So many choices to make! ... starting with your "Save the Date" card, then invitations and envelopes, announcements, programs and place cards. In making your paper choices here are some things to look for:
1. recycled, handmade, or plantable papers processed chlorine-free and printed with vegetable- or soy-based inks
2. tree-free paper made out of hemp, banana stalks, bamboo, kenaf, or organic cotton
3. a printer who will use paper with a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content
papers that aren't metallic or plastic-coated, characteristics that make them hard to recycle
4. opportunities to reduce paper use, like sending a postcard (instead of multi-enveloped notes) for your save-the-date, or using online invitations and a wedding blog to let people know about the bachelor/ette parties, rehearsal dinner, and gift registry

Here are a couple paper/invitation companies you might like to look at: Twisted Limb Paperworks and Green Field Paper Company. Also, be sure to ask at local stationary and party invitation shops for green options... hopefully by now they're offering some. It's always great to keep things local when you can. Thanks for taking steps to have a greener wedding!

Charlottesville is a great place to get married in a hot air balloon. I've had the privilege of performing two balloon weddings in my career and loved every minute of them both. The entire process is fun: from determining if the conditions are right, figuring out where the balloon should take off from and then unpacking them, filling them with warmed air to floating away into the sky... seeing Central Virginia from that vantage point is an absolutely spectacular experience.

Some couples choose to have their wedding with the balloon tethered but both of the couples that I've gone up with have chosen to enjoy a wonderful balloon ride and landing (another adventure!).

Holding a ceremony in a hot air balloon has a couple of unique challenges the biggest of which is simply the roar of the burner that keeps the balloon aloft requires that we pause every so often throughout so that everyone can hear what's being said.

Here in the Charlottesville area I've worked with Liana and Jim, both FAA licensed pilots, at the Blue Ridge Balloon Company. Give them a call at 434-589-6213 to discuss the possibilities for your wedding. It will be a wonderful adventure!

Visit the Earth Friendly Weddings Blog for great information and resources!

Jennifer, this blog's owner, lives in Atlanta, GA She has created a truly beautiful and incredibly useful resource for couples who want to have a wedding that takes the planet's well being into account.

Jennifer's blog focuses on green resources which she defines as, "... products that are recycled, reused, handmade, natural, organic, or fairly traded". I encourage you to take some time to read this blog... you'll discover wonderful ways to have a greener event!

I know that I wrote about the UVA Chapel just about a month ago but it's a place I find myself pretty regularly so thought I'd pop it in here again.

There were a couple of unique things about this experience in the Chapel. First, it was almost filled... the largest group I've done a wedding for in this particular location. A really wonderful group... so happy for Bryan and Nadine!

Secondly, and I hope that you can see it in these photos but the wedding was held at about 2 PM and the light in the Chapel on this particular day was absolutely spectacular, a bit other-worldly actually! At the end of the ceremony when Nadine and Bryan walked up the aisle together the light that poured down from the stained glass windows and through her veil was just one of the most beautiful wedding picture-perfect moments I've ever seen. I have to remember to ask Allegra for a copy of one of the photos so that I can post it here for you later.

If you would like more details on the Chapel and how to go about reserving it for your wedding please look back on my November 4, 2007 post and you'll find that info. Have a great day!

Today is Thanksgiving and I have been trying to decide how to express my gratefulness for so much love and abundance in my life and in the lives of those I am closest to. Feeling unable to come up with the right words I have decided to share with you a wonderful video narrated by one of my very favorite people on earth: Brother David Steindl-Rast. If you are not aware of Brother David I invite you to google him and learn about his life and work... you will be deeply moved by this man's journey.

For today, however, I invite you to watch this inspiring video and listen to Brother David's lovely words. Enjoy!

With Love and Gratitude,
Claire

We were so fortunate to have Eve Watters play the harp this afternoon at Mahnaz and Scott's sweet little weekday wedding at the Clifton Inn. Eve is an accomplished Harpist with a huge and varied repertoire and I am always thrilled when I have the opportunity to do a wedding with her. Eve is also excellent at improvising and can provide wonderful options, from Celtic to Classical and everything in between, for your wedding ceremony.

