive Fare; Beehive Events ↑↑ Skyline Tent Co.; A Pimento; Festive Fare; Beehive Events ↑↑ Skyline Tent Co. ↑↑ Skyline Tent Co.; A Pimento; Beehive Events ↑↑ Beehive Events ↑↑ Skyline Tent Co. ↑↑ Beehive Events, Keswick Hall ↑↑ Clifton Inn; Pat’s Floral Design ↑↑ Clifton Inn ↑

Be sure to check back in a day or two for lots more beautiful wedding tents!

Contact Information for Skyline Tent Company
~ website: www.skylinetentcompany.com
~ phone: 434-977-TENT (8368)
~ e-mail: info@skylinetentcompany.com

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directorywill make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning

Guest Post #2 by Kathryn Kieffer of Festive Fare

There are lots of ways to make a statement with your table settings without blowing your budget immediately and I would like to show you some ways to make your rental and décor budget stretch more.
First, prioritize. Think about what rental items hold the highest priority. Do you have your heart set on a chiavari ballroom chair? Go for it – but opt for a less expensive glass or napkin. Linens give you a LOT of bang for your buck!  While an individual piece of glassware or flatware adds up when you think in terms of per person, an awesome linen can be divided among 8 – 10 of your guests so the cost is incremental. If a charger is just slightly out of your budget, here are several ways to spice up your place setting.  A napkin ring adds interest and can pull in accent colors and really tie the whole look together.  Another way to fill the setting is with a crisp napkin folded under a menu card or favor. I love stemware and will always choose a fabulous pattern for the table.  Only setting 2 glasses (water and choice of wine) will cut down on the number of pieces you need for the tabletop and you get to keep those gorgeous stems! If you are having a buffet it is not necessary to splurge on the plate as it will not be set on the table it will be stacked on the buffet.
Just some of my favorites and I have lots more ideas… but I’m sure the economy is already recovering!

Festive Fare
1745 Broadway St., Charlottesville, VA
phone: 434-296-5496
e-mail: kkieffer@festivefarerentals.com
website: http://charlottesville.classicpartyrentals.com

Today I am so pleased to start a series of guest posts from Kathryn Kieffer of Festive Fare, the most complete party rental company in our area.  Once a month Kathryn will be sharing her inspirations and ideas on creating beautiful wedding looks for brides and grooms planning their events in the Charlottesville area.  I know you’ll love Kathryn’s posts… enjoy!

~ Guest Post by Kathryn Kieffer ~

Having been in the party rental business for years, I always start feeling Spring fever well before Spring comes. Brides come in all winter long picking their looks for Spring and Summer weddings. While flip flops are still a way off I am pulling linens to go with the first blooms of spring and while cradling my hot coffee to ward off the chill I am showing glasses to hold blackberry iced tea. This is the time of year where I wear dark denim and sweaters while setting a table with crisp cotton organdy over pale pink. The Spring looks are always welcome in the showroom at Festive Fare. This year we wanted to share some of our favorites…

Martha Stewart calls the perfect Spring 2009 palette Pink, Orange, and Yellow in the Winter 2009 MS Weddings. And I couldn’t agree more! Mango Tango embraces all these colors and with a white wood chair and lace china it couldn’t be more perfect!Text text The Pantone Fashion forecast,  has bold fuchsia and super lemon among the colors for spring. Our fuchsia and canary satin mixed with Pucci Pucci is begging to be used for a lounge style after party! With signature cocktails in Silhouette…how sleek is that?
My favorite? Today is Balboa Natural, super clean stripe in shades of neutral. The biggest challenge I have with this cloth is deciding whether I love the white, cream, or silver chiavari. This is a fabulous wedding look for the modern bride.
Please stop by the Festive Fare showroom to see my favorite spring looks and pick yours!

Festive Fare
1745 Broadway St., Charlottesville, VA
phone: 434-296-5496
e-mail: info@festivefarerentals.com
website: http://charlottesville.classicpartyrentals.com