The Countdown...

It's hard to believe but in less than a week, we will all gather together to celebrate! We hope you are as excited as we are and we look forward to meeting, greeting and sharing our special day with you. First and foremost, we would like to thank you all for traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia (no, not Charlotte, North Carolina - if you have booked flights into CLT than change 'em...fast...ha ha). The days of arriving by horse and carriage have been replaced by planes, trains and automobiles so we wish you all a safe journey to the Blue Ridge.

A few quick points we wanted to share...

If you are staying at either the Omni Charlottesville or the Hampton Inn and Suites, please mention that you are with our wedding group when you check in to your room(s). We have a little surprise waiting for weary travelers (no matter when you arrive).

If you live anywhere above the equator then you know it's winter. Yes, while some consider Charlottesville to be in the South, old man winter is reminding us that snow and cold temperatures are a part of January even in Virginia. Please dress warmly!

Also, Charlottesville is still "enjoying" the two feet of snow that fell before Christmas - and the city isn't as adept at removing it as places like Boston - so please take it easy and be careful with driving, parking, etc. Allow extra time for EVERYTHING (including getting to the ceremony on time...we will try our best, too)!

Want to know something funny? The Chapel, which was built in the 1890's, has undergone relatively few renovations in over a century of hosting weddings, services, special events, etc. But back in December things changed. For three to four months this winter, the front entryway is being redesigned and renovated so foot traffic around the Chapel has been detoured a bit. And, yes, with the new snow, it is even more confusing. Plan to enter through the side doorway (which most folks say is the "more beautiful" doorway) unless you are escorted differently. Here's the funny part of the story. The front entryway is being raised to make the Chapel fully ADA compliant and accessible. Go figure.

If you want to click around the web to learn more about C-ville before arriving, here are a few fun links we suggest...

www.pursuecharlottesville.com
www.charlottesville.org
www.monticello.org
www.cvillechamber.com
www.virginia.edu

Safe travels and see y'all soon!

Sweet introductions...

We wanted to pass along another big "thank you" to our families and friends who worked so hard to organize our incredible holiday engagement party. Thanks, too, for traveling from all over the east coast to be with us. We are still buzzing with appreciation and thanks. Wow, what a special night that brought together families and friends. Here are a few photos from the party. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed having everyone help make the house into our new home before Santa arrived and the calendar changed. See you all again soon for our Big Day!

A winter wonderland...

Snow fell on the journey to Monticello, after a New Year's Day wedding in Williamsburg, and Tom and Martha Jefferson unhitched the horses from the carriage to ride up to their new home and uncork some of Tom's old wine. Henceforth, weddings in Charlottesville have mainly been held in the spring, summer and fall, on those crisp autumn days when there's no home football game at UVA.

Winter weddings at UVA are unique in their own right. The cold mountain air and threat of snow add a unique dimension to the already nervous brides and grooms while blanketing the otherwise energetic campus and its surroundings in silence. The short daylight hours add elegance and romance comes by candlelight. And if the day is just right, perhaps white snowflakes dancing outside the historic Chapel add to the lifelong memory.

So many couples choose to marry within a day's ride of the Jefferson's place that we all must wonder: does any municipality of 40,000 souls host more weddings? What makes a town in the Blue Ridge, distinguished by bricks and ivy, encircled by estates and foxes, so romantic, yet practical -- such a mecca for weddings and hope? Why do weddings say so much about couples, and speak volumes about the place where they plan to wed?

Every two hours, on Saturdays during "wedding season," couples walk into the Chapel on the grounds of Mr. Jefferson's University and say their vows. Nearly 150 couples win a lottery to marry there each year. If you can remember, up on the altar, the moment you held books and hands, gazed up at those ancient bells and vowed, "We're getting married here," well, that's priceless.

Weddings in Charlottesville are like weddings everywhere. Friends and family gather, photographers snap the wedding dress on the hanger, best men practice toasts, ushers usher, bridesmaids titter and get teary-eyed and parents stoically hold roses, scraps of welcome speeches (and the checkbook) while their children’s lives flash past everyone’s eyes. And a couple at the altar, the vows all written, the plans all finalized, gaze into each other's eyes and hope to God this works. We have been wondering that ourselves lately.

You must make choices to get to your wedding day. And all those choices, from the loved ones on your guest list to the rice, birdseed, bubbles or sparklers they hold at the doorway to your new life, tell the story of one couple, one place, one day, and reverberate forever.

Perhaps we will have snow at our wedding. It seems appropriate now, doesn’t it? For isn’t that also what makes winter weddings white?

* Portions of the above passage we borrowed from a “Virginia Unveiled” essay written by Ran Henry, a UVA writing professor who also enjoys recounting a bit of wedding history every now and then. We did some tweaking and added a few thoughts of our own, too. Hope you enjoyed reading it and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Travel and Lodging...

Transportation - Hey, remember the wedding is in Charlottesville, Virginia, not Charlotte, North Carolina!

Charlottesville is located in central Virginia, approximately 125 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. and 70 miles west of Richmond, Virginia. There is an airport in Charlottesville (CHO) but it's pretty small and there is a premium on airfare. However, if you’re short on time, it’s definitely quick, easy, and the way to go. (If you fly into CHO and are not renting a car, both the Hampton Inn and the Omni have free airport shuttles if you have a room reserved with them.) It's common to fly into Richmond or Washington, D.C. (Dulles or Reagan National). The drive from Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport is is about 3+ hours. Driving time from Charlotte, North Carolina, is approximately 4.5 hours either by I-77 to I-81 to I-64 or by I-85 through Greensboro to US-29.

Hotels - We have reserved rooms at the following hotels with discounted block rates..

Omni Charlottesville Hotel

235 West Main Street, Charlottesville, VA (434-971-5500)

The Omni Hotel is located on Charlottesville's "Downtown Mall", which is the portion of historic Main Street that closed to vehicular traffic. The Omni is a large, 4-Diamond hotel with a fitness center and two swimming pools.

Hampton Inn & Suites

900 West Main St, Charlottesville, VA (434-923-8600)

Similar to the Courtyard, the Hampton Inn & Suites (At the University) close to the Chapel/"Corner" but the walk is slightly further. It's about .5 miles from the Hampton to the Chapel.

Are ya comin' to town?

If so, then here's a confusing map to help you get lost when you reach the UVA campus on Friday and/or Saturday. To keep things simple, imagine everything revolves around The Rotunda (hey, we didn't plan it that way, Thomas Jefferson did). The Chapel is immediately adjacent to it, the Colonnade Club is at the end of the Academical Quad and parking for both is either in the Central Grounds Parking Deck (preferred) or on street (be careful, the number of available spots is extremely limited).

If you are "Garmin" savvy then look for the intersection of University Ave and McCormick Road. The small little chapel sits on the corner.

And what about the reception? Immediately after the ceremony, head to The Greencroft Club which is located at 575 Rodes Drive in Chralottesville. From the Chapel, head away from campus west on Route 250. The Greencroft is just over 6 miles from the Chapel (about 2.5 miles beyond The Boar's Head Inn). A small lighted white sign will alert you to turn left from Route 250.

That's enough confusing info for now...we will check in again soon!