Becca and Jason's Veritas Vineyard Wedding

Becca & JasonAugust 23, 2014 Becca & Jason's Veritas Vineyard Wedding

There are those that think rain on a wedding day would make the celebration less than perfect. For Becca and Jason, it only worked to enhance the ceremony. The rain made the beautiful grounds of Veritas Vineyards and Winery lush and green, as captured in the wonderful photos by Dominique Attaway. It was reminiscent of Scotland, home to the groom’s family.

The ceremony was beautiful, incorporating Scottish traditions from Jason’s family and Jewish traditions from Becca’s. The wedding party was led down the aisle by bagpipes, a great surprise for the groom’s parents and guests.

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As an especially unique touch to the evening, the father of the bride - being quite the craftsman - made beautiful pens for each guest. They used the colorful favors to sign the guest book and then took them home as a memory of this beautiful day.

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Vendors

Event Production: Barb Wired Event Management

Team: Barbara Lundgren, Carmen Badinelli, Lauren Scully, Joan Forrest

Photography: Dominique Attaway

Location and Catering: Veritas Vineyards and Winery

Floral Design: Blue Ridge Floral Design

Cupcakes: Sweethaus

Ceremony Music: John Youel on bagpipes

Reception Music: DJ Stroud

Transportation: Camryn Limo

Makeup: Jeanne Cusick

Hair: Serendipity Hair Salon

Jennifer & Lucas's Autumn Vineyard Wedding

Jennifer & LucasOctober 25, 2015

Jennifer & Lucas outdoor wedding at Early Mountain Vineyards

Jennifer and Lucas chose Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, VA, as the perfect spot for a cozy yet sophisticated fall wedding on a beautiful day in late October.

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The wedding party enjoyed a lovely rehearsal dinner at nearby Lafayette Inn. They spent the morning of the big day at the Early Mountain Cottage for hair and make-up with On Location Bridal.

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Guests gathered outside for the ceremony, overlooking a breathtaking view of the vineyard grounds. With just a slight autumn chill in the air, the weather was perfect for an outdoor ceremony.

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Beautiful Jennifer took the groom's breath away as she walked down the aisle in her gorgeous gown from Sealed with a Kiss. The ceremony, officiated by Rev. Bhavani Metro, was extremely personal and beautifully touching.

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After a cocktail hour in Early Mountain’s cozy tasting room, the guests moved to the ballroom for the reception. Jennifer and Lucas had a beautiful guest book filled with their own photos for their loved ones to write in. The décor featured wine corks and fall-colored floral arrangements by Nature Composed.

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The couple chose a sweet and personal way to display the table numbers, using picture frames showing a childhood photo of the bride and groom each at the age corresponding to the table number. Dinner at Home provided a plated dinner and scrumptious desserts. Offering a wonderful selection of candies as favors was very popular. Throughout the night, guest after guest came up to fill a bag of treats.

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Upbeat music from DJ Derek Tobler made for a fun and lively dance party. The dance floor was packed until the end of the night, while Citrus Ceremonies captured the dance moves for the wedding video.

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When the newlyweds made their romantic departure at the end of the evening, all their loved ones gathered to see them off with a sparkler exit. Camryn Limousine saw the guests safely home. The day was spectacular and perfect!

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Photo credit: Jack Looney Photography

Vendors Early Mountain Vineyards Dinner at Home Citrus Ceremonies Nature Composed DJ Derek Tobler Rev. Bhavani Metro On Location Bridal Sealed with a Kiss Camryn Limousine Lafayette Inn Jack Looney Photography

Anna & Zack: Wed White & Blue!

Anna & ZackJuly 4, 2015

Anna & Zack's patriotic wedding

Anna and Zack met while attending UVA through a Cru Christian Fellowship and spent their early dating days going aqua-caving with friends. Yes, you could definitely say they're adventurous and fun!

Zack is in the Air Force, and Anna’s birthday is July 4th. This is one of the most patriotic families I have ever met. So…. they made plans to marry on their favorite holiday – the 4th of July!

The ladies started off wedding day with a bridal brunch at Oakhurst Inn and immediately started getting ready with hair and make-up done by Jeanne Cusick of Cville Makeup. The ceremony was held at the UVA Chapel, with music provided by Cville Ceremony Sound.

Guitar and vocals by Tyler Limmard and the bride’s sister, Emma Vogelsinger, added special emotion to the songs. Jay Mendenhall, a friend and minister to the family, traveled from Oklahoma to officiate the ceremony.

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The reception and evening celebration was held at First Colony Winery, and it was a perfect summer evening. The BBQ Exchange served an amazing meal, and everyone’s holiday favorite – PIE – was provided by Albemarle Baking Co. DJ Andy Wilfong of Party Masters started off the night’s dancing with “Party in the USA” and ended with “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

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Our favorite part of planning was creating this fun and inspirational theme. Flowers were DIY by Anna’s mom, Melissa, and friends. We all contributed subdued red, off-white & blue accents. The guests took home adorable jars of the family’s homemade blueberry jam – with a note, “Thank You for Jamming with Us!”

Happy anniversary and birthday, Anna & Zack – and Happy 4th to all!

