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Bride: Caitlin West, 31, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Groom: Rob Buskirk III, 33, Lawyer
Date: 10/26/2024
Venue: Valley Road Vineyards, Afton, Virginia
Current Residence: Atlanta, Georgia
Guests: 100
LOVE STORY
Rob and Caitlin met in August 2021 through the Bumble dating app. They quickly connected over their shared love for music. Their first date was at Argosy, one of their favorite restaurants in Atlanta, Georgia.
Rob proposed to Caitlin in the winter of 2024 at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Rob knelt beside a scenic pond and asked Caitlin to marry him. As a token of his love, Rob gave Caitlin a Bario Neal asymmetrical cluster yellow gold engagement ring with a 0.5-carat diamond surrounded by smaller stones.
VENUE
Rob and Caitlin were married in the fall of 2024 at Valley Road Vineyards in Afton, Virginia. The venue offers a stunning farm winery, a hillside vineyard, a large barn and a lawn with a breathtaking view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This location held special significance for the bride, as it was just minutes away from where her grandparents first met.
THEME/COLORS
The couple’s wedding theme combined rustic and bohemian styles, showcasing wooden and gold accents to represent the groom’s rustic style and the bride’s unique bohemian flair. The couple chose a mauve color called Chianti to stand out among the fall foliage and emphasize a wine theme.
ATTIRE
The bride bought her wedding gown at Kelly’s Closet in Atlanta. The dress featured nude mesh detailing at the bust, a flowing train and detachable floral lace puff sleeves, which she wore during the ceremony but removed for the reception.
Caitlin’s jewelry included her grandma’s aquamarine gold bracelet, her mother’s wedding band engraved with her parents’ initials and gold pearl Anthropologie drop earrings.
Caitlin chose two pairs of shoes: platform heels for the ceremony and a square-toe ivory boot with a block heel for the reception. She also wore a Freebird ivory cowboy hat.
The bridesmaids wore floor-length chiffon dresses in a Chianti color.
The groom wore a custom suit with their first dance song embroidered in the jacket’s lining. Rob finished his look with blue suede dress shoes. The groomsmen wore dark grey suits and “Chianti”-colored ties.
BOUQUETS
The bridal bouquet was a mix of blush-colored peonies and roses, burgundy ranunculus, purple lisianthus, Queen Anne’s lace and eucalyptus. The bridesmaids’ bouquets resembled a smaller version of the bride’s bouquet.
CEREMONY
Before the ceremony, the groomsmen and Rob’s parents gathered to pray for him. Instead of having the first look with the groom, the bride shared her first look with her father. Since the couple decided not to see each other before the ceremony, they exchanged and read the private vows they had written for each other before the start of the ceremony.
The groom’s father officiated the ceremony. The couple was married on the venue’s ceremony lawn adjacentto the vineyard. The space was adorned with a hexagonal arbor with purple flowers and two wine barrels topped with matching flowers.
The bride walked down the aisle with her father to an instrumental version of one of the couple’s favorite songs: “Amazing-Strings Version” by Teddy Swims.
The processional music was the instrumental version of “All of Me” by Vesislava. The recessional song was the instrumental music “God Only Knows.”
COCKTAIL HOUR
Cocktail hour was held on the lawn and patio of the venue’s reception space, which featured outdoor high-top tables. Guests mingled while enjoying music and playing cornhole games. They were served Southern favorites: deviled eggs, ham biscuits and bacon-wrapped dates. Beverage options included Hardywood Beers and a selection of wines from the venue’s vineyard.
RECEPTION
The reception was held in the vineyard’s barn, which featured an open barn door and string lights outside so guests could enjoy the view. Gold and wooden accents decorated the space. The wedding party sat at a table in front of a customized arbor decorated with the bride and groom’s names.
The dinner menu included an apple and kale salad, pulled pork and chicken BBQ, mac and cheese and succotash. Hardywood beers and assorted Valley Road Vineyards wines were also available.
The couple’s first dance was to the music “The Painter” by Cody Johnson. The father-daughter song was “I Loved Her First” by Heartland. The groom and his mother danced to the lyrics of “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.
A cake table featured a variety of cakes from the bride’s favorite bakery, Shyndigz, in Richmond, Virginia.
The wedding favors were cork and wooden wine stoppers engraved with “Rob and Caitlin 10/26/2024.”
As the couple left the venue through a sparkler exit. They were met with a warm and loving farewell from friends and family.
HONEYMOON
The newlyweds honeymooned in Charleston, South Carolina.
@caitlwest
@rob_bus3
VENDORS
VENUE:
Valley Road Vineyards
@valleyroadwines
Piedmont Park
@piedmontpark
Argosy
@argosyeav
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Shannon & Co, LLC
@shannonhco
DAY OF PLANNER:
Megan Walker
Red Hub Catering
@redhubfoodco
OFFICIANT:
Ed Buskirk
LEGAL OFFICIANT:
Patrick Moran
ENGAGEMENT RING:
Bario Neal
@barioneal
WEDDING BANDS:
Bario Neal
@barioneal
Rustic & Main
@rusticandmain
GOWN:
Kelly’s Closet
@kellysclosetatl
Rue de Seine
@ruedeseinebridal
SHOES:
Magnanni
@magnanni
Sam Edelman
@sam_edelman
HAIR:
Margaret Magee
@makeoversbymargaret
MAKEUP:
Flora Shala
BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES:
David’s Bridal
@davidsbridal
GROOM’S ATTIRE:
Indochino
@indochino
GROOMSMEN ATTIRE:
The Black Tux
@theblacktux
INVITATIONS:
The Knot @theknot
FLOWERS:
Vogue Flowers
@weddingsbyvogue
CATERING/RENTALS:
Red Hub Food Company
@redhubfoodco
DJ
Mike Beene
Debonaire Entertainment
@debonaireentertainmentinc
CAKE:
Shyndigz
@shyndigzdessert
TRANSPORTATION:
Albemarle Limousine
@albemarlelimousine
ACCOMMODATIONS:
Best Western Plus Waynesboro Inn & Suites
@bestwesternpluswaynesboro
HONEYMOON:
Marriott
@marriottbonvoy
Beer:
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
@hardywood
Bride’s Hat:
Freebird
@freebirdstores
If you are planning a wedding in Roanoke, Richmond, Fredericksburg/Northern Virginia, The Shenandoah Valley, Coastal Virginia, or Charlottesville/ Lynchburg, Virginia, we can help with your wedding planning and ideas.