I encourage you to visit Eve's website to learn more about her wide array of talents and accomplishments as well as about her wedding services. You can also call Eve at 434-823-8600. I recommend her without reservation!

In the past couple of weeks I've had 2 beautiful weekday weddings: one on a Monday (Veteran's Day) and one today (the day before Thanksgiving). Regina & Corwin had a sweet elopement at the Boar's Head Inn and Mahnaz & Scott, a family-only wedding (just 3 of their 5 combined children in attendance) at the Clifton Inn... two of the most beautiful locations in the Charlottesville area.

A weekday wedding seems to engender a certain calmness that the big weekend event often doesn't due to its very nature. Generally couples who choose a weekday wedding option like the idea of having a simpler and more streamlined wedding experience without compromising on quality whatsoever. Both of these weddings were planned through my Weekday Wedding Company which provides wonderful, high quality packages for small weddings and elopements.

A small weekday wedding package doesn't mean you can't have music, flowers, professional photography, a beautiful ceremony and lots more, rather, it means you can have all this and more with much less stress and fuss.

Check out the Weekday Wedding Company website to see all of the lovely options and give me a call to have a chat about your wedding: 434-296-9885.

I know that the House Mountain Inn isn't exactly in the "Charlottesville Area" but it's not too far away and it's such a lovely location that I wanted to include it here. To be fair, it's about 80 miles from Charlottesville, just outside of Lexington, VA and takes an hour and 20 minutes to get there.

The House Mountain Inn, a newly constructed (2004) rustic bed & breakfast, has 9 beautiful rooms and is tucked away in the mountains with truly magnificent views. The huge front porch and incredible stone fireplace in the great room are a couple of my favorite features.

This weekend was the first time I'd been to the Inn in the fall and the color was magnificent. In the spring and summer I've done weddings outdoors with the mountains as a backdrop but this weekend the ceremony was held in front of the fireplace with dozens of candles burning all around. The Inn's amazing Jaime Irvine handled every imaginable detail for Nancy and Stephen's ceremony and reception and made my job completely stress-free.

If you'd like to visit the Inn or just get more information give Jaime a call at 540-464-4004.

I know this is a little different from my usual post... but hey, it's my blog so I can do it!! This may seem a little off topic, but after thinking about it I realized that it really isn't. I perform a lot of wedding ceremonies for couples who come from differing faith, racial and/or cultural backgrounds. These differences can present unique challenges on many levels when planning a wedding. Sometimes, in fact, when these differences are distressing enough to the couple's families there can be a huge amount of focus on how best to bridge these apparent disparities and make everyone happy... sometimes it can be done, and sometimes it can't.

So, today I found this amazing little video on a website called God Bless Humanity that, to me, expresses the oneness that lies at the very heart of these outer differences. If you are planning an Interfaith wedding and are encountering these challenges in your own lives I hope that you will take some inspiration from it. And, if you aren't planning a wedding at all and just happened by I hope that you will do the same. Here's the video.

The Dinsmore House, built by Thomas Jefferson’s master builder in 1817 is an historic Bed & Breakfast located just adjacent to the grounds of the University of Virginia in the heart of beautiful Charlottesville. This was my first wedding at the Dinsmore House and it was lovely. This Inn is a great location for a wedding with no more than 40 people in attendance. In order to have a wedding at the Dinsmore House it is required that the Inn be rented (all 8 rooms) for the entire weekend... which makes sense to me given the location and size of the place.

Amy Claire and Matt did just this last weekend and it was clear that their families were having a wonderful time sharing this special weekend at the Inn with the couple. Matt and Amy Claire had their ceremony out behind the Inn in a little courtyard area which had a few unique challenges in terms of seating but was truly beautiful all candlelit in the late fall afternoon.

This is the kind of place that I can imagine a couple coming back to again and again for anniversaries or other occasions that bring them back to Charlottesville. If you'd like to learn more about the Inn visit their website or give them a call at: 434-974-4663

Over the years I've had the opportunity to hear so much incredible music as part of the ceremonies I've performed. The inclusion of live music performed by accomplished musicians adds much warmth and distinction to a ceremony. Three of the groups that I've had the pleasure of working with often here in the Charlottesville area are The Encore Quartet, The Madison Trio and The Piedmont Chamber Players.

