For this Bride who grew up riding horses, a rustic barn wedding (horses included!) only made sense. And thanks to the help of family and friends, their dream of a soft, natural backyard affair came to perfect fruition. Filled with personal details and meaningful nods to loved ones lost, the gallery from Jenelle Kappe is not to be missed.
From Jenelle Kappe Photography…The Bride and her sister, along with their Mother – as well as her “Meema” (grandmother), grew up riding horses. Horses have always been a huge part of their lives. It was only fitting that Lauren would incorporate a barn and horses into her wedding day. What better barn and horses to choose, but your parents!!
The Bride and Groom would never allude to it, but it was a rough 6 months leading up to their wedding. Earlier that year Gary’s father became ill and passed away. As if that was not enough, less than a month before their wedding Meema, Lauren’s grandmother, also passed away. Obviously this is never an easy time, but to be so close to such a monumental day in one’s life, it’s heart-wrenching. The blue flower-like diamond ring that Lauren wore on her right hand was her Grandmother’s. An essential part of her wedding day. Two precious souls missing for such a perfect day.
The ceremony was held at a local church and then guests were driven from a near-by parking lot by Golf-Cart through the woods (i.e. horse trails that the Hehn family created for their farm) to only be met by a welcome glass of champagne. Cocktail hour was held by the pool in their backyard and their reception was under a gorgeous Sperry’s tent put up less than a hundred feet from their barn. Everything was so well put together, you would never know that it was in Lauren’s Parents backyard and that this was the first wedding they have had in their family, no less had in their very own back yard.
Details: The Bride & Groom hand made the seating chart, which were individually printed luminaries with guests names on them. The bride had custom cufflinks made for her father that said “I’ll always be your little girl” and have a picture of the two of them when Lauren was a baby. The Groom had custom cufflinks as well as all of the groomsmen. All of them different and specifically picked out for them. And finally, the same pastor that married Lauren’s Parents, took part in the ceremony and married Lauren & Gary as well.
From The Bride…For my dress, I knew i wanted strapless & lace. Everything else was open for discussion. I had NO intention of purchasing my dress from Kleinfeld’s but immediately made an appointment just for the “bridal experience”. When I was asked to be on Say Yes To The Dress the stress set in especially since Kleinfeld’s “starting price” WAS my budget. When I went in for my consultation they told me I was going to have a hard time because “good lace isn’t cheap” but I was determined to try. My consultant came back with 3 options and pretty much said “well this is what we have in your price range”. I pointed to the first one and said “let’s start here. I love that”. I put it on and immediately knew it was the one…tears and all. Now came the stress of pleasing the entourage (all 6 of them!). I walked out without saying a word to find every one of them reaching for the box of tissues. It was the first wedding dress I had ever tried on and all 7 of us unanimously said “YES to the dress”.
When people ask me what my “vision” was my response has always been “DIY meets Rustic, meets Shabby Chic with a hint of Country” which always confused people. I spent the first few months trying to explain my vision to people before i finally adopted the “you will see it in August” response. I knew it worked in my head…I just needed to make it all come together. One major factor for me is I can’t stand when things are too “matchy matchy” so the hunt for 15 completely different lanterns for each table began. I knew I didn’t want “wedding colors” thats too themed and uniform for me so I went with, what I refer to as, “muted neutrals”. Sages instead of green, mauves instead of purples…you get the idea. My goal was I wanted the entire look to be soft and natural. Crystal chandeliers and bling just really isn’t who we are.
This wedding really epitomized “blood, sweat and tears”. My parents worked ENDLESS hours making the farm & backyard perfect. My sister spent HOURS getting the final bid on vintage blue half gallon mason jars on ebay. And Gary and I spent HOURS on Pinterest, Etsy and in arts and crafts stores all over the state finding the little bits and pieces to make up the details of this wedding. Everything was being put together while we were at the church for the ceremony so the first time I saw the “venue” was when I came out of the woods on our chauffeured gold cart. The 2 of us just stood there speechless. It was like everything around us went silent and we looked at each other and said “Wow. We did it”.
Photography: Janelle Kappe Photography | Floral Design: The Loft Flower And Art Gallery | Wedding Dress: JLM Couture, Inc | Shoes: Stuart Weitzmen | Bracelet: Nordstrom | Engagement Ring: Diamond Crush NYC | Groomsmen Attire: Jos. A. Bank | Venue: Private Residence | Tent: Sperry Tents