A Memorial Day Weekend Wedding at King Family Vineyard

Abbie, a producer from Minnesota, and Will, a software engineer from Florida, first met as students at the University of Virginia, but they reconnected when they both moved to Washington, DC. Five years after their second first date at Bar Deco at Chinatown, Will proposed in Abby’s hometown.

They chose Memorial Day weekend King Family Vineyard for the wedding, and envisioned the celebration as a kickoff to summer. To achieve the vibe, they say they leaned into summer flavors and grilling—using actual wood-fired grills on site at their Charlottesville venue—for the menu, which they served family style. They wanted the scenery to speak for itself with minimal decor, but they decorated with warm neutrals, a few disco balls on the dance floor, and rose petals lining the aisle. Other special touches included custom thank-you notes at each place setting; surprise espresso martini shoots passed around the dance floor; and a 15-minute “girls dance party” where Abbie says she kicked all the boys outside and danced to ABBA, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, and others. After dinner the newlyweds cut a small vanilla cake, but also brought in Will’s favorite: chocolate chip cookies from a local grocery store. Late night snacks were his and hers—Chick-fil-A and Papa John’s.

The Details

Amy Moeller

Fashion & Weddings Editor

Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.