1-gingham-linen-summer-bbq-party-jen-fariello Photo: Jen Fariello

You may remember the Rendezvous Retreat photographer’s retreat in Jackson Hole last year—it was a week full of inspiration and fun, surrounded by the majestic beauty of the Tetons. This year, some of our favorite photographers (Christina McNeill, Carrie Patterson, Kate Headley and Jen Fariello) took the festivities to Charlottesville, Virginia. And this time, Snippet & Ink was the host!

We decided that a sweet spring BBQ would be a perfect theme for the retreat. Everyone loves a warm-weather BBQ, and we wanted to show that daytime weddings can be super fun, relaxing and easy to execute. You may have seen our inspiration board, which incorporated all kinds of Southern charm, deep purple and pink florals and vintage-inspired details. Be sure to follow along this week as we share all of the details from the retreat, plus some fun DIYs that you can incorporate into your own wedding or rehearsal dinner.

2-la-fourche-yellow-colonial-estate-christina-mcneillPhoto: Christina McNeill

The retreat took place at La Fourche Estate—a beautiful, colonial-style mansion with 3 stories, several bedrooms and bathrooms. It’s the perfect place for an intimate gathering, like ours!

3-virginia-countryside-white-picket-fence-jen-farielloPhoto: Jen Fariello

4-picnic-tables-gingham-linens-lanterns-jen-farielloPhoto: Jen Fariello

We wanted to create a beautiful BBQ dinner that felt relaxed, but elegant. We are so grateful to Stonegate Event Rentals for lending us their beautiful tables and benches (some of the nicest folks in Charlottesville!), which we mixed with La Tavola Linen’s black and white check linen. We strung lanterns from Under the Paper Lantern above the tables to create a playful and sweet ambiance. The table settings included both Havilland Ranson plates and plates from La Fourche Estate, and pink depression glassware from Circa. The floral arrangements were created by our guests! You can see how they made the arrangements in a workshop with the incredibly talented Shawn from Beehive Events right here.

5-strawberry-seed-packets-escort-cards-christina-mcneillPhoto: Christina McNeill

12-strawberry-seed-packtes-napkins-karen-hillPhoto: Karen Hill

Rock Paper Scissors in Charlottesville was so helpful in bringing our vision to life. They created a sweet strawberry-inspired menu, as well as strawberry seed packet place cards. Our favorite detail? The mini clothespin, of course! To complete the table setting, we paired these amazing Dot & Army napkins with a custom design of strawberries and each guest’s initials monogrammed onto napkins from Huger Embroidery. (Huger Embroidery made our napkins for last year’s retreat, too—check them out here!)

6-gingham-linen-pink-purple-florals-karen-hillPhoto: Karen Hill

7-gingham-linen-jewel-tone-florals-lanterns-bbq-jen-farielloPhoto: Jen Fariello

9-farm-table-benches-picnic-gingham-linen-karen-hillPhoto: Karen Hill

10-paper-lanterns-wedding-picnic-christina-mcneillPhoto: Christina McNeill

8-elegant-bbq-place-setting-strawberry-napkins-liz-banfieldPhoto: Liz Banfield

13-black-white-gingham-linen-benches-farm-table-bbq-gayle-brookerPhoto: Gayle Brooker

BBQ Exchange catered the event with an incredible BBQ menu, including Hickory smoked pulled pork, pulled chicken, Texas-style beef brisket, house made rolls, cornbread, mini pumpkin muffins, mac & cheese and homestyle coleslaw. The Cozy Caravan Club came over to serve up some delicious beverages, including wine from Thibaut-Jannison and Trump Winery.

14-bar-trailer-wedding-lanterns-karen-hillPhoto: Karen Hill

15-diy-gingham-picnic-blanket-christina-mcneillPhoto: Christina McNeill

We also created our own cozy little vignette using this DIY gingham picnic blanket.  Check back on the site tomorrow to see how to make it for yourself!

17-lanterns-hanging-from-tree-karen-hillPhoto: Karen Hill

19-paradox-pastry-naked-cake-strawberry-short-cake-karen-pudding-hillPhoto: Karen Hill

Paradox Pastry baked a some beautiful goodies for us, including a strawberry shortcake naked cake and a pudding made with Grand Marnier mousse, lemon curd and fresh strawberries, and garnished with strawberries and strawberry leaves. 

22-summer-pudding-diy-rosette-ribbon-karen-hillPhoto: Karen Hill

21-strawberry-hand-pies-rosette-ribbon-diy-food-label-pudding-jen-farielloPhoto: Jen Fariello

We created these DIY prize ribbon rosettes to label our food and sweet treats, and The Pie Chest crafted the most delicious handmade strawberry pies to serve to all of our guests.

20-strawberry-hand-pies-rosette-ribbon-diy-food-label-liz-banfieldPhoto: Liz Banfield

23-strawberry-hand-pie-bag-stamp-pudding-diy-rosette-prize-ribbon-food-label-liz-banfieldPhoto: Liz Banfield

The whole day was absolutely gorgeous, but we had a rain plan, just in case. While making our last minute touches, we got an alert on our phones warning us about a severe thunderstorm. We all banded together and quickly moved all the decor inside a barn, and continued on with the evening. It was a great reminder that not everything happens exactly the way you want it to—we had envisioned an outdoor BBQ with great music, great friends, flowing drinks and lanterns blowing in the wind, but we ended up staying cozy and warm in a beautiful rustic barn (still with great music, friends, and flowing drinks) while the storm passed. We like to think we got the best of both worlds! 

Virginia ShootPhoto: Yvette Roman

25-gingham-linen-indoor-barn-bbq-yvette-romanPhoto: Yvette Roman

26-haviiland-ranson-plate-diy-seed-packet-escort-cards-yvette-romanPhoto:Yvette Roman

27-rain-plan-bbq-charlottesville-yvette-romanPhoto: Yvette Roman

28-red-barn-charlottesville-yvette-romanPhoto: Yvette Roman

Be sure to check back tomorrow when we share our DIY instructions for creating the gingham picnic blanket, rosette prize ribbon labels and a free printable strawberry seed packet from Rock Paper Scissors that you can use as an escort card or place card. Thank you to all our amazing sponsors for making this retreat a huge success! For even more inspiration, be sure to follow the Rendezvous Retreat hashtag!

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