Sweet Summer Strawberries Delighted Guests at This Tented Wedding at The Clifton Inn

Melissa Hammam
February 9, 2024
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic, Seasonal Wedding Trend, Spring, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

[section title=”The Planning”]

[field title=”Wedding Colors”]

The bride fell in love with the idea of a classic, neutral color palette that played out through an abundance of white florals accented with greenery and taupe floral embroidered BBJ Linens. Gold and grey colored accents were woven throughout the tabletop decor and bridesmaid dresses.

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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

“Hospitality – this was the key word and driving factor from the very beginning of wedding planning. Family and friends traveled from literally all over the world to celebrate Morgan and James’ union. In thanks, our goal was to create an entire wedding weekend itinerary for guests to enjoy while experiencing everything Morgan and James loved about the area! The Clifton was easily the perfect backdrop for this “Virginia garden party” themed celebration while providing the opportunity for family and friends to spend an extended weekend together. For many of the guests, this was their first experience in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains so we crafted an itinerary that included tours around the local Charlottesville vineyards, a fun Welcome Party at a local brewery (complete with food trucks and wood fired pizza!), and wrapped up the weekend with a polo themed post-wedding luncheon complete with craft cocktails and a “hat bar”.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”][/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]

[field title=”Wedding Gown”]The bride’s chiffon dress was a v-neck style appliqued with floral embellishments also in white.[/field]

[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]The intimate size bridal party wore differing styles of grey silk dresses.[/field]

[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]The groom and groomsmen were in traditional black tuxedos.[/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]

[field title=”Food & Drink”]

The dining experience was such an important piece of this event. The bride is a sommelier and carefully selected wines to pair with each delectable course crafted by The Clifton‘s culinary team led by Michelin-starred executive chef Matthew Bousquet. The locally sourced dinner menu featured choices of trout, duck, and short ribs included ingredients sourced from the Chef’s own garden on the venue’s property!

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]We wanted to utilize seasonal, yet unexpected, elements into the table scapes to elevate our “garden party” vive. Incorporating seasonal fruit, in this case locally grown strawberries, added a pop of color (red; a small way to pay homage to this Memorial Day Weekend celebration) and visual interest into the table scapes.[/field]

[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

The five tier white wedding cake by Maliha Creations was decorated with white flowers inspired by the bride’s dress. The couple’s pup playfully peeked out from the bottom tier!

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”][/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #1″]

Led by the bride and groom, the guests were escorted from cocktail hour by their band in a New Orleans style “second line” over to the tented reception.

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]The couple hosted a unique “guest book,” which was a rotary phone that guests could pick up and leave a heartfelt recorded message for the couple.[/field]

[field title=”Special Detail #3″]A custom invitation suite featuring die cut detail card and Flowering dogwoods (the state flower), that we later carried into the day-of paper goods and decor, drove home the overall Virginia theme.[/field]

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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