Thistlerock Mead Wedding

The First Ever Wedding at a Brand New Virginia Venue: Thistlerock Mead - SCROLL DOWN TO SEE ALL THE PHOTOS!!

Else and Nick’s wedding was the first ever held at Thistlerock Mead, in Charlottesville, Virginia—and what a magical way to kick things off. Set against a backdrop of wildflowers, mountain views, and mead-sipping in the woods, their day felt like stepping into a different world… one with just a touch of Middle-earth energy.  As the first couple to wed at this newly unveiled venue, their celebration was a harmonious blend of personal passion and the meadery's natural splendor.  The bride had worked at the Meadery while getting her MBA at Darden, dedicating time and energy to its growth—making this setting not just stunning, but deeply significant to the couple.

A Venue with Heart (and Bees)

Originally renowned for its artisanal mead production and its community engaging events—including vibrant seasonal festivals celebrating Beltane, the Celtic festival of fertility and renewal, and Samhain, the ancient honoring of harvest’s end and ancestral connection—Thistlerock has expanded its horizons to host weddings, offering couples a setting that epitomizes eco-conscious elegance. Nestled amidst rolling hills, it’s a place grounded in sustainability, with over 2.5 million honeybees pollinating an on-site regenerative flower farm called Wayflowering. These bees—and the thriving ecosystem they support—are central to the meadery’s mission of stewardship and connection to the land. 

All the flowers at Else and Nick's wedding—bouquets, table arrangements, flower girl crown—were grown and gathered right there in the surrounding Wayflowering garden. The bees made the honey that became the mead refreshing the guests at cocktail hour, and they pollinated the very flowers that filled the bouquets. A perfect little ecosystem.

Getting Ready in Style

The day began with Nick getting ready downstairs in the impeccably designed tasting room. Upstairs, Else got ready in a loft bedroom suite that felt completely tucked away from the groomsmen below.

A Ceremony in the Rock Circle, Surrounded by Nature

The couple exchanged vows within the meadery's distinctive rock circle, enveloped by the vibrant blooms of the flower garden and framed by panoramic mountain vistas. This circle of stones evoked the timeless landscapes of Middle-earth.  In homage to their favorite literary saga, the couple incorporated subtle yet meaningful "Lord of the Rings" motifs throughout their celebration. The wedding cake, an artistic rendition of Mordor, stood as a testament to their journey together, symbolizing triumph over challenges and the forging of a united path forward. 

Mead in the Forest

Following the heartfelt ceremony, guests meandered down a short path to the forest amphitheater for a convivial mead tasting. Here, they savored the meadery's signature brews, each crafted from honey harvested on-site, embodying the essence of the surrounding landscape. This communal experience underscored the meadery's mission of fostering connections between people and the natural world.

A New Kind of Wedding Venue

Thistlerock's inaugural wedding set a precedent for couples seeking a venue that seamlessly integrates environmental responsibility with romance.  Else and Nick's celebration illuminated the meadery's potential as a sanctuary where love and nature converge, offering a canvas for future unions that aspire to be both meaningful and mindful.

A place that’s wildly beautiful, deeply intentional, and full of heart.  It’s not just a wedding venue—it’s a living, breathing space where love, land, and community come together.

Wedding Planner: Details and Lace

Flowers: Wayflowering

Venue: Thistlerock Mead

Ceremony Music: Plum Blossom String Quartet

Makeup & Hair: Face Value Salon

Jill and Charles | Keswick Vineyards Wedding Photographer

Keswick Vineyards is quite literally a wedding photographer’s dream venue. Jill and Chas’s wedding in October went so smoothly partly because of this fun and laid back couple, and partly because this venue has everything you could want for photo locations, all within a few steps in any direction. From the epic estate house with iconic white columns to the vineyard views, Keswick Vineyards has endless spots for gorgeous wedding portraits. They have beautiful getting ready suites for the guys and the gals in a cute building just off of the pool. The pool terrace itself is a great spot for photos, with striking architecture surrounding the pool. The fountain in front of the main house is a photo op in itself, and there is all sorts of varied landscaping around the elegant estate building. You’ll find beautiful views as you wander the vineyard rows, or go all the way down to the pond with it’s own swans. Their onsite tent for the reception is perfect, and gives piece of mind during COVID times- it’s like being inside, but actually being outside with plenty of air circulation!

