Three things I love more than anything? Winter, darling DIY detail and crazy gorgeous duos in love (but of course). So when those three awesome ingredients combine in a drop-dead gorgeous Poughkeepsie wedding, you can bet your bottom dollar that I am one excited lady. Especially when that drop-dead gorgeous wedding happens to be filled to the brim with yummy homemade desserts, a coffee barn and one amazing image after another captured by Isabelle Selby. See them all in the full gallery.
From the Bride… As soon as were engaged, I began my wedding planning with the ever-so-fabulous Pinterest! Well, maybe I had a “party” inspiration board before the engagement… shhhh.
What did brides do before the days of wedding blogs and Pinterest?! Having these sites made planning a breeze! I knew that we wanted an off-season wedding. We both love the cooler weather and we were on a budget. We were able to have things that we would not have been able to have had, say, going with a September wedding. I envisioned the wedding a few different ways – rustic, romantic, with a vintage glamour. It sounded much harder than it ended up being to incorporate these three very different themes. We began with the reception site, Locust Grove. This was the first and only place we looked at and I knew right away it was for us when I saw the rustic, yet simplistic feel of the space, as well as the grounds.
Next came the dress. I wanted something vintage-style, yet glamourous. Again, I chose the first one I put on! I knew it was for me, it was every detail I had ever dreamed of in one dress!! I then spent time finding fun vintage pieces to match, such as the earnings and a fur wrap. Lastly, we decided with the flowers and decorations to go soft and romantic, that’s where we came up with the pink and gold theme.
I wanted the entire event to feel personal, every little detail to have some meaning. Because the space was so simple we were able to bring detail in ourselves to give it that personalized feel. From the menus to the flip flop basket to the photobooth to the DIY “made with love” granola, we were able to do everything ourselves. I wanted everything to have some little story behind it. For example, the bride and groom cake topper were actually salt and pepper shakers from my mother’s collection that I had always adored. Our flowers were done by a flower shop that is very dear to our hearts. They work out of a storefront which my parents had “Three Behr’s Sweetshop,” which was a dessert haven. My parents had this shop when I was just a baby and there are pictures of them working and me strapped to their chests. So I guess I was doomed to be a sweet tooth even before I could speak. Moving on, everyone who knows Andrew and I, knows we love to eat! Especially coffee and dessert!! We discussed dessert options for hours and came to the conclusion that we personally tend to miss cake/coffee at all the weddings we attend due to the fun we are usually having on the dance floor. Henceforth, our reasoning to have dessert, candy, and coffee to go. For the coffee bar we personalized to go cups and used our favorite local coffee from Coffee Lab Roasters. For the candy bar we had hand-stamped goody bags, which brought back childhood memories of birthday parties my mother put on for me.
Then the dessert bar. Again, we wanted this to feel homemade and personal and because of my great love for baking, I wanted to give back to all our loved ones who were there to celebrate with us. My mother and I made most of the items and then had a few special guests who brought their specialty dessert! You know the one you look forward to every year at family/friend gatherings!? Now I saved the best for last…. the cake and cupcake tower!! Again, we wanted things portable for our guests to be able to package up extra goodies to take home with them. My talented sister made my dream wedding cake, lemon cake with cream cheese frosting. So simple, yet sinful! We had this as our cut cake and the cupcake tower consisted of the same cake. And what could be better than a room full of desserts and candy? Well I’d say a room full of desserts, candy, and a photobooth! Our amazing photographer offered this option which we knew would be a hit. We ordered props from etsy and our fabulous photographer had guest cards created which included the link to view the pictures. And she added a little surprise to the back of each card, each card had a different picture from our engagement shoot!
Overall, the day was even more perfect than I could have hoped and dreamed it would be. My little bit of advice to brides to be is to give yourself plenty of extra time the month leading up to the wedding to deal with fix-ups! I’ve heard this advice myself and being Type A thought, “oh I got this, I don’t know what they’re talking about.” But really, please give yourself some extra time… it’s important. As we all know, things come up in life unexpectedly at times, so If you are super lucky and don’t run into any setbacks, that’s wonderful! You now just have extra time to unwind, get some extra beauty sleep, and prepare yourself for the best day of your life!
Photography: Isabelle Selby Photography | Floral Design: The Lollipop Tree | Wedding Dress: JLM Couture, Inc | Cake: Sweet Emelines | Ceremony Venue: St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church | Reception Venue: Locust Grove | Shoes: Nina | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Coralie Beatrix | Makeup: Nicole Sievers Makeup Artistry | Hair: Styles On B | Ties: The Tie Bar | Groom's Suit: Sebastian Grey | Earrings: Simplicity Goods | Paper Suite: Designed by Bride | Printing: Graphic Nature | Rentals: Durants | Second Photographer: Sasithon Photography