Wedding Crashing: An Elegant Estate Affair
What better way to celebrate the gorgeous changing leaves in late October than to crash an extravigant wedding in the beautiful Blue Ridge countryside here in Virginia? The place: a darling church out in Charlottesville, Virginia, followed by a fantastic and fabulous reception at Keswick Hall. The couple: Justine and John- here they are yucking it up at the altar (as John’s father performed the ceremony):
The bride wore a stunning gown from Jeanette’s Bridal in Manassas (as did the bridesmaids, who snagged a little discount thanks to the purchase of Justine’s wedding gown). The entire wedding palette was rich and autumnal with brilliant ruby, lush mango, and warm golden hues seen everywhere from the gorgeous rose and calla bouquets to the bridesmaid dresses (which had glimmering subtle branch details stitched right into the bodice).
And for a memorable touch of vintage class, the bride and groom jetted off to the reception in a 1941 caddy. Adorable!
Feast your eyes on the gorgeous Keswick Hall, home of the reception (and also a hotel where many of the guests stayed after their night of fabulous food & fun). John actually proposed to Justine out by the pool, so it was a fitting and fantastic place to party the night away as husband and wife.
And speaking of out by the pool, that’s precisely where the cocktail hour was held, and since people often wonder if we really do crash these things, there we are on the right among a throng of people chatting and waiting for our turn to congratulate the bride (bottom left):
The reception hall continued the elegant and traditional feeling. From the menu cards tied to each napkin with chocolate ribbon, to the stunning chandeliers and upholstered arm chairs- the ballroom had definite presence and style. And the steak and lobster dinner was truly one of the best we’ve ever had. Seriously our mouths water just thinking about it…
And of course the stunning bride and her dapper groom shared a first dance that put many other first dances to shame. Complete with whirling and twirling and even a big dip at the end. The major shocker to me was that they didn’t take ballroom dancing lessons or anything. Must have been all the love in the air, because they were positively floating across that dance floor.
And while many of the details of the big day were taken care of by the venue, Justine still worked hard to put her stamp on the day. Literally. She created these adorable drink flags (after seeing them in a wedding mag) with stiff paper, rubber stamps, and skewers. First she stamped the paper randomly with letters (both of their initials were about to be JA, so that was a natural choice). Afterwards she cut the paper into 1/2-inch strips, and used a small hole punch to pierce holes at the top and bottom of one end of the flag. Then Justine just threaded the skewer through the holes, and voila: instant drink flags in a bevy of festive colors that definitely added signature style and that adorable hand-made feeling to the day. So special!
Then there was the cake. And goodness gracious was it delish. Three cascading tiers of vanilla chocolate marble cake with raspberries and white chocolate icing. The couple actually had a subtle square theme going (everything from her square cut diamond engagement ring to their square menu cards, so when it came to the cake it was the obvious shape to choose). And trust you me, it was glorious to the last bite.
But the last bite of the night wasn’t the cake. There was a second dessert course of creme brule. And although everyone at the table professed to be full after downing the wedding cake, there was nary a creme brule remaining at the end of the night. Must have been all the dancing and general carousing. Having fun can sure make ya hungry (I may or may not remember having two)…
But possibly the most memorable detail of the day were the sweet little jars of apple butter complete with stickers of the happy couple on the front (well, their heads on American Gothic). Tied with twine and covered with different fabric squares for a charming mixed & matched tableau, seeing all the favors lined up on the table (and getting to grab one for the road) totally made our night. John and Justine settled on apple butter for the genuine fall feeling that it evoked. And the bride’s mom drove four hours to pick up 15 cases of it, which the bride and her bridesmaids then assembled with stickers, fabric and twine at a favor making party a month before the big day. The best part is that even though our honey butter’s long gone, we still have that adorable jar as a memory of that fabulous autumn evening.
We hope you guys enjoyed our latest wedding crashing excursion. Who knows where we’ll turn up next. Stay tuned…
(Photograhy by Lynne Brubaker)
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Comments
Looks like it’s taken care of by the venue itself…at $145 a head! So for 150 people, that’s over $22k on the food alone — not including tax and gratuity! I think I need to sit down…
Beautiful wedding, though…hey, if you can afford it, do it!
Could you please find out how they made those stickers!?! My friend is getting married next October and has already canned her apple butter. Check one thing off the list! However, we are still trying to figure out how to decorate the canning jars. This is a perfect idea! P.S. Love the getaway car…
What a beautiful wedding! I loved their attention to the smallest personal details. They look like a fun loving couple who are truly in love and loving life.
i LOVE that first photo. it is sensational. EVERY BRIDE should look that truly happy on their wedding day. tell them to make that their main wedding photo. beautiful!
What a great wedding to crash! Beautiful indeed. Be careful, you may be inviting them to crash yours. :-)
I just love to do ballroom dancing specially during my free times. dancing is my passion.~`’
What a wedding! Keswick Hall! A dream of a venue. I love the bride’s veil and the bridesmaid’s dresses. That cake! Do you know who did it? Those gorgeous little brulees……