One thing we learned in September: Zion Springs knows how to put on the perfect barn wedding!
Surrounded by vineyards and a forested river, guests have access to the picturesque barn and accompanying bed and breakfast for the entire weekend. To the owners of Zion Springs, the wedding isn’t just about the wedding day, but about the whole wedding weekend experience. Having a fire the night before with friends and family who traveled from out of state, midnight oven fired pizza the night of your wedding, and even a brunch and lazy morning together the day after. Last September, Mike and Emily invited Olivia and I down to Virginia to see how fun and relaxing this abundance of time adds to your wedding.
With the Bed and Breakfast on site and a few extra rooms available beneath the barn, the preparation for your wedding morning is as simple as rolling out of bed. The seclusion of the property and the sound of the trickling river in the valley below have a calming effect as you watch the vendors prepare and set up for your big day out your bed room window. We arrived during this peaceful, brisk, autumn morning. The BnB and barn had so much rustic charm to it! As soon as we arrived we went to town running around the property shooting all of the intricate details and location scouting. We were so excited with what we found to work with and had so much fun with the vintage look and nice window lighting that the getting ready rooms offered. It was important to Mike that he didn’t see Emily until she was walking down the grand staircase that cascaded off the back of the barn, so we opted not to do a first look, but we were able to use the morning time capture just the girls all dressed up and then the guys. With plenty of time to spare, the guests started showing up and were welcomed with an elegant cocktail hour, hosted by the groom as Emily stayed tucked away in her bridal suite. That was one of the first weddings I had ever attended that offered that extra time of socializing for their guests before the ceremony, and we loved seeing everyone able to connect and mingle before the nights festivities began.
The way Zion Springs was engineered, the barn was erected and the back patio placed so that a good hour or hour and a half before the sun sets, the back patio would be perfectly covered by the shade of the barn. As a photographer, I loved this little attention to detail that softens the otherwise harsh light at the altar. And I am sure that the bride, groom, and bridal party appreciated not melting in the direct blaze of the afternoon sun for an hour. So, just as the altar was covered in shade, Mike and Emily’s friend began strumming on the guitar as the procession began. As soon as the rings were delivered by the adorable ring bearers, the guests all stood and turned as Emily and her dad made their first appearance at the top of the staircase. Mike couldn’t keep his eyes off of her as he saw his bride for the first time and was able to watch her descend the stairs and slowly make her way through the guests to meet him. There was a nice, personal touch to the ceremony and the vows as they elected one of their close mutual friends to be the one to officially marry them. Rings were exchanged and a kiss was delivered before Mike and Emily exited the ceremony as husband and wife to a standing ovation. One of the coolest parts of getting married at the barn at Zion Springs, is that after your ceremony, you come back up the stairs to the barn and get to ring the barn bell letting all of the neighbors and all of your guests celebrate your marriage!
After the ceremony, we stole the bridal party away to get a few shots of them all together in front of the barn. Then we dismissed them to go join the rest of the guests for a happy hour as Mike and Emily joined us for a little adventure of the grounds of Zion Springs. There was a lot to explore and a lot of great back drops for our portrait session. Of course there is the great look of the rustic barn, but just explore a bit further and there are luscious forests and high grass along the banks of the trickling river. After we crossed the river, we found an amazing tree plantation with the young trees planted in very even and consistent rows. This forest offered amazing symmetry to the photos but also was open enough to allow the last few rays of sunlight stream through the branches giving the forest a very magical aura. Just before the sun fully set, we headed back to the barn so Mike and Emily could mingle with their guests at the cocktail hour before the real party began.
One of the appealing aspects of Zion Springs is their in house DJ. And man could they throw a party. Dramatic lighting, fog machines, a slide show from the day, and plenty of other party tricks kept the whole guest list engaged the entire evening. From the moment the bride and groom made their grand entrance through the sliding barn doors, until they danced their way back out of them through the sparkler exit, the dance floor was packed and the food and drink kept flowing. It surely was a night and a weekend Mike and Emily will never, ever forget. And to cap it off, after their sparkler exit, they turned the car around and returned to relax over a fire, a few more drinks, and unlimited wood fired pizza with all of their friends late into the evening!
VENDORS:
Venue: Zion Springs
Flowers: Creation in Bloom