Cabin wedding - NOT "rustic"!

steebsthegreat

My fiancé and I are planning to get married at Skyland Resort in Shenandoah National Park (we still need to go look at the venue, it's technically a "destination wedding" as we're almost 400 miles away).
I'm not really a fan of the whole rustic or country look (I'm a NJ girl who spends a lot of time at the beach, not too country here!) but I feel like it's going to be tough to avoid that, getting married in a cabin. Anyone have pictures of a similar reception space or some good ideas?
Thanks in advanced!

holyguacamole79

steebsthegreat said:

My fiancé and I are planning to get married at Skyland Resort in Shenandoah National Park (we still need to go look at the venue, it's technically a "destination wedding" as we're almost 400 miles away).
I'm not really a fan of the whole rustic or country look (I'm a NJ girl who spends a lot of time at the beach, not too country here!) but I feel like it's going to be tough to avoid that, getting married in a cabin. Anyone have pictures of a similar reception space or some good ideas?
Thanks in advanced!

out of curiosity, why did you choose that venue, then?

RlovesR

You've honestly chosen a really rustic and outdoorsy venue, so you may have an easier time to just embrace that.  I looked at the website, and there's an MOG praising the rusticity of the venue, a beauty shot of a mason jar and a wedding cake wrapped in birch bark. Rustic seems to be what their deal is.

One thing that you might play up is that it's apparently in the middle of wine and whisky country, so you could maybe highlight that?  Use wine glasses or bottles in your centerpieces, decorate with grape and vine motifs, focus your energies on the bar and come up with some killer signature cocktails. Use amber and purple for colors.  Avoid lace, burlap, pastels, baby's breath.  It still won't be an elegant ballroom wedding, but it will be different.

AddieCake

Yeah, I don't understand choosing a venue like this if you don't want a rustic wedding. 

JediElizabeth

Was there a price consideration in this? Have you already put down your deposit?

Looking at the venue, I think you can get something more like we have here in NJ, but it almost seems like it would be more money than finding another venue. If allowed by the venue, I'd look into hanging white drapes from the ceiling to cover some of the exposed wood, along with what @RlovesR suggested. Like this, or even this.

It's still rustic, but much less so than all the exposed wood.

I'd also avoid fairy lights. Instead, look into a lot of uplighting, especially if you can do the hangings. Between white fabric and a very good lighting professional, you can change the whole feel of the room.

steebsthegreat

I'm okay with exposed wood and being in a cabin. It's a national park, we're kind of expecting a bit of a "southern" feel.
But I think burlap, drinking out of mason jars, a cake that looks like a tree, etc. are all terribly tacky. We're actually doing a bit of a "summer camp" kind of feel but we're still stuck on centerpieces, stuff for the fireplace mantel...And at the same time, I don't want a typical NJ wedding in a ballroom. I think that's almost as overdone as having mason jars.

We're picking this venue because it's significantly cheaper than NJ, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking, we LOVE hiking in the park (I spent my summers in the valley with my grandparents), and my grandparents don't travel anymore so we need to stay in Luray for a wedding.

Thanks @JediElizabeth and @RlovesR for giving helpful answers!

artbyallie

You certainly don't have to have mason jars and burlap. The centerpieces can be whatever you choose. What about simple glass vases with fresh seasonal flowers?

holyguacamole79

Have you talked to the event planner at the venue? Looking at pics on their site, the weddings look beautiful! http://www.goshenandoah.com/meet/wedding-gallery

lyndausvi

Unless you have an unlimited budget often  fighting a vibe actually draws more attention to something than actually hiding whatever you are trying to hide.

I would say stay away from burlap, mason jars and wood accents you should be fine.

I work at a club in the mountains.   I've only seen one wedding with burlap, none with mason jars.  The location IS rustic, people don't fight it.  They just compliment the surroundings.  Some people go with the wood, large branches CP.  Most of the weddings however,  have CP that are similar to what you see anywhere else in the US. Plain glass square vases with pretty flowers.  Candles (which would look nice on the mantel).

thisismynickname2

Wildflowers, wildflowers, and more wildflowers in simple vases for your centerpieces. 

Lizzieyounce

If the room you are using is the one with the timbered roof and the stone fireplace, it's a gorgeous room!  I'd go with candles on the mantle and as thisismynicname suggested, seasonal flowers or wild flowers.