This old ring: How to decide between vintage and custom

When it comes to your wedding band, when you know, you know. Unless you’re still stuck at the first step: deciding on a “look.” Assuming you’re searching for bands with a bit more personality than you might find at a chain retailer, there are, essentially, two options: vintage or custom. We asked local metalsmith Martha […]

Petal pushers

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 […]

Food for thought

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 […]

Everything old is new—or borrowed and blue

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 […]

Come play: A horse farm gets a fun-loving update

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 […]

Going with the flow: A seamless transition between spaces makes a Charlottesville kitchen both open and functional

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. […]