Down on the Farm

A West Virginia couple’s wedding venue is the perfect spot for their daughter’s “I do’s.”

Whitney Rose & Neil DePugh
Cool Ridge | 08.28.21

written by Holly Leleux-Thubron
photographed by Kelli Carrico Photography

When your family owns a wedding venue, where to exchange vows and celebrate with those nearest and dearest to you on one of the most important days of your life is an easy choice. There was never any doubt that the summer 2021 wedding of Whitney Rose and Neil DePugh would take place at the Glade Creek Farm in Cool Ridge, and the event was spectacular. And lucky for this couple, the family venue was flexible with rescheduling the big day since their original wedding date was postponed one year by COVID-19.  

how it all began

Whitney and Neil first met at the Charleston Jazz Festival in the summer of 2018. Neil caught Whitney’s eye, and she mustered the courage to tell him so. The pair exchanged numbers and, about five minutes later, he sent her a text. The festival exchange evolved into an invitation for Neil to join Whitney and her friends on a boat ride. That boat ride turned two strangers into an inseparable couple.

The following year, while the couple was vacationing in Cancun, Mexico, with Whitney’s family, her mother arranged for a family picture to be taken by one of the photographers at the resort. Little did Whitney know that her mother’s plan was an attempt to hide Neil’s true intentions of proposing to her in one of the most picturesque settings imaginable. Instead of snapping family photos, the resort photographer captured an incredible moment that Whitney and Neil will never forget. She said yes, and the couple began planning a family-centric wedding on the 100-acre Cool Ridge property.

a family affair

The chapel on the Glade Creek Farm comes with a story directly connected to Whitney’s family. It turns out her 85-year-old maternal grandfather tore down an old Wyoming County general store many years before and stored the wood. That reclaimed lumber was used to build the gorgeous chapel on the grounds, and the couple knew it was the perfect place to say “I do.”

Whitney’s grandfather drove her to the chapel for the ceremony in a restored 1937 pickup truck. She walked down the aisle alone and met her father and stepfather near the altar, where both men gave her away. She wore a traditional wedding dress from Jean Ann’s Bridal in Beckley, and her attendants stood beside her in long, formal dresses in shades of pink and blue. The groom wore a navy blue tuxedo, as did his groomsmen—who also wore custom-made socks that the groom felt reflected each of their personalities.

Whitney and Neil wrote letters to one another that they read privately just before the ceremony. At the altar, they expanded upon those feelings and exchanged traditional wedding vows. Three of Whitney’s cousins sang “Amazing Grace” in remembrance of the couple’s grandparents who were no longer with them, and the couple planted an American Red Cedar tree together as a symbol of their new marriage and devotion to one another.

Very few weddings go off without a hitch, and this one was no exception. The wedding photographer, Kelli Carrico, lost her maternal grandmother days before the wedding. There was some doubt that she would be able to make the wedding, since the funeral was set for the same day. A consummate professional who would never leave her couples in the lurch, Carrico attended the funeral in the morning and the wedding later that same day. “We were so moved by her amazing dedication and so thankful that she was able to capture this precious day for us,” Whitney says.  

party time

A reception inside the Glade Creek barn began after a social hour with heavy hors d’oeuvres. The bride and groom were announced to the crowd, and a lively bridal party entrance followed. Rather than incorporating the traditional father–daughter and mother–son dances in the reception, Whitney danced to “Baby of Mine” with the couple’s 8-month-old son, Everett. It’s a memory that still brings tears to her eyes.

Then, there were the speeches. The best man, Whitney’s stepfather, and a dear friend the couple hadn’t seen in a few years all toasted the couple and imparted wisdom to mark the momentous occasion.

It was a beautiful summer night, Whitney says, and guests danced well into the evening. They were treated to signature ice cream sundaes scooped up from the Cherry On Top Ice Cream truck based in Victor. The sundae option inspired by the bride included blackberry cheesecake ice cream topped with fresh berries, berry puree, and homemade whipped cream. The groom’s signature sundae included sweet vanilla ice cream topped with a homemade chocolate brownie, fresh strawberries, and a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Guests snacked on pepperoni rolls from Fayette County’s Almost Heaven Pepperoni Rolls and sent the couple off to their honeymoon in Asheville, North Carolina, under an arch of illuminated sparklers.

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