Chic Garden Inspired Wedding in Charlottesville Virginia at The Market at Grelen
I can’t tell you how long I sat staring at these photos. There were SO MANY special moments, gorgeous details, and beautiful scenery. Charlottesville, Virginia is such a pretty location for weddings. I knew I couldn’t share them all, but I really struggled to narrow it down. Shannon Moffitt Photography did an amazing job capturing every bit of this perfect wedding.
Becca was referred to me by her sister Emily. Emily used to be a venue coordinator at a prestigious venue in Richmond, Va so I was completely honored to be referred. She knew the drill, she knew what it would take to run a wedding, and this was her sister getting married. Needless to say, I was stoked when Becca and I clicked so well. She is so much fun, so smart, and has a great style about her. She was also marrying military which is something I am all too familiar with. The three of us worked together to pull in all of the pieces.
The venue they selected was such a great find. It has been gaining popularity but it’s still a bit of a sleeper. The Market at Grelen is right outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. It is a working tree nursery, garden center, and cafe. There are so many options for the ceremony with the 360-degree views of the gardens and the blue ridge mountains. There are tree orchards, greenhouses with fairy gardens, manicured gardens, and terraces throughout. The venue has fire pits and Adirondack chairs strategically placed around for you and your guests to enjoy. On location, there is a permanent clear top tent on a slab that can hold up to 300 guests. The gorgeous garden chairs are provided by the venue. The best part about this venue is that whatever they have in the garden center, you can use. We had so much fun running around and styling little vignettes throughout using the potted plants from the garden center. While we were running around setting up the details, The Flower Guy Bron and his team were hauling trees and potted flowers over to the ceremony space. They built out a gorgeous aisle and altar. All of the flowers used for the ceremony came from the venue. You will definitely need a professional to style them, but this is a huge money saver. Using the flowers from the venue also gave such a cohesive look. Everything just fit. Becca even had escort cards made on seed paper filled with wildflower seeds for guests to take home and plant.
Becca and Kevin’s style is modern, clean, crisp, and never boring. The colors were oyster gray, ivory, and green. The bridesmaids’ dresses were by Jenny Yoo and had a subtle print. I love the way patterned bridesmaids dresses look when they are done correctly. It’s such a perfect detail. The oversized greenery bouquets, wrapped in silk ribbon, showcased nicely against the pattern on the dress. Becca’s bridal style was modern and sophisticated. She wore lace heels and accessorized with emerald and diamond stud earrings. The showstopper was her custom Amsale wedding gown, featuring a modern silhouette and sheer back.
During cocktail hour the guests were invited over to the terrace for appetizers and refreshments. They had the most adorable boat bar filled with ice and beer. The red canoe was her grandfather’s and her dad custom-built the stand for it. Yay for handy dads. The bunting with the varsity letters were a perfect touch of sass and humor.
The groomsmen were all officers in the military. The Groom’s brother was a Marine and the rest of the guys were Air Force. I grew up an Army Brat so Kevin and I were able to joke about a few of the nuances of growing up military. Huge bonus though, the groomsmen know how to follow instructions and stand in a straight line. They also had a few surprises as the night went on. The Hawaiian shirts were hilarious, and Becca brilliantly iced all of them.
I had never heard of “Icing” before Becca mentioned it to me. I might have been out of college when this game became popular and most of my couples to date have followed more of the southern traditions. i.e burying the bourbon. I have asked around and this is a popular tradition in the northern states. So this is how it’s done. The person who is doing the Icing, in this case, the bride, has to hide the Smirnoff Ice (original only) in elaborate places where their target, the groom and groomsmen, will find it. The idea is to have the target find the Smirnoff in a place where drinking would be embarrassing, obnoxious, or hilarious. When the target sees the Ice, they must immediately take a knee and chug the entire thing. Kevin is currently stationed overseas, and one of his groomsmen gifts were these pewter mugs. He had asked that we set them up to present to his groomsmen during the reception. This was the perfect opportunity for Becca to Ice all of them. We set them up, and right before they came into the tent for introductions, we had Smirnoff Ice placed in each mug. They never saw it coming.
This was the perfect segway to get the party started. Kevin had been stationed overseas for a few months prior to the wedding. After the wedding, Becca was to join him. The reception was not only a celebration of their marriage, but it was also a farewell. Kevin and Becca were surrounded by those who love and support them, and it was so obvious that this is a very special couple. The speeches were great, the music was great, and everyone was having such an amazing time. Becca and Kevin celebrated their marriage, and they bid farewell to all of those they love most. Their life as a married couple started off with a great adventure and I can’t wait to see where life takes them.
This wedding was published on Trendy Brides
This was definitely a smooth wedding for all intensive purposes, but it would not have looked as good, operated as smoothly, or been documented as well, if we didn’t have our dream team of vendors.
As always, I would love to chat
Creative Partners:
Photography: Shannon Moffit
Venue: Market at Grelen
Dress: Amsale, Hitched Bridal
Makeup/Hair: The Spot Beauty Shop
Florist: The Flower Guy Bron
Planner: Swoon Soiree
DJ: Garland Studios
Cake: Buttercream Dreams
Catering: Mosaic
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo, Bella Bridesmaids
Invitations: Minted