Madison Wedding Ideas and Inspiration

Amazing Race Winner Ties the Knot in Stunning Vineyard Wedding!

Although the bride and groom are avid world travelers, instead of having an adventurous destination wedding somewhere exotic, they opted for a meaningful, intimate wedding close to home in the mountains of Charlottesville, Virginia – and the results couldn’t have been more beautiful. As you peruse through a sea of coral dresses and white blooms, you may recognize a few familiar faces (including the groom’s – Amazing Race Winner Season 2!) Head on over to the full gallery to see all the pretty captured by Shannon Moffit Photography of their special day – planned by Amore Events by Cody!

From the bride… Alex and I currently live on the beach in Marina del Rey, California, but we decided to create a warm, memorable wedding weekend for family and friends in my home state of Virginia. We invited 160 guests to join us for the perfect 4th of July weekend celebration in the mountains of Charlottesville. Almost all of our guests had to travel to our wedding from around the world, so on the Friday beforehand, we reserved a mountaintop lodge and welcomed guests to “Camp Katie Alex.” Our guests experienced Virginia mountain life before heading to Early Mountain Vineyard for the ceremony and reception the next day.

From Shannon Moffit Photography… The groom, Alex Boylan, is the Co-Founder of DreamJobbing with an extensive career as an adventure travel producer and host. He is originally from Boston, but more comfortable on a surfboard on the beaches of sunny California. Alex started his career by winning The Amazing Race, Season 2. This opened up a whole world of adventure–he began producing and hosting shows all around the world. The bride, Katie Erlandson, is a fashion executive based in Los Angeles. She works with the leading fashion and beauty brands and sources talent. Katie and Alex first met in 2013, beginning their adventure together but taking their time to finally walk down the aisle. They spent a lot of time over the last six years traveling around the world together- from safaris in Africa to surfing in Thailand to sailing through the Bahamas. They are quite the adventurous power couple!

When wedding planning begun, their instincts were to follow their passion for travel and plan an exotic destination wedding with a weekend of activities and not just one night. Once the planning process continued, they realized that they wanted something very special that would be meaningful and closer to home. Growing in up Northern Virginia, Katie’s parents retired and built a beautiful log home near Charlottesville, VA, which has been the center of holiday activities for her family for the past ten years. The couple decided Charlottesville would be the perfect destination to create that special holiday environment with plenty of time together.

For the color palette, Katie drew inspiration from Pantone’s 2019 color of the year, PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral with a nod to peaches and oranges from local Virginia farm produce. She has a strong passion for design and color, so it was important for her to create a warm and vibrant color palette that felt true to a late summer wedding. She wanted to stick to the classic Virginia aesthetic, but introduce a fresh perspective. Katie worked closely with Amy of Blue Ridge Florals to bring the floral vision to life and made sure her bridesmaid’s dresses complemented the overall color story of the day. The outdoor wedding ceremony was officiated by Alex’s father, Dr. Rev. William Boylan of Boston and took place against the beautiful blue ridge vineyard landscape.

Since Alex has been very involved and active in the world of reality adventure television, there were many familiar faces in attendance. Chris Luca, Alex’s winning partner from the Amazing Race Season 2, Brennan Swain, the winner of the Amazing Race Season 1, and Jeff Schroeder, current host of Daily Blast Live, and wife Jordan Lloyd, Big Brother and Amazing Race contestant. Alex’s current business partner, Burton Roberts, was part of Survivor Season 5. And Colin Guinn and Christy Woods, the most recent Amazing Race Season 31 winners (who were able to attend only days after the season finale and win was aired). Coincidentally, two of Katie’s bridesmaids were also on the Amazing Race- Debbie Cloyed and Bianca Smith, from Season 7. They both met Alex long before Katie and were beyond thrilled once Alex and Katie finally found each other.

