Jeremy and I were in Charlottesville this past weekend celebrating his friend, Porter’s wedding. Jeremy and Porter met their first year of Darden business school and lived together their second year. They became close friends and Porter was one of Jeremy’s groomsmen in our June wedding. Porter met Katie (his now wife) at Darden so it came full circle last weekend when they got married in Charlottesville.
Ivy Inn
Friday evening Porter’s family hosted a welcome reception at the Ivy Inn. The Ivy Inn Restaurant is a renovated historic home located near the University of Virginia. Jeremy actually took me to the Ivy Inn on a date one of his first weekends of business school. The historic home has 4 dining rooms, a large tented garden patio and features farm to table cuisine. Porter’s parents graciously invited almost all the wedding guests to the rehearsal dinner. The food was amazing and it was great to catch up with everyone. We hadn’t seen some of his business school friends since our wedding and even then we only had about 10 seconds to talk to anyone.
James Monroe’s Highland
Katie and Porter’s wedding was on Saturday at the historic James Monroe’s Highland. President and Mrs. Monroe’s official residence burned down many years ago, but the restored guest house includes original collections from the Monroe family. There are tours of the guest house year round and the grounds are popular for events, including weddings. The historic house, adjacent gardens and grounds are picturesque and perfect for wedding ceremonies and receptions.
The wedding reception was outside at the Blue Ridge Yard. The Blue Ridge Yard is secluded by boxwood gardens and offers a stunning view of the neighboring mountains. Combined with the charm of the white farm fence in the background, this yard shows off the beauty of the Charlottesville countryside. The weather was freezing but the scenery for their wedding was breathtaking.
After the ceremony at the Blue Ridge Yard, the cocktail hour and reception was at the Hilltop Pavilion, a covered outdoor facility (thankfully because it was so cold). The Hilltop Pavilion fuses rustic charm with an exquisite panoramic view of the surrounding mountain landscape. During the cocktail hour we were able to tour President and Mrs. Monroe’s guest home and museum which was really cool. Katie and Porter’s wedding was elegant, chic and simple, which really represented them as a couple. They are both down to earth and kind people. We were so fortunate to be able to be there and celebrate with them.
2016 Wedding Season
Jeremy and I got married June 2016 at Pippin Hill in Charlottesville, Virginia. After our own wedding we have attended 5 additional weddings.
You can checkout the recaps of the other weddings we’ve attended:
- Hilton Head, South Carolina (still need to include a recap)
- Roanoke, Virginia
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
- Charlottesville, Virginia
I was the Maitron of Honor in the Hilton Head wedding and the Baltimore wedding for two of my best friends. Jeremy was a groomsmen at Porter and Katie’s wedding in Charlottesville. So many of our closest friends and family (my husband’s step-sister) that we love and adore have gotten married this Fall. As much as we loved traveling and celebrating with our loved ones, we are looking forward to being homebodies for a bit. At least until wedding season starts up again in Spring 2017. 🙂
xx,
Lauren
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