Oh me, this wedding is special. A warm and fuzzy kind of special blended with a perfectly branded kind of special. The result is a fête so lovely it will make you let loose a squeal or two. How could you not? It’s farm meets design – and let me tell you, they love each other. There are a million and one things worthy of a high five sitting pretty in this post thanks to the beautiful work of Summer Street Photography, so run, don’t walk, to the gallery to see even more!
From the Bride… We spent a year crafting the wedding of our dreams. We had no idea what kind of work or energy that would entail, and we dove in full mind, body and spirit. Being designers and creators and afraid that the crafting process could be endless, we tried to limit our projects to a handful of feasible ideas that we could manage. We chose to get married on my dad’s farm in New Hampshire where we both have spent a great deal of time, but that meant coordinating all aspects of the event, from finding a generator that was quiet enough while providing the power we needed, to selecting just the right caterer who was willing to work with my dad’s friend who would be roasting a 250-pound pig that my dad would raise for us over the next year.
Since most of our guests would be coming from New York and San Francisco, we decided to have a weekend wedding, with a barbecue and lawn games on Friday night and a light brunch on Sunday morning. As designers, we were excited to brand the event across the three days, and knowing our friends had certain expectations for the look and feel, we worked hard to create an environment that was as much about our guests as it was about our marriage. From the invitations and the ceremony to the food and favors, we thought about every detail, even though people kept telling us that no one would notice. While we like to think that our community has a common discerning eye, we also knew that we would notice, and that was what mattered. Over the last couple of months before the wedding our apartment had become a studio of wedding projects. We painted way-finding signs on old wood we found in my dad’s barn; painted small and large farm animals gold for use as table cards and decoration; tied hundreds of feet of brightly-colored flags for the ceremony and reception; painted vintage silverware handles and created menus, paper goods, temporary tattoos, stationery and totes bags. We made dozens of trips to New Hampshire to clean up the woods and hay fields, design seating and review plans with my dad and his family. Along with my dad, my maid of honor and Jonathan’s best man, we worked to exhaustion for the week before right up until the very last second. Finally, we let go, got ready, and we were married in the afternoon of June 30, 2012. Our day-of coordinator, Phebe Robinson of Making Me Events, picked up where we left off and articulated our vision to the fullest, along with the help of our florist Natalie Bowen Designs, a friend from San Francisco who I used to assist with flowers for weddings. She flew out and with just a few requests, we left it up to her to fill our 120+ vintage milk glass goblets and vases that we’d collected over the last year. The bright summery flowers she arranged pulled the tent together!
Our ceremony took place on a wooded hill and was lead by an interfaith minister out of Boston, under fabric streamers and flags that we had created in our Brooklyn apartment. Our ceremony was intentionally non-religious but spiritually-based and included our guests in a “warming of the rings,” in which our rings were passed around the crowd before they were exchanged. Between my young sisters playing the violin and the occasional input from our amazing brass band, our ceremony was very lively and engaging. As we walked out of the woods, led by the band, even we were surprised to see the way the tent and cocktail space had come together in the last couple of hours. We looked at each other and knew we were both thinking the same thing: we’d pulled it off. Looking back, we are more than pleased with the way the event turned out and excited to relive the memories in the years to come. We feel we struck a perfect balance in bringing our city friends to a country wedding that felt modern and unique while still homegrown and very local. Our love for each other as well as the space and its beauty came through more than anything.
Wedding Photography: Summer Street Photography / Wedding Venue: The Bride’s Father’s Farm in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire / Floral Design: Natalie Bowen Designs / Wedding Day Coordination: Phebe Robinson of Making ME Event Planning Firm / Event Design + Invitations: Makewell (Owned by the Bride & Groom) / Catering: Solo Farm and Table / Band: Raya Brass Band / Wedding Dress: Watters / Bride’s Hair Flowers: Handle and Spout / Groom’s Suit: J.Crew / Hair: Pin Up Hair Studio / Makeup: Cory Hillman / Tent & Rentals: Special Events of New England