Trust us when we say that no detail was missed when Lucie & Nick planned their big day. Everything was designed and planned to a T. We are so thankful that we had Aaron from Aaron Watson Photography to capture their big day.  Aaron always does an amazing job of knowing where the best backdrops and mountain views are, just wait until you see these sunset shots! Lucie & Nick decided bury a bottle of bourbon, a southern superstitious tradition that is supposed to prevent rain on your wedding day.  Lucky for them, it worked! They had the most beautiful weather! Enjoy these photos from their big day, congrats Lucie & Nick!

We had Amy Moreno, a live event painter, at a wedding back in November.  She recently sent us over a photo of the finished product and we knew she just HAD to be our next guest on Meet the Friendors!

Learn more about Amy Moreno Live Event Painting at her website here!

With 2017 coming to a close, we wanted to take a minute to reflect.  We had a wonderful year filled with so many amazing weddings.  It’s a wonderful feeling to look back and see how many weddings we hosted this year and how many happy, joyous moments we got to be a part of.  2017 was definitely our best year yet and we as we are approaching 2018 we are filled with even more excitement! We have SO much to look forward to in this upcoming year between all of the weddings at The Event Barn, The Lodge, and our tasting room opening up in the Spring!

Here are just a SMALL handful of some of our 2018 brides and grooms who shared their favorite engagement photo with us. We are already SO excited for their wedding days!

Candice & Travis

November 4th, 2018

The Event Barn

Mirage Photography

Emily & Chris

December 1st, 2018

The Lodge

Mina von Feilitzsch Photography

Emily & Dan

November 3rd, 2018

The Lodge

Jill Lynn Photography

Taylor & Michael

September 29th, 2018

The Lodge

Ward Photography

Kelsey & Luke

June 15th, 2018

The Lodge

Selene Bradshaw

Aimee & Jim

June 9th, 2018

The Event Barn

Kristine Pringle Photography

Mike & Lindsay

June 1st, 2018

The Event Barn

Silverbridge & Co

Jen & Sean

November 17th, 2018

The Lodge

Sarah Houston Photography

Kate & Efren

April 21st, 2018

The Event Barn

Sam Stroud Photography

Steph & Tony

April 28th, 2018

The Lodge

Meredith Sledge Photography

Kayla & Korbin

September 22nd, 2018

The Lodge

Sarah Houston Photography

We are so excited to share Ashlyn & Chris’ wedding day on the blog today! We absolutely love all of the thought and detail they put into planning their big day. We would describe their wedding decor as organic, natural, slightly bohemian..but with a modern flair.  Words can’t even describe how perfect it was, that’s why we are so thankful for these photos from Ashley Cox Photography! She captured every detail oh so perfectly from the ceremony site, to cocktail hour, reception, all the way to the send off.  Enjoy!

Ceremony: Mountain Grove at Mount Ida Farm

Reception: The Lodge at Mount Ida Farm

Photography: Ashley Cox Photography

Catering: Harvest Moon Catering

Cake: Cakes by Rachel

Coordinator: A Little Party Events

DJ: Andrew Waldack

Florist: The Arrangement Co.

Transportation: Sunshine Tours Shuttle

Today for our Meet The Friendors we wanted to introduce one of our favorite bands, Attraction! We did a little Q&A with band leader, Dave Barton.  Enjoy getting to know a little more about this fun group!

How did Attraction form?

I established Attraction after many years in the music business.  I studied at Berklee College of Music and earned my bachelors in music at VCU. The key to Attraction is that we have top-notch professional music talent all of whom value teamwork and kindness. The whole band are just fun to be around and full of smiles. After many decades in the wedding business, I now know that the right talent combined with expert planning and partnership are the secret ingredients to a seamless, one-of-kind event event.

What sets Attraction aside from other bands?

Outstanding, proven talent is our focus and we have deep bench of experienced, national-level entertainers.  One of our performers was a finalist from NBC’s The Voice.  Another performed on Broadway in HairSpray.  Many of our band members are experienced backup musicians for well-known celebrity performers.  Ultimately, it is the synergy of this talent that delivers consistent, customized performances for every party or event.

Beyond talent, I would say that our other differentiator is our expert event planning and support. We are not just a music vendor, Attraction is partner to our brides, grooms and event coordinators.  An outstanding performance starts when we listen to the needs and wishes of our client and then build a customized, integrated plan to insure a super event.

What is your favorite song to perform?

Hard one as there are SO many! Every event is different so we develop and customize our song list knowing how meaningful each song is to our clients.  When we see that emotional connection with a song, that tune becomes our favorite song.  That said, we love playing Bruno Mars’ song – always fun, funky, and pack the dance floor!

What is the furthest place Attraction has traveled to perform?

Have bags, will travel.  We are on the road every single weekend. But believe it or not in two instances clients have flown our entire band with equipment out of the U.S. We loved our gigs in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Nice, France.   Here at home, we are  based in central Virginia but we travel all over.  We actually have built a  dedicated following in Cincinnati, of all places.   And, of course, we love this new amazing new venue near Scottsville, VA!

