The wedding was beautiful, with touches of vintage, and the feeling of warmth in every detail. It was filled with the kind of love that you can see – that comes from the deepest parts of the heart. It was captured brilliantly by Dreamlove Photography. And it was the kind of wedding you won’t forget for a long time – if ever. Especially with the predicted multiple visits to the full image gallery!
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Joseph is a Midwesterner from Leawood, Kansas while Andrea is a die-hard New Englander from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Both artists, their paths crossed while they were Artists-in-Residence at separate organizations in Helena, Montana. Joseph was in town for a two-week residency at the Holter Museum of Art and Andrea was a two-year resident at The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts. After Joseph arrived in town, Andrea was enlisted as his tour guide by a friend that worked at the Holter. They ate crepes and shared horoscopes—and then went on to visit the Archie Bray studios and brickyard. After two weeks of fun in Helena they stayed in touch and began to date long distance. Not long after, Andrea attended graduate school in western New York and two years later was Philly bound.
In August of 2011 the couple went on a Hu family vacation to Estes Park, Colorado. With Andrea’s grandmother’s engagement ring in his daypack, Joseph planned a romantic hike to the appropriately named Gem Lake. On arriving at the mountain top lake, Joseph posed Andrea for a photograph in preparation for his proposal. A surprised Andrea gleefully accepted. On the way back to the cabin they stopped and bought champagne.
When it came time to start planning, the couple had two priorities: 1. the wedding needed to take place close to Andrea’s family in Massachusetts due to the travel restraints of her grandparents, and 2. the space needed to be kid friendly to accommodate not only Joseph’s 5 nieces and nephews, but also all of their friend’s babies and toddlers. The mother of the bride found Smith Barn while researching venues and quickly made an appointment to visit the space. Pictures were sent via email and everyone agreed that the historic venue—with lots of outdoor space for photos and kid friendly activities—was perfect!
Once she had the venue and the dress, the rest of the planning fell into place. Andrea’s dress, with lovely ethereal layers and deconstructed raw edges, was sweet yet modern. The venue, with its high ceilings, subdued lights and lovely aged wood, was rustic yet neutral. It seemed to Andrea that lush green foliage would activate the space and complement the barn’s interior. Multiple shades of green and grey, with pops of lavender and pale pink, were the focus of the decorations and apparel.
The couple worked hard to make the event personal and special for their loved ones. Being artists, they designed and made as much as they could themselves. Joseph designed the wedding website, invitations, programs, menus and thank you cards. Andrea and a few family members designed and crafted table overlays. Andrea hand built ceramic planters and centerpieces to hold lavender, geraniums, and ferns (the couple intentionally omitted white flowers from the decor as an homage to Chinese wedding tradition), in addition to cake stands and serving platters. Andrea bought the groomsman’s boutonnieres from BHLD and was inspired to make matching non-groomsman boutonnieres and ladies corsages (the feathers were great because they could be made weeks ahead of time). Escort cards were made from Azalea leaves, with punched hearts and lettered with silver paint pen. Favors were also DIY: reusable polycarbonate glasses embellished with punched heart hangtags and adhesive nameplates that doubled as seating place cards. Andrea’s mother baked pinwheel cookies, a Marquis family tradition, for each guest.
The ceremony was held outdoors, in front of a gazebo next to the barn. Married by Reverend Art MacDonald of the first Universalist Church of Essex, they personalized the ceremony, keeping it simple and sweet. Friend and mentor of the couple, Bruce Dehnert surprised the bride and groom with an original poem that was followed by a reading of a Shakespeare love sonnet by Bruce’s wife Kulvinder Kaur Dhew. The reception went seamlessly and time seemed to fly by.
Photographers Katie and Max set the tone for the day by suggesting that the couple do a first look photo followed by more photos in the woods nearby. In the midst of all the family, friends, and wedding jitters, it was an intimate hour to spend together before the ceremony, enjoying each other’s company and appreciating the specialness of the day.
Photography: Dreamlove Photography / Venue: Smith Barn / Bride’s dress: White by Vera Wang / Bride’s shoes: Miss Albright at Anthropologie / Bride’s shrug: BHLDN / Groom’s bowtie: Bloomingdales / Groom’s Suit brand: Hugo Boss Red Label / Groom’s Shoes: John Varvatos / Catering: Cloverleaf Catering / Cake: Whole Foods / Florist: Whole Foods / Boutenierres: Pomp and Plumage at BHLDN / Make up: Sephora / Hair: Evan Deane / Engagement Ring: Vintage / Bride’s wedding band: Halloween in Philadelphia / Groom’s wedding band: Kay / DJ: Nick Ferrington / Officiant: Reverend Art McDonald