Upperville Archives - Deb Lindsey Photography

Amy + Paul had a very Virginia wedding. Not Northern Virginia. Real Virginia. Rolling hills, stone fences, direct descendents of Robert E. Lee Virginia. And it was beautiful. The weekend started with the stunning backdrop of the Ashby Inn located in Paris. It was a picture perfect day and as the sun made it’s way closer to the surrounding mountains the night before the wedding, Amy + Paul’s friends and family gathered for dinner. Amy and her mother were resplendent in saris as a tribute to Paul’s Indian heritage. The theme continued the next day at the ceremony at the historic Trinity Church in Upperville. The bridesmaids wore gorgeous orange saris while Amy shined in a traditional white dress. I’ve had the pleasure of shooting at the church a few years ago and the grounds and the stonework of the church make for a wonderful and quaint backdrop. From the church we made our way a few miles down Rt. 50 to Tip Top Farm, Amy’s grandmother’s place. Words don’t do it justice. I think that portrait of the couple with the farm’s fabulous vista really says it all.

Rehearsal Dinner Ashby Inn, Paris, VA 540.592.3900

Ceremony Trinity Episcopal Church, Upperville, VA

Event coordinator Amy Van Meter Events 540.550.7336

Caterer Savoir Fare Limited Joan Wolford 540.338.8300

Florist Buttercup Floral Design Laura Larrick Walker 540. 533. 7404

Hair and makeup My Mobile Salon Trish Langley 703.856.2617

DJ Mike Weiss One and Done Events 540.272.2822

Cake Gâteau 540.347.9188

Videographer Dolce Studio Films 703-300-9033

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Marija + Mike’s wedding. Both the church and the reception were places I hadn’t seen and the church had mega-restrictions on what I could shoot. In fact, they would have preferred I didn’t shoot at all. But I was thrilled when I pulled up to Trinity Episcopal Church and saw what a quaint and scenic spot the couple had chosen to get married. And it turns out that Marija’s parents had also been married there. I’m a sucker for that family tradition. The church was surrounded by rock walls and rolling hills and had lots of fun archways and doorways to shoot through. And it was a complete bonus that the couple was gorgeous and very comfortable in front of the camera, it just made my job easy. From the church we headed to Stoke Farm, a private residence. To say this was just someone’s home, doesn’t do it justice. It was an amazing layout with a boxwood garden, pergola and more of those rolling hills. It turns out the place is owned by Marija’s cousin and has been in the family since the Civil War. It was just unbelievable. Mike got the party started with a Sambuca toast and the dance floor was packed from beginning to end. I don’t often give a shout out to the band but their band, the Venture Rays from Richmond, VA were terrific. I was completely surprised by their cover of “Bad Things,” aka the theme to True Blood. The last dance of the night was “American Girl” by Tom Petty which I thought was a pretty inspired choice. In my recent post about Maura + Pat’s wedding I mentioned that I had never seen a groom being carried horizontally around the dance floor—now I’ve witnessed it being done with the bride! It reminds me a little of the Hora just without the chairs. Or maybe it’s closer to planking. In any event, Marija was a good sport and it made for some fun photos.