A Secret Garden | Castle Hill Cider | Charlottesville Wedding Photographer

Charlottesville, VA

One of the most wonderful wedding venues outside Charlottesville, Virginia, is the renown Castle Hill Cider. Known for its ability to provide the perfect backdrop for both large celebrations and intimate gatherings, this venue shows off over 650 acres of Virginia countryside, including the very apple orchards that gift guests with exquisite cider experiences.

White barn-style venue building at Castle Hill Cider under blue skies with manicured lawns and gravel drive

Discovering the Secret Garden Next to Castle Hill Cider

Through my relationship with Castle Hill Cider’s venue director, Josephine, I was brought in on a beautiful secret location right nextdoor to this venue. A breathtaking garden sits on top of Castle Hill, not owned by the venue but holding the potential to partner with CHC one day down the road! This garden showcases layers of beauty, from fountains to archways, ivy vines to tiger lilies, rose bushes to butterfly bushes… It is any couple’s dream as a photo location! (Not to mention a potential proposal spot…!)

Stone garden shed with weathered wooden door framed by rounded boxwoods and greenery

Pink tiger lilies blooming in a lush garden bed with a stone fountain behind
Close-up of a white lily with orange stamens beside pale unopened buds
Clusters of vivid pink phlox flowers blooming among green leaves in the garden
White periwinkle blossoms with red centers spilling over dark green foliage
Ivy-covered archway framing a pale green lattice gate flanked by hostas
Delicate purple and white blooms rising on slender stems against deep green foliage
Grass pathway between rose-covered arbors leading to brick steps topped with flower urns

A Summer Couple’s Session Among the Blooms

This summer, Josephine and her boyfriend Ben graciously agreed to model for me so we could capture some of the garden’s features, in hopes that there will be opportunities in the future for more couples to enjoy photos amongst this foliage! Here are some of my favorites, and I hope they make you smile as much as I did while taking them! Stay tuned to learn more about what this garden could have in store for Castle Hill Cider clients (and beyond!).

J+B, you all are SO in love and it makes my heart burst with joy.

Couple strolling hand in hand across the garden lawn beside a sage green pergola

Woman in a floral dress laughing with her partner beneath a garden pergola
Close-up of a woman's long dark curls as her partner embraces her waist

Couple embracing on the lawn with a red barn rooftop in the distance

Man wrapping his arms around his partner from behind as they smile at each other

Woman resting her head on her partner's chest in a lush Charlottesville garden
Close-up of a woman with blue eyes resting her cheek against her partner's shoulder

Sunlit couple laughing together among the arched rose trellises of the secret garden

Wide view of a couple walking the grassy allee between garden arbors near Castle Hill Cider

Couple holding hands strolling through the garden, woman in a silky floral slip dress
Man and woman sharing a smile while walking past planted stone urns

Leafy vine archway over a mint green garden gate with a white cottage beyond

Black and white detail of a barefoot woman carrying silver strappy heels on brick
Man kneeling to fasten his partner's sandal beside a round fountain courtyard

Radiant woman glancing down, her dark curls falling over a black and white floral dress

Couple laughing mid-dance on the brick courtyard before a tiered garden fountain

Woman planting a kiss on her partner's cheek beneath a green garden arch
Couple posing together under a grand arched trellis draped with climbing vines

Couple dancing hand in hand beside a sage pergola, framed by rose foliage

They literally did not stop laughing the whole time… it was SO fun!

Woman laughing joyfully with her head back as she dances with her partner

Woman wrapping her arms around her partner's neck beneath the arbor's curved beams
Couple smiling nose to nose in a tender moment under the garden archway

Distant view of the couple walking hand in hand down the arbor-lined lawn

Couple strolls hand in hand between rose-covered arches in the garden near Castle Hill Cider

Woman twirls barefoot on the grass, hair flying, in black and white

Laughing woman in a floral puff-sleeve dress walks toward the camera past a garden arch

Couple dashes hand in hand down a garden path lined with evergreens

Couple wanders past a cherub statue and rose beds with Virginia hills beyond

Under a wide cloudy sky, the couple walks toward a white arbor
Couple leans in for a kiss beneath a lattice archway, in black and white

Seated nose to nose, the smiling couple shares a quiet moment together

Couple rests heads together, smiling at the camera in the secret garden

Foreheads touching, the couple pauses with eyes closed on the garden lawn
Close-up of the couple's intertwined hands resting on her floral toile dress

Favorite Moments from the Secret Garden

Some of my favorites to wrap up the Secret Garden magic!

Lying head to head in the grass, the couple bursts into laughter

The pair relaxes on the lawn beside blue blooms and a stone cherub statue

Overhead view of the couple lying in the grass, grinning at each other
Black and white overhead of the couple smiling nose to nose in the grass

Pssst… Castle Hill Cider recently redid its bride’s & groom’s getting ready suites and they’re TO DIE FOR! Stay tuned for another blogpost of Josephine + Ben showing off these spaces!

Charlottesville Wedding Photographer | Charlottesville Wedding Photography

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