Also in attendance was Giada Delaurentis, television personality and cooking host, and beau Shane Farley, a long time friend and colleague of the groom, and one of the top Talk Show Executive Producers in Hollywood with credits such as The Rachael Ray Show and The Steve Harvey Show. The actor, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and his wife were also in attendance. Mark-Paul is most known for his television roles as Zack Morris in Saved by the Bell and Detective John Clark Jr. In NYPD Blue. Also in attendance, Anne O’Grady, the Executive Vice President of Marketing for CBS, and Scot Cru, the Head of International MGM Studios. And Lisa Hennessy, Alex’s close friend and business partner, who helped create reality TV executive producing and help launch shows like Eco-Challenge, Survivor, The Contender, Rockstar and The Biggest Loser.

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How to Bring That West Coast Vibe to the East

Dreaming of a Napa-style wedding but needing to hold your special day out East? Well then, friend, today’s lovely shoot by Shannon Moffit Photography is for you! The warm, earthy color palette, casually elegant bridal style with thanks to Emily Artistry, and desert flower infused florals by Wild Green Yonder all enhance the romantic West Coast vibe of Early Mountain – a vineyard with breathtaking views, rustic charm for days, and those quintessential Spanish-influenced details located in Virginia.

From Shannon Moffit Photography… The West Coast is home to some of the most beautiful vineyards in the United States, but for an East Coast Bride planning her wedding, the dream of a Napa Valley soirée may be completely unrealistic. For this editorial, our team of vendors made it a point to bring that “West Coast vibe” to the East. Early Mountain Vineyards, a humble 55-acre vineyard on the outskirts of Charlottesville, Virginia, is the perfect East Coast venue for a West-Coast-style wedding. A gorgeous building sits on the estate, complete with a number of Mediterranean and Spanish-style elements, including medieval chandeliers and sconces, exposed wooden beams, and floor-to-ceiling black-framed windows. One is immediately transported to the West Coast upon entering the space!

For the tablescape, a selection of warm earth-toned colors, desert flowers, wooden chargers, black cutlery, pops of suede, and dark cast iron candlesticks were used to complement the charm of the estate. In the great hall, the mantle was draped in cascading greenery, and the aisle of x-back chairs was lined with pillar candles, creating the perfect setting for a romantic ceremony. The Bride’s dress from Annalise Bridal featured a modern update to a classic silhouette, and she wore custom jewelry from Susie Saltzman.

You Can Never, Ever Have Too Many Flowers

My motto: You can never, EVER have too many flowers. There’s just something about beautiful florals that makes it impossible not to be happy, so when I saw this gorgeous bridal inspiration session captured by Jen Fariello Photography, I was in love. Southern Blooms by Pat’s Floral Designs created an abundance of spectacular floral arrangements, each one of them even better than the last. Take one look at that bouquet, and you’ll be swooning. This is one enchanting gallery to get lost in!

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A Farm Style Wedding (Held Entirely Indoors!)

There’s no denying the popularity of outdoor ceremonies, but this wedding will have you reconsidering everything. They chose to share their vows indoors at a venue complete with exposed wood beams, a cozy stone fireplace and candles galore. Peek at Ashley Cox Photography’s captures and you’ll see how they brought a sense of Southern charm throughout the details of their day.

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From Ashley Cox Photography…Super sweet Southerners, Rachel and Coy, selected Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, Virginia for their holiday weekend wedding on July 2, 2016. Though he is from Mississippi and she is from Georgia, the couple spent a considerable part of their courtship in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Early Mountain is a gorgeous spot for a wedding any time of year, and in any weather condition, with their vast indoor spaces featuring architectural details such as large stone fireplaces, wood beams and high ceilings—it’s easy to see why the couple was drawn to it. Together with their families, Rachel and Coy welcomed close to 150 guests for their evening ceremony and reception. The hall where guests entered was decorated with DIY details such as personalized wooden signs penned in the bride’s own gorgeous handwriting, antique wooden boxes used for cards and favors, and a wooden slab cut and stained by the groom used as the seating chart. Once guests entered in the indoor ceremony space, they walked up a center aisle flanked by two large floral arrangements by Bloom Charlottesville set atop wine barrels. The room was dimly lit by votive candles and Early Mountain’s own lanterns.