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Photo credit: Sharon Phillips Photography

Vendors UVA Chapel First Colony Winery Oakhurst Inn The BBQ Exchange Albemarle Baking Co. Cville Ceremony Sound Emma Vogelsinger & Tyler Millard Jay Mendenhall Andy Wilfong, Party Masters Jeanne Cusick, Cville Makeup Sharon Phillips Photography Barb Wired – Barb, Iris, Vicki & Katie

Addison & Jan-Huib: A Bittersweet Virginia Love Story

Addison & Jan-HuibMay 2016

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I will always remember the summer day in 2015 when I received a call from the Netherlands: “This is Addison, and I am getting married in Charlottesville.” He told me all about his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia, and of being a 1993 UVA grad. I learned of his long-time love affair with the rich history surrounding UVA and Thomas Jefferson’s country.

After his years at UVA, Addison continued his education at Savanna College of Art & Design, then became a real estate agent in Savannah for the next 11 years. In 2004, Jan-Huib was vacationing prior to attending a conference in Savannah and (as many love stories begin) the two met in a bar.

After visiting each other between Georgia and the Netherlands, they made their home in the Netherlands. This was a home that Addison cherished, but his love for Virginia was something so special that he decorated one of the rooms and named it “The Jefferson Room.”

Addison and Jan-Huib became registered partners in the Netherlands, but they could now plan a true wedding celebration with family and friends in Virginia. Jan had come to understand Addison’s love for Charlottesville upon visiting with him and seeing him light up as they strolled places like the UVA Grounds and the Downtown Mall.

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Addison’s vision was laid out completely for an amazing spring wedding weekend. We became instant friends, and he made me feel a part of this dream wedding right away. I would soon learn that this was his gift – making people feel special and comfortable in any situation. The first few weeks of long distance planning were non-stop high maintenance, and I was very excited to see his vision through.

We first met in person over the Christmas holiday, when Addison and Jan visited family as well as their wedding vendors to complete their planning. Jan-Huib was not as involved in the planning at first, not quite grasping the concepts and associated costs. However, he was more engaged as we got into more details and then offered much more to the ideas.

All of the wonderful décor items were shipped to me for storage…. it was like Christmas! The decorations and trimmings were so tastefully done in black, white and a hint of apple green, most created by Rock Paper Scissors. It was all in the details, and Addison was enjoying every minute of his forever dream.

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Collards and Prada

Addison and Jan-Huib became the epitome of “Virginia is for Lovers.” They spent the days prior to the wedding simply enjoying all things that are Charlottesville. Addison shared that he had been to four BBQ places even before hosting the “I Do” BBQ for their rehearsal dinner. Jan said they went to the White Spot and he saw tears as Addison savored his first burger in quite some time.

At the rehearsal dinner in the beautiful mountains at Moss Vineyards, Addison nearly drooled over the collards from Red Hub Food Co. Jan said they make kale like that in the Netherlands….hmmm. Addison and I looked at each other and shook our heads to inform Jan that it just isn’t the same.

Not only is Addison very detailed, but he is all about fashion – and shoes! Just after the chat about the collards, I pointed out his beautiful dark blue wing tips (the kind of blue that glows purple in the sunlight). He looked at me with the cutest grin and said “Prada.” We all lost it!

The highlight of the evening was bluegrass music provided by the Hoof Wiggins Band. We were well cared for from the spring elements by Virginia Tent Rentals and on the mountain roads by Albemarle Limousine buses.

Going to the Chapel

It was a perfect Saturday in May at the UVA Chapel. Our grooms arrived in their dashing custom made khaki suits and greeted everyone to pose for a personalized photo with Blue Mountain Weddings Photography. Officiant and friend Julie Trump performed a touching ceremony, with vocal highlights from Addison’s niece Gabriella singing “Your Song.” Most selections were from their favorite artist Elton John, and Cville Ceremony Sound did the honors. Just after the chapel bells tolled, the newlyweds recessed to “Tiny Dancer.”

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The guests made their way to Old Metropolitan Hall to enjoy a delicious plated meal and reception provided by HotCakes. We enjoyed the floral creations of Verde Natural Florals throughout the weekend.

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During this time of true togetherness, family and friends had nothing but admiration and pure love to share with our grooms and everyone taking part. In Jan’s reception toast, he told stories of their journey and gave Addison all the credit in planning the celebration.

The once nonchalant groom had become so engulfed in the wedding weekend, he was giddy. He shared how they would return to the Netherlands and start planning another celebration there. The rest of the night was shared in dancing to the tunes of DJ Ran Henry with Blue Mountain Weddings.

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The weekend stretched into the following week, with more family time and the anticipation of our guys returning to the Netherlands. But it was not to be.

Addison had survived childhood cancer at the age of nine years, but due to his treatment he has had heart problems since the age of twenty-one. In December, his condition had worsened – but he was able to make the wedding trip, only postponing a honeymoon.

In the week after the wedding, though his condition had been stable, Addison’s health suddenly took an unexpected turn. He was admitted to UVA Hospital. With his new husband and loving family surrounding him, Addison passed away just 12 days to the minute after they were pronounced married at 6:05 p.m. and the bells had tolled at the UVA Chapel.

His funeral was the most touching service I have ever attended. As happy as Addison was with his wedding, he would have been just as delighted with his memorial, as friends and family shared their stories and love.

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I am grateful to have shared a brief time with Addison. He and Jan-Huib made all of us feel like their own family. This is what Addison was all about and why he was always surrounded by love. Our love and prayers will be with Jan-Huib and all of the families and friends touched by Addison and his devotion to others.

– Barb