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Making Your Hunt Country Wedding a Perfect Eventby KRISTEN ARMSTRONG, Staff Writer
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| Making the wedding of your dreams a
reality can be a daunting task, but it is attainable. How, you might
ask? Julie Banner, who married Chronicle of the Horse publisher Robert
Banner earlier this summer, knows how. She recently shared her experience and gave tips on how she made her Hunt Country wedding day a smashing success, in an interview with Middleburg Life: Having a clear and personal vision of the day and its aesthetic was crucial for Banner. She used the view from the top of Wild Cat Mountain in The Plains (one of the couple's favorite spots to ride) as her inspiration, and everything fell into place from there. Held June 21 at Trinity Episcopal Church for the ceremony, then Great Meadow for the reception, the wedding reflected her vision down to the last detail. The color scheme was the blues and greens of the Piedmont Valley, and everything from the monogrammed napkins to the votive candles followed the theme. Florist Paul Smith brought the beauty of the area to the wedding through his organic and natural-looking floral arrangements and decorations. And many other Hunt Country touches made it a day to remember. “We love horses,” Banner said. “We wanted [the wedding] to speak to who we are.” The couple rode in a four-in-hand coach (courtesy of Jackie Ohrstrom) from the ceremony to the reception; they gave out gift bags with horsie goodies; and even the matches they handed out had horseshoes printed on the box. The day was a success, but it wasn't without a lot of hard work that went into it months before. “I got engaged in September, and I got started planning right away,” Banner said. One of the biggest challenges she faced was dealing with all the issues associated with an outdoor wedding. “It's a blank slate,” she said. “My sister got married in a club, and they provided the tables, chairs and silverware. When you plan an outdoor wedding, you get the silver, chairs and table. You have to decide if you want the sides of the tent up. You have to have cake tables, bathrooms, parking - you have to think of all the details.” Taking the time to find the right people to work with was key in making every last thing right and making the planning process a smooth one. “Having a level of comfort is huge,” she said. “Are the details that important? Yeah, they are.” All her planning paid off and Banner was truly able to enjoy the experience. “It was so amazing to get our favorite people and have them come to our favorite places,” she said. “it was surreal.” |
 The happy couple took a four-in-hand coach from the ceremony to the reception. |