July 28, 2018 • The Inn at Willow Grove, Orange
Photos by Aaron Watson Photography
The daughter of two teachers, Ella Stancill grew up on the campus of Woodberry Forest in Madison County. Even though the self-described explorer moved away, she says she always missed the beauty of her childhood home in Virginia’s Piedmont. So a year after first exchanging wedding vows in a Chinese-style ceremony to celebrate groom Derrick Zhang’s heritage as a native of China’s Henan Province, the couple returned to Stancill’s roots last summer for an “American style” wedding at the Inn at Willow Grove. “My vision for the wedding was to create an ethereal, almost enchanted forest,” says Ella. “I wanted guests to feel like they were running through a mossy wood at night with fireflies.” Blending natural elements like moss, greenery, succulents, and flowers with metallic silver accents, she set the stage for the ceremony in the inn’s garden. Following a reception dinner at the inn’s refurbished barn, guests danced the night away under a tent decorated with a leafy canopy created from woven tree limbs.
Details
Photographer: Aaron Watson Photography, Charlottesville, AaronWatsonPhoto.com | Floral Design: Bettina Gigliello, Orange; Southern Blooms, Madison, PatsFloralDesigns.com | Gown: Love Couture Bridal, Potomac, Maryland, LoveCoutureBridal.com | Hair & Makeup: Susan Lim, Ashburn, SusanLimMakeupArtist.com | Caterer: The Inn at Willow Grove, Orange, InnAtWillowGrove.com | Cake: Maliha Creations, Charlottesville, MalihaCreations.com | Music, Ceremony: The Bloom Trio, Harrisonburg, TheBloomTrio.wixsite.com | Music, Reception: Derek Tobler, Charlottesville, DJTobler.com | Lighting: Gibson Rental, Orange, GibsonRental.com | Videographer: Ian Atkins, Charlottesville, VaWeddingVideo.com
This article originally appeared in our Weddings 2019 issue.
