Charlottesville Getaway Reccommendations

A couple of weeks ago, Alex and I spent a night in Charlottesville, VA. We had an amazing time and definitely want to go back! Charlottesville is a great place for a romantic getaway or a short family vacation. We only spent one night, but I'd recommend spending a weekend there. Here's an itinerary of what we did:

Thursday Night:

Walked Around Downtown
We strolled around downtown Charlottesville. The downtown is adorable and there's lots of cute shops and used book stores (Alex almost bought The Collected Works of John Bunyan...the book was several hundred years old!). There's also a lot of music history in Charlottesville. Dave Matthew's Band got their start at Miller's (a bar in downtown). One suggestion I have if you want to go into the shops is to get downtown earlier in the day. I was sad the find that most of the shops closed around 5 (might be different on the weekends).

Ate Dinner at Hamiltons' at First & Main
We had an AMAZING dinner at Hamilton's! I highly recommend it if you're looking for a nicer dinner out! It's right downtown and it has a great ambience. There was live music while we were playing and I had an unbelievably good plate of shrimp and grits.

Got Gelato at Splendora's
I LOVE Gelato and was super excited to find a gelato place downtown. Splendora's was excellent! My favorite flavor is stracciatella.

Drove Around UVA's Campus
If we had more time, we would have spent a few hours walking around the campus. Since our time was limited, we quickly drove around. UVA's campus is GORGEOUS and definitely worth seeing! I love that all the buildings have Jefferson's distinct Palladian architectural style (he designed the school).

Stayed at the English Inn of Charlottesville, VA
Alex found the English Inn and did a great job! We wanted a reasonably priced hotel that was close to downtown. The English Inn was a great value and was really close to everything. It's an older hotel but was very unique and quaint.

Friday Morning:

Toured Monticello
You can't take a trip to Charlottesville without visiting Monticello! Alex is a big Jefferson fan and has read a lot of biographies about him and so he was particularly excited. Jefferson was a fascinating man and had so many unique interests and ways of thinking and so his home really is amazing. I'd recommend setting aside 2-3 hours for this. The tour of the home only takes about an hour, but then there's fairly large grounds you can walk around (with a beautiful view overlooking the mountains), as well as other parts of the house you can see that aren't included in the tour like the slave quarters, basement, Jefferson's grave, etc. I'd also recommend getting to Monticello 30 minutes before your tour is supposed to start. You have to take a shuttle up to park and take a shuttle up to the house.

Lunch at Monsoon Siam
This restaurant is a gem! It's probably the trendiest Thai place I've been to and the food is amazing! Seriously, not exaggerating, I had the best Panang curry I've ever had. I regret not taking a picture of it but just trust me, it was SOOOO good! Our waitress was also the sweetest and she told us all about the time that Dave Matthews came in and she served him Red Curry.

Visit Carter Mountain Orchard
This is definitely worth doing! I read that Carter Mountain Orchard has the best view in Charlottesville and we were not disappointed! Be prepared for a VERY steep drive up a mountain. You can also go apple picking and shop their adorable store for apples, apple butter, apple doughnuts (they were delicious), etc. 

Visit Ash-Lawn Highland
Once you visit Carter Mountain, you can keep driving through beautiful, windy mountain roads and you'll drive by Ash-Lawn Highland as well as several vineyards. We didn't have time to tour it, but we drove up and briefly saw President James Monroe's home. If we had more time, we'd love to go back and do a tour of Ash-Lawn Highland as well as Montpelier (James Madison's home).

Wine Tasting at Blenheim Vineyards
I wanted to do a tasting at a vineyard (there's 30 or so in Charlottesville) and so to satisfy Alex's Dave Matthew's fanboy desires, we went to Blenheim. Dave Matthews opened Blenheim Vineyards several years ago. I'm no wine connoisseur but I loved seeing the vineyard and tasting wines. My favorite wine is typically Pinot Noir but the grapes for Pinot Noir are mostly grown in California and Italy. Charlottesville is known more for lighter wines. My favorite wine at Blenheim was the Rose. We also drove by Trump Winery at it was GORGEOUS (that's right...owned by Donald Trump himself). Another vineyard I'd love to visit/my dream location to shoot a wedding is Pippin Hill.

I think we accomplished quite a bit in 24 hours! Hopefully next time we'll get to stay a little longer. I highly recommend visiting Charlottesville! If you've been there, what are some of your recommendations?