What’s your favorite wedding cake flavor?

Ladies and gentlemen please welcome the world-renowned Attraction wedding cake tasters!  Our combined pallet is unparalleled. A quick survey our our band members reveals that our favorite is pastry cream with raspberry. And my personal favorite flavor is carrot cake.

Alright, SOLD! How do our future brides and grooms book you for their wedding?

Contract our great agency www.samhillbands.com or through www.attractionband.com. We will  work closely with the bride, groom  or event planner with in-depth discussions on exactly how Attraction will create the perfect, customized entertainment experience!

Photo: Rachel May Photography

Photo: Rachel May Photography

We are extremely excited to introduce another one of our favorite and trusted event professionals.  Today we did little Q&A with Aaron from Aaron Watson Photography.  Aaron has shot more weddings than we could count at both the Event Barn and The Lodge and always produces beautiful work.  Enjoy getting to learn more about him!

How did you get in the world of photography?

I started early at 17, when I asked for a summer job from my high school photo teacher who also photographed weddings. After working as an associate for 3 years, I started Aaron Watson Photography in 2007! Little did I know that a summer job would turn into a great career as a wedding photographer!

What is your opinion on first looks?

My wife and I did a first look on our wedding day, and it was our favorite moment of the day! I would recommend it to everyone! Seeing each other for the first time on the wedding day is a big moment, and very emotional, so it was nice having that moment more privately. I also liked that it calmed our nerves beforehand and gave us time to be together and with our wedding party. Not to mention we were able to get more great pictures because of it, and weren’t as rushed!

What is your favorite location at Mount Ida Farm for photos?

There are so many great spots it is always hard to pick! I love the vineyard, and the iron gazebo at the farm! At the Lodge, my favorite spot is a little off the beaten path by the cow field. I call it Tom’s spot because it was once described to me as his favorite area too! There are amazing views of the mountains, and it’s incredible during sunset.

In 2007 my friend Eric Kelley and I traveled to Brazil for a wedding. That was one of the most gorgeous destination weddings I’ve photographed! The groom wrote the travel guide for Rio de Janeiro, so he knew all of the best spots!

One of my best friends is a wine maker, so I was introduced to a lot of the wineries and the winemaking process early in my career. It is amazing to experience and photograph the process from growing the grapes, to picking, and pressing them into wine. I’ve done a lot of behind the scenes photography, and also love capturing the beautiful landscapes that the wineries provide. Wine grapes seem to grow in the most beautiful places, which is probably why vineyards make for popular destination weddings!

There is no piece of advice that will prepare you for your wedding day! It’s a whirlwind of a day with many emotions; you’ll be surrounded by friends and family (some of whom you only get a second to talk with), and it will go by too fast. The best thing you can do is to enjoy it, and relive it many times through your pictures! The pictures will be what makes it last longer!

We saved the most important question for last.  What is your favorite flavor for wedding cake?

I love Carrot cake with cream cheese icing, and Almond with Almond icing cake!

Thank you, Aaron! To see more of Aaron’s photos head over to his website here, “like” his facebook page @aaronwatsonphoto, or follow him on instagram @aaronwatsonphotography.

(This probably goes without saying, but all photos on this post provided by….Aaron Watson Photography)

Kelly & Brad… so much to say about this sweet couple! We had a blast celebrating their love and marriage with them on Saturday, April 22nd of this year. We were really excited when this couple decided to use our new church pews for their ceremony seating as we had JUST gotten them.  We love the look of the church pews for a ceremony, especially with the floral that they added to the ends. We stumbled across Kelly & Brad’s wedding website which included their love story, as told by the lovebirds themselves.  It was too sweet (and funny) not to share.  Take it away Kelly & Brad!

“I knew JonCon (Kelly’s twin sister, Stacy’s, husband) in college. He and I crooned together, and our paths re-crossed when I moved back to ‘Murica from Japan. Once, we went out to dinner with a few other friends, and Stacy said something about her twin sister moving in with them for a while, to which I responded, ‘Twin sister? Jackpot.'” -Brad

“Brad? Never heard of him. I didn’t know Brad, but I did know that I was finishing up PA school and would soon be studying for my boards. Until I passed them and got a job, I did not exactly know where life would take me, and Stacy and Jon graciously offered to let me crash with them for a while. When I moved in, they were busy doing the married-with-kids thing, and they mentioned that I should meet their only remaining single friend, Brad, because he would know the other single people.” – Kelly

“JonCon called one day and asked if I had plans for New Year’s Eve. I had evening plans, but he said he was just doing dinner, BBQ style, so we’d be done in plenty of time. I like to party, I like the Connellys, and I like me some BBQ, so I told them I’d be there! I was expecting a yard party with several people.JonCon called one day and asked if I had plans for New Year’s Eve. I had evening plans, but he said he was just doing dinner, BBQ style, so we’d be done in plenty of time. I like to party, I like the Connellys, and I like me some BBQ, so I told them I’d be there! I was expecting a yard party with several people.“ -Brad