Any of these 3 talented groups can provide beautiful music for your ceremony, cocktail hour and even your reception. I invite you to visit their websites to find out more about their musical offerings and even listen to some clips of their music. You'll find a broad range of music is available including: classical, traditional wedding music, religious, contemporary and I've even heard members of the Encore Quartet perform lovely Irish music.

To contact the Encore Quartet call Jennifer Myer at 434-295-3664; the Madison Trio can be contacted by calling Christine Willard at 434-263-5779 or 434-826-9088 and the Piedmont Chamber Players can be reached by calling Bob Gross at 434-977-9828.

There's nothing like music to set the tone for your big day.... enjoy!

The Chapel at the University of Virginia, dedicated in 1889, no longer holds regular religious services, but is a popular site for weddings in Charlottesville... especially amongst students, alumni and anyone with a warm spot in their hearts for the University. This weekend I performed a beautiful ceremony in the Chapel for Mark and Annie, the couple you see pictured here. They had the chapel decorated with candles which gave it a warm and seasonal glow. Annie & Mark had spent time together at UVA, and having their family and friends experience a place that was so special in their history was very important to them.

The Chapel is just adjacent to the historic Rotunda, built as part of Thomas Jefferson's original academical village. The area right around the outside of the Chapel, the Rotunda and The Lawn, all provide beautiful and historic backdrops for photos and Mark and Annie enjoyed and took advantage of the beauty all around them before heading up to Veritas Vineyard for their reception.

If you are interested in talking with someone about the possibility of holding your wedding at the University of Virginia Chapel contact the Newcomb Hall Event Planning Office at 434-924-3203 or look here for information.

I mentioned in my post earlier this evening that Pat and Sherry of Pat's Floral Designs provided the beautiful, seasonal flower arrangements and bouquets for Anna and Rich's wedding at the Boar's Head Inn this past weekend. Here are photos of two of their beautiful creations.

The wedding ceremony took place in front of the fireplace in the ballroom and, as you can see, Pat & Sherry beautifully decorated the mantle and created arrangements on pedestals on either side to add fall color to the ceremony. Their centerpieces were also vibrant and colorful and made the ballroom into a complete work of art!

If you are looking for someone to create spectacular and artistic floral elements for your wedding day give Pat and Sherry a call at 540-948-5611 or 888-634-9554.

The Boar's Head Inn is a beautiful 500+ acre resort complex in the rolling hills just west of Charlottesville. Owned by the University of Virginia Foundation, the Inn has a multitude of beautiful guest rooms, meeting and event facilities, a full service spa and health club plus a wonderful restaurant along with just about any additional amenity you can imagine.

In the last few years I've been fortunate to perform many weddings at this beautiful venue and have had the opportunity to get to know some of their wonderful staff. If you are seeking a wedding location where just about anything and everything is possible: from the simplest no-frills elopement to the largest and most complex wedding event you should seriously consider looking at this truly lovely place.

This past weekend I officiated at the ceremony for Anna & Rich... the couple pictured here. As you can see they chose beautiful fall colors with beautiful floral designs by Pat's Floral Designs. Rich and Anna chose to have a very simple ceremony with lots of their friends standing up with them (8 on each side). Their wedding took place in the Ballroom and was a lighthearted and very sweet event.

If you would like to visit the Boar's Head Inn give them a call at: 434-296-2181

For most weddings carbon dioxide emissions from guest travel produce the biggest environmental impact of all of the products and services you may use. TerraPass is a way to easily and affordably balance the environmental impact of your wedding... by buying a TerraPass you will balance the emissions you can't reduce.

Once you've calculated the emissions that your wedding will likely produce by completing a quick survey here, you can buy a TerraPass. The money you spend will be used to fund clean energy and efficiency projects such as wind farms. These projects result in verified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Using financial instruments such as carbon credits, your funds result in guaranteed reductions... read more about how this works on the TerraPass website.

