Swannanoa Palace Wedding Venue Afton, VA | Tour & Inspiration

Swannanoa Palace Wedding, Theresa Kelly Photography, Virginia Wedding Photographer, Virginia Wedding Venue — Grand Staircase at Swannanoa Palace

Thinking about hosting your wedding at Swannanoa Palace? In this blog post, I’m sharing an inspired wedding photoshoot that took place in the abandoned castle. The castle was built in rural Virginia and is set beside the Blue Ridge Parkway. Originally constructed in 1912, Swannanoa Palace is an Italian Renaissance Revival Villa. Its design was partially based on the buildings in the Villa Medici of Rome. The original owners named the palace Swannanoa because they dearly loved the graceful white birds of the region and the fact that they mated for life.

Drawing on the hauntingly beautiful architecture, a team of inspired wedding vendors set out to showcase design simplicity using a neutral color palette. The overall feeling of this shoot is to inspire you to create a refined and intimate wedding day of your own. To evoke your senses through these photos, we set out to highlight richness using textures. Using this inspiration you can plan a wedding day full of artful details layered with romance, and grace!

Thinking about planning your wedding at Swannanoa Palace in Afton, VA? It would be an honor to make your dreams come true!

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When it came to the tablescape decor and ceremony design, we pursued the balance between wild and organic and polished. Your eyes will immediately take note of foraged greenery used in the design. This element was paired with refined but classic wedding day components. The muted green on the underside of the foraged leaves worked to provide some of the softer tones for our neutral color palette. If you are looking to style your wedding day with neutrals, this tablescape is a perfect alternative to one filled with lush greenery!

These inspired and almost ghostly images of the bride depict her dancing in the moody light. Her soul is full of old-world grace, connecting her to the world of the past. She is elegant but in a way that is more subdued.

The mansion and the grounds of Swannanoa in Virginia are registered historical landmarks. But, the property is open for use to host weddings and private luxury events. After working on this shoot, I can tell you with the greatest confidence that the main house of the mansion looks as glorious as I imagine it did in its heyday! Which makes Swannanoa the perfect place for your love story to bloom.