“We were headed back from a mini-vacation to Colonial Williamsburg, and I was exhausted. We were originally supposed to meet up with a group of people for a BBQ, but the host’s work schedule changed and he had to cancel at the last minute. I was relieved because I really just wanted to go home and sleep. When we got back to the house, I flopped facedown on the bed and fell instantly asleep. An unknown amount of time later, Stacy woke me up to say that Jon’s friend, Brad, was coming over for dinner and that I needed to get up and look presentable.” -Kelly

“When I arrived, I was surprised to find only Jon and Stacy at their house…there was no party. Not that I’m complaining, Jon and Stacy are fun, but it’s not what I expected. Soon after, however, Kelly came upstairs looking all foxy, and I realized that this was a double date! Which was surprising, because after that “Jackpot” comment earlier in this story, Stacy had looked at me unequivocally and shook her head, “No, Brad. You’re not allowed to hit on Kelly.” J&S swear to this day that the BBQ was not a setup, but you do the math. I cranked my charm up to eleven (Mom, it’s a 10 point scale, like a volume knob).” -Brad

“I dragged myself off of the bed, not at all excited about having to be social when I was so tired. Stacy reminded me that Brad was one of Jon’s single friends who knew plenty of other single people in the area. I remained sleepily disinterested. She emphasized that he would be a good person to know because he frequently partied with the single crowd, but he would NOT be a good person to date because he frequently partied with the single crowd. Brad arrived while I was still getting ready for dinner. Shortly afterward, I walked upstairs to find him standing in Jon and Stacy’s living room in a suit. A suit?! Weird.” -Kelly

“Dress to impress, young gunz. I look good in suits, so what? We ate dinner, I told many jokes, and Kelly clearly thought they were hilarious. I took off a few hours later, but not before I made a mental note to track that smokewagon down in the near future. I did, and the rest is history! Good call, me.” -Brad

“Well, there were only four seats, so it’s not like I could sit far from Brad. He told a lot of lame jokes, but I giggled politely. When he sent me a message a few days later, my guard was still at an all time high, but I agreed to meet him for dinner. And the rest is history! Questionable call, me.” -Kelly

Caterer – Harvest Moon

Coordinator – Best Day Ever Events

DJ – Eric Moor

Florist – Hedge Fine Blooms

Lighting – Magical Lighting Concepts

Photographer – Jason and Tammy Keefer

Transportation – Easy Riders

Jacqueline & Eric’s wedding was filled with an abundance of love & joy.  Their family and friends gathered to celebrate this wonderful couple on June 18th at the Lodge.  Family & friends watched the two say their “I do’s” at the Mountain Grove ceremony location, surrounded by their very best of friends.  We stumbled across their wedding story and thought it was too sweet not to share. As much as we would love to tell it ourselves, I think the bride and groom say it best.  Enjoy Jacqueline & Eric’s take on their love story along with these gorgeous photos from their wedding day by Ashley Cox Photography!

“I first saw Jacqueline at a Welcome Week event at UVA in August, 2015. She was a face in a crowd of hundreds of people, but a face I would not soon forget. She was stunning. I had no clue who she was or who her friends were, but I hoped that our paths would somehow cross another time. Little did I know that just a week earlier we had both moved into houses across the street from one another.”  -Eric

“A few weeks later, I saw him again. This time at a tailgate with both our houses. Everyone left, and we somehow walked into the UVA football game together, and he was asking me questions. I told him I moved from Boston, and he asked if I liked New England sports. I quickly told him I loved the Red Sox and the Patriots, but only because my parents are from a small New England town, a tiny place in Rhode Island. He asked me which town, and smiled as I said the word “Barrington”. As fate would have it, his mother’s family is from Barrington, and his relatives still live there, as do mine.” – Jacqueline

“As the fall semester progressed, we continued to go on dates and spend time with one another. We had fun exploring Charlottesville together, hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and making the quick walk across the street to sit on her porch swing together. It became evident to us both that our hopes and dreams for our futures aligned, as we both have an interest in using our respective careers internationally doing mission work. Though our friendship grew, we decided to stop dating as the semester wound down. Spring came and my graduation from UVA was quickly approaching. Even in our time apart the last few months my feelings for her had not wavered. One Sunday afternoon in March I asked Jacqueline to grab coffee and told her that I missed her companionship and wanted to date again. A few days later we grabbed dinner at Brazos Tacos and never looked back again. “ -Eric

“Eric asked me to marry him on November 4th, with our friends and family in town to celebrate that night. As Eric lives in DC, we often meet half way in Culpepper for date night at our favorite farm to table restaurant. Every time we say goodbye, he whispers, “one goodbye closer to no more goodbyes”, and I repeat it to myself as I drive back to Charlottesville. I cannot wait to share a house and a room and a life with him, and for no more goodbyes.” -Jacqueline

Venue: The Lodge

Photographer: Ashley Cox Photography

Catering: Barbeque Exchange Events & Catering

Food Truck: carpe donut

Coordinator: Liz Baxley

Floral: Carbon + Salt