When you've purchased your TerraPass you will receive a framed certificate that you can display at your wedding... informing your guests of how their travel has been carbon balanced by your thoughtful purchase.

If you're looking for a truly spectacular and classically Virginia mountain backdrop for your wedding Montfair Resort Farm has the view for you! This photo of the mountains and sky was the backdrop to Rachel and Carl's ceremony this past weekend... can you imagine anything more beautiful? It was funny to see all of their guests taking turns posing for photos of each other with this panoramic view behind them.

Montfair Farm is a rustic and environmentally-conscious alternative for your wedding venue. Located in the western part of Albemarle County... about 15 miles NW of Charlottesville... there is a rustic lodge with huge fireplace for cozy fall and winter events plus a deck overlooking a beautiful lake and cabins... all on this 129 acre property.

Rachel arrived for her wedding with her Dad in a horse drawn carriage and made a getaway in it after the ceremony with her groom, Carl. When I left to head out to another wedding the lodge was being beautifully decorated for dinner and there was a reggae band setting up on the deck... wish I could've stayed!

Montfair Resort Farm is a natural and comfortable location for your big day. Give them a call at: 434-823-5202

In the past couple of weeks I've had 2 beautiful weddings at the Clifton Inn. The Clifton Inn is a fantastic venue with the most wonderful people, beautiful environment and excellent service around... not to mention the incredible food! Most couples choose to have their ceremony on the croquet lawn just to the side of the Inn, right in front of the carriage house... the Inn also has a huge and beautiful deck which works well as a backup ceremony location, cocktail location and/or place for a band and dance floor.

The Clifton Inn is on a 1oo acre estate and has 18 uniquely beautiful rooms... lots of couples choose to have friends and family stay at the Inn with them which gives everyone lots of opportunity to spend time together, have wonderful meals and walk on the many surrounding trails. The Inn's close proximity to Charlottesville is another nice feature with lots of restaurants and fun things to do nearby.

This past weekend Elana and Andy chose to have their ceremony on the croquet lawn under a simple Jewish chuppah and at the end of the ceremony Andy broke a glass. The Inn set up their cocktail hour right out on the front lawn under the big trees which was a beautiful sight and their dinner and dancing took place inside and on the deck.

Give Melissa at the Clifton Inn a call and go out to see for yourself what a beautiful place it is! Phone: 434-971-1800

Derek Tobler is a great DJ... there is no doubt! I've done many weddings with Derek, including just this past Sunday at Veritas where I got to try out his brand new wireless lavalier microphone during the ceremony... it was great. Derek has been DJing for more than 10 years and it is obvious that he loves his work. He has great audio equipment, is dependable and just an all-round great person to work with! Derek helps his couples plan just the right music for their big day and set up a timeline for their event. He is professional and easy (and fun) to work with... what could be better? Music is the backdrop to your wedding day, so having someone who can help you create the experience of a lifetime is very important. Check out Derek's website and give him a call (434-296-6689) to see if he's available for your date!

The crown jewel of Central Virginia wineries (in my humble opinion) is Veritas Vineyard and Winery in Afton, VA (Nelson County)... about 15 miles West of Charlottesville. Veritas is a family business owned by Andrew and Patricia Hodson and is an absolutely incredible wedding venue. Not only is it spectacular and scenic from every angle, but the tasting room, decks and beautiful ballroom provide everything a couple could want in a location for their wedding.

This past Sunday evening I had the privilege of conducting the wedding ceremony for this beautiful couple, Christine and Dana, at Veritas. They had about 100 guests which is a relatively small crowd for this location but had a very elegant and and lovely event. The photo here of the ballroom with the radiant light coming through the windows will give you some idea of how beautiful it is ... but you really have to see it in person to get the full affect!

Veritas can also provide delicious dining menus for their guests with meals by their very own Chef Said Rhafiri. If you want the details on their wines go here , I'm not the best one to fill you in on those details so I suggest that you visit their site.

If you want to check out this beautiful place for your wedding give Christine Hurley, their Events Manager, a call: (540-456-8000 x107). She and her little pup, Zoe, will be happy to show you around and give you all the details on this beautiful location! Oh, and if a wedding isn't in your immediate future... just go up there for a few hours and enjoy the beauty (oh, and wine too, of course)!