Anyway, enough about the venue….just LOOK at this gorgeous bride and groom, who are so comfortable in each others’ arms. This couple really killed it on their wedding day looks, I must say. I adored Jill’s lace long-sleeved dress with tattoos barely peeking through here and there. She wore her hair in a long loose braid into which were woven gorgeous crystals and pearls. Chas (pronounced Chase) surprised with a dark floral bow tie and a perfectly fitted blue three-piece suit with a coral pocket square. His light blue eyes stole the show, though!

I was so happy to see them finally get the wedding they had been dreaming of for so long. Charles is a Lieutenant in the US Navy, and Jill is a school teacher turned nurse. Jill and Charles’s wedding was one of many that had to be rescheduled from 2020 to 2021. They were so ready to finally tie the knot after all of that time waiting. They danced the night away on a beautiful fall night. I never did get the story on those dinosaur cake toppers!!

Event Coordinator: Stacy Burleson of Burleson’s Big Day Events

Flowers: Verde Natural Florals

Cake: Paradox Pastry

Hair: Event Hair by Lauren

Officiant: Kathleen Ayers at Virginia Wedding Vows

Betty Cabell & David | Charlottesville Elopement Photographer

During the time of socially distanced gatherings, large wedding processionals and hundreds of wedding invitations have been exchanged for smaller ceremonies with close friends and loved ones, or microweddings, as well as elopements.

Betty Cabell and David did just that in a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in adorable Orange, Virginia. They exchanged vows in the intimate presence of three people: the Innkeeper, the officiant, and me, their photographer. Despite the small wedding, Betty Cabell and David still wanted the ceremony to be captured and preserved for those not in attendance.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the newlyweds and I set out on foot for local destinations within walking distance of the Bed and Breakfast where we ended up in front of an old train station down the main drag. The train passed through with perfect timing, running behind the couple in gorgeous photos to be shared with their loved ones.
Therein lies the beauty of elopements and microweddings: with small ceremonies trending during this period of distance, couples have been able to shake off the anxieties of organizing large weddings and focus on the importance of the day. Family and friends are still able to experience the day through the artistry of photography, while the couple can decide to have a larger celebration later on if they wish. 

Even if the day of is smaller than expected in the constant change of the world, couples have options to celebrate and capture the day!

Gilly & Flash | Richmond Wedding Photographer

Every bit of Flash and Gilly’s wedding at the Science Museum of Virginia showed their personalities and style, from their untraditional cakes to their hipster beer koozie wedding favors.  EVERYONE is quirky in their own way, and your wedding is your chance to express yourselves, so the more you can break a little from the norm to show something a little special and different about yourselves, the better!  

A textile designer at Urban Outfitters, Gilly knew just how to express herself stylistically.  She found the perfect vintage, lace dress online, sewed her own veil, found purple shoes for the ceremony, and incorporated a pearl necklace, art deco earrings, an old beaded clutch, a brooch ring, and her mother’s old library pin for her something blue.  She had elegant blond finger waves on one side of her hair, and the other side revealed recently buzzed hair of a darker brown shade.  She wore her signature chunky glasses and switched to new white birkenstocks toward the end of the night.  She looked elegant and vintage with a punk rock twist.  

