Sponsored Advertising Content: Southern Living has partnered with Virginia.org to form a guest blogger network. Today’s post is provided by guest blogger Chelsea LaVere of Tidewater and Tulle. Check back every Monday and Thursday for new ways to explore the state of Virginia.
Not only is Virginia pretty historical in all things American history, we’ve got a ton of cool modern day stuff being inspired by good Old Dominion, too! Immortalized in song, written word, and the big screen, Virginia serves as a background for many popular culture icons and when mixed with celebrations, it’s the perfect marriage!
The best kinds of weddings are when brides or grooms tie in personal loves and hobbies into their theme. So when you’re a big fan of a musical or a book series, there’s no way to not think about those locations or details for your big day!
Photo: Maria Grace Photography
Location: Yorktown Beach
If you love the musical Hamilton, consider Yorktown.
You pretty much can’t throw away your shot at getting married in one of the most iconic and historically climatic towns in American History and any musical ever. Whether it’s the Yorktown Freight Shed with a waterfront view of the York River (where the Revolutionary War ended!) or the Yorktown Victory Center next to the Yorktown Battlefield, you can weave in so many Hamilton references to make all your theatre-loving guests swoon and break out into song. Because look around, we are lucky to be alive right now, especially in modern day Virginia.
If you love Dave Matthews Band, consider Charlottesville.
Anyone who grew up in the 90’s knows at least one DMB song and hardcore fans also know that the band started in Charlottesville. Want to take your fandom to a whole new level? Get married at Blenheim Vineyards… the winery that Dave Matthews himself owns! He actually illustrates the wine bottle labels annually for the wine produced on property, too! So between the gorgeous rolling hills and your DJ playing “You and Me” or “Steady as We Go” for your first dance, it’s perfection.
If you love the television series Mercy Street, consider Alexandria.
It was only a matter of time before a Civil War-based series with Downton Abbey appeal meets Grey’s Anatomy drama popped up. With many of Mercy Street’s episodes taking place at Mansion House (also known in real life as The Carlyle House), fans can even get married here at this historic beautiful mansion!
Photo: Don Mears Photography via Tidewater and Tulle
Location: Bruton Parish Church in Colonial Williamsburg
If you love(d) the children’s book series American Girls and its spunky Felicity, consider Williamsburg.
The 1990’s grip nostalgia like no other decade, and one especially powerful memory is that of Felicity Merriman, the American Girl that made Colonial Williamsburg a historical wonderland for young girls everywhere. While her fictional home is fiction, she did live on Duke of Gloucester Street where you walk down with your newly married sweetheart and have your portraits taken before you celebrate either at the Williamsburg Inn or Williamsburg Lodge – where I got married! You might just even spot “Penny” in one of the fenced fields!
If you love the movie Dirty Dancing, consider Pembroke/Blue Ridge Mountains.
Nobody’s gonna put you in a corner at Mountain Lake Lodge in southwestern Virginia. Not only can you stay where Dirty Dancing was filmed, you can get married here, too! Whether it’s in the iconic Lodge or outside overlooking the mountains, there’s really not a bad view to be had. It’ll surely be the time of your life as you melt on the dance floor with your new spouse! (Just please promise all of us on the internet that Swayze-like moves will be performed! It’s really non-negotiable. And of course, totally mega bonus life points for perfecting “the lift!”)
Filed under: The Daily South
