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!

Hindu-Catholic Wedding
Last fall I had the opportunity to officiate at a truly incredible Interfaith wedding: the bride, Sabeena, from a Hindu family and the groom, Patrick, from a Catholic family. Just recently I discovered, that although this wedding was in DC their photographers, Anne and Bill Holland, had been "imported" from lil' ol' Charlottesville just as I had.

Sabeena and Patrick's wedding was one of the most colorful and pageant-filled I've had the honor to be a part of. The groom arrived on horseback to the banging of drums and shouts of celebration from the family. Their ceremony incorporated words and rituals from both the Hindu and Catholic traditions with explanations in between so everyone could keep up! On the Hindu side the bride and groom exchanged beautiful flower garlands and took 7 steps (saptapadi) around a homa (sacred fire) as they made their promises to one another. On the Christian side the couple performed a Unity Candle ceremony and everyone enjoyed a beautiful scriptural reading.

I would imagine that for a photographer this kind of wedding would present wonderful artistic opportunities and Bill and Anne Holland of Holland Photo Arts took full advantage of the day! Their pictures of Sabeena and Patrick's wedding are absolutely spectacular... I hope that you enjoy the 3 I am including in this post. If you are looking for an amazing photograpic duo for your wedding give them a call: 434-295-9681

Yesterday I was honored to officiate at a beautiful ceremony at Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington, VA. Oak Ridge is a huge, historic property in Nelson County, Virginia which is an easy drive on Rt. 29 immediately South of Charlottesville. Jessica and Rick chose to be married under a chuppah, or wedding canopy, that in the Jewish tradition, represents the promise of the home that the newly married couple will create together. It was a lovely evening with a loud chorus of late-summer cicadas in the background. I am always happy when summer weddings are held late in the day (theirs was at 7 PM) because everyone is so much more comfortable once the daytime heat has subsided and no one has to be out in the sweltering sun.

Of the many wonderful ceremony locations around the Oak Ridge property Rick and Jessica chose the Carriage House as their venue. As always, Rhonda Holland (from Oak Ridge), was on hand to handle every imaginable detail for the couple. Rhonda makes the execution of a large event look so effortless and easy and I know she certainly makes the logistics of my job as Minister so much less stressful!

If you're interested in Virginia history take a look at the extensive history of the Oak Ridge Estate on their website and if you are looking for a lovely, rural setting for your wedding check out this location.

The Green Guide
It's important for all of us to do what we can to live more lightly on our beautiful planet. Weddings are notorious for being high-impact affairs... using lots of energy and making a rather large "carbon footprint". There are lots of alternative choices to be made that will make your wedding an event planned with love for each other and for our planet. National Geographic's Green Guide has lots of wonderful tips, insights and links to great information on creating a more eco-friendly wedding. Enjoy their "Three R's of Wedded Bliss" article by Maureen Ryan and get started today planning a greener, more conscious wedding.

Coming up in a couple of weeks... next week I'll let you know the names of local Charlottesville vendors that will be participating...

The Greater Virginia Bridal Show
Sunday September 16, 2007
Ash-Lawn Highland, Charlottesville, Virginia.
2-5 P.M. admission is $7

Fashion show including Anna-Joy's, Celebrations Bridal, Freda, Pleiades Vintage and Custom Bridal, and S&K Men's Wear and the area's finest wedding professionals. Thousands of dollars in door prizes. Grand prize is a Honeymoon for two.

For more information email shows@vabridemagazine.com or call 804-822-1768

My second wedding of this holiday weekend was at a lovely place that I'd heard of but not had the opportunity to experience until today... the Inn at Old Virginia just outside of historic Staunton, about 40 miles West of Charlottesville in the Shenandoah Valley. With near perfect weather the ceremony was held 'round back of the Inn with a panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains as the backdrop. Before the Ceremony began I had the opportunity to meet and spend a few minutes getting to know Becky Field, the Inn's manager and wedding contact who was, obviously, very good at her job... taking care of a dozen final details for the day's event while kindly welcoming me to the Inn and getting me a glass of water.

Danyiel and Chris are a lovely couple and their wedding was one in which the love between them was palpable and so sweet! They chose to include a Sand Ceremony ritual as part of their ceremony, symbolizing the entwining of their lives and their commitment to a shared future. With the slight breeze I was happy that they had chosen a Sand Ceremony as there were no candles to keep lit!

Congratulations Chris and Danyiel!

Just this morning I had the opportunity to perform a ceremony at a beautiful, small, family-only wedding right here in Charlottesville. I loved it! Small backyard weddings are among my favorites... the feeling is always intimate and usually somewhat informal which is nice. This couple, Kathleen & Bill, chose to have a spiritual ceremony that included a Hand Blessing ritual which is a very modified Handfasting from the Pagan tradition.

An important part of the ceremony was acknowledging each of their children from prior marriages and letting them know how important their love and support was to the couple. Bill's daughter read one of my very favorite readings... an excerpt from the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.

A backyard wedding gives you lots of opportunity to be creative, to welcome you loved ones to your own home and to just generally create an atmosphere of love and gratitude for your guests. I had the opportunity to meet everyone and even have short, personal conversations with each guest which, of course, I am not able to do at a bigger event. All in all if a couple is looking for a small, very personal and somewhat less formal wedding experience I think backyards (or front yards, or living rooms) are the way to go!