Blue Ridge Wedding at Restoration Hall | Monica and Todd — Ashley Nicole Photography : Virginia Wedding Photographer

The first time I met Monica and Todd was to meet each other and make sure we would be a good fit on the day of their wedding. When I gave them some suggestions on where to meet, they chose Strangeways brewing, and I already knew the were an awesome couple. The meeting went great as we sat and talked like good friends. Monica had won an engagement session from a local bridal show, so I didn’t get to work with them before the wedding but I knew things would be just fine with the time we spent together at the brewery.

The day of the wedding, the chances of rain were high but I went in with an open mind and my fingers crossed. The guys and the girls were getting ready at different locations in Charlottesville, girls at a beautiful loft apartment and the guys at a rustic horse farm. I was so excited to get the groups outside for some pictures at these picturesque locations, but literally as I was pulling into the girls Air bnb, and it started raining. And it rained the entire time they were getting ready. I wanted to take them out so badly but they all had long dresses on and I didn’t want everyone to get wet before the ceremony. So we did what we could inside and then got on the trolley to head to the wedding.

Restoration Hall is a fairly new wedding venue outside Charlottesville with stunning views of the Blue Ridge Mountains located in historic Albemarle County. With the chance of rain, the ceremony would be held under a tent instead of outside in front of the mountains. Thankfully the rain subsided just in time for the ceremony and allowed all the guests to arrive on time and dry. Even under the tent, the foggy blue mountains were the perfect backdrop for this couple to say “I Do”.

The rain would come and go after the ceremony, but at least we were able to knock out all the family and bridal party photos outside. We did what we could around the building and I asked if they still wanted to go to the bridge Monica had talked about and they said “Lets go!”. We jumped in a few golf carts and took off for the back of the property where a beautiful wooden bridge crossed a pond. It started to drizzle as we arrived, but if its going to rain on your wedding day, you have to do your bridal portraits with an umbrella or two. Before they went back to their guests to get their party started, they still needed to dig up their bourbon they buried 1 month before. It is a southern tradition to bury a bottle of bourbon upside down exactly 1 month prior to the wedding at the ceremony location to supposedly ward off rain on the wedding day. Unfortunately, this tradition didn’t hold true for Monica and Todd, but it was a good excuse to share an intimate moment with your new spouse and take a shot of some delicious bourbon!

Congratulations and happy 1 month anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman! Wishing you both the best!