The Winery at Sunshine Ridge Farm in Gainesville, VA recently opened a new tented reception venue on their property called The Pavilion at Sunshine Ridge Winery Farm, and asked a few photographers to participate in a styled shoot to help them show their potential clients what a wedding here might look like. I was so honored to be included!

Their bright and open tent, beautiful waterfront ceremony site, secluded groom’s cabin, and of course delicious wines were at the center of the shoot. It was a perfect sunny summer day, and the views of the water will definitely be a big draw for couples looking for a romantic wedding venue in Prince William County. The tented reception venue helps embrace the beautiful outdoor scenery from start to finish on the wedding day. And as a special touch, the venue has a tiny cabin on property perfect for the groom and groomsmen to hang out and enjoy some peace with an outdoor hammock, rocking chairs, and small kitchenette.

The styled shoot was primarily planned by the venue’s manager Morgan Fox Elder, who runs Elder Fox LLC, offering wedding day rentals and full service microwedding planning services. Additional rentals were provided by Dusk to Dawn Events, and there were some elegant table settings featuring charming blue and yellow floral arrangements by Rita’s Roses.

One of my favorite photo opportunities from the day was at the very end of the shoot, when the models had wrapped up for the day and everyone was packing up, and I was able to snag some extra napkins and leftover florals to create some fun detail images featuring the bottles of wine from the property. The flat lay images of the wine bottles resting on some draped cheesecloth napkins beside a ring box (with my own wedding rings inserted, haha) was so much fun to create and a great opportunity to practice my flat lay detail skills on an unusual subject matter, since my real-life couples don’t usually include bottles of wine in their morning detail kit…

Overall, this styled shoot was a fun exercise for me and I’m grateful for the chance to help a new wedding venue in Northern Virginia get off the ground. I’m hopeful that I’ll soon have the opportunity to return for a real wedding at The Pavilion at Sunshine Ridge Winery!

Venue: The Pavilion at Sunshine Ridge Winery Farm

Coordination + Rentals: Elder Fox LLC

Additional Rentals: Dusk to Dawn Events

Florist: Rita’s Roses