Helen & Nathan

Helen and Nathan’s Charlottesville wedding at Old Metropolitan Hall was an artful winter blend of chic mod allure and ageless vintage class. The February celebration played up the sexy Charlottesville venue’s romantic and elegant aesthetic as renowned wedding planners from Donovan-Groves Events moved the day through charming indoor and outdoor spaces with ease and grace.

The bride was striking in timeless red lipstick, a long-sleeved couture gown and diamond tiara. Floral designers with Steelcut Flower Co. built show-stopping arrangements in wintery magenta, rosy red and wide-open white anemones wrapped in torn velvet fabric.

Charlottesville wedding photographer Kate Thompson brought a thoughtful artistic eye to the day, playing with shadow and light, February trees showing the upcoming season’s first cherry blossoms against a stark winter sky. Her lens followed the arresting bride as she admired the reception hall space, danced with generous ivory feather props and strolled the Downtown Mall hand in hand with her groom. Photographers caught a head-turning first look reflected in the Old Met’s front windows, accentuated by the mall’s classic brick walkways and black and white architectural detail.

Bridesmaids wore emerald green crushed velvet, matching the groom’s tie, and the intimate gathering was played back in the ceremony and reception hall’s jaw-dropping floor-to-ceiling mirrored wall. The couple enjoyed a gorgeous newlywed photo shoot among some of Charlottesville’s legendary architecture before moving the party to Old Metropolitan Hall’s exposed brick cellar for dancing on the black and white diamond floor and gathering around the custom built-in copper bar. Charlottesville wedding caterers from The Catering Outfit wowed guests with seasonal inspirations while DJ Derek Tobler brought every generation to the dance floor.