November 6th 2010
Mark your calendars! We just signed and turned in our contract on Friday, so it’s not official. I’m hoping for gorgeous weather and awesome fall foliage.
Clifton Inn
We’re working with the lovely and cheerful Crystal Whitaker to finalize our plans to use Clifton Inn as our all-in-one ceremony, reception, and hotel site. The Inn has 18 rooms available for our guests (although a few will probably be reserved for Aaron and I and the families). Anyway, it’s a very very charming bed and breakfast close to Charlottesville.
The original property was part of a 3,000 acre land grant belonging to Peter Jefferson. Through the Jefferson family, approximately 350 acres of the land was passed on to Thomas Jefferson’s daughter and her then-new husband Thomas Mann Randolph. As U.Va grads, Aaron and I had to work in that Mr. Jefferson connection, even though we tried to stay away from the usual wedding-in-The-Chapel. No offense to anyone who got married in The Chapel!
A few of the things that got us excited about Clifton:
- Lowering our carbon footprint w/ everything in one spot, very close to town (exit 124 off of I64, Pantops Mtn)
- A great chef, with a specific interest in local, seasonal foods.
- Crystal (event coordinator) is really fun.
- Picturesque (Blue Ridge views! A personal fav).
Green Weddings
I just finished a quick read through of The Green Bride Guide by Kate Harrison. My overall impression was I was able to glean a lot of the information written here from the internet already (with some Googling). All in all, however, I like the compact to-the-point style of the book. There is little beating around the bush and it is an excellent starting reference for any ecologically minded wedding. I am not going to use the term “eco-chic” because it makes environmentalism and sustainability sound like a fad.
Anyway, a lot of the stuff in the book definitely falls into the realm of “good suggestions” although I think you will need to supplement it with other event planning guides. I also got the vague impression that although it is written “for any budget”, Kate herself had money to work with. This may or may not be true, but it was just an feeling.
A nice companion to the book is the website, found here. It contains more updated links and information.
Next on my list is Green Wedding by Mireya Navarro, the New York Times Style correspondent.
Veritas Vineyards and Winery
On Saturday we also did a quick drive by of Veritas Vineyards, located near Afton Mountain. They were setting up to have a summer festival type event (complete with Beatles cover band) so the tasting room was incredibly crowded. Managed to snap a few pictures and get the business card of the event coordinator. Maybe Ryan or Jenny can hook me up with a good deal? 
Clifton Inn
By kathy and has no comments yet.
Clifton Inn is very beautiful. Even though it is the middle of the summer, there are still many plants and bushes in full bloom with a variety of flowers and colors. The day we went they were setting up for a wedding, so it was a free look at what we would probably get. Aaron did NOT like the chandelier covered in seashells though. Oh, well.
