Shenandoah Valley Wedding

What could be cozier than a bed and breakfast wedding? Melissa and Kyle had once stayed at Virginia’s The Inn at Vaucluse Spring and knew it would be the perfect home for their wedding day. Brooke Courtney Photography and florist Wild Green Yonder were the perfect matches to bring the couple’s vision to reality!

From the bride, Melissa: Our ceremony and reception were held at The Inn at Vaucluse Spring, a beautiful 100-acre bed-and-breakfast in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, about 90 minutes from DC. We’d stayed there once years before and fell in love with it. Our wedding was the perfect opportunity to go back — this time with 50 of our closest friends and family. Kyle and I didn’t necessarily have a clear-cut theme for the wedding, as much as we had little details that we wanted to incorporate. We originally met six years ago as writers, so we tried to sneak that into the decor — in book titles, in postcards that doubled as our guestbook, and in the (not-so-subtle!) typewriter.

Flower recipe: Instead of identical floral arrangements at each table, we used various scattered stems and wildflowers — all pieced together by our amazing florist, Lori at Wild Green Yonder. We asked her for two main things: color and texture — and we got both of them. Flowers included dahlias, celosias, cockscombs, scabiosa pods, yarrow, and Joe Pye weed, and everything was grown locally in Virginia.

Trying to keep things budget-friendly where possible, we DIY’ed a lot of the decor. Kyle built the postcard stand with dowels, wood stain, and twine. I designed all of the printed signage using Photoshop and cardstock. We thrifted old books and glass bottles, and used them as tablescapes. (Also fairly budget-friendly: We’re dressed in J. Crew, and my flats are from Payless.) My dad passed away almost a decade ago, and it was really important to me to remember him on my wedding day. For the ceremony, I left the chair next to my mom empty for him, marking it with a ribbon and a few blooms. At our guest check-in table, I kept a lantern lit in his memory, and in place of favors, we made a donation to the American Cancer Society in his honor.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Agree on when to save, and when to splurge. While our overall wedding was fairly budget-friendly, our one splurge was our out-of-state photographer. Photography was really important to us, and we were willing to spend a bit more on that because — after all the food is eaten, and after all the songs are played — photos are one of the few tangible things you’ll be able to take away from a wedding. So do your research and look for a photographer that you really love: their style, their personality (you’ll be spending tons of time with them!), and most of all, their end product.

Wedding Location: Stephens City, VA / Photographer: Brooke Courtney Photography / Florist: Wild Green Yonder / Venue: The Inn at Vaucluse Spring / Wedding Dress: J. Crew / Wedding Shoes: Payless ShoeSource / Hair and Makeup: Jordan K. Winn / Groom’s Suit: J. Crew / Caterer: The Barbecue Exchange / Pies: Red Truck Bakery / Band: Colebrook Road / Rentals: Crave Event Rentals / Officiant: Rev. Kathy Gracenin