First Colony Winery, owned by Randolph McElroy, is about 12 miles South of Charlottesville just off of Rt. 20, nestled in the hills of Central Virginia. It's a great location for a small to medium-sized wedding - which is just what Julia and Troy had this evening! Of the several possible wedding ceremony locations at First Colony they chose the slate & stone patio right off the tasting room. It provides a lovely woodsy backdrop with the vineyards themselves off to the South a bit. With the lack of rain we've been having here this year so far I've noticed that the vineyards are looking a bit haggard and not quite as lovely and lush as they often look at this time of the year.

Although I'm not a wine drinker myself, I've heard that First Colony's wines are very good and they certainly provide a simple and attractive location for a winery wedding with a rustic tasting room and large room upstairs for sit-down dinners.

You can contact Martha Soden, the Tasting Room Manager if you're interested in finding out more about First Colony. Call her at: 877-979-7105.

I knew when I started writing this blog last month that there were going to be obstacles in keeping it going ... but here's one obstacle I hadn't anticipated: it's my cat, Frank, who seems to like to get between me and my keyboard when I'm writing my blog posts or wedding ceremonies. Tossing him on the floor or asking pretty please don't seem to work... any ideas?

How Green Was My Wedding? from the New York Times Fashion & Style section on February 11, 2007 by Mireya Navarro.
A great article with lots of ideas for an eco-friendly event and many links to good green-wedding resources that you might like to consider in your wedding planning. Enjoy!

This past Saturday, September 15th, I did my first University of Virginia garden wedding of the year. Garden VIII is an incredible location for a ceremony. It does have a few logistical challenges for the processional but it's so lovely and cozy that the challenges are easily overcome! UVA has ten beautiful gardens, all behind Thomas Jefferson's unique serpentine walls and many of which make beautiful wedding venues.

Megan and Mark got married in front of about 125 of their friends and family. They chose a simple, no-frills (no ritual) ceremony that was full of warmth and love. After the ceremony the entire group followed the Bride and Groom to the steps of the Rotunda for a group photo. The Rotunda, designed by Charlottesville's own patron saint (only kidding), Thomas Jefferson, was the original library for the University but now houses historical exhibits and artifacts for the University.

If you are interested in looking into booking a UVA Garden, or other location, for your wedding call the reservations office in Newcomb Hall at: 434-924-3601.

Couples spend lots of money each year on favors to put on their reception dinner tables for their guests. Earlier this year I saw a wonderful green alternative to the typical wedding favors and I want to share it with you.

Matt & Marlita (Matt is in the military) chose to make a small donation on behalf of each of their guests towards a charity that is near and dear to them, one that clears minefields. So, at each place setting, instead of a favor that would probably find it's way into the landfill before long, there was the card you see here.

In case you can't read the card, it says: "Thank you for joining in celebration of our new life together. To show our appreciation, a small donation has been made in your honor to the Adopt-A-Minefield program. Together these small gifts will contribute to the clearing of a minefield and to making our planet a safer place to live."

Another great resource for finding wonderful charitable favors you can choose for your wedding is JustGive.org. What a great way to start your new life together!

Summer & Matt had a lovely, very small family-only wedding this evening at Keswick Hall. Their simple, heartfelt ceremony was held in a slight drizzle on the patio overlooking the golf course, just outside the rustic Garden Room. I've done several other ceremonies at Keswick Hall, but never one this small and intimate. As usual the folks at Keswick Hall did an expert job on every detail and the rainy day provided a soft, lush backdrop for the occasion.

I'd only just met Matt & Summer this past week when we met to discuss their upcoming wedding and they chose a very simple ceremony followed by dinner with their families. Summer didn't want to do the usual bride things like walking down the aisle and having a lot of the usual extras... just spending the evening with each other and their families was what they felt was important.

Keswick Hall, a large and elegant location just outside of Charlottesville in Albemarle County, isn't the place I'd usually think of for a tiny family-only affair, but from now on I will!