This Winter Wedding Is Full of Christmas-Inspired Details

Madeline and Zach are college sweethearts who met at the University of San Diego. The couple, who now reside in DC, decided to host their wedding in Virginia’s wine country at the Barn at Willow Brook. They picked an early February day and leaned into their seasonal date with a winter wedding theme. Bridesmaids and groomsmen donned luxe velvet, pre-ceremony hot cider was served, cozy blankets were provided during the vows, and floral displays featuring birch trees and vintage lanterns helped transform their rustic barn venue into a winter wonderland. As a nod to their engagement story in Vermont, they even passed out mini bottles of maple syrup, from a maple farm they visited during their proposal, as favors.

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Along with the cozy, winter wedding theme, the couple went all out with the menu. “Our caterers, Blue Water Kitchen, were phenomenal,” says Madeline. “We had passed appetizers during cocktail hour and a dual-entree plated dinner, followed by a dessert bar, and breakfast sandwiches for a late-night snack.”

To add a bit of personalization, reception table names were named after Madeline and Zach’s favorite DC-area restaurants. For signature cocktails, Madeline chose a wintery gin and tonic which featured gin, spiced simple syrup, blood orange, freshly squeezed lemon juice, club soda, and rosemary. As for Zack, he picked a spicy margarita of tequila, jalapeño simple syrup, freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice, topped with club soda.

After the reception, the newlyweds invited guests to continue the celebration at an afterparty at a bar in downtown Leesburg. “It was the perfect cap to our wedding celebration,” says Madeline.