Following the meaningful ceremony officiated by Pastor Michael Hall, guests enjoyed cocktail hour in Early Mountain’s tasting room while the ceremony space was completely flipped into the reception space by wedding planner Becca Bee Events and the catering team of The Local. When guests re-entered the room, they found their seats at round tables facing four large farm tables adorned with long and low greenery, which formed the head table. Each place setting had a folded napkin and sprig of greenery.

After a buffet dinner, the bride and groom and their families enjoyed special dances (including one with the bride and her mom!) led by the live music of Another Level and cake created by Elizabeth Ann Pastry. At the end of a beautiful evening all captured by Ashley Cox Photography, the couple and their guests departed via shuttle buses staffed by Ambassador Limousine. It was a beautiful, meaningful wedding for a beautiful couple, bursting with inspiration!

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Rustic Elegant Spring Wedding at Early Mountain Vineyards

This charming, elegant wedding’s mascot, a little pig with wings from J. Steinbeck’s works of literature, representing the couple’s belief to always strive for great heights, is by far, one of the best personal touches I’ve ever seen. It sold me on this celebration immediately but Abby Grace’s pics just made me fall head over heels even more. Give yourself a treat with this grin-inducing gallery and thank me later!

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From the beautiful Bride… My favorite author, John Steinbeck, drew an image of a flying pig – a pigasus – in all his letters and books. To each pigasus, he added a Latin phrase meaning “to the stars on the wings of a pig,” a reminder that we should shoot for the heavens no matter how ill-equipped we may be. Knowing about my love for Steinbeck, after two very happy years of dating Jake proposed under a mural of a flying pig and handed me a ring engraved with the same Latin phrase. We both loved the message of the little pigasus – that no matter what difficulties life may bring, we should always aspire to greater heights – and saw how it could be applied to a marriage. With that, the pigasus became a sort of mascot for our wedding day and new marriage, and his likeness found its way into all sorts of details at our wedding.

Our hope was to have a wedding that struck a balance between being elegant and timeless and being genuinely fun – a celebration at which our family and friends could relax and be themselves. Although we wanted to be close to our home in Washington, DC, I also wanted to be somewhere that reminded me of the wide open spaces where I grew up in Colorado. Early Mountain Vineyards fit the bill perfectly. The stunning event spaces and breathtaking views made it the perfect setting for a wedding, and the warm, inviting atmosphere made everyone feel at home.

Our incredible wedding planners, Aimee and Cindy from A. Dominick Events – along with the team of immensely talented vendors they recommended – took what Jake and I had envisioned for our wedding and created something more beautiful than we could have imagined. We wanted to use bright colors and an assortment of spring flowers, and we loved the look of asymmetrical, organic-feeling arrangements in a variety of containers on long farm tables. Jenny from the Orangerie ran with those ideas and created beautiful tablescapes packed with clever, thoughtful details. Because it was important to Jake and me that the wedding decor feel personal, we tried to incorporate little touches of ourselves and our relationship wherever we could. We hand-painted personalized cornhole boards, set out swing-top water bottles printed with our names (and a pigasus!), and displayed wedding photos of our parents, grandparents, and siblings. Many of the little details – from the olive leaves painted on our invitations to Jake’s elephant-printed socks – held special meaning for the two of us and our families. Combined with the delicious family-style meal of some of our favorite foods, the reception felt like a very personal reflection of all the things we love. We’re so grateful to Abby from Abby Grace Photography for capturing all of it so beautifully.

More than anything else, Jake and I wanted our wedding day to feel like a celebration of our love for each other and for our family and friends. We were blown away by all the people who traveled from near and far to join us, and we are humbled by their love and support. We feel so fortunate to have started our marriage surrounded by these wonderful people, enjoying a day full of joy, great food, laughter, and a whole lot of love. With a little luck, the rest of our lives will be filled with more of the same!