Her groom, Flash, is actually known for wearing some pretty interesting suits to his friend’s weddings…you could catch him wearing a khaki corduroy suit one day, and cut off jean shorts with a plaid shirt the next, but he ramped up his style a little bit for his big day, wearing a classic grey, 3-piece suit.  His accessories showed a little of his signature style, with a blue bow tie with tiny bicycles, dark-rimmed glasses, a pretty sweet mustache to go with his silver grey hair, and…the classiest lapel pin I have ever seen…a pepperoni PIZZA slice with a dagger through it.  In fact, Matt gifted each of his groomsmen with a custom lapel pin: one had a Bart Simpson and Millhouse pin, one had an eagle, and one had a hot dog.  They also did not dictate what the bridesmaids and groomsmen should wear, but the wedding party was pulled together with their bouquets and boutonnieres, and all looked wonderful together in the wedding party pictures.  With a wedding full of personal style, it was cool that they also allowed their wedding party to express their own individual styles. 

Instead of the typical big white wedding cake, or the trendy tiers of cupcakes, they did four small cakes of different types- different fillings, and very different designs.  One of the cakes looked like it was tie-dyed, one reminded me of that original 1980s computer game, Q-Bert, one had a floral painting, and one was seriously avant-garde with a blue cube sitting atop a round white circle, all covered in thin paper flaps and waves.  If I had to guess, I surmised they could possibly have a science theme, as they looked at home underneath the “PERIODIC TABLE” sign, in the grand hall of the Science Museum of Virginia.  I asked the cake maker, Jen Cheney Starchak of Simply Desserts how she came up with these cakes, and she told me that Gilly had given her a few different textile clippings that she loved, and told her to be inspired by those, and to do what she wanted!  What a dream client!  Someone who gives the artist inspiration, yet gives them room to be creative and showcase their talent and artistry.

The soundtrack to the dance floor included Pavement, Billy Idol, Taylor Swift, the New Radicals, LCD Soundsystem, and the Dead Milkmen, provoking lots of nostalgic sing-along moments among old friends.

And the ultimate hipster wedding favor to go with the cases of PBR at the reception: custom designed beer koozies with tattoo-inspired artwork: GILLY & FLASH-  GOOD FRIENDS, GOOD TIMES-  7.18.2015

So go ahead, be different!  Don’t fall into the trap of emulating every one else’s wedding!  Find your muse and follow it!  Go your own way.  Enjoy the photos from this awesome, unforgettable wedding- including portraits with all the amazing vintage trains behind the Science Museum of Virginia!

WEDDING ALBUMS

“Why should I buy a wedding album when I’ll already have the photos as digital files?”

It’s a question I get all the time. 

Think about it. What are your photos REALLY doing for you by sitting on a hard drive in your closet? 

Imagine this: It’s 30 years down the road, and your sweet grandchildren come running in asking to see pictures from your big day. Wouldn’t it be nice to sit down with them and flip through the pages of a beautifully designed, archival-quality album? 

What happens years from now when you finally unearth those dusty hard drives, only to discover that the technology has changed and you can no longer access your files?

The fact is, maintaining physical prints of your favorite wedding photos is extremely important, and albums represent one of the best ways to do so. Not only do they look great and provide a convenient means for viewing, but—if taken care of—they can last forever, becoming treasured family heirlooms that span generations. 

Some couples I work with elect not to purchase an album when choosing their photo package. They swear they’ll get around to making their own one day. But they rarely do. Life gets crazy, and kids and jobs take hold—not to mention the fact that producing these things takes patience, skill, and a WHOLE lot of time. 

My albums use the traditional “silver halide” photographic process, which results in a classic look that you’ll never achieve on consumer sites that employ standard ink-jet printing (which tends to age badly and fade). The pages of my albums are thick, rigid and feature lay-flat construction.  

I also offer a number of customizable options to achieve precisely the look you want: Choose from silver, gold, or black gilded edges, and take your pick of cover materials—from virtually any shade of leather you can imagine to Japanese silk. 

Two of my wedding packages contain albums: The Premium Album (Zook Book) Package includes a 12" x 12" Zook Book album, with 90 photos included, and the Lustre Book Album Package includes a 10" x 10" Lustre Book album, with 75 photos included.  

When you sign up for a wedding package that includes an album, you get a break on the price of the album. For those of you who want to buy an album after the wedding, I’ve included a la carte pricing as well. Under the pricing, check out some of the options available for each book. There are many, making each album a truly custom affair.

