Elaine Kastelberg, mother of the bride and co-owner (with husband Jimmy) of Caravati's Inc. Architectural Salvage, shares details of the Sept. 24, 2010 wedding of daughter Sarah Kastelberg and Andrew Culver. The reception took place at Elaine and Jimmy Kastelberg's home in Hanover County, where guests gathered in outdoor rooms created with salvaged windows, vintage chairs and retro outside seating — a shabby chic effect that couples can achieve with inspiration, good friends and elbow grease.
- Sarah and Andrew stand in a gazebo made with a steeple from a church in Deal, Md. Jimmy arrived home with two stained-glass church windows, which are mounted in the Kastelbergs' dining room, and the steeple, which was placed in the field by a crane. They hung a chandelier from Caravati's in the center of the ceiling, and Jimmy, Elaine and their sons built a stone base around its foundation to create a gazebo. The church was built in 1901, the same year that our Hanover farmhouse was built.
- Outdoor rooms were created using columns, arched windows from Miller and Rhoads, arched windows from a church originally in Essex County and other architectural features. Wavy glass windows that came from Morris Street in the Fan District hung from trees. Ashwood Gardens of Ashland donated plants and trees to create additional gardens in the field.
- Lighting fixtures were hung in the outdoor "grand hallway." This light came from the old Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar on Franklin Street in Richmond. A friend, Sue Peyron from Ashland, drew a detailed schematic that dictated the placement of every piece of furniture and architectural piece. Family friend Jerry Peart worked for several days hanging wires high in the trees to power the lights above and the landscaping lights from below.
- An epergne, borrowed from friends Hayes and Karen Hanley and filled with hydrangea and berries from local gardens, served as a centerpiece atop a Scamozzi column capital. The piece belonged to Hayes' mother. The reception was filled with silver services and pieces from grandparents, neighbors and teachers from Elaine's preschool. Another friend, Carolyn Peart from Ashland, collected china, glassware, silver and cloth napkins from Goodwill and thrift shops from Williamsburg to Charlottesville. Jimmy and Elaine have stored them all for the next two Kastelberg daughters' weddings.
- Sarah and Andrew rode up the driveway on the back of Jim Storie's 1966 Austin Healey.
- The tables came from Elaine's family's dining room and Caravati's. The cheese tables in the mid-ground were constructed for the reception. Pocket doors scavenged from Fan homes were joined to create tabletops, and porch balusters from a house in Ginter Park formed the legs. Flower arrangements sat in urns atop column bases.
- An old Schwinn bicycle was pulled from the barn and placed beside the steeple to create a Victorian feel. Sue Peyron filled a wicker bicycle basket with sprigs of hydrangea and placed a family picnic basket at its base.
- The sweetheart table was one of many wooden tables featuring a special collection of china and crystal. Flowers from Vogue Florist and local gardens filled silver vases and pitchers. An eclectic collection of wooden chairs from the Kastelbergs' house and neighbors' homes provided seating for the 300 guests. Teachers from Reveille Weekday School (where Elaine works)— Marilyn, Terry, Kathy and Marie — cooked and served the reception food.
- Andrew's parents, Darlene and Bill Culver, brought the wedding cake and five Smith Island layer cakes to Hanover. A native of Maryland's Eastern Shore, Andrew brings the Kastelberg family a cake every time he visits.
- Lauren Hooper and Steve Isaacs, from Salisbury, Md., step through the archway entrance as they are announced by the band. The arch came from the former Signet Bank in downtown Richmond.
