We are thrilled to launch our annual Best Of Central Virginia Weddings! Our region has become an elite wedding scene filled with incredible venues, vendors, designers and so much more. However, it can be overwhelming for engaged couples to even know where to begin. The Best Of Central Virginia Weddings is a way for our readership to determine who the BEST in the local wedding industry are so soon-to-be newlyweds can use the results as a reliable resource in their planning. Whether you’re voting based off your own wedding or a wedding you’ve attended, we want to hear from YOU on who you think is the best!

Voting will take place from April 5 – June 1, 2024.

We will accept write-in nominations until April 22, but keep in mind that your nomination counts as your vote.
Please allot 72 business hours for your approved nominated vote to appear in the pre-populated choices on the ballot. 

Rules and Regulations

• You may vote one time per category for the duration of the contest (a nomination counts as a vote!).
• We reserve the right to modify any categories and/or contestants.
• A contestant may be nominated in a maximum of six categories. Any nominations following their sixth category will be removed.
• A contestant will be immediately disqualified if they are found guilty of violating one of the following contest rules:

  • Exchanging a good or service for votes (including bribes, sales, discounts, free, etc.)
  • Exploiting a competing contestant negatively for personal gain or votes
  • Participating in fraudulent voting (3rd party resources, fraudulent emails, etc.)
  • If you see someone guilty of any of the above, please report to bella@vgnet.com. 

 Access Contest Here

Access Voting Toolkit Here

By participating in the Best Of Central Virginia Weddings, your email address will automatically be added into our Lynchburg Scene e-newlsetter and any wedding related lists at the conclusion of the contest. You may unsubscribe at any time.

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve is a Wonderland

In 1872, Congress established Yellowstone National Park in the Montana and Wyoming territories. Placing the land exclusively in the hands of the Secretary of the Interior, the goal with this designated land was to use it as “a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of people.” 

Editor’s Note: It’s important to note here that, when Yellowstone National Park was established, it was inhabited by the Tukudika, who were one of the only tribes to take permanent residence in the area year-round. Throughout varying seasons, the Yellowstone area was inhabited by a number of other indigenous tribes such as Kiowa, Blackfeet, Cayuse, Coeur d’Alene, Shoshone, Nez Perce. Yellowstone National Park and many other National Parks in our country is native land and readers are encouraged to research those ramifications. What is today called New River Gorge National Park (more below) is the ancestral land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, Tutelo, S’atsoyaha, and Moneton people. 

When Congress designated Yellowstone National Park as a public space for all, it sparked a worldwide movement of countries and nations creating National Parks as a way to protect lands and keep them open for public enjoyment. As of today, roughly 100 nations oversee more than 1,200 national parks or preserves (according to NPS). And, a new park has been added to our country’s roster: New River Gorge National Park & Preserve.

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

Situated in the scenic mountains of West Virginia, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is home to more than 70,000 acres of public lands. While the United States oversees 429 national sites, only 63 (including New River Gorge National Park and Preserve) have the “national park” designation.

The New River Gorge National River—one of the oldest rivers in the world at an estimated 300 to 360 million years old—was established as a national river in 1978 but the area was reestablished and expanded to include the land surrounding it in 2021 when it was named a national park. The park encompasses 53 miles of the New River, running from Bluestone Dam to Hawk’s Nest Lake.

The New River and the surrounding landscape makes for a diverse ecosystem and an area that has become a refuge for endangered mammals such as the Virginia big-eared bat and Indiana bat. Bald eagles and peregrine falcons also call the area home, creating incredible, once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunities for visitors. The New River slices through the Appalachian Mountains—also one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world—to create unfragmented forest, cliff and rimrock habitats, forest seeps and wetlands, and mature bottomland forests.

Visiting New River Gorge National Park

America’s newest national park doesn’t require an entrance fee or a reservation to visit, making it an affordable destination. Plus, West Virginia, is home to hundreds of miles of scenic, winding roads that make for a perfect weekend road trip from Lynchburg. With campsites and lodging nearby, planning a trip to New River Gorge National Park has never been easier.

Travelers looking to unwind after a long day of adventure seeking can book the nearby Lafayette Flats, boutique rentals that offer modern, upscale apartment-style rentals in historic Fayetteville. Or stay the night at Country Road Cabins to be truly tucked away from it all. Guests can choose from log cabins, glamping tents, yurts, and two iconic tree houses. And, of course, camping opportunities are abundant in West Virginia.

