At the heart of every DIY wedding is a bride who’s not afraid to get her hands a little dirty. The type who can craft like nobody’s business and involves her family every step of the way. It’s exactly what you’ll find in this farm affair from Fabrice Tranzer, and the full gallery is something truly special.
From the Bride.. From the start it was very important to Christopher and I that our wedding be a reflection of the commitment to be made, a day of celebrating with family and friends rather than an over-the-top production. The charming old chapel where we took our vows was an ideal setting steeped in tradition for our ceremony and my family’s farm-Jones Farm of Cornwall, NY provided the perfect backdrop for our reception. Our inspiration for the day was the rustic elegance of the farm and with each detail we sought to compliment our beautiful surroundings.
The farm has been in my family since 1914 and their was something incredibly sacred in sharing such a special day on the same land that generations before me have tended and loved so dearly. We didn’t have an unlimited budget, but were blessed with creative family and friends who were eager to help. I work everyday alongside my parents, grandparents and a team of wonderful people at our family farm and gift shop. Growing up in this environment creates a unique sense of unity that stems from hard work and commitment, and the entire farm family worked together to plan the wedding.
My 86 year old Grandmother contributed our favors-120 jars of homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, made from our own homegrown Rhubarb plants. I created the labels and packaged each jar with simple muslin and string.
I designed and printed our invitations and menus from a pastoral scene that my Mother drew of the family farm. Christopher used his artistic talents in hand stamping the wax seals for our invitations and decorating our bar menu chalkboard.
We so enjoyed adding personal touches to the tent, from making the place cards and table numbers to decorating the arbor entrance and cake table. For our seating chart we carbon copied names onto black mat board and inserted the board into a decorative screen door. The “Mr. & Mr’s.” chair signs were hand lettered from recycled apple crates laying around the farm. I hot glued faux flowers to the boards to tie in the colors from my bouquet. Our biggest challenge was decorating the inner poles of our tent. To add height and interest, we tied white branches to the poles, from which we hung jars with tea lights and faux milk glass pots with ferns to carry over the theme from our Tablescape. The faux milk glass was actually a plastic cup wrapped in bubble wrap and painted white -(an up-cycled, budget friendly, fun craft!)
My Grandfather loaned us his restored 1953 Ford F350 purchased new back in 1953 by the farm from a dealer right here in Cornwall, NY. It was the perfect getaway car, and Christopher and I loved driving with the windows rolled down from the ceremony to our reception.
My Father planted the succulents in our milk glass centerpieces, which we have since transplanted to the garden in our new home. The milk glass pieces were antique and thrift store finds that accented our eclectic Tablescapes- inspired by a milk glass chicken that I found in our collection of family treasures. Our friends were all happy to drink for a cause and helped empty dozens of wine bottles to use as vases. I loved the strength of the lanterns against the softness of the moss table runners and Queen Anne’s lace, which to me mimicked the beautiful contrast of the tractors and industrial equipment against the rolling fields of the farm.
Everything from the flowers to the music was local and personal. Our dear friend Della made our floral arrangements and bouquets using wildflowers from our fields, eucalyptus and cabbage roses. Our talented head baker Sandy made our delicious Carrot Cake and Key Lime Pie desserts-both favorite recipes from our farm kitchen. Family Friends provided the ceremony music and a high school classmate Milich Productions was our DJ. Our caterer, Pamela’s Traveling Feast is a wonderful local company who provided a fabulous spread incorporating many of our favorite foods.
I found my Ivy and Aster Dress at the aptly named Lovely Bride in Tribeca. It was a delightful shopping experience and I was enamored by the ethereal drapery of the gown. My jewelry was all purchased from my family’s gift shop at the farm, Clearwaters Gifts, and is made by designer We Dream In Colour. The vintage inspired jewelry perfectly complimented my 1920’s engagement ring.
Having our reception at home created such a relaxing environment for our guests. It was a family affair- While most people danced, the little ones ran around in the fields, and our grandparents enjoyed the quietness of a bench gazing out over Schunemunk Mountain. We chose to have my brother and a close friend as our two witnesses rather than a full bridal party. This decision lent itself to the intimate feel that we strived to create for our wedding and made for a much simpler planning process.
A DIY wedding is a tremendous amount of work, and not all of our projects turned out perfectly – our table numbers flopped (literally) from the evening dew, but the imperfections were beautifully real, and we wouldn’t have done it any other way. We felt enveloped in such love the entire day-(a love which our photographer Fabrice Tranzer captured so beautifully in his images!)
Photography: FABRICE TRANZER | Wedding Dress: Ivy And Aster | Wedding Cake: Jones Farm | Catering: Pamela's Traveling Feast | DJ: Milich Productions | Bridal Jewelry: We Dream In Colour | Hair Artist: Tara Dederick | Location: Jones Farm