Joseph and I met while he was in Law school and I was in graduate school. We met in passing on a sidewalk. He was wearing a West Virginia hat, so I stopped to ask him if he was from WV. I am originally from WV and it turned out he was too. The conversation ended with him asking for my phone number so we could get together and watch some WVU football games together. A week later he asked me out on our first date. I surprised him with a grooms cake that was a WV hat, since his hat was the whole reason we met. We were together three years before we were engaged and were engaged for year before we got married. He proposed while we were on a bike ride on Kiawah Island. 

I fell in love with the Governor Thomas Bennett House for a few reasons. It’s courtyard and gardens were perfect for the outdoor ceremony we dreamed of and for a dance tent. I loved that my guests could enjoy dinner on the piazza and inside the beautiful Charleston style mansion.

The hardest part of planning the wedding for me was choosing colors. I fell in love with a fabric pattern that was green so we planned the entire wedding theme based on that fabric. Cindy did an awesome job at taking my vision of a wedding with a vintage feel and incorporating the pattern into so many details. Every detail and event of the day was even more beautiful than I had imagined. My favorite part of the day was walking with my dad down the aisle to meet Joseph in front of the fountain in the courtyard to exchange our vows.

Photography: Liz Duren Photography & Setup Shots By Collette Mruk Photography / Flowers: Judy Johnston, Engaging Events / Event Planning & Design: Engaging Events / Ceremony & Reception Location: The Governor Thomas Bennett House / Cake: Elaine’s Events / Catering: Good Food Catering / Band: Soul Fish / Linens: Connie Duglin Linens & BBJ Linens

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBJ Linens, Charleston, Collette Mruk Photography, Color Palette Green Pink, Connie Duglin Linens, Elaine's Events, Engaging Events, Good Food Catering, Liz Duran Photography, milk glass, Outdoor Ceremony, Outdoor Wedding, Plantation Wedding, Preppy, Preppy Chic, Preppy Wedding, Soul Fish, South Carolina, Southern Weddings, Succulents, The Governor Thomas Bennett House, Vintage Chic, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Planners & Designers
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Vintage Chic

Harry and I knew we wanted an outdoor wedding in the Catskill Mountains, where we met at his parents’ house.  From the moment Harry and I saw the view from Onteora Mountain House, we knew there was no more perfect a place for us to get married.  Being an avid outdoorsman, Harry was looking for something more rustic that would show his personality, and I was hoping for something romantic and ethereal to represent me. Every aspect of our wedding was a perfect union of what we like to call “Rustic Romance.”

The very first selection we made was choosing our photographers, and boy did we luck out with Ulysses and Jenni of Ulysses Photography! We had seen one of their books at Onteora and starting with the initial phone call, I had a great feeling about these two.  Our engagement picture session in Central Park was the perfect beginning to our relationship, and Ulysses and Jenni made us feel so comfortable and also captured both the look and feel we were going for. Our wedding day was no different, and I cannot praise our photographers enough for capturing the best moments of our night, often without us even realizing they were there!

Heather at A Night in Bloom Event Florist listened to our vision of rustic romance and executed our flower selection with perfection. Her recommendation of Sahara roses and green gladiolas mixed with our selection of hens-and-chicks, white sweet peas, vines and river rocks made the most amazing flower centerpieces. Our ceremony decoration of a field mix of flowers in mason jars, accented with sage green ribbon, was the perfect touch to bring our rustic romance vision into all aspects of our wedding.

Kristy Rice at Momental Designs created our invitations with a one-of-a-kind drawing of the view from the ceremony site at Onteora, with each invitation hand painted with watercolors to bring out the beauty of our venue.

Chelsea Harris from Salon 52 Hair Studio created the stunning side-swept look that exuded romance, and I could not have been more in love with my hair! Woodstock String Quartet provided our ceremony music and did a phenomenal job taking our unconventional musical selections (my bridal entrance was to “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica) and bringing them to life in strings.  DJ Mike Alevras from Hudson Valley Entertainment kept the party lively and the dance floor was packed throughout the night. Jeanne Stark, our day-of wedding coordinator, kept everything in order and made it easy for Harry and I to enjoy our wedding and know that everything was being taken care of behind the scenes.

We could not have hoped for a more beautiful wedding experience that truly represented who we are as a couple and what we wanted our guests to experience during our wedding ceremony and reception. Each and every person we worked with helped to bring our dream and vision of rustic romance to life and create the magical night we will remember forever.

Photography: Ulysses Photography / Event Location: Onteora Mountain House / Flowers: A Night in Bloom / Invitations: Momental Designs / Bride’s Dress: Demetrios / Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Angelo / Hair: Chelsea Harris, Salon 52 Hair Studio / Day-of Event Coordinator: Jeanne Stark / Music: Hudson Valley Entertainment / Catering: Blue Mountain Bistro / Ceremony Music: Woodstock String Quartet

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Night In Bloom, Alfred Angelo, Blue Mountain Bistro, Casual Elegance, Catskill Mountains, Chuppah, Color Palette Green Pink, Demetrios, Hudson River Valley, Hudson Valley Entertainment, Jeanne Stark, Jewish Wedding, Momental Designs, New York, Onteora Mountain House, Outdoor Ceremony, Salon 52 Hair Studio, Ulysses Photography, Wedding Photography, Wedding Stationery, Woodstock String Quartet
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog

Adrienne and Justin were married in October. The afternoon Catholic ceremony was held in Waterbury, Vemont. The reception followed at the historic Round Barn Farm in Waitsfield.

