When this couple planned their wedding, they knew they wanted to showcase their picturesque 14 acre farm, create a guest-centered experience, and incorporate a few St. Patrick’s Day inspired details (the groom’s favorite day and the day they were legally married). The rest they left up to Cassandre Snyder Events and Design, who created an unforgettable rustic, autumnal fête. See the beauty of the day, captured by Judith Rae Photography.
From the Bride… Frank and I first met online sometime in early 2015. I had just moved to New Jersey from Chicago. My sister-in-law actually created and wrote an online dating profile for me, and I kind of forgot about it until a cold day in March when I was snowed in with my new puppy. I logged on, and this guy had messaged me. We ended up texting back and forth for about six weeks until he asked if he could meet me. We made plans to meet on the train to spend time in a nearby town. Frank got on one stop before me, I found him, slid into the seat next to him, and we’ve been together ever since. That was April of 2015.
In January 2016, we decided to move in together. I was living with my dad, and Frank’s lease was almost up. We decided to buy a house together and ended up picking out this 14-acre farm in Hopewell Township. The house closing was going to be in April, and as the date got closer, I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to get married before the house closed, so we decided to get married. I recognize that’s not very romantic, but I don’t really care much for traditional romance. I’m very practical, and a grand romantic gesture would have embarrassed me. Having a reasonable conversation with the person I love about our future together is more romantic to me than anything else I could imagine.
The only downside to getting married, to me, was having to be a bride. I was not a girl who dreamed about my wedding – I was more like, “I want to marry this man, but I don’t want everyone to be looking at me.” However, I have a really big family and Frank has a lot of friends, so I knew we needed a proper fête. That’s why we decided to do a small elopement ceremony on Saint Patrick’s Day, which is Frank’s favorite day, and then have our big wedding six months after on September 17.
We had the best time at both our weddings! Doing our ceremony beforehand in a smaller venue was just what I needed – I was relaxed and happy. When our wedding in September rolled around, we incorporated some Saint Patrick’s Day themes from our previous event. Because I did not have a vision for my wedding, I hired someone with really great taste, gave her very broad idea of what we wanted, and she really created something more awesome than we ever could have imagined. She also happened to be really cool. We focused a lot on guest experience and wanted to showcase the property. It was beautiful, and I had so much fun since the pressure of “getting married” didn’t exist.
Frank still asks me if we can do it again. I totally get where he’s coming from, but I think two weddings is enough for one marriage.
From Cassandre Snyder Events and Design… In planning and designing this wedding, I got to spend time really getting to know them. They aren’t “wedding” people, but Frank loves a great party. They both love music, and food was very important. Kelly stressed the fact that while she wasn’t a wedding person, she did love flowers. I hand selected every vendor for their wedding day knowing that they would “get it” – from photography to ice, every vendor fit their style perfectly.
Once Kelly and Frank decided to have the wedding at home, my wheels started spinning. Having a wedding on a farm could have gone rustic, but Kelly and Frank’s casual, organic style really shined through in every detail of their wedding. Friends and family thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and I couldn’t be more happy about the turnout.They hired me in January but wouldn’t be closing on their house until April. We started planning right away, but not seeing the space was a challenge. Once we were finally able to get in to see it, a lot of things had to change. Hills and slopes were a challenge for load-in/load-out, but hiring the best people made it all possible.
One of Kelly’s favorite stores is Anthroplogie, so I infused a lot of that anthro style in the flowers and design of things. Because the menu was created to be a fun, family-style lobster bake, we couldn’t place flowers on the table. Instead we opted for gorgeous glassware and hung the florals from the ceiling of the tent. Wild Stems perfectly captured my vision in the floral department – one meeting, no floral sample, yet she totally got what we wanted.
Kelly and Frank are also very fun people, so we wanted to add fun elements wherever we could. By adding balloons to the ceremony and balls to the pool, we let people know if they wanted to jump into the pool at any point, that would be totally fine. The chickens and cows also added to the fun! I can’t stress enough how much I love spending time getting to know my clients. It’s so important to me to get to know them to create a wedding that is authentically them.
Photography: Judith Rae | Cinematography: CinemaCake Filmmakers | Event Planning: Cassandre Snyder Events | Floral Design: Wild Stems | Cake: Shai's Cakes | Invitations: Cassandre Snyder Events | Shoes: Manolo Blahnik | Catering: Oysters XO | Band: The Loyales | Beverage Services: Shaker’s Bartending, Paul Schmidt | Desserts: Glazed and Confused | Photography Assistance: Ahmet Ze | Tent Rentals: Sperry Tents NJ