We were married at Castleton Farms on a beautiful June day. It was definitely hot, but not a cloud in the sky or a drop of rain! Castleton made for a beautiful venue and backdrop in our pictures. Everyone raved about the location, food ,flowers, and our amazing pictures! One of our favorite moments was our “first glance.” We debated seeing each other prior to the ceremony, but we were glad we did. Just getting ready and all the anticipation made for a nervous morning, but once we saw each other the day was much more peaceful and calm! 

Choosing a photography was a huge deal for us. Darcie and her husband, Tommy, were fantastic to work with. They made us feel totally at ease and made the process fun! Our engagement pictures were breathtaking and I thought they couldn’t be topped, but then came the wedding photos! We could not have been happier with Darcie. We’ve had so many compliments on our pictures! 

We wanted an outdoor wedding with beautiful flowers, gardens, and green fields. Elegant yet simple was the vision! Castleton’s vineyard was the perfect place for our ceremony. The vineyard was beautiful and required little to no decor! I really wanted to keep everything shades of purple and was able to accomplish this with beautiful flowers and small details. I carried my great grandmother’s broach on my bouquet which was very special to my mother and me. 

Our only regret is not having a videographer! I don’t know what we were thinking? I would definitely recommend it. A family member recorded the wedding and I absolutely love watching it. I wish we had the entire day captured on video accompannied with music. 

–Lynzie

Venue : Castleton Farms!

Photography : Darcie Bruce Photography

Catering : All Occasion Catering, The Perfect Ending Cakes

Rentals and Decor: All Occasions Party Rentals

Thanks for sharing your beautiful day with us, Lynzie and Chris. We hope your marriage will be as beautiful as your wedding day!

1. Does it fit in your budget? Don’t underestimate the expenses that alcohol can add. Check out The Alcohol Calculator to estimate how much money you might spend depending on your guest list size.

2. Would your guests be willing to pay for their own alcohol? Rather than adding alcohol into your budget, consider utilizing a cash bar that allows guests to choose (and pay for) the drinks of their choice.

3. Are you hoping to have a toast at your reception? Rather than allowing unlimited alcohol for your guests, you may want to limit each guest to one glass of champagne or sparkling wine if you are wanting to have a formal toast at the reception.

4. Are any of your close family & friends strongly opposed to alcohol? If alcohol’s mere presence is going to offend any of your guests for religious or other reasons, you may want to seriously consider keeping the peace and skipping out on it.

5. What kind of atmosphere do you want at your reception? We believe that with the right DJ and some funky friends, alcohol is completely unnecessary to boogie down and have a super fun night. If you and your groom are hoping for a reception that looks similar to your old fraternity functions together, then by all means, bring on the booze! But if you plan on remembering every minute of your wedding day, keep in mind that your guests may have a different mindset. If some of your guests don’t have responsible histories with alcohol, be weary and conservative in limiting their intake. A sober bride and groom with rowdy, slurring guests may not be the vision you had of your party!

Our wedding was a perfect representation of both of our personalities. I knew from one day that I wanted a rustic but classy barn wedding. I imagined shades of brown with burlap and lots of greenery with ivory flowers. I wanted the whole barn to have a very homey but fancy look to it. My favorite detail of the wedding was the music. I wanted all the music played to be songs that Stu and I love, and I think that a lot of the guests loved it as well. The whole ceremony was songs by Led Zeppelin and the reception was a mix of all of our favorite classic rock songs. 

Our wedding was amazing. The things that I remember most about our wedding were walking down the aisle and seeing Stu’s face and getting to have all of our friends and family together in one place. Overall my experience at Castleton Farms was great. I cold not have asked for a more beautiful place to get married or for our wedding day to have gone any smoother. I cannot tell you how many people have commented on how amazing Castleton Farms was, especially the carriage house where our ceremony and reception took place. 

My biggest tip on working with a photographer on the wedding day is to listen to their ideas and suggestions. Some of the poses and ideas that Terri had were things I would have never thought of, and seeing them in print was just incredible. They are the photographer for a reason and they know what translates well into pictures. My number one advice for future brides is to keep true to your personal style while planning your wedding and to choose vendors who want to help you represent your style!

-Erin Keene

Venue: Our very own Castleton Farms

Photography: Terri Swaggerty Portraiture

Flowers: Lisa Foster Floral Design

DJ: Ogle Entertainment

Paper & Decor: Designs in Paper

Decor and Rentals: All Occasions Party Rentals 

1. Lighting: Fill the jars with tiny white tinkly lights or battery powered LED solar lights to set your nighttime reception aglow! A truly enchanting look.

2. Lanterns: Similarly, fill your mason jars with rocks, sand, or coffee beans, and then place small tea candles inside. Decorate the jars with ribbons, or twist wire to transform your jar into a DIY lantern.

3. Flower Vases: For a truly rustic-chic look, fill your mason jars with fresh or fabric flowers. You can simply set the jars in the middle of tables as a centerpieces, or hang them with wire from chairs or tree limbs. Decorate the jars with ribbons or twine, or fill them with water or even coffee beans once flowers have been arrange inside them.

4. Sweets Jars: Fill jars up with sweet treats, ice cream, or candy to give as favors to guests.

5. Drink Glasses: Perfect for any beverage from sweet tea to whiskey!

6. Vintage Photo Frames: Feature old black and white photographs of family members on their wedding days to create a uniquely vintage style.