So to summarize, if you’re getting married soon, please do yourself a favor and BUY THE ALBUM! They are the best way to tell the story of your wedding day. They look and feel great, and they’re sure to outlast any technology that may not be around in the future. 

I promise, you’ll never be sorry.

Blog Archive

• *Weddings
  • Jan 16, 2022 Jill and Charles | Keswick Vineyards Wedding Photographer
  • Nov 14, 2021 Betty Cabell & David | Charlottesville Elopement Photographer
  • Jun 19, 2021 Gilly & Flash | Richmond Wedding Photographer
  • May 7, 2021 WEDDING ALBUMS
  • Aug 17, 2019 Kristin and Lindsay Wedding | Charlottesville LGBT Wedding
  • Sep 12, 2018 Ali & Tony | Charlottesville Courthouse Wedding Photographer
  • Jan 30, 2018 Ashleigh & Casey | Charlottesville Courthouse Wedding Photographer
  • Jul 28, 2017 DelFosse Vineyards and Winery - Styled Shoot
  • Jan 21, 2017 Amanda & Matt | Early Mountain Vineyards Wedding Photographer
  • Sep 12, 2016 Daisy & Troy Charlottesville Courthouse Wedding | Elopement Photographer
  • May 19, 2016 Sara & Zach Elope in Orange, VA | Charlottesville Elopement Photographer
  • Jun 2, 2015 Brandon & Marlena | Charlottesville Wedding Photographer
• Bar Mitzvah
  • Dec 16, 2015 Gabriel's Bar Mitzvah | Washington, D.C. Bar Mitzvah Photographer
  • Mar 24, 2015 Isaiah | Bar Mitzvah Photographer
  • Jan 11, 2014 NYC Bat Mizvah | Virginia Bar and Bat Mitzvah Photographer
• Engagements
  • Sep 11, 2017 Megan & Kevin | Stone Mountain Vineyards | VA Wedding Photographer
  • Jun 7, 2017 Lexie & Emily | LGBT Engagement Photographer
  • Jan 16, 2017 Steve & Annie Engagement Session at Humpback Rocks and Raven's Roost | Blue Ridge Parkway Engagement Photographer
  • Aug 12, 2016 Cody & Mady Surprise Proposal at Stinson Vineyards
  • Apr 14, 2016 Suzanne & Tim at Early Mountain | Charlottesville Engagement Photographer
  • Feb 8, 2016 Elisabeth & Chet | Charlottesville Engagement Photographer
  • Sep 24, 2015 Rachel & Austin | Charlottesville Engagement Photographer
  • Jul 9, 2015 Kari & Chris | Engagement Photographer
  • Jan 6, 2011 Dana & Radika | Engagement Portrait Session
• Family Portraits
  • Jul 27, 2015 Isabel | Charlottesville Newborn Photographer
  • Nov 23, 2014 Lily, Anthony & Naomi | Family Portrait Session
  • Nov 14, 2014 Kate, Jeyon & Romeo | Family Portrait Session
• Graduation
  • Feb 21, 2021 UVA Graduation Photos
  • Feb 20, 2021 UVA Graduation Photos - PhD
• Personal
  • Jan 15, 2015 Max Franklin | Baptism Photos
  • Nov 3, 2014 New Beginnings...
• Wedding Industry
  • May 7, 2021 WEDDING ALBUMS
  • Jul 28, 2017 DelFosse Vineyards and Winery - Styled Shoot
  • Jan 12, 2017 Amanda Maglione Photography Wins a 2017 WeddingWire Couples' Choice Award
  • Apr 20, 2013 Marchesa Bridal Show in NYC

UVA Graduation Photos

This gorgeous family had two UVA students, and one about to matriculate in the fall! With their eldest daughter in the UVA Medical School, their middle daughter graduating UVA Undergrad, and their youngest about to start her First Year at UVA, these were some proud parents! If you can, invite your family to join you for your graduation photos! You will cherish these memories with them as much as they will.