Garlands of Wisteria Were Draped Over the Ceremony Aisle of This Open-Air Wedding

Charlotte and Blake met at a party at James Madison University, where he played football and she was a cheerleader. They hit it off, they say, over their shared farming- and family-oriented backgrounds. Later, Blake proposed on his family’s Virginia Beach farm, where both their families—in on the surprise—gathered to celebrate Charlotte’s mother’s birthday.

The following summer, they gathered again—with more than 300 guests—at Charlotte’s family home for an open-air wedding with an enchanted-garden feel. Wisteria appeared in garlands draped above the ceremony aisle, and again in the arch that remains in the garden today. A musician accompanied the ceremony on the bride’s family’s grand piano. Heirloom brass candleholders were included in the table designs at the reception, where twinkle lights hung overhead. On the menu: sweet-potato/ham biscuits and an oyster bar, then a family-style dinner of beef tenderloin, potatoes, roasted vegetables, and an angel-hair pasta with shrimp that the newlyweds say their guests still talk about.

Wedding 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.