Once she’s got a ring on it, one of the first calls a bride makes is to a florist because be it altars, centerpieces, boutonnieres, or the all-important bouquet, flowers are everywhere, making anyone’s big day even brighter and more beautiful. There was, however, a time when those ubiquitous roses, tulips, and calla lilies weren’t […]
Simple, natural, and handmade. Those were the words that came to mind when Julie Wallerstedt thought about flowers for her October 5, 2013 wedding to Will McGettigan. “My dress was made of raw silk and devoid of any bling,” she said. “And I wanted my flowers to match.” The dress, a custom-made Tara LaTour gown, […]
When it comes to feeding hungry wedding guests, few are better at it than the folks at APimento and The Catering Outfit. Feast your eyes on some of their recent hits. The bride was from Mexico, her husband Austrian, and together they returned to Charlottesville to marry and celebrate their meeting in the mountains. APimento’s […]
The custom of incorporating something old, new, borrowed, and blue into your wedding day ensemble is (literally) straight out of an Old English rhyme. But there’s nothing antiquated about its meaning: something old represents continuity; something new offers optimism for the future; something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness; and something blue stands for purity, love, and […]
When Bethany and Mike Puopolo bought their acreage south of Ash Lawn-Highland, she embarked on a paradox. In designing a home, Bethany began with the image of a temporary structure: “a camp or a revival tent, something very plain and very simple.” She and her family have now occupied this “camp” for nearly a quarter-century, […]
It’s a luxury to imagine, then create, a playground—not only for children but for adults of many recreational persuasions. That is just what Brooke Spencer and her partner, Kim Cory, did at a Free Union property whose 97 rolling acres include mountain views, mature oak trees, and a spring-fed pond. Its present owners bought it […]
Cars rush along a busy street near downtown Charlottesville, bowing day lilies that cluster beside the driveway of Chad and Rebecca Morgan’s early 20th-century home. But when you stand in the heart of the kitchen—a straight shot from the sidewalk through the front door and down the hallway—you could be a million miles from anywhere. […]
In the heart of Earlysville sits a fine brick ranch at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in the Earlysville Heights neighborhood. Fifteen minutes from Charlottesville and five minutes to Hollymead Town Center, this home currently features three bedrooms and one-and-a-half baths. We asked Troy Yancey of Teal Construction to give us his contractor’s expertise […]
Central Virginia is paradise compared to the parched, burning lands of California, Texas, Nevada, and Oklahoma. Here on the verdant side of the great river, our groundwater is replenished and streams run high, but everybody has to worry about water in the 21st century. The click-click-click of irrigation heads keeping time for twilit suburban idylls […]