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THE G R O U N D S of Livev

@thegroundsoflivev

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A 23-acre farm blending nature, wellness, art, & equestrian life, offering the community a space to gather, create, and celebrate.
Oakton, Virginia

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Step into nature, unwind, and breathe deep; celebrate the opportunity to live outside of the hustle and bustle of everyday life and connect with art and community. Begin your journey in a place that’s more than just a destination—it’s a feeling, a retreat, a place to BE. The Grounds’ open spaces, sweeping gardens, wistful woodlands, and natural growing ecosystems connect us back to the original artist and teacher: Mother Nature.

We are rooted in connection—to the land and the local community around us. We are committed to cultivating the benefits of nature, taking time to focus on self, family, and mental health and providing space to discern what it truly means to be well. It is our wish to protect and care for this land and community we have been given, and to teach our next generation to do the same.

Videography: @bradleypaul
Photography: @mattlien

#TheGroundsExperience
#NatureConnection
#FindYourPlaceToBe
#RootedInNature by @thegroundsoflivev

Two days ago marked two years since The Grounds held its very first offering.

It was a small garden class led by Pooja Campbell. It felt a little like an experiment. And then people actually showed up. They actually enjoyed it. It was magical.

We never meant to open The Grounds when we did. We thought we’d wait until the property was fully developed, everything was ready, and we had it all figured out.

Thank God we didn’t, because we’d probably still be waiting.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned over these two years is that the best way to do something is by doing it. Not perfecting it. Not waiting until everything lines up.

And maybe the story isn’t even the big, pivotal moments. It’s everything in between. All the small things that happen from one milestone to the next. The trying, changing, figuring it out, and continuing anyway.

I would much rather be living this version of The Grounds and sharing it with our community than waiting for some future version I once thought would be “finished.”

This version is perfection. Accepting where we are at every step of the way.

Our team started with just Celeste and me, and Pooja willing to try that first class with us. Now it has grown into this incredible group of TG faces who make this place what it is.

I say it often, but I mean it: they are The Grounds. This place is special because of every one of them.

So grateful for these two years. And for everything still in between.

(Missing from this photo is our Camp Chef @cwisnewski 😭. Soon she will be back for cooking classes, and we can’t wait! AND missing Alfredo & Brian!!) by @thegroundsoflivev

Would you bare a cold night, with some delicious soups, fire pits going, throw in some bourbon, and great conversation?

We had so much fun at our Elevated Camp Dinner, that I can’t help but dream up ways to get back to our Camp Grounds on the property. To feel far away and yet so close to home, and connect with people on the simplest level, is magical. The discomfort of cold is part of it. I call it healthy discomfort. It’s the magic behind your most memorable moments.

Anyway, I’m over here planning out how we can be cold and cozy at the same time over at the Camp Grounds with you all this season. “Burr Bundle & Bourbon” is calling. Would you answer?

Photo: @gwensaunier

#TheGroundsofLivev #CampGrounds by @thegroundsoflivev

Her name is Bunny. Her personality is the way she looks. She’s an Icy B-unny. We like her anyway. My favorite animals are the ones with big personality. When she’s had it, she stomps her right leg, but will do absolutely nothing. Bunny, you so funny.

Photos: @gwensaunphoto

#FarmLife #KerryHillSheep #Sheepish by @thegroundsoflivev

Our greenhouse and gardens are finally complete, and now comes one of my favorite parts: figuring out what we get to do with them!

I’m in the process of developing our garden-themed classes, and the possibilities feel endless. From a year-round gardening course to one-time classes on flower pressing, flower drying, seed collecting, growing your own cutting garden, and everything in between.

But before I get too carried away with my own ideas, I want to hear yours!

What would YOU love to learn, try, or experience in our greenhouse and gardens?

I want to build something around what you’re genuinely excited about, so don’t hold back. Even if it’s something completely unexpected, I want to hear it!

Tell me in the comments. I’m listening!

#GardeningWorkshops #GardeningTherapy
#FlowerLove by @thegroundsoflivev

This is what it’s all about.

