We’ve said it before, and we will no doubt say it again – although rain isn’t always a welcomed guest at a wedding, it sure makes for some of our most favorite fêtes. Maybe it’s the intimacy it forces on everyone or the gorgeous images that come from the grey skies, whatever it may be – we love a rainy day soiree. And when that gorgeous grey day is captured by the talented Erik Ekroth, it’s safe to say we immediately file it away as another reason to love the rain. See it all here!
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From the Bride… We wanted everything to be fun and relaxed. We also wanted to make sure that our family and friends traveling from Canada and England got an authentic Catskill experience. The setting was rustic but still classy, so we used that to set the tone for the day. Almost everything at the wedding was symbolic to us as a couple and made by Matthew and I together. We didn’t have any specific colors, so everything was very eclectic.
It poured rain. We didn’t really have a contingency plan for the rain so we bought 100 umbrellas and hoped all would work out. All the guests were staying at The Roxbury Motel, which is a theme room hotel in Roxbury. They were transported by buses to the venue for cocktails on the porch in the rain. At the last minute we moved the ceremony into a tent. Our friend James, who is a writer and an actor, put together a very personal ceremony as the officiant. My father, who is a former minister, did a sermon using two ewoks to talk about marriage, and we each wrote our own vows. Following the ceremony we had another cocktail hour and had a live band play in the barn. During dinner there were a few brief speeches. We tried to tie the very traditional format of English weddings into our very relaxed personalties. Matthew made a music mix of the wedding songs of all our guests. The night continued with a party at the “Dry Creek” bar down the hill on a pond. We had a midnight snack complete with mac and cheese ferris wheel. Before everyone got on the buses back to the hotel, we had a bonfire by the stream and ended the night at 1 a.m.
Our invitation was a 10-page, accordion-style story book with images made by me and the story of how we met written by Matthew. In all the rooms of the guests we left boxes full of fun treats and PBR beer. There were pink flamingos along a path to guide guests to the wedding site. All the place cards were handmade with vintage wallpaper and hung with mini clothes pins to create a pennant streamer. Each table had our “slide show,” which was a custom-made view finder with photos of Matthew and me as children. The take away gifts were handmade cassette tape holders with a USB of our favorite songs. Matthew and I made each tape cassette together by hand. All the flowers were wild flowers in vintage jars and milk bottles. We worked on the wedding as a team and I learned a lot about my husband in the process. It was really interesting to find out what was important for him that day, and one of the biggest things he was involved in was the ceremony. As a designer and event director, planning the wedding together took a lot of patience and compromise, but ultimately that nine months of working together has helped us plan a marriage and a life together following the wedding.
Wedding Photography: Erik Ekroth / Wedding Venue: Barkaboom Lodge in Bovina, New York / Floral Design: Elizabeth Geddes of E G Geddes Inc. / Catering: Mary Giuliani Catering & Events / Wedding Cake: Momofuko Milk Bar / Band: Basement Band / DJ: Andrew Klein of Gotham Events / Wedding Dress: Suzanne Ermann via VeKa Bridal Couture / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Groom’s Suit: Brooks Brothers / Groom’s Shirt: Armani / Groom’s Shoes: Cole Haan