This week I had a wonderful conversation with Amanda from the Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard and she was kind enough to send along all the info. for both brides & groom and wedding vendors on their upcoming Bridal Show.  Here’s the scoop…
For Brides and Grooms:
… and, for Vendors:

For further information please contact:
Amanda P. Dickinson
Event & Tourism Coordinator
Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard
~ phone: 434-977-3895
~ e-mail: adickinson@klugeestate.com
~ website: www.klugeestateonline.com

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sweet and funny… enjoy!

~  Tin Wedding Whistle  ~

by Ogden Nash

Though you know it anyhow
Listen to me, darling, now,

Proving what I need not prove
How I know I love you, love.

Near and far, near and far,
I am happy where you are;

Likewise I have never learnt
How to be where you aren’t.

Far and wide, far and wide,
I can walk with you beside;

Furthermore, I tell you what,
I sit and sulk where you are not.

Visitors remark my frown
When you’re upstairs and I am down,

Yes, and I’m afraid I pout
When I’m indoors and you are out.

In fact I care not where you be,
Just as long as it’s with me.

In all your absence I glimpse
Fire and flood and trolls and imps.

Is your train a minute slothful?
I goad the stationmaster wrothful.

When with friends to bridge you drive
I never know if you’re alive,

And when you linger late in shops
I long to telephone the cops.

Yet how worth the waiting for,
To see you coming through the door.

Somehow, I can be complacent
Never but with you adjacent.

Near and far, near and far,
I am happy where you are;

Likewise, I have never learnt
How to be it where you aren’t.

Then grudge me not for fond endeavor,
To hold you in my sight forever;

Let none, not even you, disparage
Such valid reason for a marriage.

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Today I am happy to share the second half of Jason Keefer’s best of ‘08. Enjoy!

Contact Information for Jason Keefer Photography:
~ website: www.jasonkeefer.com
~ phone: 434-989-4971
~ e-mail: info@jasonkeefer.com
~ blog: jasonkeefer.wordpress.com

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Now clearly this would not exactly fall under the category of “useful resource” but I love You Tube and I’d never seen anything quite like this ’til yesterday… it is a very well done trailer called

Rob & Lindsay’s Wedding Preview/Trailer

the creators obviously not only had a great time creating it but clearly know quite a bit about video production. I guarantee you will laugh out loud!
… at the very end of this 4 minute video there’s a little message that pops up that says, “Want a movie preview for your birthday, wedding or other special event? Contact LindsayNRoberts@yahoo.com.” Let me know if you do, or if you have!

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Justin and Kara got married this past weekend at King Family Vineyard. It was a very small wedding with only about 25 of their closest family and friends in attendance. Having their ceremony in front of the big stone fireplace in the tasting room and their reception in the adjacent Barrel Room, which was glowing with candle light, made for a cozy and intimate setting for a small winter wedding.

Although I’ve done many weddings at King Family Vineyard, this was my first in their Tasting Room and I loved it! Very snug and warm, especially at this time of the year!

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When Billy of Billy Hunt Photography offered to share a video of photographs of one of his 2008 weddings I jumped at the chance to share it with you. It happens to be a wedding that Billy and I both worked at this fall at beautiful King Family Vineyards. Seeing Billy’s beautiful photos in this format adds so much to their depth of emotion… be sure to turn up your speakers and enjoy the show!

Contact Information for Billy Hunt Photography:
~ website: www.billyhunt.com
~ phone: 434-872-0178
~ e-mail: billy@billyhunt.com

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When I talk to brides and grooms who are in the midst of putting all the pieces of their wedding together they are often quite stressed out! From where I sit it sometimes looks like another full time job on top of their already-busy lives! The beginning of the New Year tends to be a huge wedding-planning month, especially for couples who have gotten engaged over the holidays or have simply put off getting started ’til after the New Year.

So today, I’m going to share with you a whole list of local spa resources… give yourself a break, have a massage or a manicure… take a breath! Also a great gift for a bride and groom who need to relax and remember what it’s really all about.

• Aesthetic Associates ~ 176 Zan Rd.  ~  434-974-7181
• Cityspa ~ 216 Third St., NE  ~  434-984-5046
• Escapes Day Spa ~ 355 W. Rio Rd., Suite 203  ~  434-973-9440
• Holladay Spa ~ 313 2nd St., SE, Suite 110  ~  434-923-0333
• Neroli Spa & Apothecary ~ 2118 Barracks Rd.  ~  434-984-3450
• Oasis Day Spa & Body Shop ~ 103 West Water St.  ~  434-244-9667
• Signature Medical Spa ~ 2250 Berkmar Dr.  ~  434-923-4646
• Spa at Boar’s Head Inn ~ 200 Ednam Dr.  ~  434-972-2253

I’d love to hear about your favorite local spa and what you love about it…

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Jason and Tammy Keefer of Jason Keefer Photography are one of Charlottesville’s wonderful photographer duos!  There’s something special about having a husband and wife team shoot your wedding… I think they have a special feel for what’s happening.   One of the first weddings I worked at with Tammy and Jason a few years ago was on their wedding anniversary and I remember thinking how sweet it was that they were shooting together on their anniversary.

Jason was kind enough to send me a generous array of their work from 2008 and rather than pick and choose I’ve decided to do another 2-part post.  Be sure to check back next week for Part 2, meanwhile, enjoy Part 1 of Jason Keefer’s fantastic work.

Contact Information for Jason Keefer Photography:
~ website: www.jasonkeefer.com
~ phone: 434-989-4971
~ e-mail: info@jasonkeefer.com
~ blog: jasonkeefer.wordpress.com

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As often as I have heard Kahlil Gibran’s beautiful poetic essay on marriage from his book “The Prophet”, I never tire of it… so beautiful and wise.  It makes a truly heartfelt reading for a wedding ceremony.

~ On Marriage ~

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

If you’d like to know more about this Lebanese writer, Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) , please visit Wikipedia to learn about this fascinating poet, painter, sculptor, philosopher and theologian.

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Chances are you already know about Etsy (rhymes with Betsy) but on the off chance that you don’t I thought I’d share this very cool and useful resource with you.  Etsy’s tag line is, “Your place to buy & sell all things handmade”, and indeed, it’s a kind of the e-bay of handmade creations.  Thousands of them!!

At Etsy you can find beautiful, unique handmade items for your wedding… and, in fact, “Weddings” is one of the primary categories at Etsy.  This is really the kind of thing you have to experience, so rather than writing an epic post telling you all the wonderful things you can find there I suggest you just pop on over to Etsy and browse around.  The photos I assembled below are just a small sampling of the kinds of hand made wedding-related items you might find: gifts for your bridesmaids, veils, jewelry, invitations, veils and so forth.

Oh, one feature that I particularly like at Etsy is that you can search for items by location.  So if, for instance, you want to support Virginia artists (hint, hint) you can browse artists specifically in Virginia..

If you’ve purchased or plan to purchase anything at Etsy I’d love to hear about your Etsy experience… please send me a comment right below. Thanks!

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As promised, here’s more of Allegra’s best work from 2008… I know you’ll love it!

Contact Information for Allegra at Allegra’s Studio:
website: www.allegrasstudio.com
phone: 434-384-0138
e-mail: photo@allegrasstudio.com
blog: www.allegrasblog.com

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