Our Elevated Camp Dinner with @owswine was everything I had always imagined The Grounds could be.

Adults going back to the basics. Getting a little uncomfortable, whether that meant being around a horse, sitting outside in the cold, or simply stepping outside what feels familiar. All for the sake of an experience.

We’ve become so good at making ourselves comfortable. Adjusting every part of life to avoid discomfort. But I think that’s how life becomes ordinary. And ordinary is so far from extraordinary.

An extraordinary life can be quite simple. It’s pushing through healthy discomfort, taking chances, and being willing to experience something without knowing the outcome.

When I took the chance on creating The Grounds, this is what I pictured. These photos. These faces. These memories.

During dessert, “Peace” by O.A.R. came on. I looked at Celeste and said, “This is the song I always imagined playing in my head when I thought about The Grounds” (except O.A.R. was live at The Grounds playing it lol, they are localish after all).

And there it was. Playing in real life.

I wasn’t imagining it anymore. I was living it.

I looked down to pick up a dessert plate for a guest, and my eyes filled with tears. Just for a moment, before pulling myself together and carrying on.

Thank you to everyone who embraces the simple things at The Grounds. The extraordinarily simple things.

I hope when you close your eyes and think of your happiest memories, The Grounds is the setting for a few of them.

And if you’d like to create an evening like this for your own private group, we’d love to host you. Games, activities, wine, food, fireside conversations, laughter, and a little healthy discomfort.

Because sometimes the most memorable experiences happen when we stop trying to make everything comfortable.

Photos: @gwensaunphoto

#TheGroundsVA #TheGroundsofLivev #OaktonVA #NorthernVirginiaEvents #ExperienceMore by @thegroundsoflivev

Holiday Makers Retreat

Saturday, December 19 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Spend a day at The Grounds making the holidays a little more personal.

Our Holiday Makers Retreat is a full day of creativity, thoughtful gifting, and handmade traditions. We’ll move between the kitchen, art studio, and greenhouse, creating beautiful, useful, and delicious gifts to share with the people we love.

From edible treats and botanical creations to handmade keepsakes, the day is designed to slow down the holiday rush and enjoy the simple pleasure of making something yourself.

Come ready to create, experiment, and leave with a collection of gifts made by you, along with a few new skills and ideas to carry into the season.

All supplies are included, and no experience is needed.

With multiple creative experiences planned throughout the day, spaces are limited. Don’t wait until the holiday rush to make your plans. Reserve your spot before registration fills! Link in the bio. by @thegroundsoflivev

They say businesses that try to do too many things when they first start usually don’t make it.

Well, we certainly didn’t make it easy on ourselves.

An art studio, an equestrian space, an event venue, gardens, dinners, festivals, and whatever else we dream up along the way.

But we’re making it work. And we take very little credit for carrying that weight ourselves.

It’s the community. It’s the people who tell us what we could do better instead of running to leave a bad review. The rider who stops by just to groom and love on a horse. The people who show up and ask how they can volunteer. The ones who bring friends, offer encouragement, and genuinely care whether we succeed.

They understand that we’re not building The Grounds to fill our pockets. We’re trying to build something we believe is missing.

At a time when genuine community can feel harder and harder to find, we’re trying to create an abundance of it.

And somehow, all these different pieces work because of the people who care enough to make them work. Thank you for that.

If you’re new here, please sign up for a class, dinner, or your own private group event or retreat! We want you to feel the magic of it all.

Photograph by: @gwensaunphoto

#TheGroundsVA #OaktonVA #NorthernVirginia #VisitFairfax #CreativeCommunity by @thegroundsoflivev

TWO YEARS. TWO FESTIVALS. AND WHAT A DAY!

I can’t believe we just had our second Outsiders Only Festival!

What a beautiful day filled with creativity, incredible people, and some truly fantastic vendors.

What I loved most was seeing conversations go beyond the usual “Hi, how are you? Thank you. Bye.”