10 Things Your Photographer Wants You to Know (Part Two): You Should Hire a Wedding Coordinator

I'm excited to share Part 2 in "10 Things Your Photographer Wants You to Know" today! You can read Part One here. This post is actually a guest post by my friend Amy Perdue with Plume Events. Amy is an amazing wedding planner and I highly recommend you consider her for your upcoming wedding! I asked Amy to answer the question, "Why should couples hire a wedding coordinator?" Here are her thoughts:

Couples are willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars on their weddings, and many spare no expense to have the wedding day of their dreams.  But so often, couples are willing to spare the one expense that will go the furthest toward ensuring their wedding is everything they ever wanted—a wedding coordinator.  Why do so many couples choose not to have one?  People believe it is an unnecessary expense.  They see the need for flowers to make the space beautiful, and they are happy to spend money on a DJ and alcohol to make sure their guests have a good time, but they don’t see why they need a coordinator—they can do everything a wedding coordinator can, can’t they?  Well, they can’t.  And here’s why:

You Are an Expert at Your Job, but You Can’t Also Be an Expert at Wedding Coordination.

Planning a wedding can become a second full-time job, and a difficult one at that.  What questions do you ask the bakery to ensure your cake looks exactly how you want and will feed all of your guests?  What time do you need to start hair and makeup the day of?  What size tent do you need for 225 guests, if you want the dance floor and buffet tables to fit under it?  Trying to figure all of this out on your own can be very stressful.  Wedding coordination, like any other job, requires experience and skill.  A coordinator can use her expertise and experience to answer all your questions and to plan for every detail of your special day, including the ones you might not even know need to be planned.  She can also recommend vendors that will best suit your needs and budget and will be reliable and easy to work with, instead of your having to do a random internet search and hoping for the best. 

You Can’t Work with a Budget the Way a Coordinator Can.

Many couples think they can’t afford a coordinator, but coordinators often offset the cost of hiring them by finding you vendors who can offer you the best prices or even discounts because they were recommended by your coordinator.  It is also easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of wedding planning and start spending more than you should.  Wedding coordinators know all kinds of “tips and tricks” to save you money, like what kinds of flowers are similar to peonies but half the cost and how to cut your catering bill down by several dollars a person.  A coordinator can also help you stick to your budget, which can save you a lot in the long run. 

You Can’t Be Your Own “Go-To” Person.

A wedding coordinator can be there when you need advice or an opinion on anything.  Your coordinator will have a strong understanding of your theme and vision and will be there for you to text when you are out shopping for décor or to send the proof of your invitations to in order to make sure everything is spelled correctly and the RSVP date was included.  And when all 20 of your vendors have questions about the venue or the shade of blue you want, your coordinator can serve as their contact person and keep your inbox from filling up with wedding questions.  Most importantly for your sanity, a coordinator can help you with your family and their opinions on your wedding.  It is very difficult to please everyone in your family, when they often have differing ideas of what your wedding should be like and demands they expect to be fulfilled.  You may have a hard time saying no to your sister when she insists your niece’s flower girl dress be pink instead of white or to your future mother-in-law when she suggests you order favors from her best friend who crochets, but your wedding coordinator won’t.  She will stand up for you and make sure what you want comes first. 

You Can’t Orchestrate Your Wedding Day and Still Have the Best Day of Your Life.

You shouldn’t have to worry on your wedding day…and neither should your mom or your bridesmaids.  Picture the morning of your wedding…what do you imagine?  You probably imagine yourself surrounded by your best friends and closest family, getting pampered, eating brunch, and just being happy.  It is really hard to do all of that when you are setting up chairs, calling to find out where the florist is with all your bouquets, and re-organizing the place cards that your bridesmaid dropped while she was trying to help you put them all out.  And the last thing you want is people coming up to you right before your ceremony or during your reception with last-minute problems.  Your wedding coordinator will take care of all the set-up the morning of and make sure that any issues that arise are handled—quietly and without drama.  In fact, you should never even know about the things that could have or did go wrong on your wedding day, and you can be sure there will be a few!

If you are getting married, consider the benefits of hiring a coordinator and enjoy your engagement, the wedding planning, and your wedding day.  Happy planning!

The Fair Barn | Kim & Kevin's Wedding | A Pinehurst, NC Wedding Photographer

I've really enjoyed getting to know Kevin and Kim through their engagement pictures, bridal portraits, and wedding. Kevin and Kim's day was so joyful and full of friends, family, and fun! As you can see in their pictures, we had a great time and the whole day was pretty much one big celebration! I absolutely loved their venue in Pinehurst. Give me a simple white barn with a blue door and I'm a happy photographer!!

