Charlottesville Wedding by Eric Kelley Photography
When you have a setting as lovely and serene as this Charlottesville vineyard there really is no need to overdo it with too many details. Take a tip from this elegant wedding by Eric Kelley Photography. A few gorgeous bridesmaids in the perfect shade of purple, simply divine floral arrangements and some sweet and personalized details are really all you need to set the tone for a perfectly romantic day. Click here to see it all!
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From the Bride…We chose Charlottesville, VA as our wedding destination since we both graduated from UVA. We found DelFosse Vineyards in Faber, VA (about 30 mins away), nestled in the rolling green hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and immediately knew it would be the perfect backdrop for a casual yet elegant celebration. We didn’t opt for the overly themed vineyard wedding (i.e. no bottle corks, wine bottles, or grapes)…but instead kept the decor rustic and a little whimsical. While it rained on our wedding day, everything went off without a hitch since we had already planned on using a tent for the reception, and had the beautiful tasting room with floor to ceiling windows as our ceremony back up. One of my wonderful bridesmaids also surprised our wedding party with super cute plaid rain boots and clear umbrellas (from Target) which made for some GREAT photo pops before the ceremony, and also served as comfy footwear during the reception.
The overall color scheme was fuchsia/magenta (the bright purply magenta, not too pink – try describing this “color” for a year!), silver, and white. The J.Crew Arabelle dresses in Spiced Wine captured this color perfectly. Bridesmaids chose their own pewter/darker silver shoes. We also found a great-fitting Tommy Hilfiger suit in Shark Skin gray which went great with the more casual and elegant feel of the wedding. We shopped around online for a cross hatched magenta tie for the groomsmen, which went great with the J.Crew dresses. I really couldn’t believe how well everything matched. Wedding colors were carried throughout the flowers (white peonies and tulips, lavender sweet peas and fuchsia dendrobium orchids), favor boxes and matchbooks.
Decor and centerpieces were kept simple. We had a large white tent, perimeter lighting, white lanterns in varying sizes, and hanging votive candle holders. The florist’s husband handmade the wooden boxes containing the flower arrangements on half of the tables, or the floating candles and fuchsia orchids on the other half. Guests found their seats at the river rock place card table. I hand wrote each guest’s name on one side, and their table name on the other. Table names were “One of our favorite places”, displayed by hand made name cards on a small tree trunk base. Not just vacation destinations, but our favorite fast food joint (In ‘N Out), Tim’s Lazy Boy, Tree Hill (our favorite fictional destination – from the show One Tree Hill), etc. When guests were seated, they found their hand made favor boxes containing 2 Ghirardelli chocolates, and 1 of 2 magnets (so couples wouldn’t get 2 of the same thing! We alternated magnets in every other box, which we could tell by the color of the ribbon). One final cute touch was the Manzanita Wishing Tree that we used instead of a Guest Book. Guests signed cards that said “Warm Wishes” (made by PaperPixie on Etsy), and hung them on the tree…we now have all of the tags with our guest’s messages to keep in a book. I also need to give a nod to Elizabeth Haslup for our invitations – they are her original art. I worked with her to create a custom invitation showcasing our venue and us as a couple. We got so much positive feedback, and it really set the tone of the celebration we wanted to have.
I truly loved our wedding day because everyone had so much FUN, including myself…and that was what we set out to do, to throw a great party in a beautiful setting. I’d encourage brides to read about some of the standard wedding inputs, but to not shy away from personalizing certain things. Above all be FLEXIBLE, and don’t take yourself or the wedding too seriously. Do some DIY’s but don’t go completely overboard. Don’t be afraid to shop around and buy that dream dress second hand. Don’t freak out when it rains on your wedding day (but definitely have a back-up plan…thanks, mom!)….nobody knows the difference in what you planned to what happened instead, and they’re all following your lead in the mood of the day.
Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Tommy Hilfiger / Floral Design: Blue Ridge Floral / Wedding Photography: Eric Kelley Photography / Wedding Party/Reveal Pictures Location: The Rotunda + The Lawn at the University of Virginia / Log Cabin, Ceremony + Reception Venue: DelFosse Vineyards / Catering: Beggar’s Banquet / Wedding Cake: Maliha Creations / Wedding Coordinator: Jen Hamlin at Events with Panache / Band: 10 Spot / Rain Boots + Umbrellas: Target / Jewelry: Adriana Orsini / Warm Wishes Tree Tags: PaperPixie / Vintage Hair Clip: BridalWear / Tim + Jamie Luminaries: PaperAcorn / Bride’s Shoes: Pelle Moda / Purse: La Regale / Invitations: Art by Elizabeth Haslup at Kokomo Jane Art / Thank You Favor Boxes, River Rock Name Cards, Table Cards + Wedding Programs (using Elizabeth’s invitation art): DIY
16 Comments about “Charlottesville Wedding by Eric Kelley Photography”
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Thank you all so much for featuring us! We feel so blessed!
What an eye Eric Kelley has! Always a treat. Absolutely lovely!
What a beautiful wedding, awesome write-up and amazing photography!
I like the Mr. & Mrs. woodcarving. Its unique!!!
Beautiful wedding and lovely wedding photography. I like the theme colour chosen by the couple, that purple is great and the bridesmaids look really great in it. Really liking the photo in the vineyard as well... great job!
beautiful work! so happy this has been featured!
Jamie,
Your wedding was stunning, and it looked like a blast.
I can't wait for mine!
And I LOVE all the little details, including the boots!
good advice above.
Anna
Great work! So glad to see great work from a well deserving Charlottesville photographer on here!
I love the colors! Photographer did fabulous work on capturing the elegance and fun!
Such a beautiful wedding and what amazing photographs to capture the day. These photos reveal why Eric is one of the most respected and highly sought after photographers in Charlottesville. My own daughter was also married at a Charlottesville wedding vineyard in May, I am thankful that we also had a rain plan, as it rained out her outdoor ceremony as well. Having a back up plan may increase your planning time and the bottom line but it is worth the effort and expense for the peace of mind it provides. Congratulations to Jamie and Tim on your marriage and for creating a lovely event to celebrate your union and to Eric for capturing the day so brilliantly.
Beautiful wedding, wonderful pictures.
When we celebrate our Silver Wedding anniversary, we will definitely use Eric Kelley as our photographer!
So great to see Charlottesville on here! Beautiful wedding, and photos-so lovely!
I LOVE how many peonies in bud form were used in her bouquet - there is nothing cooler than a tight, round peony bud!