Emily Zhang & Qiang Zhong August 8, 2020, at Waterperry Farm Talk about last-minute decisions: With only a week to go before their planned ceremony, Emily and Qiang still didn’t have a venue. Enter Waterperry Farm, the romantic Free Union gardens and the only spot with the couple’s chosen date still available. “It was so gorgeous and […]
The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to reassess many things about our lives, including how we celebrate milestones. Many couples who always assumed they’d have a big wedding with 100 or 200 guests—or even more—have put the brakes on those plans. And just like the idea of working from home, the trend toward small and […]
Big weddings are so 2019. All you need for a great reception is enough room for those you truly love—sorry weird college roommates and mom’s bridge group—a dance floor, and gourmet sustenance. “I think smaller venues are going to be very popular in the coming year,” says Patrick McClure of Downtown Mall event space Penny […]
When The Wool Factory opened its doors to the public last July, it brought a new kind of venue to the Charlottesville wedding scene, says sales director Claire Macfarlan. “Charlottesville is very well known for barns and vineyards,” she says, “but we don’t have a lot of industrial spaces.” As a renovated textile mill that […]
After getting engaged in July, Eliza Strickland and Allen Peacock knew right away they were ready to get married—and they didn’t want to postpone plans due to COVID restrictions. So Strickland asked a close friend, Sally Branch, to help her create an intimate wedding. “We knew we wanted to keep all the traditional elements of […]
In some ways, launching a business after a global pandemic began was fortuitous for Cake Bloom’s Susan Sweeney. With couples downsizing their weddings, that meant downsizing the cake, too—just the kind of thing Sweeney specializes in. Cake Bloom, a botanical cake bakery, incorporates greenery and florals into each design. And what’s more, her cakes are […]
Almost 50 percent of Instagram users say they’re interested in food/drink, according to the analysts at Business of Apps. And 100 percent of Instagram users consume food/drink, according to the analysts at Basic Common Sense. So, how does one sort through Instagram’s thousands of gustatorial graphics to find a few that actually interest them? Check […]
The return to warmer weather carries a bit more weight this year. It signals picnics, visiting the Downtown Mall to nab a bite and, of course, it means we’re inching closer and closer to feeling a melting ice cream cone drip down our chins. But we’ll breathe a sigh of relief when we’re able to […]
True Heritage is a still nascent Virginia wine project founded by George Hodson and Emily Pelton. You might recognize those names—the siblings are part of the family behind Veritas Vineyard and Winery and Flying Fox Vineyard. Hodson, CEO of True Heritage, says the new undertaking is a partnership between the Veritas team, which has 20 […]
Khadija Hemmati fled Afghanistan in 2016, looking for opportunities not available to women in her home country. She landed in Charlottesville and has found those opportunities in the form of a catering business and farmers’ market stall she calls Khadija’s Kitchen. Hemmati recently spoke with Knife & Fork about her journey. Knife & Fork: How […]