Adrienne’s dress is by Christos. Isn’t the detailing stunning?

As guests arrived, little bells were handed out to the guests to use in Adrienne and Justin’s send-off (or so they thought!).  Much to the couple’s surprise, and thanks to her clever mom, their first kiss was rewarded by the sound of tinkling bells throughout the church. Adrienne says it’s a sound she will always remember with great joy! So cute!

What beautiful colors { … and the look on that calf’s face made me bust out laughing} !

Now, on to the reception … and this is where the details get truly amazing …

from Adrienne:  As a child, I was always really into the idea of an enchanted forest and “The Secret Garden”.  When our wedding planning started, I immediately knew that I wanted the reception to have a woodsy feel and the barn was an ideal setting. When the guests first entered the barn there was a big old wagon that presented us with the perfect opportunity to wow them.  I had our florists cover the wagon  with moss and grass that they had grown in their studio. Our escort “cards” were stuck into the grass to look like wooden flower markers. In addition to the floral arrangements that were made, the florists actually dug up tree saplings from the woods and fastened them to the beams.  They also hung lanterns that I purchased at Ikea onto the branches. It really created the perfect first impression and set the rustic, foresty tone I had dreamed of …

I wanted the centerpieces to look as if they were just growing out of tree stumps. The tall centerpieces consisted of white orchids mixed with manzanita branches and curly willow set into a vase wrapped with birch bark and topped with moss. The shorter centerpieces had the same birch wrapped vases with moss and ferns, roses, lisianthus, and ranunculus. We had candles in mosaic glass throughout the room and on the tables.  My mother tirelessly worked on the table numbers which consisted of wooden stands that she covered with moss and small birds nests.  The actual numbers were spray-painted and stuck into the nests.  We also included mini mushrooms that I had purchased online.  To top off the table settings, my mother found gold bird salt and pepper shakers which were absolutely adorable.  For table runners we purchased light sage brocade curtains that we had found online (on sale – love it!) and my grandmother cut and sewed them into runners.   We echoed the foresty feel in our wedding cake as well which was made to look like birch bark with flowers and ferns and two finches.  And again, our candy bar was covered with moss and signs made to look like flower markers, and mini mushrooms...

We’ve shown you some pretty great candy buffets on Style Me Pretty … but this is one of the best we’ve seen! If you’re going to do candy … this is the way to do it!

To back-track just a bit … Adrienne’s family was full of surprises!

from Adrienne … Right before the cocktail hour ended, my family decided to spring a few more surprises on us.  I am originally from Germany but moved to the States when I was a child.  Aside from my parents and brother 90% of our immediate family still lives in Germany.  I was fortunate that a good number of my family was able to come to the weddig.  And with them they brought some German traditions that I had no idea we were going to partake in.  First up was the tradition of cutting a log. The log represents the first obstacle that the couple must overcome in their marriage.  The couple then demonstrates their ability to work together and overcome the obstacle by sawing through the log.  The next tradition was cutting out a big heart drawn on a sheet which also had pictures of us all over it.  Cutting out the heart and then having the groom carry the bride through the opening of the sheet is the German equivalent to carrying the bride over the threshold.  Lastly, we released a cluster of balloons into the air with blessings and good wishes from our family and friends.

This wedding from Orchard Cove Photography embodies the spirit of Style Me Pretty! Your Wedding–Your Way–Your Style!!  So much of Adrienne & Justin’s wedding was a family effort. So many so-so-special touches that will live on in their hearts forever.

We can’t leave you without a final parting shot of Adrienne’s SMP’s-LBBB’s-now-famous-wedding-shoe-shot (first featured here on the LIttle Black Book Blog).

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Adrienne for supplying all of the fascinating details about your dream wedding … and to Amanda at Orchard Cove Photography for sending us these fabulous fotos!

Additional credits: Eileen Broderick Photography (photography assistance),  The Blue Toad (fabulous florals), Cooking From The Heart (Catering from Round Barn Farm), Irene’s Cakes By Design, Attire by J.Crew and Ann Taylor Celebrations, DJ: BTE Entertainment.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

For another of Orchard Cove’s fun-filled (DIY) weddings, take a look at Ben and Hedda’s Fourth of July Long Island Wedding.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bell Ringing, Christos, Color Palette Green Pink, Orchard Cove Photography, Secret Garden, The Round Barn Farm, The Round Barn Farm Inn, Vermont, Waitsfield, Waterbury, Wedding Shoes, Woodlands Themed Wedding
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings