
Photo courtesy Ashton Creek Vineyard
Cider Buzz
Blue Bee Cider (bluebeecider.com) held the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility and event space in October at 1320 Summit Ave., site of the former city-owned stables in Scott’s Addition. Within its 1940s rustic setting, the site includes a tasting room and shop, two conference rooms, and a climate-controlled cider salon (a seated bar area) that connects to a 900-square-foot outdoor patio. According to Blue Bee Cider Evangelist Brian Ahnmark, the company is still finalizing event rental details, but the property can accommodate about 150 people. For more information on event rentals, contact Ahnmark at brian@bluebeecider.com or call 231-0280.
Design Trends
The second location of the gifts, fashion and accessories store trend opened earlier this year at 3103 W. Cary St. in Carytown. Now Richmonders have access not only to the store’s local and Virginia-made items (the store’s first location is in Blackstone), but also owner Kim Moody’s full-service event planning and design services company, Kim Moody Design. From its former location inside the Richmond Wedding Collective on Strawberry Street, Moody has moved the office inside her Carytown shop. For more information, contact Kim Moody Design at 887-0171 or kimmoodydesign.com.
More Wine, Please
Family-owned Ashton Creek Vineyard in Chester (896-1586 or ashtoncreekvineyard.com) just celebrated one year in business. This rustic and elegant site offers indoor and outdoor spaces for weddings. “In most cases [the couple] likes to get married on the lawn and then come inside for the reception,” says co-owner Lori Thibault. In October, the vineyard’s 2,000-square-foot tasting room opened to the public, serving small plates (and wine, of course). Ashton Creek also is ramping up production on its first batch of wines made from grapes grown on the property. Look for small batches of merlot, chardonnay, petit verdot and more this spring.
Here Comes the Mom
After expanding their selections to include bridesmaid dresses last year, Lex’s of Carytown (355-5425 or lexsofcarytown.com) now offers mother-of-the-bride apparel. Owner Lisa McSherry says, “We started to realize we needed to carry mother-of-the-bride dresses, because we almost started getting more mother-of-the-bride requests than bridesmaids.” She says she often hears from mothers that they have a hard time finding an ensemble to fit the occasion. Lex’s selections are anything but matronly, with form-fitting and flattering silhouettes. With lines being expanded seasonally, there are styles from La Femme Fashion, Morilee and Colors Dress.
Bespoke Beauty
Owner Cynthia Steele of the Cynthia Steele boutique in Stony Point Fashion Park has ramped up the custom design work at her store. Focusing on mother-of-the bride apparel, she designs bespoke pieces where she and the client create an ensemble from the ground up. She says doing this work has always been part of her repertoire, but she has recently increased her promotion of the service. “It’s such a niche, that market, and the mother of the bride has a hard time finding exactly what she wants,” she says. She also creates bespoke wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses and other formal attire. For more information, call 380-9387 or visit Cynthia Steele on Facebook.
Snooze and Booze
A new brewery and cottages are under construction near the wedding reception site at The Mill at Fine Creek (379-8211 or themillatfinecreek.com) in Powhatan. Fine Creek Brewing Company will be located across the street from the venue and is scheduled to open in April. Co-owner Mark Benusa says they hope to start with six different brews. Because the brewery will be open to the public, it will not be a venue included in wedding packages. The Mill at Fine Creek is also adding cottages near the brewery. These 13 private cottages (one-, two- and three-bedroom) can be used as a honeymoon suite, guesthouse or anniversary getaway. The cottages are scheduled to open in March.
Traveling Together
Richmond Limousine and BioRide merged in June and have combined their transportation fleet under the Richmond Limousine name (266-2800 or richmondvalimousine.com). Richmond Limousine Operations Manager and former owner of BioRide Jesse Mobley says that BioRide was rapidly growing, but had difficulty accessing larger capacity vehicles. He says they wanted to find a company that already had the needed transportation at their disposal, but still offered the ability to increase the company’s growth overall. Mobley says, “You’re still going to get that same level of service … it’s still the same people … but you’re getting a heck of a lot better quality vehicles to choose from.”
Digital Bridesmaids
In October, owner Elizabeth Rand moved her shop, the Richmond outpost of Bella Bridesmaids, to 5712 Patterson Ave. “We’re really excited about our new place; it’s a little bigger so … we think this space is going to make appointments run more smoothly,” Rand says. In addition, beginning this month, Bella Bridesmaids now offers an online virtual showroom. It’s a tool where bridesmaids can browse and select dresses, even without access to the physical boutique. The bride can post pictures of potential ensembles, and then her bridesmaids can vote on their favorites. The group can also purchase online or see their selections in store. For more information, call 658-0105 or visit bellabridesmaids.com/locations/richmond.