A visit to New River Gorge National Park means something for everyone. If there’s a history buff among the group, they will be thrilled to view the railroad tracks that opened West Virginia up to the rest of the developing country in 1872. They’ll have the opportunity to take in the old coal operations, which carried coal out of the gorge via rail, as well as old rail yards and timber towns.

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is also known for its abundant recreational opportunities, from whitewater rafting and canoeing to hiking, rock climbing, fishing, bird watching, camping, picnicking and biking. In fact, the Mountain State is home to the greatest density of American whitewater runs in the United States with world class rapids that provide a thrill like no other. The Lower Gorge of the New River is a premier whitewater rafting location with imposing rapids ranging in difficulty from Class III to Class V, Commercial outfitters conduct trips down the river from April through October. The upper part of the river offers somewhat less challenging class I to III rapids for whitewater canoeing.

The park is also home to the New River Gorge bridge which is the 2nd highest steel arch in the United States and the 2nd longest single arch bridge in the world. Bridge Walk allows visitors the opportunity to travel on the catwalk among the structural beams 851 feet above the New River.

And, right now is the perfect time to embark on a wildflower hike through New River Gorge to enjoy a colorful hike amongst the rhododendrons, trout lilies, and other beautiful flora and fauna set against a lush, mountainous backdrop.

Additional Resources: 

• Be Lead by Locals: Spend a Day in the New River Gorge 
• New River Gorge Watersports 
• New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

Inspired by our photographer’s recent trip to London’s Mercato Mayfair

Photography by Ashlee Glen

“Megan, have you ever had cacio e pepe?” our photographer, Ashlee Glen, excitedly asked me on a recent photoshoot. She was fresh off a plane from London and was rattling off the life-changing meals she had while traveling there with her daughter.

One such meal was at Mercato Mayfair, Mercato Metropolitano’s second London location located inside a deconsecrated church on North Audley Street. Its towering ceilings and deep vaults make it an ideal location—if not for worship—for worldwide cuisine and an impressive wine collection. Mercato Mayfair is essentially a food hall, with cultures from all over the world represented.

“On the spot made pasta that was amazingly affordable, and fun chefs who know what they’re doing,” is how Ashlee described her experience and the reason why cacio e pepe—translated from Italian as cheese and pepper—was her immediate choice.

Since her return, I haven’t been able to get cacio e pepe off my mind: the salty, rich, umami flavor from an aged Pecorino Romano; the aromatic and slightly spicy note from freshly ground black pepper; the light and creamy way that the cheese just melts as it blends with hot pasta water. It’s heaven.

Inspired by Ashlee’s recent trip to London’s Mercato Mayfair and to ease my own pasta cravings, here’s a simple cacio e pepe recipe for you to recreate her decadent meal at home. Note: I strongly suggest you make fresh pasta for this—it adds a level of textural dimension that just can’t be accomplished with store bought pasta. Plus, making pasta from scratch is just so fun.

Cacio e Pepe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 5 cups Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
• 1 lb pasta—spaghetti, bucatini, fettucini, or tagliatelle all work here
• Salt for the pasta water—enough for the water to taste like the sea

Directions

1. In a pot, bring water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, salt the water.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, grate the Pecorino Romano cheese.
3. With a mortar and pestle, grind up the peppercorns to a fine consistency. Set a tablespoon of ground pepper aside, this is the pepper you will be using. Note: Freshly ground black pepper is crucial to this dish.
4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions. If you’re using fresh pasta, you will only need mere minutes.
5. While the pasta is cooking, heat a pan over medium heat and toast your ground pepper until it smells aromatic. This should take no more than a minute.
6. Once the pasta has cooked, reserve 2 cups of pasta water and drain your pasta.
7. Add your pasta back to your hot pot, add 1 cup of the reserved pasta water, and sprinkle half of your cheese and half of your pepper. Stir well and quickly with tongs to achieve a creamy cheese sauce.
8. Add the remaining cheese and pepper and an additional ½ cup of pasta water to the pasta and mix again.
9. If your cheese sauce is lumpy, you can either return the pasta to the stove on the lowest heat setting and stir for a minute, add a little bit more pasta water, or both.
10. You will have some leftover ground pepper from when you originally ground it with the mortar and pestle, reserve this to serve on top of the pasta after you’ve portioned it into bowls.