Early Mountain Wedding: Liam + Caitlyn | Charlottesville Wedding
This wedding was one for the books!! Oh how I eagerly waited for Liam + Caitlyn’s celebration at Early Mountain Vineyards from the minute I met them in person and we started their engagement session the fall prior to their May 2025 wedding (see some of their engagement photos here!). Their trust, kindness, goofiness, and honesty made working for them an pure delight. Thank you for allowing me to experience the Early Mountain wedding photographer life, C+L! I cannot wait to be back (though it will be hard to top your day!!).
Nestled in Madison, Virginia, Early Mountain Vineyards offers an enchanting blend of Shenandoah Valley beauty and world-class hospitality. I’ve visited a few times as a guest (their food and wines are DIVINE!), but always longed to capture a wedding there! With sweeping mountain vistas and award-winning wines, this stunning vineyard provides the perfect backdrop for unforgettable celebrations that any Early Mountain wedding photographer would love to capture. Meeting Caitlyn + Liam brought my dream to reality, and I hope this blogpost shows you how incredible this venue is, and how amazingly C+L’s celebration came together there!
Getting Ready: The Cottage
Early Mountain Vineyards has a darling little cottage on its property that couples can use to get ready! Caitlyn and her girls enjoyed their morning there before we headed out to Charlottesville for C+L’s catholic mass wedding ceremony at St. Thomas Aquinas.
First Look with Dad! My whole heart, such a special moment!
Meanwhile, my second shooter was capturing Liam getting ready, at an Airbnb closer to the church’s location!
Going to the Chapel… And We’re, Gonna Get Married!
St. Thomas Aquinas was breathtaking. The colors and light were perfection for a church ceremony. I could photograph weddings there everyday!
Let the Early Mountain Celebration Commence!
As we left the church and embarked back to Early Mountain Vineyards, rain clouds started to form. Despite racing the droplets, Caitlyn + Liam did what I pray every couple does in this situation: remained calm and trusted me and their other vendors to take care of them!
Early Mountain Vineyards offers endless opportunities for wedding photography, making it a favorite among us professional photographers.
Outdoor Photography Magic: Whether mountain vista points, vineyard backdrops, or lavender fields, the possibilities are endless for outdoor portrait areas! The vineyard rows create natural leading lines perfect for romantic portraits, while mountain backdrops provide majestic settings. Even using overhang patio coverage as the rain started still gave us beautiful images!
Indoor Photography: The tasting room features soaring ceilings, warm wood accents, and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood spaces with natural light. Industrial-chic design elements, including exposed beams and stone features, create sophisticated backdrops. Any Early Mountain wedding photographer will appreciate the elegant bar area for rainy day shots (as we did!).
The rain stopped and we were back outside for some portraits!
Exquisite Hospitality
Early Mountain Vineyards has one of the kindest, most servant-hearted hospitality teams. They carried out cocktail hour + the reception with such vigor AND class. They helped myself and the other vendors do our jobs well (time for a big shout out to our Planner extraordinaire for this wedding, Colleen of CCS Events). I was in awe of the beauty Colleen, her team, and the EMV team brought together for this reception especially!
If you’ve made it this far, I hope I’ve convinced you to book this venue for your wedding! Rain or shine, you will not be disappointed! 🙂
Charlottesville Wedding | Charlottesville Wedding Photographer | Charlottesville Wedding Photography
Venue: Early Mountain Vineyards @earlymountain @earlymountainweddings
Planning: CCS Events @ccsevents.co
Photography: Debbie Eko Photography @debbieekophotography
Video: Million K Production @millionkproduction
Hair + Makeup: Avenue 42 Salon @ave42salon
Florals: Tommys Garden @tommysgardenrva
Rentals: BBJ La Tavola @bbjlatavola
DJ: TLC Entertainment @tlcentertainmentdmv
Cake: Albemarle Baking Co @albemarlebakingco
