A lot of couples DIY at least a few aspects of their weddings. It’s a great way to personalize your day. It can even be a bonding experience for the couple or for the wedding party, doing a little crafting over a few glasses of wine.
Couple Emily & Charlie brought a few unique DIY aspects to their beautiful April wedding at The Oak Barn at Loyalty in Leesburg, VA, which put a totally original stamp on their big day!
First, the venue. The Oak Barn at Loyalty is a handsome, Amish-built wooden barn perched on a hill in the Shenandoah Mountains. With gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside, this lovely Leesburg wedding venue has plenty of room indoors for a rollicking reception, and a large lawn out front for ceremonies with the mountains as the backdrop.
That’s where Emily and Charlie said their vows. The parents and grandparents of the bride and groom entered the ceremony site to The Piano Guys’ version of A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. Then, the groom and groomsmen entered to the instrumental version of The Weight of Love by The Black Keys. Next, it was time for the bridesmaids to make their entrance. For this piece of music, the couple chose a harp cover of Tale as Old as Time from Beauty and the Beast.
And for the bride’s entrance, they made an unexpected choice! We all know the piece we refer to as Here Comes the Bride (although it’s actually The Bridal Chorus from Wagner’s opera Lohengrin). But these days, we rarely actually hear it at a wedding. Emily combined a bit of tradition with an unexpected instrumentation, making her debut to a harp version of Here Comes the Bride.
And the ceremony was all finished, the couple sashayed back down the aisle to Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake. Then they headed around the barn for a delightful cocktail hour out on the barn’s patio with their 200 guests. Leesburg wedding DJ Steve Hartka recalled a beautiful moment where Charlie sang a special song for Emily, which his grandfather had written. That’s the kind of DIY we love to see!
After this, the party moved inside to the barn for the rest of the night’s festivities. The wedding party, as well as the bride and groom, made their entrance to the acoustic version of Everlong by the Foo Fighters.
After dinner, toasts, and cake, it was time for the couple’s first dance. No jazz standards or country ballads for these two! They chose All for You by alt rock band Night Riots. LOVE this song!
Then, Emily and her father danced to In My Life by The Beatles, followed by Charlie and his mother to Forever Now by Michael Bublé. Then the whole crowd was welcomed to join in!
Dancing is hard work, and it builds up a mighty thirst. How did the crowd stay quenched during the dance floor revelry? With another DIY addition from Charlie—his own special homebrewed beer.
At the end of the night, Charlie and Emily made their escape, under a luminous glow stick exit.
It was our pleasure to help with Charlie and Emily’s Leesburg wedding. If you’re planning a wedding in this gorgeous corner of Northern Virginia, we’d love to be part of it! Fill out our quick online form to check our schedule and start planning.
All photos by Kristen Peake Photography
Published on:
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