People stopped, asked questions, shared stories, and got to know the people behind the work. That’s exactly what I hoped The Grounds would inspire when we started this journey.

To our vendors, thank you for bringing so much talent and personality. To everyone who came, thank you for showing up, being curious, and supporting small businesses.

To our generous sponsors, thank you for believing in what we’re building. And to everyone behind the scenes, we couldn’t have done it without you!

Here’s to the outsiders, the makers, and everyone willing to try something different.

Sponsors:
@yelpnova
@nikknab
@glidechirocare
@owswine
@orangetheory
@jcstanfordmd
@somethingfabulous
@chinola
@puregreen.vienna
@hornandcompany
@gave.tequila

Photos: @gwensaunphoto

#OutsidersOnlyFestival #TheGroundsVA #VisitFairfax #NorthernVirginia OaktonVA by @thegroundsoflivev

October weddings at The Grounds. Let’s go!

Wedding season is here, and we couldn’t be more excited for the celebrations happening on our property this month.

The flowers, the tables, the people, the little details that make each wedding entirely its own. We love seeing how every couple makes The Grounds theirs for the day.

And to our 2027 brides and grooms… our books are officially OPEN!

If you’re dreaming of a wedding that feels a little less traditional and a lot more like you, we’d love to show you around.

Come see what’s possible at The Grounds.

Photo: @gwensaunphoto

#TheGroundsVA #VirginiaWeddingVenue #NorthernVirginiaWeddings #2027Bride #2027Wedding GardenWedding OutdoorWeddingVenue VirginiaBride DMVWeddings by @thegroundsoflivev

Two and a half years ago, The Grounds was just a dream in my mind.

Here we are that July, photographing and filming for a website that didn’t yet exist. I had a clear vision. It had to look the way I imagined it and, more importantly, feel the way I felt it.

By then, Celeste had jumped on board for this journey with me.

It makes me smile thinking about everything we’ve navigated since. Going into business with one of your best friends is a little like a new marriage. You think you know someone so well, and suddenly you’re discovering an entirely different side of them.

There are miscommunications, assumptions, and moments when you wonder where the person you’ve always known went. But they haven’t gone anywhere. You’re just learning another part of them. And they’re learning another part of you.

We’ve done our fair share of figuring each other out. And I think we’ve finally arrived at a place of really knowing and trusting one another. Knowing when to push and when to back down. When something isn’t about you. When to call a spade a spade. And trusting that if something needs to be said, we’ll say it.

We’ve learned to read each other’s expressions, give each other room, and recognize we’re both doing our best. And when one of us isn’t, we can let that be what it is.

This second year had its challenges, but they weren’t us. They were the growing pains of a new business, navigating the county, its processes, and everything that comes with building something from the ground up.

Like when a county email comes through and Celeste knows I need two hours before she speaks to me about it.

Through it all, we’ve grown in ways neither of us expected.

Coming off our second Outsiders Only this weekend, I find myself especially grateful for Celeste.

I’m grateful for how different we are. For the laughter those differences bring, even when they drive us a little crazy. For the things she sees that I don’t, and the things I see that she doesn’t. For the ways we challenge each other and make The Grounds something neither of us could have created quite the same way alone.

We’ve learned we don’t have to be alike to be on the same page.

Celeste, thank you for all of it. by @thegroundsoflivev

Outsiders Only wouldn’t happen the way it does without the businesses and people who step in and help us bring it to life.

A huge thank you to this year’s sponsors: @chinola , @owswine , @somethingfabulous , @nikknab , @puregreen.vienna , @jcstanfordmd , @orangetheory , @yelpnova , @glidechirocare , Gavé American Agave Spirite, and @hornandcompany

These are businesses—many of them local—that chose to support a day built around artists, makers, creativity and community. That support matters to us, and we’re incredibly grateful to have them behind Outsiders Only this year.

Outsiders Only
October 10, 2026
The Grounds | Oakton, VA

Come spend the day with us. Purchase your tickets on the link in the bio. by @thegroundsoflivev