The Vendors Who Made this Day Possible:
Venue: The Fair Barn
Planner: Red Bird Events
Photography: DiPrima Photography
Bar Service: POUR
Beauty: Hair and Makeup by Mattie Jordan
Catering: Ole Time Barbecue
Dessert: The Bakehouse
DJ: Ultra Mix Events
Florist: Teacup Floral
Officiant: Daybreak Ceremonies
Rentals: Party Reflections
Videographer: Melisa Murphy
Waitstaff: Happiest Hostess

Fashion Friday: My Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks

The Nordstrom Anniversary sale (#NSALE) opened to the public today! Things will go super quickly so if you think you want anything, be sure to go online and get it ASAP. I even ordered two sizes in one purchase because Nordstrom has such a great return policy and so I'm just going to return the size that doesn't fit as well.

I've been saving up and planning for this sale for a while now! I was really hoping to find either a bag or a coat, but honestly, I didn't like any of the bags or coats  enough to spend a lot of money on them (they also weren't quite discounted enough for me...I'm pretty cheap!). However, there's still LOTS of good things in the sale! Some of this things I had been waiting buy were already sold out this morning but several things have been restocked. :( I was hoping for this cardigan (still available in some colors and sizes...it's WAY more than I would normally pay for a cardi but it's SOOO soft and something you'll wear every day around the house and out!) and this bag (still available in one color).

I was REALLY excited to purchase these leggings (I've heard amazing things about them), this necklace (this is my favorite brand of jewelry), and this bra  (sorry if that's TMI!) and these candles.

Boots; Leggings; Necklace; Cardigan; Candles; Purse

I have listed more things I love in the sale below (click on the picture to take you to the item):

Published in "Fab You Bliss": Vintage Carousel Inspired Styled Shoot

I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a styled shoot with several amazing vendors back in April and it's been killing me to hold off on sharing these images! Today's the day they're being published and so I finally get to share them!! Before you check out my post, be sure to visit the feature on Fab You Bliss.

Here's a description of the shoot from Amy at Plume Events:
The inspiration for this shoot came to me, as almost all of my best and most creative ideas do, in the middle of the night. I awoke with a vision of the beautiful historic carousel I used to visit as a child at a park in Raleigh, North Carolina. The carousel features detailed scrollwork and a menagerie of hand-carved wooden animals, including a lion, ostriches, rabbits, and even pigs. I knew I wanted the inspiration to be subtle, so little nods to the carousel can be found in the details planned by my vintage rental and event-planning company, Plume Events. Jenna DiPrima of DiPrima Photography and I knew we wanted the shoot to be soft, romantic, and full of light, so I used those ideas and added in the whimsy of the carousel. Some of my favorite details were the real vintage carousel ticket, the cotton candy cake topper, and the vintage animal figurines placed on soft beds of moss in glass cupcake stands at each place setting. The maypole, with its ribbon streamers and floral topper and the bridesmaids frolicking around it, was another fun way we brought the feel of the carousel to life.  

The beautiful cherry blossoms, overgrown wisteria, and lush grounds of Merry Hill provided the fantastic, romantic setting, and the peacocks and mini donkeys that roam the lawn were reminiscent of the exotic animals on the carousel.  

Even the pattern in the vintage chairs, the vintage china salad plates, and the custom scalloped table runner provided by Plume Events and the fun, modern take on damask in the invitations and programs designed by The Fabled Papery mimicked the intricate details of the vintage carousel.  

The dapper groom and ring bearer fit right in with the vintage feel with their gray suspenders, while the bride’s modern gown and the combination of long and short bridesmaid dresses and a stylish jumpsuit in a range of pastel hues from ASOS made the fashion both fun and relevant for the bride with modern tastes. The relaxed and romantic hairstyles were styled by Wedding Hair by Liz, and the fresh, natural makeup look was created by Adriana Lopez.

For the flowers, Plume Events chose soft, feminine roses, peonies, and ranunculus and wrapped the bouquets and boutonniere in a lush dusty pink velvet ribbon. The flower arrangements were created in assorted vintage clear glass vases and containers to keep the look light and fresh."

Vendors:
 

Vendors:

Styling, Coordination, Florals, & Vintage Rentals: Plume Events
Photography: DiPrima Photography
Venue: Merry Hill
Tabletop: CE Rental
Bridal & Bridesmaid Fashion: ASOS
Hairstyling: Wedding Hair by Liz
Makeup: Adriana Lopez
Jewels: Gemma Jewels
Cake: Main Street Cake
Ring Bearer Outfit: SageNThymeDesigns
Paper: The Fabled Papery