A wedding is a celebration of a very special love. This Massachusetts wedding is not only that, but is a true labor of love. The organic farming couple cultivated the both flowers and food for the big day (how’s that for the ultimate DIY?) The dress was made by the bride’s mother. The bride’s veil had pearls meticulously sewn on by her mother and close friends. The entire celebratory day was held at the farm where this couple pour out so much of themselves. I could swoon for days. Paul from Studio Foto sent us these amazing images of one of his oldest friend’s wedding – but there were so many phenomenal images, there was no way we could do it justice. Take time to take it all in, to read the heartwarming story from the bride, and then click here for more.
From Krystal, half of Studio Foto … Paul (the other half of Studio Foto) and Sarah (the lovely bride) have known each other since they were little, and I’ve known Sarah for as long as I’ve known Paul. It was amazing to be there, not only as friends to witness their marriage, but as their “fotographers,” capturing a really special day in the life of this beautiful couple. Their wedding was so personal, homemade and heartfelt.
Almost everything about their wedding was DIY. Ella, Sarah’s mum, made her daughter’s gorgeous wedding gown by hand. She and her friends came together to hand stitch the pearls onto Sarah’s veil, and Ella even decorated a pair of darling ballet flats to adorn Sarah’s feet on her wedding day. All the food and flowers were locally grown (lots on the couple’s own farm). The entire wedding took place at the farm, making it even more special.
Check out Studio Foto’s blog for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this wedding!
My husband and I run Red Fire Farm, a wonderful certified organic farm in Western Mass, where we grow all kinds of vegetables, flowers, some fruit, and eggs from pasture-raised chickens. Amidst the seasons of getting the CSA farm shares all harvested, and winter markets full of bounty, and our crews running smoothly, we weren’t sure if we’d have time to get married in any proper way. I thought at first we could just go to the courthouse and check it off our list!
On our farm there’s this field we call the Faraway Little Hill field, down a bumpy farm road, over a stream, bordering on the old beaver pond and a neighbor’s woodland. The natural world, the land, living ecosystems and outdoor beauty, have always been the strongest source of spirituality for us. When I asked myself what place I wanted to create a marriage, I saw it had to be outside. The Faraway Little Hill Field fit the bill just right.
In the spring, we planned and planted a garden there, in a semi-circle, to be the backdrop of the ceremony. We used plants that would be in bloom for our wedding date in September, and every week of the summer went up to weed and water and fix things together.
This field is indeed far away, so we had to figure out how to get everyone out there. One of our neighbors has a hay wagon, so we hooked that up to the tractor, and planned timed rides down to the field leaving from the barn, which everyone got details about in the invitation. There’s also a path, and walking outside is a beautiful thing, so we made a hand-drawn map as part of the program.
Planning our wedding started with the food, naturally, because we are farmers. It was the easiest part! So the wedding had to happen at the peak of vegetable season. It was easy to think about the dream meal – and very hard to say no to any of our favorite vegetables! Everything we grow has charms and delicious potential, and we had to whittle it down to our favorites, finding ways to showcase their best features in ways that would be somewhat simple to prepare and serve.
I think weddings, in many of their facets, are a celebration of community, and an affirming of community. For us it was very important to source the parts of our wedding from people and farms that we care about. In so many ways this is strengthening.
Photography: Studio Foto / Catering: Locally grown food from Red Fire Farm, Hillman Farm, West Country Cider, & Wine Trail in the Finger Lakes. Cooking by Isis Masoud, Devon Johnson, and Brendon Fitzgerald / Flowers: Organic flowers from Red Fire Farm designed by Joanne and Carol Norris / Location: The Faraway Little Hill Field at Red Fire Farm / Reception Location: Red Fire Farm / Invitations: DIY / Shoes: DIY / Dress: DIY